Obama’s Legacy as a Community Organizer

August 8, 2008 · Filed Under News, Opinion ·  

Barack Obama often refers to his days as a “community organizer” in Chicago. But what did he do there?

One area where he focused was Grove Parc in Chicago. In addition to his work as a community organizer, Obama spent four years in a law firm offering neighborhood economic development, as well as eight years as Grove Parc’s Representative in the Illinois State Senate, and his US Senate term to date.

23 years after Obama started helping the neighborhood, it’s said that “it’s not safe to live here.”

Grove Parc was Obama’s proving ground, and after all of his TLC, it remains a symbol of blight.

If he can’t change a neighborhood over a couple decades, how can he change a country in four years?

Obama and Status Quo Politics

May 30, 2008 · Filed Under Ethics ·  

Obama has a quote placed prominently on his site about the change he plans to bring.

“I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change to Washington… I’m asking you to believe in yours.”

He talks about change, but has he changed from the good old days in Chicago?

According to CNN in a piece, “Obama played hardball in first Chicago campaign,” Obama employed Chicago rules to invalidate the voting petition signatures of three of his challengers in an early race.

One of those he drummed out of the race via technicalities was incumbent Alice Palmer, a longtime Chicago activist.

This enabled Obama to run unopposed on the Democratic ticket in a heavily Democrat district.

“That was Chicago politics,” said John Kass, a veteran Chicago Tribune columnist. “Knock out your opposition, challenge their petitions, destroy your enemy, right? It is how Barack Obama destroyed his enemies back in 1996 that conflicts with his message today. He may have gotten his start registering thousands of voters. But in that first race, he made sure voters had just one choice.”

Has Obama changed into a more civil candidate, or is his rhetoric “just words”?