What a community organizer does

Just what does a community organizer do? 

It's something Barack Obama did in Chicago after he graduated from college and before he went to law school.  The community organizing movement was originated by a man named Saul Alinsky, who created a powerful grassroots network in Chicago using organizing methods Barack Obama facilitated while working with those in south Chicagoland's dying steel mill neighborhoods. 

Longtime IR reader and conservative faithful Bob Schmidt is very familiar with the Alinsky movement and has volunteered to share his expertise with Illinois Review readers.  You'll find Bob's information, presented in chapter form over the next few days, enlightening in many ways. 

Our deep appreciation to Bob for sharing his expertise and helping us all to understand another troubling aspect of Barack Obama's political history.

Games Alinsky Organizers Play

by Bob Schmidt  spintreebob@yahoo.com

“There ain’t no rules in a knife fight.”   

In "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Robert Redford and Paul Newman had just escaped prison in the old west.  They went to reclaim their old gang of thieves.  But a new leader had taken over the gang, a large, mean looking Neanderthal. 

They agreed to a knife fight to determine leadership.  Paul Newman then asked what the rules of the knife fight were.  While the dumb ox responded in a confusion “There ain’t no rules in a knife fight”, Paul Newman kicked the Neanderthal in the privates and won the fight. 

The perplexed loser protested “That ain’t no knife fight." 

But that's the essence of Alinsky Organizing.

Back in the ‘70s the books Games People Play, Games Alcoholics Play, I’m OK, You’re OK spread Transactional Analysis (TA) pop psych.  This paper is based on Games Community Organizations Play, a booklet sold to hundreds of Alinsky-style community organizers in the ‘70s.   

TA is a metaphor to accurately describe human interactions in American society, and especially Alinsky organizing.  Chapter 1 covers the fundamentals of the game, the building blocks of human interaction used by Alinsky organizers.  Chapter 2 then describes the games that are played.

More found HERE . . .

Comments

[David P. Graf]

Do we know if Obama actually read this booklet or was influenced by TA?

[Susan Ryan]

This method seems similar to the Delphi Technique. Lynn Stuter wrote a good synopsis of that method that is used very efficiently in the schools and in community orgs to achieve consensus. This is often done successfully,by 'nice' means, to achieve the organizer's original goal.
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1998/nov98/focus.html
"Using the Delphi Technique to Achieve Consensus How it is leading us away from representative government to an illusion of citizen participation"

[John Coonen]

Bottom line is, the man, and the Democratic Party compares his persona and his "community activism" to none other than Martin Luther King. Mentions in Barack's speeches, holding the coronation in Denver, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech...

A lesson from Lloyd Bentson:

Folks, we knew Martin Luther King.
Many of us served with Martin Luther King.
Senator, you're no Martin Luther King.

Martin Luther King had a dream. He was a leader because he not only laid out the vision, but he sacrificed his time, his talent, his treasure, his energy and ultimately his life for that dream. He was a courageous, great and truly humble man.

Barack Obama has certainly benefited from Martin Luther King's leadership, as we all have. He cleared the way for others to follow.

However, it is crystal clear that Barack Obama, while well-intended, is nothing more than a very eloquent and well-heeled follower.

Leaders sacrifice so that others may succeed. Read up on the Ivy League Senator, and it doesn't take long to realize this man, while eloquent and seemingly compassionate, is nothing more than a power-seeking, self-serving politician.

While not all power-seeking pol's are bad folks (hey, it's how the game is played), I classify Barack as an authentic "all-me generation" thinker, as he dares to compare himself to Martin Luther King, and claim a higher ground while using words like "humility" at the DNC, chumming up with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, with studded sunglasses, spelling out the word, "O-B-A-M-A" in diamonds no less. Humility indeed.

Ask yourself, would this man truly lead? Would he sacrifice something of his own in order for others to succeed, or was his "community service" really in the arena of political activism to empower himself?

Or, is he an eloquent, charismatic, scheming, self-serving follower?

[spintreebob]

Susan, You get it. Concensus is a favorite game of Alinskyites.

My Alinsky organization (NCO) was specifically formed to stop urban renewal. In 1969 we had dozens of anti-urban renewal meetings. One each in St John Cantius, St Stans, St Boniface, etc. At "mine" in St Columkille 1200 (25% of adult citizens in attendance) the people yelled and screamed at the powerful Lew Hill, boss of City planning, Urban renewal everything.

We unanimously said that we opposed ALL urban renewal. We didnt want the any governmetn in our neighborhood. Do do anything. Just stay out.

At the end of the meeting after everyone had vented, the self-appointed spokesperson for the larger NCO umbrella ... the Reverend who used his collar to intimidate others into not voicing any disagreement with him ... would sum up the meeting.

What we have heard here is the frustration and lack of trust due to the lack of communication between the people and the city officials.

We can all agree that we want a better community and that we will have to make sacrifices to achieve the greater good of the community. We can all agree that we want more communication between the city and the people during the revitalizing of our community.

We want people like me appointed to the committee to represent the people in negotiations with the city over the future of their houses and neighborhoods.

Huh?

[spintreebob]

David,
The booklet "Games Community Organizations Play" was mostly sold in the mid 70s. It was mostly sold as an answer to Shel Trapp's booklet which was the official booklet of the training sessions of the NTIC - National Training and Information Center.

Obama didn't graduate highschool until '79.

It should also be noted that there are several strains of Alinskyism. Obama came out of the ACORN wing. Coincidentally the ACORN wing started in Arkansas with Hillary as one of its early activists.

The UPAJ United People for Action and Justice is a wing of Alinskyism that competes with ACORN ... mostly competes for matching grants where foundation money matches taxpayer money. UPAJ is very active in DuPage County and the basis for much of the shift of politics in DuPage.

There is also a Chicago style that is different from the Rochester style or other styles associated with a geographic area. Thus, even though ACORN is quite different from TWO The Woodlawn Organization, the non ACRON like influence of TWO can be seen in Obama.

Each wing of Alinskyism has variations in the games they play, and the vocabulary they use to describe those games. But the conscious manipulation of the game is common to all of them.

[David P. Graf]

Bob,

Thanks for your reply!

[Susan Ryan]

"At the end of the meeting after everyone had vented, the self-appointed spokesperson for the larger NCO umbrella ... the Reverend who used his collar to intimidate others into not voicing any disagreement with him ... would sum up the meeting."

I have sat through so many of those meetings (sometimes in a church, often in a school building) where people leave talking a lot about all the discussion, but not following the end results. It's all so convoluted for many and extremely frustrating for people who understand what's happening and don't have the time or will to continue fighting.

Community volunteers (real ones who aren't provided cars or payment) barely have the time to do what they do for their community. If you have just one full time paid proponent of anti-community/big govt. actions, it can easily turn into a lost cause with just one catchy sound bite, for instance. Add the incessant paid work against a neighborhood and the good cause can easily become a lost cause.

Thanks for sharing this. I wish more people were aware of (and knew protections against) the cynical manipulations against communities for a narrow band of self-interest.