Obama wants you to pledge loyalty to him tomorrow

[dunndw]

This could be interesting

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/obama_wants_you_to_pledge_loya.html

March 20, 2009

Obama wants you to pledge loyalty to him tomorrow

By Lona Manning

They have taken a pledge of loyalty to Obama, and they say they are coming tomorrow for yours. Organizing for America, the Obama-for-President campaign morphed into Obama-for-Maximum-Leader army, will hit the streets for their "Pledge Project Canvass," knocking on doors and accosting folks in parking lots and sidewalks to ask them to sign a pledge to support Obama's policies for health care, energy and education reform.

Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, is variously described in the media as [President Obama's] "own version of a lobbying firm", "a parallel organization to the Democratic National Committee" and "an independent force to lobby for Obama's goals" (Houston Chronicle); "an independent group" (Dayton Daily News); Obama's "citizen army," and a way of building public opinion" (The Bergen County Record); "a grass-roots lobbying group," (Roll Call), "Obama 2.0" (Newark Star-Ledger), "a joint partnership," (DNC press release), and as a "political bully," (AP).

According to Mitch Stewart, Director of OFA, the organization will be "getting out in front of Washington and asking our elected officials to lead the charge on energy, education and health care this year."

So one might suppose that all the names and emails collected this weekend will be sent to our lawmakers in Washington in the form of a petition. Except that David Plouffe, Obama's former campaign director and an "advisor" to OFA, has emphatically stated that they will do no such thing.

Plouffe "stressed that Organizing for America is not aimed at twisting the arms of members of Congress but meant to keep activists engaged on issues such as health care, energy and the economy."

Syndicated columnist Dick Polman reported on January 29 that:

"Mr. Obama's aides emphasized that the effort was not created to lobby directly or pressure members of Congress to support Mr. Obama's programs... ‘This is not a political campaign,'' Mr. Plouffe said. ''This is not a 'call or e-mail your member of Congress' organization.''"

Whoops! Looks like Plouffe is out of the loop on that one. The OFA website prominently asks people to call Congress and helps them look up their representative's name and number. It even provides a script.

Now, it is confusing to see the Democratic National Committee asking for help to persuade the Democrat-led Congress and the Democrat-led Senate.

But according to OFA Director Stewart, ordinary folks like you are needed to combat "a Washington establishment that doesn't welcome change.... It's up to you to show Washington that Americans are demanding this new direction."

Okay, so who in Washington, exactly? Is the DNC going to give the names and emails to lobbyists? To Washington bureaucrats? That's doubtful. The sign-up sheet to be used for the pledge drive does not mention any privacy policy.

It does reveal (at the very bottom) that OFA is a project of the DNC. This might come as a surprise to dedicated Obama supporter Janine Poppa, who told the Dayton Daily News, "It is a nonpartisan effort, and I hope people believe it's nonpartisan, because we truly do need each other to move it forward."

Poor Ms. Poppa might be disillusioned to learn that the Florida Democratic State machine unabashedly bragged to the St. Petersburg Times that they were "preparing to tap into Barack Obama's grass roots machine to build the biggest political operation ever seen from the state party."

"The million-dollar question is how to translate the activism and enthusiasm that Barack Obama was able to create and translate it down the line,'' said Steve Schale, a Democratic consultant who managed Obama's Florida campaign. "That's the challenge, but fundamentally the state is better for Democrats than ever before because of what Barack Obama was able to do. It's still up to candidates to have compelling messages and drive up enthusiasm."

No doubt the Florida Dems will be getting another memo from Plouffe to remind them that OFA a movement "not to win an election, but to change this country."

Phillip Elliott reported in January that the extensive OFA email list is not even being shared with the DNC: "Party officials had hoped Obama would transfer his list of supporters to the party, a move that would put them in control of one of the most extensive campaign organizations in politics. Instead, Obama decided to keep ownership of that enormous campaign and install his own loyalists to run it." This was done, Obama's aides insisted, in the name of being "post-partisan."

And Stewart and Plouffe, those idealistic grass-roots campaigners, stress that OFA is all about getting feedback from the Obama followers: "Mitch... believes so strongly in feedback, so we want to hear from you!"

The website is all about making "sure your voice is heard."

So tut-tut to Macon Phillips, the 30-year-old White House director of New Media, who told the New York Times that the OFA website "would give the White House another way to reach the public without having to rely on the mainstream news media." Doesn't he know that OFA is for people to communicate with their Leader, not for the Leader to send messages to his people?

Turns out even commenters at the Daily Kos are skeptical of the post-campaign uses of a campaign database.

"A small concern... again, small, but I need to voice it. I'd love to work like this to push for certain issues and policies I want to see enacted......however...I don't want to see this turn into some type of "permanent campaign". If anyone knows how the Obama administration is drawing that line I'd like to hear about it."

