On Community Organizers

While I tried to watch the Republican National Convention during the run-up to this year's U.S. election, I gave up not once, but twice. The first time was during Rudy Giuliani's speech, in which he literally sneered as he spoke of Barack Obama being a community organizer... and said that he didn't even know what that was. The second time came during Sarah Palin's much-anticipated moment in the spotlight, where she similarly denigrated the role, stating that even her duties as mayor of an Alaskan town held more importance than anything Obama had done. In each case, those inexcusable displays of condescension and contempt drove me to change the channel, despite an actual desire on my part to hear what John McCain's supporters had to say. And I wouldn't be surprised if many other folks, not already brainwashed by the strident Conservative ramblings, did likewise.

What struck me at the time, and has continued to stick with me since, is the notion that Giuliani and Palin completely missed (or gamely chose to ignore) the point: Obama sees solutions in getting people involved. That's what a community organizer does, after all... he or she inspires, leads, motivates and otherwise cajoles everyday people into coming up with creative solutions, cleaning up messes, helping others less fortunate, providing much-needed volunteer services and generally making their community a better place. When I think of just how much positive effect for change a U.S. president could have with such an approach (reminiscent, of course, of John F. Kennedy's famous "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country" speech), it almost boggles my mind. The possibilities are endless. It's really an example of tapping into the potential within everyone, rather than believing that only those in power have all of the answers and will make all of the changes. (Putting on my AgileMan cape for 15 seconds, Obama represents the type of true empowerment model that an Agile purist couldn't help but get behind!)

Just as I often wonder, wistfully, what the last 8 years would have been like had Al Gore not had the 2000 election stolen from him, I have to shudder at the thought of what the future might currently hold had the Republicans somehow prevailed in 2008. I expect that there are going to be some tough sacrifices asked of all of us in the coming years, and the last thing the world needs in times like these is another leader who will tell them to show their patriotism by going shopping. I think Barack Obama knows better than that how to get people to do the right thing... and I hope history will prove me right!