Re: Mythbusting the Obama Magic

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "John S. Quarterman" <jsq () quarterman org>
Date: January 3, 2010 4:41:37 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: "John S. Quarterman" <jsq () quarterman org>, "ip" <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Mythbusting the Obama Magic 

> > From: Esther Dyson <edyson () edventure com>
> > Date: January 3, 2010 11:46:47 AM EST
> > To: dave () farber net
> > Cc: Micah Sifry <msifry () gmail com>
> > Subject: Re: [IP] Mythbusting the Obama Magic
>
> > Interesting stuff, but there is something to consider that is also  
> > lost in the fog.   [[FWIW, I was one of those first-time voters, for  
> > Obama.]
> >
> > Obama running for president *was* at the head of a movement, mostly  
> > of volunteers, and properly so.  As for the "movement," it may need  
> > better leaders now, but Obama should not be one of them.
> >
> > As president, Obama is president of *all* the people; half of those  
> > who voted "volunteered" the other way.  It's a tough thing, being  
> > president of a whole country.

Esther has a good point, however he was also elected with a mandate
to do some things (end the war in Iraq, close gitmo, health care reform,
etc.) and he could better use his previous organization to get those
things done.

That doesn't have to mean discounting those who don't agree with him.
It does mean not disparaging those who got him elected.

As Brock points out, Rahm Emanuel is a big part of the problem, because he
seems to have no use for anyone to the left of, oh, Lieberman.  And most
of the country is to the left of Lieberman, including most of the people
who spent huge amounts of time and money getting Obama elected.

Another part is that the successor organization, OFA, now under DNC,
is, ah, a trifle top-down for a supposed grass-roots organization.

Ditching Howard "50 state strategy" Dean as head of the DNC was a mistake.
Dean + DNC + OFA might have gotten the job done more effectively.

> > As president you have to try to reach them all... or at least not  
> > offend them by reaching out to only half of them.  That's easier
> > said than done, and there has been way too much compromise (and  
> > votes in exchange for constituency favors).  I don;t think Obama  
> > ever made a really effective case for health reform until it was way  
> > too late.

Another thing Obama has learned very slowly is that the current
"opposition" party isn't interested in actually engaging.
Zero, none, zilch, nada of them voted for the Senate's health care bill
even after it had been repeatedly watered down in the name
of bipartisanship and compromise.

There's reaching across the aisle, and there's pulling your hand
back when it repeatedly gets bitten.

FDR didn't wait on the opposition party to approve what he was doing.
He actively welcomed their hatred.  And got re-elected with even bigger
majorities in the House and Senate.  Much of the lasting New Deal
legislation came from after that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BksTHQo8Q78

"We know now that government by organized money
 is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.

...

"We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace--business and
 financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism,
 sectionalism, war profiteering.

"They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a
 mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by
 organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.

"Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against
 one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate
 for me--and I welcome their hatred."

 --FDR, 31 Oct 1936

> > So  I'd like to see a discussion of the challenges of governing and  
> > inspiring a divided country, as well as how you keep a movement  
> > going now that it won one goal - electing a president - but still  
> > needs to rally round others of much greater complexity.  Health  
> > reform comes in many shapes, most of them suboptimal..
> >
> > Winning an election does not mean winner takes all.  Thank god for  
> > that.  The movement got him elected, but now he needs to lead the  
> > country.

Which also means using the mandate we gave him, not "compromising"
it away to people who are only interested in seeing him fail.

What can be done?  Alan Grayson is doing some of it, for example,
including actively using online communications not only to raise
money but also to thank those who vote for bills he supports.

-jsq




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