Saul Alinsky, Radicals, and Irony

 Been wondering about radicals, and why certain politicians have such burrs under their political saddles about this particular one.

What is a radical? Is a radical someone with whom I disagree, radically? Is it about values or behaviors that I find repugnant? Is it a word to label someone who goes against the established order of things? Yes, yes, yes, and yes, and more, eh?

I’m wondering specifically about that radical Saul Alinsky, and while I did not, and do not, agree with some of what he said and did, I do agree with William F. Buckley, who labeled him as "very close to being an organizational genius."

By the 1960s, Alinsky had been a community organizer, and self-labeled “outside agitator” for at least 30 years.  He wrote two books, Reveille for Radicals and Rules for Radicals. He called for common people in communities to organize and overthrow people in positions of power (no matter what their political party was) who were oppressors, infringing on their rights.

Alinsky himself belonged to no political party.

Alinsky believed that when people moved from positions of the oppressed to positions of authority they became the oppressors. He organized European immigrants in South Chicago in the 1930s against their oppressors in the meat packing industry. In the 1960s he organized black folks in South Chicago against those same people he had worked with in the 30s, who had now become the “oppressors.”

In Rules for Radicals, Alinsky outlined a methodology for organizing communities for change. He espoused non-violence. I’m oversimplifying it greatly of course, but his rules were, basically: Bring in an “outside agitator” to help organize the people; identify “the enemy”—a person (not a corporation or organization but a person that personifies that organization); paint that enemy as being completely evil, with no redeeming qualities; find specific weaknesses in the person in relation to the organization or grievance; and creatively exploit those weaknesses.

For example, Alinsky: Organized black folks in Chicago who saw systemic discrimination in hiring practices in the city of Chicago in the 60s; helped personalize the enemy, in this case Mayor Richard J. Daley (who was Chicago); helped paint Daley as a completely evil person, with no redeeming qualities; and launched several successful initiatives aimed at the man, including the famous “leak in” threat at O’Hare Airport.

Fast forward.

I’ve been watching and wondering about those folks who honestly see Barack Obama as their “enemy”. I watched them organize his overthrow from the day he won the election—my main Kentucky peep Mitch O’Connell made the mission clear.  I watched “outside agitators” (the tea party and a horse-show-parade of presidential candidates) brought in. They systematically painted Obama as having no redeeming qualities, gave him no credit for anything “good” that has transpired during “his watch”, and gave him all the credit for everything “bad”, including gas prices. He was labeled as being an illegitimate president because he was not born in the U.S. He has been called a Muslim, Marxist, Socialist, Radical, and one of the biggest threats to the United States. He has been accused of espousing “phony theology”. He has been branded by Billy Graham’s boy as not being a real Christian.

Now each of these labels and charges can be refuted, and has been, just as charges against Daly were refuted. But people who see him as the enemy and the oppressor continue to sincerely believe these charges and labels that have been created by the outside agitators.The outside agitators have been successful.

But that is not my point.

My point is that those folks who rail against that radical Alinsky (as part of their anti-Obama paint job) are using Alinsky’s playbook to organize their forces against their oppressor, Barack Obama.

I have to smile as I light up a cigar and take a sip of sour mash. Human beings are fun to watch, are we not?

I also have to believe that somewhere in intellectual heaven William F. Buckley is smiling that smile of his that became so iconic. This is smile-provoking stuff.