Professional Documents
Culture Documents
pr
w
fr
ha
fo
co
co
Z
ec
at
m
hi
Barack Obamas
Rules for Revolution
The Alinsky Model
We are ve days away from fundamentally
transforming the United States of America.
- Barack Obama, election eve, 2008
an
de
to
sy
pr
sa
B
to
en
so
C
w
fo
to
an
o
li
so
In
b
th
2S
s,
nt
le
s
he
r,
er
he
it
al
he
o
is
ch
he
n
r,
er
y
n
We
ng
bu
A
a
C
h
ha
to
fo
C
th
so
al
M
of
to
ne
w
of
by
an
be
ag
re
od
al
er
al
de
w
is
de
he
s
to
re
r.
er
ts
he
m
he
of
en
he
st
W
de
th
an
ra
A
A
L
th
w
P
th
m
ra
w
U
fo
ci
K
Y
E
ex
m
5h
as
es
ts
ve
he
s,
).
he
to
nd
or
as
he
as
ad
he
on
he
a
of
k
rre
t,
he
Al Sharpton.
Alinsky also pioneered the alliance of radicals
with the Democratic Party, which ended two decades
of confrontation climaxing in the convention riot
of 1968. Through Chavez, Alinsky had met Robert
Kennedy who supported his muscling of Kodak
executives. But the Kennedys were only one of the
avenues through which Alinsky organizers now made
their way into the inner circles of the Democratic Party.
In 1969, the year that publishers reissued
Alinskys rst book, Reveille for Radicals, a Wellesley
undergraduate named Hillary Rodham submitted
her 92-page senior thesis on Alinskys theories (she
interviewed him personally for the project).6 In her
conclusion Hillary compared Alinsky to Eugene
Debs, Walt Whitman and Martin Luther King.
The title of Hillarys thesis was There Is Only
the Fight: An Analysis of the Alinsky Model. In this
title she had singled out the single most important
Alinsky contribution to the radical cause - his
embrace of political nihilism. An SDS radical once
wrote, The issue is never the issue. The issue is
always the revolution. In other words the cause whether inner city blacks or women - is never the
6 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17388372/
re
ca
th
A
ra
fo
th
th
th
pr
is
as
il
A
or
br
th
an
7R
pi
an
ls
es
ot
rt
k
he
de
y.
d
ey
ed
he
er
ne
ly
is
nt
is
ce
is
he
10
B
so
po
in
th
po
do
th
pr
A
W
be
fa
by
of
da
w
sh
in
Y
fu
W
co
A
11
nd
ls
is
al
n
ze
e,
to
ip
ng
e,
se
y
o
en
he
ts
is
al
is
he
he
e.
12
di
at
fo
on
G
fo
di
in
w
po
or
th
gr
id
in
no
ar
p
G
O
11
ww
12
13
14
by
ky
ed
he
er
n,
s.
ut
he
de
s
p
at
p
me
t,
re
es
to
ed
d
a
13
14
ex
H
a
16
63
17
ze
se
in
a
g
s
st
re
n,
s
to
an
ch
ps
n
as
s,
of
n
15
16 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020448830457442704163
6360388.html#
17 Lizza, op., cit.
16
am
an
co
an
th
th
w
he
fr
to
to
w
st
th
an
de
of
re
an
br
ye
dr
a
hu
de
s,
ly
ng
as
er
ll
to
ns
an
o
-
rs
he
d
m
m
n
d
he
ly
I
17
18
T
M
of
th
O
im
fu
ra
th
A
re
go
w
ne
an
ju
ra
w
th
co
co
ac
ct
ed
of
ts
to
or
es
we
el
y
s,
ce
y
er
ys
al
y
in
of
y
as
ir
ey
s.
19
20
18
HO
19
20
as
rn
de
ed
of
in
ry
n
t.
nd
on
ge
n
a
he
er
re
ts
21
on
18 http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/Articles/z-RADICAL%20
HOLOCAUST.htm
19 http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProle.asp?indid=1866
20 http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProle.asp?grpid=7471#Poverty
22
an
T
m
ho
m
is
pr
an
si
Je
A
pr
th
co
w
of
re
al
T
of
to
21
or
ar
ft
ir
,
is
re
y
ar
a
at
ty
ng
o
nd
ft
m
es
d
ls
23
24
w
sa
th
it
co
th
ob
na
s
in
A
a
be
ri
in
m
M
jo
co
jo
Jo
th
tr
23
24
er
he
ls
m
ut
ld
he
ng
w
to
or
he
ma
at
m
it
nd
at
he
25
26
19
it
th
op
fr
by
or
he
do
ap
an
of
si
C
p
an
B
th
ba
ot
w
ex
po
th
26
d
ed
ve
ld
od
es
it
go
ep
he
he
he
g
d
t
at
nd
ur
ur
he
he
27
28
yo
w
w
A
hi
al
an
te
of
ca
fo
sy
it
T
sy
w
pr
at
pe
th
an
ch
R
so
we
y.
al
r,
lf
a
k.
d
ed
ns
ng
h
al
ts
en
ns
nd
se
se
at
m;
y
29
30
Revolutionary War
The rst chapter of Alinskys manual is called
The Purpose and is designed to lay out the radical
goal. Its epigraph is taken from the Book of Job: The
life of man upon earth is a warfare...
