It's not about Obama!

I just may have found a campaign to love. Not a candidate, necessarily, but a campaign. We met one moonlit night in Washington Square Park. Illinois Senator Barack Obama was there, but what excited me were the other people. Their candidate may not change the world, but sometime down the road, they may.

The September 27 Obama rally in New York wasn't slick. The only band to play was dreadful; the first speaker was a seven or eight-year-old, girl who read a letter that I couldn't hear. Next came Jonathan, 16, from Harlem who said, "Obama is all about change and change is what is needed in this country." And then, after a very long pause, appeared Cuauhtemoc Figueroa, Obama's National Field Director. Figueroa, known as "Temo," proceeded to introduce the enormous crowd of celebrity-hungry New Yorkers to an extensive list of campaign volunteers. Among those was "Jeff," a young lawyer who'd given up his home to the office-less campaign for the week (he slept on his roof), and a tiny blonde who is directing field operations in New Hampshire. I think Figueroa said she had just graduated from high school.

Conventional campaign calculus-crunchers will likely conclude that Obama's fresh-faces will be no match for Clinton's professional cut-throats in the upcoming primary contests. When I saw Clinton address an open air rally in Washington, she was flanked by US Senators, a past Secretary of State and Grammy Award winner Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. When Obama took the stage in New York, he stood beneath the Washington Square Arch, alone. (The most weighty of the rally's politician participants was State Senator Bill Perkins (D-Harlem.))

Then again, conventional campaign correspondents don't actually cover campaigns; they cover candidates. It's the problem with what we've come to call "horserace" coverage. It's all about the horses, never about the people in the stands. Barack Obama may not be the most interesting thing about the Obama campaign.

In New York, after the rally, Figueroa wasn't hanging with the media, he was hanging with the field workers. "We don't train volunteers. We train organizers," he told me. The son of farm worker organizers (and a former top politico at AFSCME) Figueroa knows the difference between a volunteer -- who does what s/he's told -- and an organizer who's a decision-maker in his/her community. At Camp Obama, the campaign's twice-weekly training sessions in Chicago, participants train with Figueroa's mentors -- men like Harvard Professor Marshall Ganz, once a United Farm Workers organizing director -- and with the people who trained Obama – mentees of grassroots organizer Saul Alinsky.

It's about this campaign but it's also about seeding the states with people who have the tools to make change, says Figueroa. And we're not just talking about money, or virtual tools. The big news from the Obama campaign this weekend may not be the 501,000 donations from more than 350,000 people, or even Obama's 28:24:22 lead in Iowa over Clinton and Edwards in the latest Newsweek poll. The big news may be from South Carolina, where according to the local The State, "Obama has put together a high-tech and grass-roots get-out-the-vote campaign unmatched by anything seen in the state before." Obama is organized in all 46 counties. On Sunday, according to the campaign's in-state bloggers, first-time canvassers went door to door from 31 staging locations in 26 of them. Among the lynchpin institutions of Obama's South Carolina campaign are local barbershops and beauty salons. This is not your standard consultants and carpetbaggers' campaign.

For all his rousing rhetoric, the sad truth is, Obama's campaign promises are milquetoast. The most specific pledge he made in New York was to raise automakers' gas-consumption standards to 40 miles per gallon. That's not going to change the world. But the last time a campaign was this excited about it participants, Howard Dean was leading it. Dean's candidacy fizzled but the blogosphere his campaign cultivated changed campaign calculus for good. If Obama can plant as many real roots in the states as Dean sowed netroots in the blogosphere, grassroots politics may yet grow a candidate with enough spine and independence to break with the establishment.

Want to see Obama's campaigners in action? Tomorrow, October 2, supporters are gathering in 18 cities across the country, among them: Tuscaloosa, AL, Phoenix, AZ, San Diego, CA, Colorado Springs, CO, Lawrence, KS, Columbia, MO, Princeton, NJ, Brooklyn, NY and Nashville, TN.

LAURA FLANDERS is the host of RadioNation and the author of Blue Grit: True Democrats Take Back Politics from the Politicians.

