It might be worthwhile to block out the noise and listen carefully when Barak Obama whispers.

[ConsAreLiars]

Consider this reality.

Barak Obama worked as a community organizer. To be effective he had to not only build support among all the often fractious elements (divided and conquered) within the whole community but also to neutralize, if not neuter, the powers that be which benefited in proportion to the hardships of the community as a whole.

That is not easy in a neighborhood, much less a or city or state. How about the US? The whole damn planet? How do you imagine anyone might do anything like this?

Obama has given the multinational corporatist overlords plenty to reassure them, but they have already sent their lapdogs in the corporate media yapping after him as a warning. And they are also slightly concerned that the disasters they have caused might eventually touch them. They believe that massive wealth is a shield against everything, but there is a hint of queasiness when their rackets begin failing. So they are partially neutralized, both by his actions and current reality.

His whispers? Hard to listen, with all that noise, but here is what I hear. If you watched the "We are one" inaugural concert, that was indeed the message. Working together, helping one another, caring. Every artist, one after another, not just one or two. And then peaking with Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger singing Woodie Guthrie's "This land is your land, this land is my land." Seeger and Guthrie - two of the avatars of the American progressive/card-carrying-commie/liberal/humanitarian/populist/caring/communitarian/justice movement over the last four score years.

Can you imagine any other top politician doing anything like that? John Kennedy (maybe Robert might have), Carter, Clinton?

Another whisper. His foray to that Chile House in the people's D.C. Clinton might have sneaked out for a McBurger, but this was a clear political statement that this was the part of D.C. that he was a part of.

Another whisper. Doing interviews without a suit coat and tie. Just a shirt and pants. Some of you who wear that suit-tie costume without thinking, or the female equivalent, may see it as just meaningless customary practice, but it also an assertion of class superiority and power over those who look like ordinary working people.

There have been more signs, just slightly visible. Maybe you have noticed?

Or maybe all this is just wishful thinking and we have just another sold/bought out, talks good, means no harm and could have been worse game player like Clinton.

[Radical Activist]

1. That's something I tried to point out in the primary

although I never thought of putting it in that way. Obama isn't the guy to scream about how he's more liberal than everyone else like Nader and Kucinich do. No liberal is going to get elected President that way. Especially if you've got a background in left wing community organizing like Obama does. But Obama will take us the next step in that direction and he'll probably keep taking us to the next step until we get as far left as America is ready to go.

Sure, Obama had campaign themes that appealed to moderates and conservatives. But if you look at his record, if you looked at his platform, if you listen to the things he says and you know where it comes from (Si Se Puede!) then you might have noticed. There's literally only one degree of separation between Obama and the guy who wrote Rules for Radicals.

[elleng]

3. And its clear to me that he's as 'left' as this country could go.

.

[Radical Activist]

4. and the only way we'll go farther left

is by organizing around issues in every town across the country, which is what Obama is doing by keeping his campaign operation active and running it as a community organizing program.

[elleng]

5. Probably, if it can happen.

REAL grassroots, unlike Rahm's suggested approach to Dr. Dean's 50-State strategy.

[Radical Activist]

12. I'm not familiar

with what Rahm suggested. But Obama always blends the community organizing approach into his campaigns starting with his first one. It's more genuinely grass roots than anything Dean imagined as DNC Chair.

[elleng]

15. Rahm bitterly (my characterization) opposed Dean's 50-state

strategy, has his 'own,' wrote a book about it. I see Dean as having been more grass roots than rahm, and you see Obama as more grass roots than Dean. FINE with me!

[Radical Activist]

17. oh yeah.

I thought maybe Rahm had something new I didn't know about. Dean was right about the 50 state thing.

[ConsAreLiars]

7. That is another whisper.

Instead of just sending out "send me money" appeals, he is doing everything to keep the grassroots operations going and active. Same with the online feedback/what-we-want comments on his change.gov website and the rating mechanism he used to separate out the pointless garbage from the prevailing views.

[elleng]

2. Maybe I'm gullible,

but I find the signs to be powerful and true.

"So they are partially neutralized, both by his actions and current reality," I pray.

[Hekate]

6. Thumbs up. Another thing to consider is the presence of Bush moles spreading disinformation...

We knew before the end of last year that Bush (p'tui) was appointing moles to burrow in to the federal government in permanent jobs. We knew that. What did we think was going to happen?

Every time there's a negative "leak" (such as the current one about the CIA continuing extraordinary rendition and torture) the lefties explode like a bag of popcorn, and that includes our sweetie Rachel Maddow. Thank the gods she had Scott Horton on tonight with a more realistic take on the situation: (1) President Obama's orders are unambiguous and explicit, and (2) the federal government is now salted with Bush loyalists, and they could well be the source of leaks, lies, and ultimately, sabotage.

We have got to try to keep that in mind.

Hekate

[AtomicKitten]

9. That was a great segment by Rachel.

I love that she followed up on her own reporting and got it straight. I'm left wondering if they can ferret out these moles and fire them for leaking. I would think they are in some way contractually obligated to not leak.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Pfft. Whining about his betrayal is the way to go!

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Well, It Sure Is Simpler

So, you and me, Bloo: We'll whine together!
GAC

[treestar]

10. I'm getting more and more impressed with that community organizing

experience as a good preparation. Palin was such a jerk criticizing that.

Definitely one can see Obama wants to get everyone together. On DU we see many in revenge mode, and Obama just isn't going to satisfy them.

[acmavm]

13. PSSSST! Do better, go back and look at his record. He's ain't

now nor was he ever a Leftie. So watch really closely at what he does, who he picks for his cabinet, what promises he decides are not worth keeping.

I worked on this guy's campaign so don't bitch at me about anything. I just was always cognizant of the fact that he leans to the right and placates the left.

[Radical Activist]

14. What is it about his over 90% ratings from

labor, environmental, women's rights, the ACLU and other groups that isn't lefty? You need to look at his record again.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. Erm ..... I think its actually b-a-r-a-c-k .....

..... just sayin' .........

[ConsAreLiars]

18. I see you changed your user name to something

more appropriate and descriptive of your role on DU. Good for you.