Disorganized - What happened to Obama's massive network of grassroots activists?

[Beacool]

The New Republic
Lydia DePillis
October 29, 2009



Tea partiers, townhall protesters, Texas secessionists--for the past few months, grassroots organizing has seemed to be mostly the domain of the right. And for a period this summer, they (okay, not the Texas secessionists, but the others) appeared to be successfully tugging the national debate in their direction. As conservative activists, organized by groups such as FreedomWorks and encouraged by the likes of Glenn Beck, poured into the streets, moderate senators began to waver on health care, President Obama's approval ratings dipped, and momentum for reform seemed to stall.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. The reason was Organizing for America. Last year, after winning the presidency, Obama decided to keep intact the backbone of his stunningly efficient, innovative campaign. Previous presidents had outsourced their activism to interest groups; Obama was going to create his own. OFA was supposed to be a new kind of permanent campaign: a grassroots network wielding some 13 million email addresses to mobilize former volunteers on behalf of the administration's agenda (and keep them engaged for 2012). "We've never had a political leader who has continued their organizing while in office like this at this scale," Tom Matzzie, former Washington director of MoveOn, told NPR in January.

As right-wing protesters dominated the news this summer, it would have seemed the perfect opportunity for Obama's much-touted organizers to drown out the conservatives with some coordinated agitation of their own. But they barely made a ripple. Where were they? And how could such a formidable grassroots operation--having just put Obama in office--fall quiet so quickly?

The morning after the election, some 10,000 organizers dialed into a conference call with President-elect Obama, who told them that they would be needed for fights to come. But within the Obama camp, there was disagreement about how, exactly, their services ought to be used. OFA could become a freestanding organization that would advocate independently for the president's agenda. Or it could be folded--along with its formidable fundraising potential--into the Democratic National Committee. Steve Hildebrand, Obama's deputy campaign manager, favored the independent option: It would allow the group to "pressure anybody who we would need to build a coalition of votes in the House and Senate," he told the Los Angeles Times in mid-November. David Plouffe, the campaign's mastermind, disagreed. He had won the election through a precisely directed field operation combined with iron message discipline, and wasn't about to give it up.

A few days before the inauguration, Obama announced, in effect, that Plouffe's view had prevailed: Organizing for America would be securely housed within the DNC. (Hildebrand returned to his consulting firm in Sioux Falls, and would later become vocally critical of the administration's incremental approach to issues such as gay rights. Plouffe stayed on as an adviser, and his firm raked in $376,000 this year from the DNC.) The bulk of the DNC's new hires have gone to support OFA, which takes up about half the square footage at party headquarters inside a putty brown stucco building south of the Capitol.

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/disorganized

Plouffe seems to be doing very well for himself.

;-)

[sandnsea]

1. 300,000 of us shut down the White House phones last week

And within days Reid announced we would have a public option.

[graywarrior]

2. That right. We'r quiet, but deadly.

[Beacool]

4. It does say that lately they have sharpened their pitch.

Recently, OFA has sharpened its pitch--behind-the-scenes movement building wasn't much use in the here and now. In January, Plouffe had told The New York Times that OFA was "not a ‘call or e-mail your member of Congress' organization." But on October 20, OFA sponsored a massive day of calls to Congress on health care, creating the kind of media buzz the group had failed to generate over the summer.

:-)

[sandnsea]

16. We've been building since June

There's an organizer in all but 2 states and there will be in those states shortly. The group has organized several events. If the media didn't want to report it, that's not the group's fault.

[burning rain]

28. A lot of the recent energy on the left re. health care, is blogger-generated.

I'd be wary of ascribing too much credit to OFA itself and the administration's political gurus.

:hi:

[sandnsea]

51. They haven't done a thing

If it weren't for the unions and HCAN, and OFA, NOTHING would be happening. The bloggers are as useless as they ever were. I think the League of Women's Voters did more than the bloggers did.

[mkultra]

100. bloggers have done nothing.

We built this city.

[FrenchieCat]

3. What should Plouffe be doing now, as far as your concerned?

Oh and the headline of that article says nothing about "disorganized"
from what I read at the link.

[Beacool]

6. Advising the president.

Which he is doing, but also making plenty of money for himself through the association.

What are you reading? The title is taken verbatim from the article.

:shrug:

[FrenchieCat]

15. You are right on the title......

As far as what he should be doing, there are plenty who profit after winning an election,
and I'm not quite sure why this guy can't.

Carville and co. are still cashing in from 1993!

