After the Victory: Engaging Obama Volunteers

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.tikkun.org/magazine/tik0811/frontpage/shaw

by Randy Shaw


Tens of thousands of young people worked tirelessly for Barack Obama, and they deserve major credit for his historic victory. Not since George McGovern in 1972 has a presidential candidacy been so identified with the young. Obama’s racially diverse campaign mobilized many more young supporters, even though, due to the earlier primary schedule, it required a longer time commitment than McGovern’s. Obama defied the conventional wisdom that downplayed young people’s interest in politics, rejecting the notion that young people are too preoccupied with personal issues to engage in a national campaign.

But now what happens to these thousands of young Obama fellows, volunteers, and campaign staffers? Electing Barack Obama was only the beginning, and many of these young people are eager to continue working for change. Moreover, their participation in the struggles ahead is critical for implementing a new vision for the nation. Members of victorious campaigns often want to keep the commitment and spirit of togetherness going; this is truer than ever with Barack Obama’s historic campaign.

Labor union members, environmentalists, faith-based activists, and those whose good works are carried out through community groups have organizational vehicles for continuing their work; many of Obama’s young supporters do not. This means that a new organization, likely connected to those who coordinated Obama’s grassroots field campaign, must be created to accommodate this huge influx of potential full-time activists.

This organization would perform two critical tasks. First, it would provide the organizing support for the Obama administration’s main initiatives on alternative energy, health care, labor rights, education, and employment. Second, through the door-to-door canvassing that brought Barack Obama electoral success, these organizers would build support for a new vision for America, one that transcends specific legislation and instead addresses a new set of values based on sharing and compassion rather than the “greed is good” principle that has dominated the national landscape for nearly thirty years.

The organization would be entirely distinct from President Obama, and would not be under his control. Led by those who were energized by Obama’s campaign, the organization would seek societal transformations in line with the agenda that he espoused on the campaign trail. This independent organization would also help keep Obama accountable. Recall that last July, thousands of Obama activists used the campaign’s own social networking tools to protest his reversal on telecom immunity for wiretapping, forcing him to defend his actions to them, even though he did not accede to their wishes. Obama has frequently stated that he welcomes strong pressure from the grass roots to keep his agenda on track, and this new organization would enable activists to counteract pressure on the new president from less progressive constituencies.

A new organization that is spun off from the successful Obama campaign would begin with a large group of activists with demonstrated organizing skills and a commitment to work for the greater good. The advantage of transitioning existing staff to a new organization, rather than starting entirely from scratch, cannot be underestimated. This would be true even absent the series of crises facing the country; in the current climate, advancing the project of social transformation at the start of 2009 is imperative.

FULL story at link.