Conversations on the Future of the Obama Movement

A lot of people are really excited right now about Barack Obama's clinching the Dem nomination. Indeed we, the American people, can be very proud that we have created this moment.

“I think Barack Obama’s achievements are historic,” Lenora Fulani told BlackAmericaWeb.com, “not simply because he is about to become a major party nominee, but because he tapped into that deep desire that people have to create something new in American politics. The black community has been -- and will continue to be -- a major force in that creative process.” (Dr. Fulani herself ran an historic campaign for the presidency in 1988 as an independent and was the first African American and first woman to be on the ballot in all 50 states in US history.)


David Winer in Blow up the Beltway, talking about whether Obama will turn into an insider once he's in office, says "I don't want to be an insider, I don't want the insiders to rule, I don't want there to be insiders at all. I want to distribute opportunity and acknowledge intelligence and goodness where ever it appears..." Dave credits the Obama Phenomenon -- his victory as an insurgent within the Dem party over the formidable Clinton machine -- to the internet. Dave, after all, pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS), podcasting, outlining, and web content management software, according to his blog Scripting News.

Doc Searles agrees with that analysis in "Meet the new boss, nothing like the old boss" at Harvard Law: "But we’re done with that. I think even the talk radio addicts who hate all Democrats by reflex know the old gig is up. The reason has nothing to do with partisan politics and everything to do with Democracy 2.0. That’s the one where the threshold of participation narrows toward zero. We’re not there yet, but we’re headed that way. Obama is leading the way, but it’s not just about him, or his candidacy, or his policies...."

And "Obama's Organization, and the Future of American Politics" by Micah L. Sifry on techPresident, makes a similar point: "There are three campaigns that I've spent a lot of my life in journalism writing about: Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988; Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996; and Howard Dean in 2004. In each case, a charismatic candidate with a powerful message drew a ton of new activist energy into the process. And in each case, the movement and the man faced a moment of truth: is this about you, or the larger movement? If Obama wins in November, the question will loom larger for one critical reason: because his supporters have the capacity to self-organize on a scale never seen before in our lifetimes...."

Sifry goes on to say about the evolution of the Howard Dean campaign, "The Dean campaign list was used to spawn DemocracyforAmerica, and Howard gave the reigns to his brother Jim once he became DNC chair. DfA has kept going, with active chapters around the country, and a respectable amount of organizing and fundraising on behalf of Dean-like candidates for various levels of political office. It's not a game changer, but it is definitely something a bit more like an ongoing, people-powered organization than either the Jackson or Perot successor groups. It's not a game changer, but it is definitely something a bit more like an ongoing, people-powered organization than either the Jackson or Perot successor groups."

No, it's not a game changer. To change the game, you'd have to change the rules. You'd have to include independent voters.

Democracy and political parties are almost polar opposites. George Washington warned us in his farewell speech. Over the next few months and years, we're going to see whether the Democratic Party is more democratic or more party. Independents will be watching, and organizing.

Lenora Fulani comments on Obama historic win

From BlackAmericaWeb.com:

“When I was running, I was running for change,” Jackson told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “I was hoping I could win, but what I really wanted to do was to change the national debate."

So did political reformer Lenora Fulani.

“When Americans choose a president, we are making a statement about the person we select. But at certain times in history, we are also making a statement about ourselves. In my opinion, 2008 is that kind of election. I think the American people -- black, Latino, white, immigrant, poor, middle class and rich, are not only looking for a change in the White House. We want to change the way we relate to one another,” Fulani said Tuesday. “When I ran for president as an independent in 1988 and became the first African-American and first female to gain admission to the presidential ballot in all 50 states, I was not running a campaign to win,” Fulani told BlackAmericaWeb.com in an e-mail.

“The chances of a radical black female activist and developmental psychologist being elected president were somewhere between zero and none. I was running to build and to lay a foundation for an independent movement. In that campaign, I saw that Americans from all walks of life and from all communities were beginning to question the old categories, the old paradigms and the old-style of partisan politics.

“I think Barack Obama’s achievements are historic,” Fulani said, “not simply because he is about to become a major party nominee, but because he tapped into that deep desire that people have to create something new in American politics. The black community has been -- and will continue to be -- a major force in that creative process.”

