In public his roots are hardscrabble; In private he hates on the rabble ...

Light reading about the presidential candidates , Part I ...

Governor Romney  (Check back for Part II, about President Obama.) 

In public his roots are hardscrabble.
In private he hates on the rabble.

Though his donors are elite,

His campaign has been effete -

His talking points meaningless babble.

... and just in time for tonight's (presidential) debate:

Ever wonder how candidates for public office can (and sometimes do) frame their issues to appeal to voters? If so, you may enjoy George Lakoff's article in today's edition of Alternet.

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.