[Tarheel_Dem]

39. Hey, did you guys ever pay Mark Penn?

:shrug:

[Adelante]

75. Oooooh

:D

[blm]

86. The way Carville, Begala advised Bill to deepsix BCCI report in 93? oops... Jackson Stephens

was REALLY in charge then and performing that service for Poppy Bush and the Saudi and Dubai royals, wasn't he?

[jenmito]

7. She gave him and Axelrod a frowny face on another thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8721507&mesg_id=8721692

And then accused Axelrod of being the Rove of the Left, and of "Chicago-style politics." Right out of the RW playbook. :eyes:

[Beacool]

8. Thanks for the news report, Jenmito.

:7

[jenmito]

9. My pleasure.

;)

[sandnsea]

18. Uhm, are there attacks on Hillary around here?

Or Bill, unless he were to do something stupid.

I don't recall any, although there may be one or two.

We all root for both of them to do well in their endeavors. It's important for the country and the people of the world.

What's your problem?

[JTFrog]

50. It starts with a capital P.

:shrug:

[joeycola]

58. Should I trust that news outlet?

[Beacool]

71. Naaah, it's too partisan.

:D

[jenmito]

90. Right. Providing a link to your post is "too partisan"...

I guess you see yourself as NOT a Dem., but a Hillary supporter only.

[uponit7771]

5. o god...

[AllentownJake]

10. I've been unimpressed with OFA

Had a couple meetings for them intially, was pretty patient, but they seemed to lack direction. Last meeting I went to was in June where they were planning Health Care fairs for Reform. Thought it was a little tame considering what they'd be facing.

[Beacool]

12. Did you read the article?

I found the first comment quite interesting, if a little over the top. For obvious reasons I never had any contact with this organization, but saw enough of them while campaigning.

:-)

[AllentownJake]

13. They told the only functioning group here

that they would have to call themselves something else because they were doing lobbying for local enviromental and homeless issues.

Like I said I'm unimpressed.

[Beacool]

14. Really?

That says a lot, doesn't it?

:-(

[AllentownJake]

17. They still go to the group for projects

But they said on the local issues they couldn't use Organizing for America cause it would imply Presidential Support.

[hileeopnyn8d]

23. That makes sense

actually. No?

I will say, that you could almost tell from the change in tone and the content of the emails the moment OFA was absorbed into the DNC.

[AllentownJake]

25. I really don't even open them anymore

and like I said the last involvement I had them was in June. If I want to be part of the organized democratic party, I have my local and state party I can do things for.

[geek tragedy]

64. "the organized democratic party."

There is such a thing?

[csziggy]

97. Locally a group splintered off from OFA to work on local and other issues

Rather than just take their orders from the OFA hierarchy. A lot of the people in the alternative group are independents who worked on the Obama campaign but who are not willing to be sucked into the Democratic Party. Besides, many of them are very strong minded women who have minds of their own and want to have their own group. Some are working with both OFA and the independent group (known as VOICES, I am not sure what the acronym stands for). I sure get enough emails from both groups announcing activities to know that both are trying to do a lot of things!

I was invited to join VOICES and to go back to work with OFA but health problems have prevented me from being active.

[NYCGirl]

54. Had to be tame. We didn't have the budget for torches and pitchforks.

Not to mention all the fire insurance we'd have to carry!

[avaistheone1]

66. B.S.

[AllentownJake]

68. It is an unimpressive organization

and most of the leaders during the election around here have little to nothing to do with it.

[DrToast]

11. Many are taking thier cue from Obama

When Obama wants to fight, they'll be there.

[polichick]

22. That's what I've been hearing. nt

[avaistheone1]

67. And Obama didn't want any of that radical single payer.

The Obama OFA meetings on health care were a real joke.

[jenmito]

19. Would you like to see Obama fail? That's what I get from your posts.

:shrug:

[FrenchieCat]

24. Nothing could be sweeter.....especially if it happens right around 2012!

cause you never know.....

.......that's what I get from her posts.

[Beacool]

27. You girls are being a tad melodramatic.

Relax, Hillary is no Ted Kennedy. She would never run against a sitting president of her own party.

Geez.........

:eyes:

[AllentownJake]

29. There was a pre-emptive attack on Dennis K.

This afternoon so might as well go after the Sec. of State.

[Beacool]

31. I guess so.............

:7

[jenmito]

32. You didn't answer the question: Would you like to see Obama fail? On second thought,

you DID answer. Your response was very telling but not surprising.

