Comments on: Why I’m not organizing for America

By: Bob From District 9

Bob From District 9 — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:27:00 +0000

Yep. I agree with most of that.

The only other point to make is, no matter how disappointed you are, Obama is still the best candidate.

As I have long said, I didn’t support Obama because he was the best possible candidate, but the best candidate in the election.

Or, as Biden said, the other choice is not the Almighty, but the alternative.

By: robinkf

robinkf — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:55:23 +0000

Count me in the disenchanted group too. I’m getting emails every day with request for money, money, and more money as well as very partisan statements designed to create nothing but anger and negative feelings.

By: robinkf

robinkf — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:55:00 +0000

By: eileen evans

eileen evans — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:32:05 +0000

I dunno about the usual assumptions about youth and inexperience. OFA’s youthful organizers bring energy and multi-dimensional problem solving skills. They haven’t lived long enough to develop the savvy to produce results in spite of the inadequacies of their managers that can come over time. That may be an asset; there’s a transparency that the specious know how to exclude.
Remember, field organizers aren’t the ones who develop strategies, administrative practices or scripts. The ‘manager’ in me is stunned by practices guaranteed to produce employee burnout and volunteer alienation. Whatever became of the “Statewide Plan” that was supposed to be a product of all those listening tours some of us attended?
Without the leadership of a Howard Dean, O.F.A. will only be a ‘eunuch’ in the D.N.C. The change we all voted for would have a better chance to succeed if O.F.A. was part of D.F.A. instead.

By: eileen evans

eileen evans — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:32:00 +0000

By: Gloria Shur Bilchik

Gloria Shur Bilchik — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:53:20 +0000

Thanks for the affirmation, Kathy. I’d like to think that OFA has learned from its missteps, but it doesn’t look that way.

By: Gloria Shur Bilchik

Gloria Shur Bilchik — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:53:00 +0000

Thanks for the affirmation, Kathy. I’d like to think that OFA has learned from its missteps, but it doesn’t look that way.

By: kathy517

kathy517 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:16:48 +0000

I agree with your points. As a campaign field organizer I felt that we did really important work. After the campaign I waited and waited and waited for OFA to do SOMETHING! I knew it was important to keep that momentum going with former staff and volunteers. I live in Missouri and it took them nearly a year to do no more than ask for money and phone volunteers.

Additionally, I have an issue with the underlying requirements for OFA staffers. Acquiring young people to staff OFA is a good thing. Getting young people involved in the political process is important. However, OFA doesn’t fully understand that with youth comes inexperience and inexperience creates time consuming and costly missteps. Us older folks can contribute our life experiences in positive ways and certainly have the energy to see the job through! We did it for the campaign we can do it again.

By: kathy517

kathy517 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:16:00 +0000

By: Carol W

Carol W — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:21:12 +0000

I’m out here.

I am not so much annoyed at the direction OFA has taken as its lack of direction. OFA still hasn’t figured out what it wants to be when it grows up, or how to get there. Very frustrating.