Policy

Prescription for Progressive Change: Inspire and Mobilize

Barack Obama is going to need all his organizing skills to be an effective leader. As I write in an article in the Huffington Post, Shifting Gears: Transforming Obama’s Campaign […]

Barack Obama is going to need all his organizing skills to be an effective leader.

As I write in an article in the Huffington Post, Shifting Gears: Transforming Obama’s Campaign Into a Movement for Change, to achieve a progressive agenda, Obama will have to win over some reluctant Democrats and a few moderate Republicans. Like Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, Obama can use his bully pulpit to inspire and educate Americans to help move the country in a new direction.

But like those two transformational presidents, Obama will also need to get the ground troops mobilized, in key states and congressional districts, to put pressure on members who might otherwise sit on the fence.

Are the progressive and liberal organizations and constituencies up to the challenge? What lessons can they learn from the success of FDR’s New Deal coalition, the Reagan-to-Bush conservative coalition that gained influence and power starting in the 1970s, and the Clinton adminstration’s tepid efforts to move the country in a new direction?

About the Author

Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier is professor of politics at Occidental College and has contributed to Shelterforce since the 1970s. He served for many years on the board of the National Housing Institute and was a founder of the Massachusetts Tenants Organization in the 1980s and has worked with housing activist groups since then.

Tags

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • The portico of the White House overlooking the South Lawn. An imposing building with columns marking a two-story portico and a balcony on the second floor. Angled staircases on either side lead up to the first floor. On the lawn, trees in leaf frame the portico on either side. The photo has an eerie red tint.

    The First 100 Days in Housing

    • Miriam Axel-Lute
    • Lara Heard
    • Shelby R. King

    April 30, 2025

    In which we attempt to collect and organize the major actions of the second Trump administration related to HUD, housing, and community development.

  • Inside a framed peaked-roof house, four people are working. One is laying two-by-fours on the floor to frame a wall; one is using a table saw, and two are standing at the far wall looking at something out of camera view. Out the large doorway (which has no door yet) can be seen a house across the street, and piles of lumber.

    Is DOGE Coming After NeighborWorks?

    • Miriam Axel-Lute

    April 23, 2025

    Though it hasn't taken any action yet, DOGE has officially assigned a team to NeighborWorks America. The congressionally chartered nonprofit provides resources and training to a network of hundreds of local organizations that develop affordable housing and support homeowners and communities.

  • About 10 people in cool-weather clothing stand in front of large glass domes holding green signs with white/black lettering reading "Vote Yes on Prop 1A."

    How Social Housing Won in Seattle, Despite a Flood of Big Tech Money

    • Roshan Abraham

    April 21, 2025

    Voters chose to provide a new social housing development authority with the funding it needs to succeed—despite opposition from the mayor and tech corporations.