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CAMPAIGN

• Obamamania Has Become A Full-Blown Obsession (WCBS-TV) Shirley Chisholm blazed a trail in 1972. Jesse Jackson and Dr. Lenora Fulani each ran twice, as did Alan Keyes.
• Lenora Fulani Statement About Obama’s Success (Ballot Access News)
• CBS Poll: Obama Leads McCain (CBS) McCain leads Obama by 8 points among registered independent voters, considered a key voting block in November
• McCain no lock in Arizona (The Hill) The state has always been quirkily independent
• McCain and Obama: a stark matchup-They're both mavericks, but they differ sharply on issues and how to govern. (Christian Science Monitor) Both men hold appeal among independent voters – about a third of the electorate – and whoever wins a majority of them wins in November.
• Democrats' primary shows how far we've come (Newsday) It's not just about him, and it's not just about race. It's about us, too. Democrats - and the independents and Republican open primary voters who joined them - ventured well beyond the usual boundaries in supporting Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
• Don't Miss The Moment (This is Me) The setup by Jesse Jackson, Sr. and Lenora Fulani. The spike by Barack Obama.

OREGON OPEN PRIMARY

• Re-booting democracy in Oregon (The Oregonian)
• Voters Want Choices. And They Want to Be Heard. That's why Ranked Choice Voting makes so much sense. (Seattle Weekly)

Black Candidates, White Voters

Just came across this post:
"It’s Ok To Vote For Obama’s Skin Color Because He Is The First Legitimate Black Candidate"
By Rob on May 14, 2008 at 02:08 pm
I guess Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Lenora Fulani, Alan Keyes, Carol Mosley Braun and Al Sharpton weren’t legitimate candidates then. At least according to syndicated columnist and member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune Ruben Navarrette Jr. ..... (Say Anything: North Dakota's Blog)

Conversations on Racism, Sexism and Yesterday's Political Landscape

"Nothing says “yesterday” like a 73-year-old feminist foot soldier who didn’t get the memo that she won the war." ("Ms. Yesterday: Steinem’s last stand." By Kathleen Parker in National Review Online)

We’ve come a long way in creating a new America (Jesse Jackson, Greene County Daily/Zenia Gazette) NOTE: While I agree with Jesse Jackson in this article that America has transformed itself in terms of civil rights (and also women's rights), I would caution readers when he says "The Democratic Party is alive, attracting independent voters, mobilizing activists and volunteers, raising small contributions in record amounts...."

Many progressive Dems are saying that this election is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to "grow" and cite the "influx" of independent voters, saying that the Democratic Party is "attracting" independent voters. It's definitely not the Party that's attractive.

Independent voters are anti-war and are looking for the best and most effective way of making that statement and having an impact. Independents are supporting Barack Obama's campaign (NOT the Democratic Party) because his campaign gives expression to a new way of doing politics and a change of direction for the country.

And we should be mindful to give credit where credit is due: it is Barack Obama (just as the Howard Dean campaign did in 2004 before the DNC sacked his grassroots campaign....) and NOT the Democratic Party who is attracting independent voters, mobilizing activists and volunteers and raising small contributions in record amounts.... -NH

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

HANKSTER LEDE: Independent voters want 'New direction' over 'experience' in (The Swamp/Baltimore Sun)

THE CAMPAIGN:

• Initiative may affect election (News Leader - Springfield MO) Opposition to affirmative action is the new Southern strategy.
• Will Democracy Win? (The Nation)

INDIES SWITCH FOR PRIMARIES:

• OREGON: Switching political parties? You have a deadline (Albany Democrat-Herald) There are 436,070 unaffiliated voters in Oregon, and 12,597 members of the Independent Party
• Voters Flock To Democratic Party During Iowa Caucuses (KCCI - Des Moines)

PENNSYLVANIA: For Obama, an Uphill Battle in Pennsylvania (By Dan Balz, The Trail/Washington Post)

NORTH CAROLINA: Filing process a smooth one for Board of Elections (Lumina News - Wrightsville) Preparations for open primary

IS NADER RELEVANT? * How Nader Has Made Himself Irrelevant (Lenora Fulani, The Daily Voice) * Nader, the Greens, and Building a Movement (Dissident Voice) * Once the spoiler, Nader no longer seen as a threat (Michigan Daily)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE INDEPENDENTS!

