Obama’s Infomercial and Community Organizing

Just listening to Charlie Rose interviewing a NYT writer about Obama’s infomercial. One thing that the pundits don’t get about Obama is why he structures things around ordinary people, putting them in the forefront.  It is the “iron rule” of community organizing. Never do for others what they can do for themselves. The organizer always puts the stories of ordinary people up front. That’s what he did in his convention speech. That’s what he did in this infomercial.  It is a powerful strategy. One person said, I think it was Howard Fineman, that this was not about Obama, it was about those people and it was about all of us. And that’s what so radical about this guy. He is not radical in terms of economics or social values, but radical in that he is reaching for a kind of democracy that is truly people-oriented rather than top down. If he wins, which I fervently hope, things will be very interesting in terms of how he broadens out participation in this democratic experiment that we are lucky enough to be a part of.  I hope we do the right thing this time and enough of us are bold enough to vote for this one.

On Joe the Socialist

I am so ready for these tired arguments to end.  Some years ago, during the Clinton era, I was struck at how eerily similar were the attacks on the Clintons to the themes that characterized the social conflicts of the 1960’s — which I expereienced as the anti-war folks vs. the jocks. The peaceniks/folksinger fans vs. the hawks/football fans.  There were some very scary moments back then. The kinds  of arguments that surfaced in the Clinton-Republican battles echoed  that past time.  Not peace vs. war, but parallel.   Clinton as the peacenik (aka, loose/undisciplined/free thinking, yes, liberal — believing in collective responsibility) vs. the hawks (tight-ass/straight & narrow/traditional, rabid individualists). As I recall, back in the 60’s, there were plenty of disciplined anti-war folks and plenty of drunken, sex-having war mongers.  Nevermind that complexity. At any rate, that same dichotomy based in oversimplified stereotypes has had incredible persistence, but the peaceniks and the jocks are now grownups and running the country.  Now the McCain end game is to accuse Obama of being a socialist. This accusation is merely code for being on the peacenik side of the culture war. But Obama?  Does he really fit that stereotype? Soft on communism  (which goes all the way back to the McCarthy era of the late 40’s and 50’s.)  Who gets that these days, really?  Are we not beyond that?  The USSR doesn’t even exist, communism has died. Who cares anyway??? it’s been 40 years, more than 40 years since the 60’s!!   I am so desperately ready for those arguments, that tired and  irrelevant battle, to be over, and I sense that this election could change that. Somehow, Obama transcends that dichotomy, finally allows us to move on.  It is time. Past time.

The election obsession

Today I got to see Chris Matthews and Howard Fineman talk at Penn — part of the Institute for Urban Research Shape of New American City conference.  Gained new respect for Chris Matthews — there is a way in his will.  Loved that he pinned the conservative editor of the Daily Pennsylvanian to making an endorsement in the election at this late date. Lots more to say, will say it eventually.