Saturday, February 10, 2007

Final live reactions to Barack Obama's announcement: active citizenship means lobbying for better government

"Let's allow our unions and their organizers to lift up the middle class of this country. We can do that!"

Only a former organizer would say that.

"Let's be the generation that.... We can do that."

And he's right. It's just a question of will. Well, that and getting even tougher on those will fight a working consensus under any circumstances. But he understands that. He knows you sometimes need to roll the bad guys to get them to the table.

"No amount of American lives can solve the political disagreement at the heart of someone else's civil war."

Absolutely. So unfortunate that the invasion imperialists keep parroting that we need more and more troops to force the world to be different.

"And the lobbyists and special interests move in and the people turn away."

"That's why this campaign must be about us."

"This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship."

Well, he ought to say that every citizen should become a lobbyist. Engage in governing. Don't just expect it to happen without actively asking our legislators to do the right thing.

"I want to win that next battle! And if you will join with me on this improbable quest, if you hear destiny calling, if you see as I do endless possibilities, work with me to ... usher in a new burst of freedom on this earth! Let's get to work!"

I'd suggest he start calling on people to join battles in the U.S. Senate this week.

Campaigning only makes sense in the context of influencing government. And he can draw a stronger connection between the two to explain the higher purpose of the campaign. Right now, the anti-lobbyist theme was a bit off (in my view, as a progressive lobbyist). Organizers are ultimately lobbyists too, but they represent the public interest instead of a special interest.

This is going to be an exciting year. Invest your dollars and your hours in the campaign -- and if you'd like to do it directly through my page on the campaign website, you can do so here.

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