• Independents key in New Hampshire-McCain, Obama appeal to undeclared voters (By Finlay Lewis, San Diego Union Tribune) Quotes Russ Ouellette, New Hampshire Committee for an Independent Voice
• National Focus Poses Challenge for Obama (Washington Post)
• Electability is key for voters in S. Carolina-For some black Democrats, Obama's Iowa win is a sign that Americans see past race, but others doubt his chances of a November win (Chicago Tribune)
• N.H. independents may hold key to future (Los Angeles Times)
• Finally, NH votes (Union Leader)
• Independents' Day-There are probably enough Independents to go around to both John McCain and Barack Obama. (National Review Online, By Jim Geraghty)
• The GOP's Jesse Jackson Moment? (The Atlantic: Mark Falcoff, by Ross Douthat)
• California Unaffiliated voters key to victory (Mercury News)
• Obama seen as unifying black and white voters (NY Newsday)
• N.H. independents likely to decide primary winners (NY Newsday)

BLOOMBERG

• Bloomberg in Spotlight but Still Not in Fray (Wall Street Journal)
• Obama’s Surge Deflates Forum and Talk of a Bloomberg Run (New York Times)
• Bloomberg Could Get on Texas Ballot with 43,991 Signatures, Even Though Media All Say He Needs 74,108 (Ballot Access News)
• Angry Independents Call for Bipartisanship-Oklahoma conclave brings together possible candidate Bloomberg and other middle-roaders (US News & World Report)

RON PAUL

• Ron Paul on the Verge of Going Third Party? (National Ledger, By Eric Dondero)
  

IT BEARS REPEATING:

• Why the Left Doesn’t Appreciate Obama (by Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron blog San Francisco Chronicle): "Yet bloggers are suspicious at Obama’s appeal to independent voters. Some take a giant leap in concluding that Obama’s attempt to broaden the Democratic base is a sign that he will allow such backers to water down or “co-opt” his policies as President......"
• Obama follows other African-American presidential hopefuls (reprinted on Raw Story): Not sure why Lenora Fulani's historic 1988 run for president is termed "marginal" since she was the first woman and first African American to be on the ballot in all 50 states... Oh, that's right, she ran as an independent candidate.....!!!!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Black voters don't have much of a choice (By Jo Mannies-St. Louis Post Dispatch) Watch the video here... And here's another article from Fox News St. Louis...
• Lenora Fulani calls for full debate in New York (Amsterdam News)
• The 'Death Star' of McCain's campaign (by Mark Silva- The Swamp - Chicago Tribune blog)
• Bloomberg at Urban League conference - support for teacher merit pay (Washington Post)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• More on the YouTube/CNN debate: * John Edwards reached independents on health care (Forbes) * Obama is black enough, but is he anti-Clintonian enough? (Weekly Standard) * S.C. blacks don't want to see fewer candidates in the debates (NPR from SC)

• Urban League forum this week in St. Louis: * Bloomberg to address luncheon, candidates in forum tonight (St. Louis Dispatch) * The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton Thursday on whether the black vote will be taken for granted and whether the Pope is Catholic (Columbia Tribune )

• South Carolina: * Obama hits radio waves today(Pioneer Times Journal ) * Black leaders see top-tier contest (CNN Washington Bureau)

The Hankster celebrates one-year anniversary

Here's one of the posts that kicked off The Hankster almost a year ago:

Jackson, who mounted strong challenges for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 said his Chicago-based organisation, Rainbow-Push, is "looking at critical states and looking at what is required to get on the ballot in each state [as an independent]."Whether Jackson can deliver on his threat is an open question. He remains one of the most popular African American politicians in the country but his standing has waned over the last decade, while a new generation of blackpoliticians, such as Illinois senator Barack Obama, has come to thefore. Either way the prospect of any split will worry the Democrats -particularly among African Americans who are their most loyal constituency....

Breaking with tradition: Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

Jesse Jackson has endorsed Barack Obama (there are many articles but here is one from the International Herald Tribune), for the nomination of the Democratic Party for President (sub-text: not Hillary Clinton) and the Democratic nomination is now up for grabs. Why? Because the black vote is very important to the Democratic Party, and the Take-Them-For-Granted era is -- apparently -- over.

Cudos to Rev. Jackson for his "split" from the Dem Party Line: and we all know that the Democratic Line is vote for Hillary--it's Her time, not Obama's time...

Well, good point: Who's time is it?

I say it's the time for American independents. The time for ordinary people in this country to speak up about what it is that the American people need and desire. Our history of identity politics (how drab is the dialogue about black vs. women vs. gay vs. conservative vs. liberal vs. whoever?) is changing.

I'm not endorsing Obama, but I have to admit, the emerging alliance between black voters, independent voters, the "topsy-turvy" climate, lead me to paying a LOT of attention to the Obama campaign.

What will Barack Obama's outreach to independent voters look like? That's a question I'm eager to see play out. -NH