You could say there is a war raging here in the homeland, an un-Civil War, where foot soldiers on both sides are American patriots fighting for what they believe is the best path to achieve a bright future. It is a struggle between Organizing for America and the Tea Party.
These two groups are comprised of diametrically opposed, politically active citizens, going head to head in what I call “The Organization” verses “The Activists.”
First, let’s define our two teams:
Organizing for America “The Organization”
Prior to January 2009, this group was unofficially called “Organizing for Obama,” but its official name was www.MyBarackObama.com.
Upon President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, the organization morphed into Organizing for America (OFA). A “project” run by the Democratic National Committee, but with an e-mail address of info@barackobama.com, it appears the 2008 campaign never ended.
Of course it didn’t, because OFA is run by David Plouffe, President Obama’s 2008 campaign manager. OFA’s golden asset is the 13 million e-mail addresses of its members, who are sometimes referred to as ObamaBots, if you happen to belong to the opposing team. Officially “the group seeks to mobilize supporters in favor of Obama’s legislative agenda.”
Unofficially; squish, stomp, harass, defeat and break anyone who gets in the way of Team Obama. OFA is also our president’s own renewable green energy source for cash.
Past Victories
- The election of Barack Obama as president of the United States. You can’t argue with success, and for additional background Google: Clinton, Hillary.
- Credited with helping squeak through passage of the Health Care Reform Bill on March 21, 2010, by non-stop calling and e-mailing those fellow Democratic Congressional members who happened to be more interested in saving their own congressional seats, than helping Barack Obama save his presidency. Eventually those undecided Democratic Congressional members caved through intense pressure by OFA and promises of future government expenditures in their Congressional districts. Thus, Obama got his landmark Health Care Reform Bill.
History was made. A great battle won, but, as Japanese Admiral Yamamoto said after Japan’s 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, “I fear we have only awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with terrible resolve.”
Which is an appropriate segue to:
The Tea Party “The Activists”
Bands of Activists with no official national leader, however Sarah Palin is the one who gets the most camera time because she is the cutest with the best hair and sometimes wears leather.
The Tea Party’s general theme, according to the Associated Press, is “Government is too big; spending is out of control, individual freedom is at risk, and President Obama’s policies are making it all worse.” The group claims at least 1,000 local chapters, but there currently is no “official” national e-mail list that compares to OFA’s massive compendium of 13 million names. Tea Party activists are often referred to as “right-wing nuts,” or fed-up, ticked-off, angry, average Americans, depending on which side you most identify with in this un-Civil War.
Past Victories
- -The Tea Party movement was credited with helping eliminate the “public option” from the early health care bill by receiving weeks of media attention and thus making Democratic elected officials extremely nervous over last summer’s Town Hall eruptions.
So clear was the Tea Party victory that health care reform was considered almost dead at the end of 2009. Then the final nail was hammered into health care’s coffin this past January, with the election of Republican Scott Brown (also cute with good hair) to Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts Senate seat that Teddy had held since ancient times (1962.) The Tea party celebrated a “peoples victory” over what they considered a government power grab until the health care bill rose again in the House of Pelosi, like Dracula from his coffin and is now, of course, the Law of the Land. - One could argue that the passage of health care “reform” is actually a victory for the Tea Party movement because that “sleeping giant” is now fully awake and psyched up for its next show of strength, which happens to be Tax Day, April 15. On this favorite of American days, hundreds of Tea Party rallies are already scheduled (and what could turn into thousands of rallies with millions of people) are expected throughout the nation with all eyes on what will surely be a massive Washington, D.C., rally tour de force.
Battle Lines are Drawn
With the latest Gallup poll finding President Obama’s job approval tied at 46 percent approve and disapprove, the un-Civil War of the “Organization” verses “Activists” can only get more intense culminating in the Nov. 2 midterm elections, which a friend of mine says, will be the biggest Tea Party ever.
However, like the worthy opponent it is, Organizing for America will also be flexing its cyber muscles and boots on the ground for the mid terms, with the president cheering them on.
Let us be reminded the inside, unofficial maxim of Organizing for America is:
“Either you will be with Organizing for America or you will be against it.”
OFA has been called a “many-million-mouth dog” ready to be unleashed by David Plouffe at the command of his general, the president. So you can expect this un-Civil War to heat up and let’s pray it does not turn in a real Civil War, for our future as “one nation, under God, indivisible” at this moment seems very divisible.
Myra Adams is a media producer, writer and political observer. Her media clients have included national associations, political interest groups and corporations. She was on the creative team with Mark McKinnon that created the now infamous John Kerry “Windsurfing” ad for the Bush 2004 presidential campaign and served on the McCain Ad Council during the 2008 McCain campaign. Myra’s web site TheJesusStore.com contributes all profits to Christian charity.