This is not an invitation to democratic politics,
as understood by the American Founders. The
American system is about tolerance and compromise,
and bringing disparate factions into a working
partnership. The Founders devised a system of checks
and balances to temper the passions of the people and
prevent factions from going to war. It is because this is
the reality of American democracy that revolutionary
warfare, which is not about compromise, must be
conducted through deception. Thus the rules for the
organizers of revolutions, laid down by Alinsky, are
ru
M
w
ru
di
by
li
th
w
ho
w
be
pu
T
si
w
w
pe
pr
ca
an
H
to
27
re
o
ed
on
f-
ed
al
he
s,
he
e,
g
ks
nd
is
ry
be
he
re
31
32
ra
ho
th
ru
he
in
A
an
an
an
ha
fr
in
A
be
it
el
ri
th
on
is
H
pe
ex
ng
at
of
y
ng
ct
es
lf
ls
n
by
he
le
st
u
y
ut
es
he
as
t:
33
34
of
ra
an
cl
al
a
fo
ha
N
m
K
b
is
p
jo
st
o
re
ru
ly
to
le
nd
le
ne
35
36
th
m
is
gu
M
cl
th
ti
an
an
ou
ne
w
to
de
ow
is
an
W
th
an
in
sy
no
y
ls
ll
f,
ea
ve
rs
at
d
to
n
le
n
re
o
be
m
er
o
ls
o
s.
d
37
38
ci
an
th
th
in
a
or
th
so
C
th
w
ar
th
th
an
of
as
de
re
in
th
di
39
re
ck
n
er
rf
ed
us
re
ar
ed
y
nd
n,
of
il
is
of
is
ve
ot
es
le
er
ir
40
co
T
of
ev
st
to
of
an
un
ne
tr
K
A
so
th
or
hi
w
ch
30
as
o
m
ll
gs
of
me
he
is
r:
a
ok
ky
h
ns
is
he
ve
nt
nd
y
d,
re
ts
41
30 http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.
asp?id=522#Curricular_Studies
42
to
m
po
to
of
di
no
op
w
be
an
on
gr
w
ev
K
If
to
pe
31
of
te
e,
to
st
he
43
44
of
co
ra
tr
fa
no
O
et
an
ve
w
ev
m
w
to
re
ev
sh
en
no
33
en
al
to
to
ld
ey
l,
es
nd
g.
ng
se
.
a
se
ut
ns
s
k,
re
ir
ks
45
of conservatives.33
In contrast to liberals, who in Alinskys eyes are
constantly tripping over their principles, the rule for
radicals is that the ends justify the means. This was
true for the Jacobins, for the Communists, for the
fascists and now for the post-Communist left. This is
not because radicals begin by being unethical people.
On the contrary, their passion for a future that is
ethically perfect is what drives their political agendas
and causes many to mistake them for idealists. But the
very nature of this future - a world without poverty,
without war, without racism, and without sexism
- is so desirable, so noble, so perfect in contrast to
everything that exists as to justify any and every
means to achieve it.
If the radicals utopia were actually possible, it
would be criminal not to deceive, lie, and murder
to advance the radical cause which is, in effect, a
redemption of mankind. If it were possible to provide
every man, woman and child on the planet with food,
shelter and clothing as a right, if it were possible to
end bigotry and human conict, what sacrice would
not be worth it?
The German philosopher Nietzsche had a phrase for
33 Reveille for Radicals, p. 21
46
ra
S
re
le
ti
th
ac
ag
cl
di
T
li
m
of
go
be
w
th
th
m
34
35
es
re
at
ng
t.
g
ed
an
en
e,
ou
d
ir
of
rs
ld
ed
ie
he
er
es
ce
or
it
er
47
Frank Nitti.
The Stalinist historian Eric Hobsbawm gave the
radicals romance an academic veneer in a book about
Sicilian criminals, whom he described as primitive
rebels, in other words, revolutionaries avant la
lettre. Among the chapters of Primitive Rebels is one
titled Social Bandits. In Hobsbawms description
these criminals were avatars of social justice, their
activity little more than endemic peasant protest
against oppression and poverty.34 Hobsbawm
claimed that the activity of the mob was always
directed against the rich (in other words okay).35
The French radical Pierre-Joseph Proudhon gave
license to radicals to steal and destroy in socialisms
most famous epigraph: Property is Theft. In reality,
of course, it is socialism that is theft.
Another reason why radicals believe that their
goals justify criminal means and also why they can
be relied on to lie, steal votes and justify murder
when committed by their political friends, is because
they are engaged in a permanent war whose goal is
the salvation of mankind. In this context restraint of
means can easily seem nicky.
34 Primitive Rebels, p.5 Google edition
35 Primitive Rebels, op., cit. p. 7
48
to
im
co
im
re
pr
li
ju
A
lu
in
ch
d
ex
w
o
ac
is
n
sa
h
do
38
er
th
ot
ry
?
to
is
ce
le
d
ue
s.
s
or
If
of
he
s,
d
00
ng
ng
49
50
of
M
t
s
se
is
us
B
se
w
ag
sh
w
us
is
w
sa
A
do
he
he
ve
in
d
r,
s,
n:
de
-
he
se
he
ur
nd
es
es
he
ir
n.
ea
51
FIND
Find
OUT
out MORE:
more
DISCOVERTHENETWORKS.ORG
A GU ID E TO T H E POLI TI CAL LE FT
NEWSREALBLOG.COM
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM