Who's your community [dis]organizer and agitator now?

Back in 2008, in a piece analyzing Barack Obama's role as community organizer, Bryan York wrote:

Perhaps the simplest way to describe community organizing is to say it is the practice of identifying a specific aggrieved population, say unemployed steelworkers, or itinerant fruit-pickers, or residents of a particularly bad neighborhood, and agitating them until they become so upset about their condition that they take collective action to put pressure on local, state, or federal officials to fix the problem, often by giving the affected group money. Organizers like to call that “direct action.”

Community organizing is most identified with the left-wing Chicago activist Saul Alinsky (1909-72), who pretty much defined the profession. In his classic book, Rules for Radicals, Alinsky wrote that a successful organizer should be “an abrasive agent to rub raw the resentments of the people of the community; to fan latent hostilities of many of the people to the point of overt expressions.” Once such hostilities were “whipped up to a fighting pitch,” Alinsky continued, the organizer steered his group toward confrontation, in the form of picketing, demonstrating, and general hell-raising. At first, the organizer tackled small stuff, like demanding the repair of streetlights in a city park; later, when the group gained confidence, the organizer could take on bigger targets. But at all times, the organizer’s goal was not to lead his people anywhere, but to encourage them to take action on their own behalf.

Is it not interesting to read those words, understand what they meant then, and apply them to that which is happening now?

I think it is... and indirectly, Ted Cruz seems in my view to be suggesting similar things in the shadow of the violence that is now breaking out at Trump rallies.  Asked to react to last night's events in Chicago, Cruz said:

“This is a sad day,” Cruz told reporters. “Political discourse should occur in this country without a threat of violence, without anger and rage and hatred directed at each other. We need to learn to have disagreements without being disagreeable. To have disagreements while respecting human beings on the other side.”

Cruz said that “the responsibility” belonged to the “protesters who took violence in their own hands.” But he also suggested Trump wasn’t innocent either.

“But in any campaign responsibility starts at the top. Any candidate who is responsible for the culture of the campaign,” the Texas senator said. “And when you have a campaign that disrespects the voters, when you have a campaign that affirmatively encourages violence, when you have a campaign that is facing allegations of physical violence against members of the press, you create an environment that only encourages this sort of nasty discourse.”

“I think a campaign bears responsibility for creating an environment,” Cruz added. “When the candidate urges supporters to engage in physical violence, to punch people in the face. The predicable consequence of that is that it escalates. And today is unlikely to be the last such instance. … That is not how our politics should occur.”

Community organizer may not fit exactly with what Trump is doing... disorganizing may be more apt and appropriate, but is he or is he not agitating?

Anyone?

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Related articles

Remember when words spoken by people actually had meaning?

In Netanyahu, we see clearly the weakness of Barack Obama

Hands down, the best quote on the Pope Francis-Obama meet up

"Philosophy emerges, then, as one of [the] noblest of human tasks."

"I'm not done"

"This is supposed to appeal to young people"

Comments

[Rick aka Mr. Brutally Honest]

Reports are suggesting that Trump, not local law enforcement officials, called off last night's rally in Chicago.

Other reports are stating that Trump packed 25,000 people into a venue that only holds 10,000 in the middle of an area of the city known to predominantly vote for Democrats.

Anyone think, as I'm thinking, that Trump knows exactly what he's doing and who he's aiming to gin up and foment?

[Rick aka Mr. Brutally Honest]

Rubio with some serious wisdom...

http://youtu.be/ztdzg5kssXk

[Lands’nGrooves]

I would say to Cruz, whom I’ll be voting for come April, and you, Rick, there is no but… “But in any campaign responsibility…” there is only responsibility. He should have stopped while he was ahead.

The responsibility for what happened at the Trump’s rally Friday night falls squarely on those who chose to crash the rally, looking for trouble and finding it. Full stop.

This is exactly what these thugs who were directed and encouraged by MoveOn.org and Black Lives Matter, etc. want – to divide us. It would seem they are accomplish it with embarrassing ease.

Bernie Sanders and Hillary have had rallies interrupted by these same affiliated jackwagons. Nobody chose to blame them for those incidents’, and rightfully so.

Trump, should be able to hold a rally anywhere he wants to without be forced by miscreants to shut it down because of some minor fisticuffs. Of course Chicago is a Democratic stronghold. There are not that many major cities in the country that aren’t. Should Trump, or the other Republican candidates for that matter, not hold a rally in any of them?

tim aka The Godless Heathen

[Rick aka Mr. Brutally Honest]

This piece is relevant and enlightening...

[EdgyLefty]

BS. Conservatives bear a significantly disproportionate amount of bigotry overall. Fact.

Trump’s campaign, including his supporters, have brought that forward.

He IS the face of Ugly America.

And he will probably, if not obviously crash and burn. Hopefully soon; to a crisp.

I don’t expect “you people”  to be intellectually honest and admit that.

There are numerous liberal sins; THAT Trump’s all of them a morally, and as a very serious threat to America.

I wish you well. Peace.

John
NJ USA

[EdgyLefty]

Edit: THAT Trumps all of them morally....

[EdgyLefty]

Edit: THAT Trump’s all of them a morally....

[Lands’nGrooves]

Rick, this piece is more enlightening -

"The New York Times published a profile of a Donald Trump campaign office in Florida, expressing astonishment at the number of non-white people and immigrants working in it."

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/03/14/nyt-visits-trump-campaign-office-amazed-by-presence-of-non-whites/#ixzz435JjSPsk

tim aka The Godless Heathen

[Lands’nGrooves]

EL,

Writing “Fact” after a comment does not make it so.(I don’t think that word means what you think it does.)

Conservatives have a historic record of anti-bigotry and anti-racism. You’d know this if you’d bother to educate yourself instead of regurgitating the same ole Liberal lies that you’ve been taught by your clown professors.

Also, you cannot accuse someone of not being “intellectually honest” because you’ve simply shared an opinion. (If I have to explain that to you…you’ll never understand.) Especially one that is majorly flawed - Trump has all but wrapped up the primary delegates. But maybe that’s “crash(ing) and burn(ing)” to someone obviously lacking in any seriousness.

But, you are correct, it must be hard holding the moral high ground when you have to toughest of choices between an old, haggard Socialist…and Bernie Sanders. Talk about your Shining City Upon a Hill…

tim aka The Godless Heathen