Stanley Kurtz, National Review
On the afternoon of April 1, 1983, Barack Obama, then a senior at Columbia University, made his way into the Great Hall of Manhattan’s Cooper Union to attend a “Socialist Scholars Conference.” There Obama discovered his vocation as a community organizer, as well as a political program to guide him throughout his life.
The conference itself was not a secret, but it held a secret, for it was there that a demoralized and frustrated socialist movement largely set aside strategies of nationalization and turned increasingly to local organizing as a way around the Reagan presidency — and its own spotty reputation. In the early 1980s, America’s socialists discovered what Saul Alinsky had always known: “Community organizing” is a euphemism behind which advocates of a radical vision of America could advance their cause without the bothersome label “socialist” drawing adverse attention to their efforts.
A loose accusation of his being a socialist has trailed Obama for years, but without real evidence that he saw himself as part of this radical tradition. But the evidence exists, if not in plain sight then in the archives — for example, the archived files of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which include Obama’s name on a conference registration list. That, along with some misleading admissions in the president’s memoir, Dreams from My Father, makes it clear that Obama attended the 1983 and 1984 Socialist Scholars conferences, and quite possibly the 1985 conclave as well. A detailed account of these conferences (along with many other events from Obama’s radical past) and the evidence for Obama’s attendance at them can be found in my new book, Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism.
The 1983 Cooper Union Conference, billed as a tribute to Marx, was precisely when Obama discovered his vocation for community organizing. Obama’s account of his turn to community organizing doesn’t add up. He portrays it as a mere impulse based on little actual knowledge. But that impulse saw Obama through two years of failed job searches. Clearly he had a deeper motivation. The evidence suggests he found it at the Socialist Scholars conferences, where he encountered the entrancing double idea that America could be transformed by a kind of undercover socialism, and that African Americans would be the key figures in advancing community organizing.
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November 2, 2010 will be an election of even greater historic import than the 2008 election because it will determine whether or not America remains the shining light of Hope, Faith and Charity it has been for 234 years.
Obama keeps saying we want to go back to the "failed policiies of the past", yes, we do dummy, that is why we are who we are in this world and why we have been so successful, up until the last 20 months.
He needs to be tried for treson
He ernd that right the secant he bowed to the ferst forin dignatare
Republicans dont seem to get what a democracy represents. Obama was elected by a huge margin by the people. and…Since the republicans have not publically protested the outcome of the presidential election, I assume they think its legitamate. I supppose the Republicans did not protest the election's outcome because Obama beat the crap out of Pailn/McCain. Get over it. Allow the checks and balances of government to work. Have healthy debates. Republicans have wonderful positions and ideas especially on religion and spending.
Do you actually believe that the system of checks and balances is working under this administration? Do you know the reasons why Obama has appointed over 30 new czars? You do understand that Czars are appointed by the president and, by definition, make policy in such a manner as to bypass the legislative branch (a key player in the checks and balances system)? Are you also aware that Obama axed Norm Eisen, the “Transparency Czar”? (Ironic, being that this is the most “transparent administration in history”) Republicans are aware of what a democracy represents. The United States is NOT a Democracy! It is a republic. It always has been. We are not a mob rule country, we a country ruled by law.
As it stands, there does not exist, a better man for the job than Barack Obama. Barack Obama has more integrity than the others presidential hopefuls. He is a family man who practices family values. He's intelligent and well read enough to debate or negotiate with any foriegn dignitary. But most importantly he isnt driven by money. There is no special interest that funds his family. He is the rare politician that isnt connected corporately or in the pockets of lobbyists. His decisions don't seem to be whats easy and popular but are based on his convictions. Come on now be serious. Do you really want a president that functions for oil companies or large mutinational corporations like Haliburton who in the end, moved and took jobs and their HQ to the middle east. Fact: George Bush is the one who gave millions of jobs to Asia. Barack Obamas life is every mothers dream republican, democratic, white, or black. He was a typical teenager who wound up graduating from Harvard's law school!?! He was raised by a single mom with grandparents who stepped up when the mom remarried. Even the wealthiest most connected well educated married families cant realize this dream of having a child to rise to heights of Barack Obama.
Do you know the definition of integrity?!?! Do you understand that one of the main goals of Socialism is to break the family institution? Negotiations with foriegn dignitaries are handled by the State Department, Obama is raising taxes across the board to pay for his new entitlement programs-so yes, he is driven by money. How many jobs do you think Obama is going to send overseas with his "tax the rich" agenda?!?!
Obama got into Havuhd University on affirmative action and foreign (Saudi) money! 43 families have realized the dream of having a child rise to the heights of the American Presidency, and all 43 of those children have done a better job than Barry Obama.
kbh, are you STUPID or just a retard,, ALL the crap that you just wrote are you kidding me, THIS IS WHY so many keep saying about drinking the koolaid,, dam, you must be as dumb as they come– Obama a good family man,, lol,, what a joke,, and the best for the job,, again,,haha,, this is so unreal that someone can even write the things that you have, I can't WAIT for the truth to come out about this piece of crap,, I would love to see the look on your face, but, knowing what you have written tells me ,, You and the rest of the koolaid drinkers will not believe it any way
Impeach him??? For what? Because he's different. It just doesnt't make good sense. We need a president that's principled, brilliant, and has a background that represents the middle class in America. What makes America diffrent than countries, like Venezuela, is that we have a strong middle class. Stop acting like sore losers and resorting to impeaching every Democratic president that gets eleceted. Darn it! After impeaching Clinton for infideltiy, it turns out that he was the most recent fiscally sucessful president. He left Bush with a surplus but because Bush is controlled by big oil, he sold us out to China, left us with 3 wars,no jobs, and the worst financial disaster in our history!!! Yes 3 wars. Lets not forget Pakisatn!
Kbh, they don't pay you enough.
Obama just might be best president ever. He is closest to resurection Of Jesus Christ. Healthacare bill will save alot of peoples lives, childeren and ones with out insurance will imbrace him for centuries to come. Its been put on back burner for to long. Americas health is one of worse off in the world. Our republicans want to kill us off and will spread gossip like socialism talk, running around like wild fire. SO what most of our current politicians believed in being Hippie, witch, communism, or even Religon of JEDI MASTRS. Its america and what he believes in or done thirty years ago is past. Catch up to 2008 when evil left white house. Bush come on couldnt even spell, read or write better than drunken man at 3:00 in the morning but even then passing on responsability to OBAMA and us just was the most stupid, lowest thing i cant even dream about. He is democrat not nazi, taliban, Al Queda, or even santa cluase. He is our president elected by us and has not broken any law or commited illegal things against humanity like BUSH has done.