The Father of Community Organizing

The New York Times devotes three pages to exploring the wonders of community organizing, an endeavor which now apparently is a prerequisite for the presidency.

They mention the name Saul Alinsky, but completely gloss over his radical background.

The small organization Mr. Obama worked for, the Developing Communities Project, was influenced by the thinking of Saul Alinsky, a Chicago native regarded as the father of community organizing. Mr. Alinsky viewed self-interest as the main motivation for political participation.

Mr. Obama saw it more broadly. “In his view, figuring out who you are and then getting that person to think about what he or she is going to do with it is the first step toward empowerment,” Daniel Lee, a fellow organizer, recalled. “He told me this was an extension of his own journey in struggling to find his identity.”

Mr. Obama shunned Mr. Alinsky’s strategy of using confrontation tactics like pressuring public officials and business leaders by picketing their homes.

“I think it was strategic that he would not have fallouts with people he disagreed with because he realized that he had to work with them not just on one particular issue, but on other issues down the road,” Mr. Kellman said.

Mr. Obama did adhere to the Alinsky principle of meticulously planning for meetings with people in power. The roles of the residents were scripted and the organizer was a quiet, inconspicuous presence.

Jeremiah Wright is mentioned briefly and more as an afterthought.

Seems the reporter never even heard of Saul Alinsky. Here's a little primer for him. Ironically enough, Hillary Clinton really had the hots for the radical Alinsky.

One thing the media studiously avoids any mention of is how well off the organized community is today.

Not very well organized, to say the least.