[AllentownJake]

33. I swear you guys could have worked in the McCarthy hearings

:rofl:

[Autumn]

37. Oh hell,they could have taught McCarthy a thing or two.

"Do you want Obama to fail?" that is the stupidest phrase I have ever seen, NO ONE wants Obama to fail, if he fails we all fail. Yes, some people preferred another candidate in the primaries, but Obama won, Hillary is Secretary of State and its all good, Now if only they could get over it.

[AllentownJake]

38. The biggest pain in the ass for me in the General Election

Was not Hillary Supporters it was Obama Supporters who couldn't leave the Hillary supporters who were helping the campaign alone constantly creating drama.

[mkultra]

55. Thats the opposite from my experience

Nothing was more insulting then every time those HRC douches would mourn the lose of "such a historic opportunity" as if there is nothing historic about the first black president. Most HRC supporters are mouthy and rude and just dont like the fact that we will shove it right back in their face.

[AllentownJake]

56. I'm guessing

You would have been a pain in my ass in the let's get a long and get Barack Obama elected mission in September and October of 2008.

[mkultra]

80. hard to say, but i can garuntee you this

If any of the HRC supporters we were working with where bashing Obama while he was running, then you can be assured they would have heard my voice. The thing i find about hillraisers is they seem to be able to dish it out with little capacity to take it. If by "pain in the ass" you mean "unwilling to take your shit and smile" then yes.


Simple civlity. Don't start none, wont be none.

[Beacool]

94. That's precious!!!

Most of the young Obama supporters out on the field were crass, rude and obnoxious.

Such as the ones telling a group of middle aged teachers at a CO caucus site to "show them their tits". Lucky these women had dealt with enough unruly kids to know how to handle them and were not intimidated.

:-(

[mkultra]

95. or the bigoted HRC supporters

who claimed on TV they wouldn't vote for a black man.

[jenmito]

41. You should tell Beacool to get over it. She has SAID that she's still not over it.

Take it up with her.

[Beacool]

34. Jenmito, you are like a dog with a bone: you won't let go.

Who the hell wants the country to fail? Please.......

Too many people are suffering out there.

:(

[jenmito]

35. I asked if you want OBAMA to fail. You parrot the RW by saying Obama's

advisers "represent the Chicago way of doing business," you constantly say negative things about Obama, and you still are not over the primaries. :shrug:

[joeycola]

59. chuckle -look who is calling the kettle black....

..........and you still are not over the primaries............

[bunnysoft]

70. The member thinks Obama will fail. Thats not the same as WISHING that he fail

It seems obvious to me.

If I think my credit card company will raise my rates next year, should people conclude that I want them to?

[jenmito]

91. No-"the member" says she doesn't have the same pride in our president as

his supporters do. She did not share our joy in Obama giving a great speech a few weeks ago and admitted to not being "over it" (the primaries).

[jenmito]

30. Yeah...

I'm sure you're right.

[Arugula Latte]

92. Of course she wants to see Obama fail. She's still overflowing with bitterness.

I think it's eating her alive.

It's sad, really.

[jenmito]

98. I agree. It's SO obvious in her posts...

she has even SAID she's not over it. It IS sad.

[Thrill]

20. Did you really think all those young folks were going to stay engaged?

I have a 19 yr old niece who was crazy over Obama. Volunteered for the campaign almost every day. After inauguration, she can't give two shits about politics.

[hileeopnyn8d]

21. I don't recall

ever wearing a sticker on my face during the campaign.

And the firm that you think Plouffe is doing "very well" at is AKPD, he's an advisor, it isn't his firm. There are three partners and plenty of other employees besides Plouffe.

Given that they only work for Democrats, I don't think it should be surprising that the DNC has spent $376,000 with them this year.

http://akpdmedia.com/

(It was Axelrod's company, and he sold it to the other partners when he took his position at the WH)

[Autumn]

26. Interesting article,

I would have liked them to have used the kind of in-your-face antics the tea-partiers embraced in the health care debate too.
I found this part fascinating,

" Obama's people had created something both entirely new and entirely old: an Internet version of the top-down political machines built by Richard Daley in Chicago or Boss Tweed in New York. The difference (other than technology) was that this new machine would rely on ideological loyalty, not patronage. And that was a big difference. The old machines survived as top-down organizations because they gave people on the bottom something tangible in return for their participation."

[FrenchieCat]

36. Yes, fascinating opinion piece.........

especially if you agree with the writer's opinion.....cause that's all it is.

