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stephanie
09-27-2008, 10:10 PM
September 4, 2007

BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Political Reporter/apallasch@suntimes.com
"The next tip is to be absolutely ruthless," Jocelyn Woodards tells the campers. "We want you to be determined, ambitious, take a risk."

No toasted marshmallows here. This is the second day of Camp Obama, a two-day (sometimes four-day) intensive training course in becoming an activist to help get Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) elected president.

"It's not enough for you to be a supporter of Barack. You have to go out and build an organization that will deliver votes for Barack Obama," Woodards tells the 40 campers -- most in their 20s -- from around the country gathered at the campaign's national headquarters in the West Loop.


» Click to enlarge image
must see picture, scary...

Jocelyn Woodards, director of Camp Obama, trains Barack Obama supporters Sunday to campaign for the Illinois senator.
(Keith Hale/Sun-Times)


Obama is not like other candidates, and part of this training is learning to mimic the methods he used before he was an elected official -- back when he was a community organizer in Chicago following the textbook of legendary agitator Saul Alinsky.

Saul Alinsky wanted results
Rivals of Obama know that while he may at times appear to channel Martin Luther King Jr., his methods sometimes give evidence of his allegiance to Alinsky, who shunned starry-eyed idealists and recommended purging do-gooders from organizations. Alinsky wanted results. And his methods often forced the hands of elected officials.
It's not enough to want to help others, Woodards says. These campers need to focus on people's self-interests. What do they want? How can Obama help them?


read the rest...
http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/540781,CST-NWS-camp04.article