The Obama Presidency: A Great Example of How NOT to Organize Effectively

As someone who has spent a good part of her professional career as a community organizer, I have a request:

The next time you're watching the news, and a pundit talks about how President Obama's performance is influenced by his community organizing days, please...

 DO NOT ASSOCIATE COMMUNITY ORGANIZING WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA!

In my opinion, Mr. Obama's presidency is a case study in what good community organizers do NOT do (if they want to win the changes they say they want to win). Just a few of the many examples I can offer (in no particular order):

• repeatedly starting negotiations with the other side by giving away the store (or, more accurately, the entire mall),
• letting the other side frame the debate,
• shifting the balance of power - THE WRONG WAY - so that it is more concentrated among the wealthy,
• ignoring the interests of his base, 
• not involving his base in organizing after 2008,
• leaving his base feeling less, not more, empowered.  

It seems that President Obama's organizing days are but a distant memory. As are his promises of change we can believe in.