Mr. Obama's Rules

by Mr. Quarter

I had not previously actually taken the time to read the advice that activist and community organizer, Saul D. Alinsky, provides in his book, Rules for Radicals. However, I was aware that Mr. Obama is a disciple of Mr. Alinsky. As I read through the various rules, I was struck by how much the Obama Administration's actions and public voice seems to mirror the advice of these rules. It is truly frightening. I have reproduced them here for your slow digestion and suggest that you ponder after reading each one, "Have I seen or heard that recently?" I think in particular of the implication that racism is the driving force behind Obama critics (See rules for ethics of means and ends), the attack on Fox News (See rule 12 of rules for radicals), the attacks on citizen "tea party" protests and the citizen town hall meeting opposition (see Rule 5).
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Rules for Radicals
Saul D. Alinsky

RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.” Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. “Have-Nots” must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)

RULE 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people.” It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don’t address the “real” issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)

RULE 3: “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.” Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)

RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity’s very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)

RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)

RULE 6: “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” They’ll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They’re doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid “un-fun” activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)

RULE 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.” Don’t become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)

RULE 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.” Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)

RULE 9: “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.” Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists’ minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)

RULE 10: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.” Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management’s wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)

RULE 11: “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.” Never let the enemy score points because you’re caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)
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Rules of the Ethics of Means and Ends
Saul Alinsky

Rule 1: The judgment of the ethics of means is dependent upon the political position of those sitting in judgment.

Rule 2: In war the end justifies almost any means.

Rule 3: Judgment must be made in the context of the times in which the action occurred and not from any other chronological vantage point.

Rule 4: Concern with ethics increases with the number of means available and vice versa.

Rule 5: The less important the end to be desired, the more one can afford to engage in ethical evaluations of means.

Rule 6: Generally, success or failure is a mighty determinant of ethics.

Rule 7: The morality of a means depends upon whether the means is being employed at a time of imminent defeat or imminent victory.

Rule 8: Any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition as being unethical.

Rule 9: You do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral garments.

Rule 10: Goals must be phrased in general terms like "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," "Of the Common Welfare," "Pursuit of Happiness," or "Bread and Peace."