Comments (23)

1. I saw Obama in Miami and I was please at the diversity of people there. Young, old, all races and creeds. It was America at its best. If Obama can bring all those people together, perhaps he can bring a nation together. He brings a lot to the table and he is passionate about people. He has intergity,common sense and compassion. These qualities are reflected in the people he attracts. We can often tell what a person is like by looking at the friends they keep. He has my vote.

   Posted by Harmony at 10/01/2007 @ 4:50pm

2. We can often tell what a person is like by looking at the friends they keep.

   Posted by HARMONY 10/01/2007 @ 4:50pm

   excellent

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/01/2007 @ 5:15pm

3. CORRECTION It's not "$501,000 in donations from more than 350,000 people" -- it's 501,000 donations from more than 350,000 people.

   Obama's Q3 dollar total is $20 million, bringing the dollar total for the campaign to $79 million.

   Posted by horizonr at 10/01/2007 @ 6:05pm

4. What about the character of their husbands and the friends he keeps, Rich, Hsu,ect....

   Posted by john maasch at 10/01/2007 @ 6:29pm

5. Posted by JOHN MAASCH 10/01/2007 @ 6:29pm

   ???????

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/01/2007 @ 6:42pm

6. Going to be funny to see how HAPPY spins this as "more 'Nation' Hillary cheerleading"!?!??!?

   heheh

   BTW, I hope Ms Flanders is right...but it SURE sounds a lot like the stuff we read about....Howard Dean in 2004!

   Posted by Mask at 10/01/2007 @ 7:24pm

7. Barry Oh! remonds me of......Gary "new ideas" Hart, whose appeal could be summed up by the phrase, "He looked the part, and talked a good game, but in the end, the beef just wasn't there"

   Course, there was that monkey business, too.......(heh,heh)

   Posted by davebarlett at 10/01/2007 @ 8:30pm

8. obama does not indeed promise everything to everybody. he says straight up front that if elected, "you won't wake up to find everything fixed".

   IE - HE DOES NOT RUN AROUND TELLING SWEET SOUNDING LIES.

   want more of the same? go ahead and vote for more of the same.

   want some politician to lie to you so you can feel good about bitching about how they lie to you?

   prefer to bitch over actually changing something?

   prefer to be stuck in eternal petulant unrealistic everything sux adolescence?

   politicians have indeed lied to us for a very long time, but...

   does not part of the responsibility lie with those who ask them to lie and then eschew responsibility in favor of cynical carping and bitching?

   because carping and bitching and everything suxing sure solves the problems well does it not?

   or do we wear our misery like a warm blanket...

   fear of failure and betrayal by others, or fear of success and the headspinning responsibility that comes with it?

   i like the fact that he promises so little. thereby does he promise everything.

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 10/01/2007 @ 9:28pm

9. indeed - ITS NOT ABOUT OBAMA!

   obama is nothing more than, and makes no claims to be anything more than, a great enabler. a leader? sure, the kind of leader who creates leaders...

   people search for a knight in shining armor who will ride in and solve all their problems - but guess what?

   there is no such thing. there never has been, nor ever will be.

   there is only you and me.

   but every once in a blue moon, there appears one who inspires others to become their own heros.

   he or she does not do it by promising the sun and moon and stars, but by inspiring others to sieze the same rhemselves.

   so if you want someone to fix all the problems in a wink...dont vote for senator obama.

   vote for a run of the mill liar.

   if you dont really want things to change for the better...you are already dead...

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 10/01/2007 @ 9:45pm

10. actually - he is to humble to claim to be a great anything...my mistake...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 10/01/2007 @ 9:47pm

11. Mr. Obama's record (i'd vote for the dude (probably))

    here are the parts that matter most to me:

    Barack Obama on Energy & Oil

    Cap-and-trade carbon emissions; raise CAFE standard. (Jun 2007)

    Stop sending $800M a day to Mideast dictators for oil. (Mar 2007)

    Wants Detroit to build more hybrids & use more ethanol. (Oct 2006)

    We cannot drill our way out of our addiction to oil. (Oct 2006)

    3-way win: economy, environment, & stop funding terror. (Jun 2006)

    Conserve, develop alternative fuels, increase efficiencies. (Oct 2004)

    Sponsored legislations that improve energy efficiency. (Sep 2004)

    20% nation's power supply from renewable sources by 2020. (Sep 2004)