[Autumn]

40. Well you know what they say,

opinions are like assholes, everyone has one or is one.

[Whisp]

43. ...and everyone else's stinks. ;)

to complete your phrase.

I smell something funny in this post, don't you?

:rofl:
smells kind of old and... familiar.

[Autumn]

46. I forgot

that part.:rofl:

[FrenchieCat]

44. No, I don't think everyone is one....although everyone has one.....

What gets me is when folks believe that a writer's opinion is meant to be read as an evidenced filled story, when the evidence is missing......and what is left is not much more than a smear.

[Autumn]

45. You don't know

jack shit about what I believe. I read it and found a part I thought was interesting and I commented on it. :shrug:

[FrenchieCat]

47. You are the one stating that everyone either has an asshole or is an asshole.....

I personally don't think it is an either/or proposition.
And yes, I don't know jack shit about what you believe,
nor was I commenting about such.

[joeycola]

62. "ideological loyalty" can be air as some are finging out.

[Indenturedebtor]

42. I was called about health care reform and agreed to do data entry...

But I never recieved my packet of info to enter or follow up call. I would call for the campaign but I am working 65 hours a week and taking 6 credit hours... and I'm on Pacific time so by the time I even get home it's nearly bed time for most of the nation.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Forkboy]

49. Passive aggressive pap from the OP, as always.

[Obamacare]

52. The teabaggers, birthers and other assorted

rejects are still not enough to propel the rethugs back into political power. Their appvl ratings are still in the 20s,LOL their childish Karl Rove kitchen sink antics aren't paying off.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

53. .

Obama x( :( .....;-)

[alcibiades_mystery]

60. Losery losers act like losers

It's not a big surprise.

The OP is still shocked that grassroots activism upended the inevitable assent of her hero.

[mkultra]

78. spot on. Grassroots is not the base

people seem to always get them confused.

[joeycola]

61. More name-calling of DU members without any stubstance is your post.

[Forkboy]

63. And I'm shocked to see you and Beacool agreeing.

[mkultra]

79. name calling? he didnt call any names, he described the behavior

at least his posts are coherent.

[ClarkUSA]

57. Really? Al Giordano credits OFA with turning Congress around on the PO with 312,023 phone calls...

Prior to October 20, just a week ago, the “conventional wisdom” among Washington DC-centric pundits and bloggers was that the so-called “public option” on the upcoming national health care bill was dead in the water.

Since October 20, the same voices have shifted to a presumption that the public option – in which the US government would create its own health program (much like it already has for members of Congress) to compete with private insurance companies, bring their prices down, and offer another option to citizens – is now a done deal and the remaining question is what kind of public option will be approved by Congress.

What changed on October 20 to so radically shift the beltway CW?

315,023 phone calls – deployed by Organizing for America, President Obama’s grassroots political arm – that flooded the US Capitol switchboard in a single day: that, and that alone, is what shifted the ground beneath the health care debate. Those that participated in organizing that warning shot know it even while many who did not lift a finger for it look for other explanations for this positive shift in the discourse... It’s been an entire summer of silliness from both of those camps; from the “Obama is a socialist” club to “Obama is another Bush” chorus, the infantile nature of so much of US politics has been on full display with the health care debate as its fulcrum... informed by my study of Obama’s political modus operandi and my bias and experience that community organizing usually proves a thousand times more effective on any matter than poutrage blogging or its corresponding activist circle jerk: Almost none of those complaining voices participated in Organizing for America’s October 20 day of action that had set a goal of 100,000 phone calls to Congress demanding health care and exceeded that goal three times over. If any of the poutrage bloggers even mentioned it, much less promoted it or urged readers to join in that show of grassroots muscle, I didn’t notice, and probably you didn’t either.

The poutrage bloggers are evidently hostile to the entire idea of community organizing; that ordinary people can make extraordinary things happen by reaching outside of the beltway, recruiting each other, and deploying such human forces strategically and surgically to impose public opinion onto Washington from outside of it. History now reflects that those 300,000 plus phone calls to Congress on October 20 marked the turning point in the quest for a public option on a Capitol Hill where some key Senators had to be dragged kicking and screaming into getting out of its way.

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/3564/health-care

[mkultra]

77. yup, im part of OFA and i got the message and made the calls.

I always find that when someone is out of the loop, its not the loops fault.

[ClarkUSA]

81. Good for you. Thanks!

You're a good example of what Al Giordano is talking about: "poutrage bloggers"/bitter haters aren't the ones who are making the
greatest effort to get things done -- Obama supporters are doing that-- but they sure complain the loudest about things not being
done.

