Comments on "Obama Grassroots" Story

My next original Think, Obama post will return to the discussion that I began in "Practical Matters: One Refund, Part Two." In the interim, I wanted to offer comments that I left on a new Huffington Post story, "From the Obama Grassroots: San Francisco GO Kick Off!"

Again, this may be considered bad form (I honestly don't know), and if anyone thinks this is redundant, just skip this post. But I know some of the people reading out there are my friends from around the country, and they don't all have time to travel the blogs. They care, but they have other demands in their lives.

They agreed to come here out of respect for my friendship, and the fact that I believe what's happening now is important and needs their attention and their input. Whether it's my friends in Portland shaping our future incarnate by raising two amazing and dynamic children, or another in Boston, making sure that a new generation finds its way into one of the country's most revered education institutions, they're busy people.

So let me stop wasting their time. Here are some comments that I made on the story above, which discusses the Obama campaign's model for grassroots organizing in California. At a meeting in Northern California, a representative of the Obama campaign spoke enthusiastically about how they would be adopting grassroots tactics used by the United Farm Workers in the past. The idea is to create an unprecedented network of Californians for Obama, organized in units that reach down as far as each individual block in the state.

Good idea, but the columnist and I share some concerns. Please read on...



Mayhill,

Your concerned interest reflects my own, as well. I grew up in the 1970s, but lived the boycott through posters that still hung in my family's house as Reagan's shadow fell over the country at the start of the next decade. Cesar Chavez was a hero in our home (not to mention RFK), and I think there are great lessons to be learned from UFW tactics and successes.

As I think you're implying, those lessons do not translate into a ready-made template for action in 2008. Michael Dukakis recently implored Democrats, with particular focus on the Obama campaign, to consider a precinct-level effort (and to start moving in 50 states ASAP). It's encouraging to hear that they are putting a plan like this into action.

There seems to be a disconnect somewhere, though, as Barack Obama explicitly rejects the ideological battles of a previous generation, while his campaign fully embraces the tactical approach of those fights. Clipboards, conversations, and handshakes will accomplish a lot, but the piece that integrates these into feedback channels and sustainable communication structures that connect to the top still seems to be missing.

Zack Exley's recent look inside "Camp Obama" [found here] provides a glimpse of the incredibly talented and committed people being drawn to the campaign. This gives me hope that volunteers will start seeing opportunities to improve on the tactics they're being offered.

Hopefully, Barack is creating a new generation of leaders, and they're really going to lead. This means taking their training and building on it. They must make it work better as they see needs on the ground.

As you suggest, Obama supporters must learn from the whole story of the UFW. It's important that Obama attract talented people, but also that he have a campaign that can support and retain them.