    20% renewable energy by 2020. (Jul 2004)

    Invest in alternative energy sources. (Jun 2004)

    Increase CAFE to 40 mpg. (Jun 2004)

    Tradable credits for renewable energy. (Jun 2004)

    Renewable Fuels Standard: require ethanol in fuel supply. (May 2004)

    Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)

    Voted YES on making oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal. (Jun 2007)

    Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)

    Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. (Nov 2005)

    Voted YES on $3.1B for emergency oil assistance for hurricane-hit areas. (Oct 2005)

    Voted YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)

    Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)

    Barack Obama on Environment

    Give Katrina contracts to locals, not to Halliburton. (Jun 2007)

    Three months working on minority students recycling. (Aug 1996)

    Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)

    Barack Obama on Foreign Policy

    No-fly zone in Darfur; but pay attention more in Africa. (Jun 2007)

    Europe & Japan are allies, but China is a competitor. (Apr 2007)

    Palestinian people suffer-but from not recognizing Israel. (Apr 2007)

    FactCheck: Palestinian suffering from stalled peace effort. (Apr 2007)

    Focus on corruption to improve African development. (Oct 2006)

    Supports Israel's self-defense; but distrusted by Israelis. (Oct 2006)

    Never has US had so much power & so little influence to lead. (Jul 2004)

    US policy should promote democracy and human rights. (Jul 2004)

    you can find more here -- gun control, civil rights, free trade etc., (very concise) [ontheissues.org]

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/01/2007 @ 9:56pm

12. ...how HAPPY spins this as "more 'Nation' Hillary cheerleading"!?!??!?

    Posted by MASK 10/01/2007 @ 7:24pm

    MASK, you don't read well.....maybe because you don't `ignore' enough people and try to cover too much ground!

    Did I NOT state that The Nation's refusal to be critical of HRC IS its way of herding votes for her? Silent Cheerleaders at TN!

    For the occasional positive commentaries of other Dem candidates, that SHOULD BE EXPECTED, especially those to the Left of Queenie (which is nearly all of them), heh?

    I like to think my `shaming' (+ a couple of similar-minded libs) The Nation will lead to more AND positive coverages of the other main candidates EVEN IF KvH & TN just can't bring themselves to take a few hard jabs at Queenie.......who knows, TN may eventually decide to FOLLOW the MSM, that's NYT & WaPo, and actually bash her good.....to help her, of course!

    Posted by Happy at 10/01/2007 @ 10:01pm

13. people pray for a savior and expect some kind of superman to appear.

    they look for a leader but want a big all powerful daddy...

    but what if the "savior" is nothing but a normal person like you and me? what if the "savior" does nothing more than inspire other commen ordinary people to save themselves?

    if you want liars and charlatans instead of leaders, vote for liars and charlatans.

    look for the one who promises the least if you want an honest man.

    ultimately he who proises the least may deliver the most, and truly no politician can do any more than promise an input, not guarantee an output...the output requires a legion of leaders who have the maturity to understand that great progress takes time, sacrifice, and faith.

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 10/01/2007 @ 10:05pm

14. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 10/01/2007 @ 9:56pm

    His voting record does NOT help to garner support from Realists (ahem, that's you know who).....can't even be sure THAT record will ensure his next Re-Election......he is, after all, a first-term Senator!

    Posted by Happy at 10/01/2007 @ 10:09pm

15. his life record promises the sun and moon and stars...but only in that he has shown time and again that optimism is not foolishness, and that true virtute, hard work, humility, and decency are indeed nothing to laugh at, nothing at which to sneer.

    america loves the outsider, the longshot, the underdog, the good guy who fights the good fight and prevails against all odds.

    senator obama has lived this shared dream of ours. he has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds time and again. he is living proof that crazy improbabilities are possible.

    and he's a pretty decent guy.

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 10/01/2007 @ 10:27pm

16. I'd say it's got to be driving the hamsters nuts that no matter how much shit they talk about the democratic field, nobody is listening...

    but they've had a face full of nuts for quite some time now

    Posted by Will C. at 10/01/2007 @ 10:46pm

17. Posted by HAPPY 10/01/2007 @ 10:01pm

    nearly?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/01/2007 @ 10:56pm

18. proises

    By IBLBLBELBELB @ 10:05pm

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm [tinyurl.com]

    have to agree. personally, i never make promises. one never knows what curves the chaos that is our universe will throw us.

    sometimes we even have to deal with spitballs!

