I Wouldn't Have Believed If I Hadn't Seen It

Spotted over at the Revolution in Jesusland blog. Also check out the official site.

The New Organizers: The People Behind Obama’s Ground Game

Click on the link to the Huffington Post to read a remarkable article by Zack Exley on the on-the-ground operations of the field organizing of the Obama campaign.

The "New Organizers" have succeeded in building what many netroots-oriented campaigners have been dreaming about for a decade. Other recent attempts have failed because they were either so "top-down" and/or poorly-managed that they choked volunteer leadership and enthusiasm; or because they were so dogmatically fixated on pure peer-to-peer or "bottom-up" organizing that they rejected basic management, accountability and planning. The architects and builders of the Obama field campaign, on the other hand, have undogmatically mixed timeless traditions and discipline of good organizing with new technologies of decentralization and self-organization.

Win or lose, "The New Organizers" have already transformed thousands of communities—and revolutionized the way organizing itself will be understood and practiced for at least the next generation. Obama must continue to feed and lead the organization they have built—either as president or in opposition. If he doesn't, then the broader progressive movement needs to figure out how to pick this up, keep it going and spread it to all 50 states.

Full article at the Huffington Post.

Liberal Arts Dude sez:

This is the most exciting political article that I have read in a long time and really gives me hope for the future. The Obama campaign has built the foundation for an actual, bonafide, nation-wide social movement that has the potential to mobilize people and get things done in a concrete, realistic way. Kudos to the Obama campaign field staffers for this.

After the elections are over I can’t wait to see what form or forms these on-the-ground operations will take and what roles these volunteers will take on as they take the ball of citizen-powered democratic participation and run with it.

Political Eye Candy

See some great photos from various Obama campaign stops... including great candids.

If You Smell What Barack is Cookin’

So I’ve decided to forget about my qualified support for Obama and have decided to just plain support his candidacy for President. Why? My sister is also a blogger. After last Thursday’s acceptance speech by Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention she was moved to write something in her blog. This is what she had to say:

Little known fact: for about a year, while I was in high school, I contemplated a political career. I was a volunteer intern with the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 2000, and I was hired as an intern for Senator Feingold’s office the summer between my junior and senior years. For a tiny while I thought to myself, you know what, I could be a damn fine president. Yes, I really did.

And then I realized, come on now, I’m biracial. I’m a woman. The daughter of an immigrant. It’s impossible in my lifetime. I can’t. I won’t ever be given the chance. Give up. And then I gave up.

Now imagine a girl, in high school, a teenager, mixed-race, black, Asian, Latina, native american, any girl who would have been held back by being who she was born as, imagine her having that dream today. And then watching Barack Obama’s speech tonight. And not giving up.

It’s the dreams of those young girls and boys that actually brought me to tears tonight, not anything that was said in that packed stadium in Denver. The tenuous hope, so easily taken away, that there could be a generation of children of color raised in an America with a biracial black man as its President. The dreams they’d be allowed to dream, and really believe in. The burdens of their parents that they wouldn’t feel at all. Just eight years ago, when I was in high school, dreaming, that seemed a complete impossibility. An impossibility.

I was wrong to give up, though I can’t take it back, my life is on a very different path now, and my heart is elsewhere. And I had my reasons not to hope. So far this election cycle I have been very, very doubtful about Senator Obama’s chances. He’s not President yet, he still may never be, but I’ve already been proven wrong. And I revel in it.

I didn’t believe that Americans were ready to nominate someone like Obama. Someone who looked like Obama, and had his background. I didn’t believe it because, as my family moved around the world, every time we moved back to the US, I was met with prejudice, nonacceptance, hostility, and ignorance. Not uniformly, not from everyone. But over and over again. In everyday incidences that, one by one, pounded it into my consciousness that I was not accepted, I did not belong, and it was because of what I look like, who my parents are, and where we come from. Somewhere in the back of my head, I believe that most people believe that I’m not a real American. And Barack Obama, a man with a background quite similar to mine in many respects, well, I couldn’t believe that people could put aside those prejudices that I’d felt so often in my life, and accept him as one of their own. I’m still not sure I do believe it.

But it’s not impossible anymore. And that’s enough to impress me, and amaze me, and humble me. I thought too little of America, because I was convinced that it thought so little of me, and of people like me.

Thanks for proving me wrong, Senator. You have my vote.

Liberal Arts Dude sez:

I must say I was very surprised reading the above from my sister. If you’ve read enough of this blog you will learn that I do plan on voting for Obama this coming November but my vote is a qualified one–Obama gets my vote but … and then a litany of disappointments and skepticism of the failed populist promises and betrayal of working peoples’ interests by the Democratic Party will follow.

Obama sounded like a true populist last Thursday. He said all the right things and got my hopes up that maybe, just maybe, he is sincere about this “Change” business and that if he wins in November, he will be able to change the culture of Washington DC and politics for the better. Because he is counting on the support and mandate from an organized and engaged citizenry. As he said, the election is really not about him -- it’s about us right? The citizenry whose hopes have been aroused by his candidacy and are now engaged and organized to participate in this grand experiment called Democracy.

I was impressed by the Obama campaign’s ability to elicit the type of response he did from my sister last night. Not a lot of politicians have been able to do that. Certainly not in my short lifetime. I’ve also never seen a campaign mobilize and raise money from so many ordinary people and get their hopes up.

An old story once said about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when a constituent met with him and made a great case for enacting reforms and policies. Roosevelt’s response: “That is all great. Now go out there and make me do it.” The story focuses on the importance and the role of the constituency in pressuring politicians from below in enacting the types of policies they want to happen.

Obama said he is running on a platform of Change. Let’s get out there and make him do it.

Cross posted in An Ordinary Person.

A Discussion With Dr. Cornel West

Dr. Cornel West talked about American society, race, politics and class, at a recent event hosted by the New York Times. He was interviewed by columnist Frank Rich.

This event took place earlier this month, and was part of the New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend, held at The Times Center. The program runs for approximately 1 hour.

Watch Streaming Video

Watch Here (video is in two parts, and will automatically switch over from beginning segment to the main video. Allow video to load).

I'm not too happy with Dr. West's recent efforts to fraternize with organizations like BET and the rest of the Black elite. These are organizations that have not been working in the best interests of Black Americans....not even in the interests of helping the image of Black Americans. This is interesting considering the fact that Dr. West is known for his criticism of the likes of BET.

He has gone down several notches on my list of the few major Black figures and scholars who I respect. But (as of right now) he is still someone who I enjoy listening to. He is one of the few major Black figures who is offering a positive, thoughtful message about the issues that the Country faces, and especially the issues facing Black Americans.