"Rules for Radicals" - These are the precepts used by Ultra-Liberals to win support for their agenda. How many do you recognize that were used in the recent campaign for US President? How many are being used today to retain power? The creator of the "RULES" promoted the theme of "CHANGE". Note that these radicals consider those who have another view to be their "enemy."
Some of these rules are ruthless, but they work. Here are the rules to be aware of:
RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources - money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.) "Stimulus Plans". "Pork". Causing the failure of financial markets so more people become dependent on the government. The power to set executive wages and bonus's. Power to tax specific situations they don't like.
RULE 2: "Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don't address the "real" issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.) Ignor the fact that the real reason for the economic crisis is disregard for Capitalist Principles by government officials who now want your support to fix what they broke.
RULE 3: "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.) Cause investments to crash hurting the financial stability of millions who don't have the expertise to know what actually caused it. Offer the solution to the very crisis you created.
RULE 4: "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity's very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.) "We do not torture in the United States" ... Let's be honest. Wouldn't we all EXPECT our leaders to do all that is needed to save American lives? So we expect it, they do it, then they are criticized for doing it for political reasons.
RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.) For example, President Bush kept us safe for 7 years without another terrorist attack. Yet, his political enemies constantly criticized him. No matter what he did, there was always another option which they would promote.
RULE 6: "A good tactic is one your people enjoy." They'll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They're doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid "un-fun" activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.) Liberal criticism while offering no alternative.
RULE 7: "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.) Attack the War in Iraq. Attack the economy. Attack someones stand on abortion, on gay marriage, on stem-cell research.
RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.) Attack Conservative Radio with threats of the "Fairness Doctrine", with Billboards attacking individuals. Attack the spec in another's eye while having a plank in your own. Imply that when someone takes a moral position in opposition to that of the liberal, he is trying to impose his religion on others.
RULE 9: "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination an ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists' minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.) "This war is not winnable" .. ""Wrong place, wrong time" .. "The war is lost" .. "This is Bush's war" .. "We support the troops but not the war" .. "Bush is the worst President in our History" .. "The President is guilty of War Crimes"
RULE 10: "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management's wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)
RULE 11: "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative." Never let the enemy score points because you're caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.) Force mortgage companies to give loans to those who don't qualify or we will protest your company and you will lose business.
RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)
Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals (copyrighted as Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals) is the last book written by community organizer Saul D. Alinsky before his death in 1972. Published in 1971, it was Alinsky's attempt to impart his theory and methods of organizing to the current generation of young activists, largely drawing upon his own experiences.
In the original edition of the book, the preface states the following:
"Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins -- or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom—Lucifer."
Current editions of the book lack this controversial preface.
Alinsky wrote in the book's prologue:
"What I have to say in this book is not the arrogance of unsolicited advice. It is the experience and counsel that so many young people have questioned me about through all-night sessions on hundreds of campuses in America. It is for those young radicals who are committed to the fight, committed to life." In the first chapter, opening paragraph Alinsky writes, "What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away".
Have you seen examples of "The Rules"? Send us your examples for posting here. SEND EMAIL
For more information about the Rules and how Obama has learned and used them, see http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/alinsky.htm