"There's no more campaigning to do. We won. Now it's up to us to usher in Obama's Age of Responsibility by working together to help fix America. The new goal is in service projects, not electioneering."

"I think it would be nice to include a smidge of something somewhere about the difference between governing and campaigning - it'd not only help answer any critics, but it would again draw another difference between the Obama administration and 8 years of Bush."

Whatever OFA is, David Plouffe at least thinks ''[t]his has obviously never been undertaken before. So it's going to be a little trial and error.'' As we noted on Wednesday, it seems as though OFA's organizers are ignorant of the lessons of history and of the sinister ambitions of leaders who created their own private organizations, loyal only to them.

[Guest slim]

Hitler did the same thing!

[Guest Rick O'Shay]

Well, if those people are out tomorrow I will be sure to run into some of them here in Midtown Memphis. If I do, I promise a full report on the ensuing mayhem and carnage.

[MikeW]

I will pledge NOTto LOL

[Guest nraforlife]

Frick Obama

[Guest archerdr1]

I will sign their petition my signature will read "NO WAY IN HELL!"

[ukerduker]

Pledge loyalty to President and not the Constitution? I hope I encounter one of these nut-jobs.

What could possibly be next? :)

[Guest benchpresspower]

Dang it and I was looking forward to this weekend. I pledge loyalty to God, my country, and my family and friends but hell will freeze over before I pledge it to Obama.

[poak]

Well, if those people are out tomorrow I will be sure to run into some of them here in Midtown Memphis. If I do, I promise a full report on the ensuing mayhem and carnage.

Did you mean "run over" in lieu of "run into"?

Edited March 21, 2009 by poak

[Guest GhostHunter]

Dang it and I was looking forward to this weekend. I pledge loyalty to God, my country, and my family and friends but hell will freeze over before I pledge it to Obama.

I couldn't have said it better!!

[Guest jackdog]

that is scary and sick all at the same time.

[Guest slim]

Dang it and I was looking forward to this weekend. I pledge loyalty to God, my country, and my family and friends but hell will freeze over before I pledge it to Obama.

Obamaha is now your country!

[Guest billwilly73]

Obama.....Osama.........the only difference is the.......BS

[Guest nraforlife]

Maybe the Mayans were right and 2012 will see the end of all this BS

[Guest benchpresspower]

Obamaha is now your country!

Obamaha, patron state of Pelosivania:eek:

[Guest Metal]

Obama.....Osama.........the only difference is the.......BS

Now I like that!!!

[Guest abailey362]

bleh......if they come into the store tomorrow i'll have them removed as soon as they solicit the first customer

[Guest Linoge]

If they knock on my door, they have fair warning: I will be wearing a "People of the Gun" hat, I will be wearing my "Unorganized Miltia Propaganda Corps" jacket, and I will be openly armed (after all, I will be in my residence).

That said, I will do everything in my power to tie them up for as long as possible in a pointless conversation... at least then they will have less time to harass other people.

[Magiccarpetrides]

Are we sure this isnt bs?

[Reservoir Dog]

Are we sure this isnt bs?

I think it is. I did a Google search for this story, and it only seems to come up on the anti-Obama type websites/blogs. No reports from a legitimate news source. It's BS.

[Guest Fenris]

I think it's legit.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/pledgeprojectcanvass/gptlb9

[Guest slim]

It is real, did anybody sign up for this yet, you can do so at the above post! They still have the swearing ceramonies for a few more hrs.

[Guest c_o_jones]

[Guest Linoge]

It's BS.

Really?

Do people even follow links any more?

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/pledgeprojectcanvassguide/

President Obama recently submitted his first budget and this bold plan is needed now more than ever as we continue to face an unprecedented economic crisis. Now it's up to you to organize the support President Obama needs for this plan throughout the country. It's the only way we'll truly get the change this country needs.

Create a Pledge Project Canvass in your neighborhood on Saturday, March 21st, to knock-on-doors and ask your neighbors to take a pledge of support for President Obama's bold approach to renew America’s economy and invest in energy, health care, and education.

It was right in the American Thinker article. I wish it was BS.

[Reservoir Dog]

Really?

Do people even follow links any more?

Yeah, really.

I followed the links. Did you actually read the links? I see nothing in there about pledging "loyalty to Obama," as everybody seems to think. It's BS.

I do see them asking people to support some of his policies. Other presidents have done that, as well. It is not the first time people have gone door to door, asking someone to support a politician and their policies. It happens all the time. Nothing new here.

I don't like Obama's policies, and I did not vote for him, but I see nothing wrong with people trying to drum up support for his policies. If anything, we need more of that on the Conservative/Republican side. Unfortunately, the Dems are much better in the area of "grass roots" organization.

Everybody has a hissy fit over the word "pledge." Fine. Go ahead. I'll leave them to wallow in their paranoia.

Edited March 22, 2009 by Reservoir Dog
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