Barack Obama’s election victory this week shows us two things, both of which shine light on the potential for even greater change as a realistic goal. The first is organizing and the second is the aspirations of the electorate.
The organization behind Obama’s win was notable for its combination of community mobilization and technology integration. They used the Internet to provide individual supporters with the means to make more than a financial contribution, by making their website a tool to enable anyone who wanted to help to be able to do so in a coordinated manner with others in their community. There is no doubt that without this focus on community organizing the Obama campaign would have won neither the primary nor the general election. This serves as a model for any future movement that aims to succeed with the popular support of ordinary, working people.
Listening to the reasons given by voters in the street for why they voted for Obama, there is a constant refrain that suggests that most people are actually looking for change that is directly aligned with the principles and policies of the Standards of LIFE. People are looking for political leadership that will deliver the most basic and fundamental services to everyone, they want education for their children, health care for their parents and the opportunity to work and contribute. These aspirations are directly addressed in the Standards of LIFE.
In considering the practicality of advancing the Standards of LIFE it is worth noting that Obama’s success suggests that a political campaign in an industrial democracy would likely garner the same support, and would succeed with the same level of organization.
Standards of LIFE 