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/01/2007 @ 11:04pm

19. Posted by RIO BRAVO 10/01/2007 @ 11:01pm

    oops.

    Experts Agree: Bush Administration and Republican Congress Abandoned Fiscal Responsibility [tinyurl.com]

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/01/2007 @ 11:10pm

20. Help us game the internet "Top Searches" lists from all the top search engines and popular websites. Lets raise the name "Barack Obama". The Obama Machine [obama-machine.com]

    Posted by JoeCitizen at 10/02/2007 @ 11:00am

21. If Obama wins the nomination, I'll vote for him in a heartbeat. If Clinton wins, I may hold my nose and vote for her (as I did her husband the first time), but I'd be more voting against whomever the Republicrats nominate.

    Unfortunately, I doubt that he'll be nominated, and more regrettably, I very much doubt that a Black man can be elected President of our Country yet.

    What I do believe is not only possible, but desirable is for the Dems to draft Al Gore at the convention. I believe Gore will stir positive energy (and votes) from a wide range of the voting public. Many feel he won in 2000, and many more regret that George W. became President instead of Gore, even if they didn't vote for him (me included).

    He has finally found his voice, and it is both right and passionate. From the Iraq war to the environment, from foreign relations to the economy, Al Gore speaks to the widest portion of America.

    By staying out of the campaign until the Convention, there will be less time for the Republicans (and the "Liberal Media") to slander him, and just enough time for his campaign to peak at election time.

    Then, I would like to see Al choose Barrack as his vice-presidential candidate. Stratigically, that would cement the Black vote that the Dems have seen eroding away (rightfully, I might add, as the Dems have sold out the majority of Minorities). It would also take advantage of the voter registration movement of Obama's "organizers." But more importantly, it would be the right thing to do. Barrack "gets it" in ways no candidate in my lifetime has.

    To conclude my dream, I'd then like to see Gore step down half-way through his second term, making Barrack the first Black President in a country that has been populated by Blacks since immediately after the first Whites landed here, and who truly built this nation more than perhaps any other ethnic group. I would then be proud to vote for Barrack when he could then realistically win the Presidency in 2016.

    Posted by Radscal at 10/02/2007 @ 4:23pm

22. I ordinarily agree with Laura, but I find this homage to Obama a bit sad. What Obama fans continue to ignore is that he is not far afield from Hillary or Edwards, he is very much a corporatist and unable to give us a date certain on Iraq. The only candidate who has done this consistently is Dennis Kucinich. Barack is a smart man, but no matter how much he has raised (less than Hillary in latest quarter), rhetoric and idealism are not going to cut it anymore. Although we may dislike some of her cautiousness and stances, Hillary's pragmatism is far more suited to the real world than Obama's. Besides, Obama's "I told you so" stance about opposing the war has become boring and Cassandra-like--just annoying. We need to focus on how to extricate ourselves out of Iraq now, not endlessly go on about the positions of this candidate or that in the past. Wasted energy, when all needs to be focused on the true enemy: the Republican lie machine. For all the dewy-eyed tributes to Obama, the simple fact is he is not breaking through, monetarily or in the national polls. Iowa or South Carolina mean nothing therefore in the long term. Hillary has expanded her lead in the nationwide polls, all that will count from here on out.

    Posted by MCE337 at 10/03/2007 @ 03:38am

23. Well, I have to say that I also went to that rally and then left before it started because the people in charge of it were not managing the crowd, and it felt like things could get dangerous. Tens of thousands of people were supposed to pass through only a few metal detectors. No information was given about what was going on, and it didn't feel as though the organizers knew what they were doing. When people started jumping the low metal fences and shoving into the already enormous line was when I left. I remember thinking (and even said to one of the volunteers), "If this is indicative of the way the campaign is run, then you Obama doesn't stand a chance." I would like to have heard his speech, but I went to dinner instead.

    Posted by kkuchenb at 10/03/2007 @ 3:49pm