[mkultra]

99. yes, they need to grab a mop.

[treestar]

65. It's still there

I get emails from the WH all the time. Some of them still ask for money! So complain about that instead.

[bemildred]

69. The whole point of grass-roots organization is that "dominating the news" doesn't means shit anymore

Just saying.

[The Magistrate]

72. But There Is A Real Case Of Un-Used Potential Here, My Friend

The reason more has not been got out of this is that President Obama has not personally staked out definite positions on major issues of interest to the mass of persons on those lists. Irregulars need leadership even more than formed forces do; they need inspiration to focus the desire to execute orders. When President Obama declines to say, for example, what HE wants, specifically, in the Health bill, this loose agglomeration cannot effectively bring pressure. Most people in this would have responded energetically as desired even if the terms President Obama set were well short of what they would have preferred.

[stevenleser]

73. The answer is actually implied in your subject

The reason Organizing for America is keeping a somewhat low profile, is that if it is doing all of the protest and activism organizing, then those protests and that activism becomes Astroturf, i.e., exactly what we have been calling out the Republicans for doing with the Teabaggers.

[AllentownJake]

74. No it is just an unorganized mess

I've seen it up close it sucks.

[ClarkUSA]

76. OFA is very organized where I live...hundreds in my area are working @ Corzine's GOTV.

A local group is only as good as its leaders. Perhaps you need to step up instead of complaining.

See Reply 57: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8722739&mesg_id=8723612

[AllentownJake]

82. I don't know if you've noticed

It is impossible for me to "step up" when I don't support policies or certain administration officials.

I'm glad to see though the OFA groups in Blue states are working. Great trade off from the 50 state strategy.

[ClarkUSA]

83. You don't support HCR? Or the re-election of Democratic governors? Okay.

FYI, my OFA group includes plenty of folks who are from PA who care about getting Corzine over the finish line.

[AllentownJake]

85. Lost me on mandates

I chose him over the other candidate in the primary partly over insurance mandates. I support Health Care Reform, not solving the problem with a weak public insurance program and forcing people into the private market.

I hope Corzine does well. Nice to hear PA folks are going over the border for an election.

[ClarkUSA]

87. Then you can hardly complain about OFA efforts to get HCR passed when you're not a part of it.

Why don't you join us this week to GOTV for Corzine? You don't have to knock on any doors or go to a campaign office;
you can simply make calls from your home to Democratic voters who voted for Pres. Obama.

[AllentownJake]

93. There are local elections

and I'm driving a van for the county party after much arm twisting.

I wish you luck in New Jersey but ensuring that the right people are in place making the right kind of budget cuts over the next 2 years is more important.

[mkultra]

96. im in a red state and it works here

We did lose some of our members because of bigotry but that was expected. They kind of just disengaged.

[freddie mertz]

84. What useful energy there is seems to be needed to pressure or oppose the WH's actions

Or inactions (on the PO, on DOMA, on DADT, on EFCA, on FISA, on torture investigation and disclosure, etc etc ad ininitum).

I'm not interested in the WH operation much anymore.

[olegramps]

88. My two-cents worth.

I am of the opinion that President Obama's futile attempts at bipartisanship has been a major plunder.

This has resulted in a lack of enthusiastic support since he has failed to realize that the Republicans are the swore enemy and this is a fight to the death. We either achieve dramatic reforms or surrender to the maintenance of the status quo. His rather undramatic approach has turned off many of his most enthusiastic supporters who actually looked forward to a dynamic president storming the walls of the capitalistic citadels and achieving justice for the struggling middle class.

Some say he is playing three-dimensional chess while others say his middle of the road policy is a disaster. I believe that he has lost the impetus and has allowed the adversary to gain the upper hand. If this continues, I will not be surprised to see a massive defeat of Democrats in 2010 with 2012 much in question. I have to conclude that he has surrounded himself with a bunch of milquetoast middle roaders with too strong of ties to the corporate interest. It was the working middle class that put him into office and I don't see them being adequately represented in the administration. The only bright spot I see is Hilary Clinton.

[grantcart]

89. Well OFA calls me regularly to see how I am doing on calling Senators

to insist on including a public option in the Senate Bill.


I have received 3 phone calls from them and each time it was specifically aimed at increasing pressure for the Public Option.


I guess you simply can't believe every slam that the media publishes about Obama and is dutifully clipped and posted here - who would have guessed?