Obama Organizing For America Volunteer: We Will “Have An Army”

A  Birmingham News story March 22, about Obama’s “grassroots” group Organizing For America, contained an interesting quote from one of the organizers of last weekend’s canvassing effort:

Obama’s plan faces criticism from Republicans and others who say it’s too expensive. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report Friday saying Obama’s agenda would cause huge budget deficits, forcing the country to borrow $9.3 trillion in the next decade.

Those who gathered at Kelly Ingram Park in downtown Birmingham were urged to enlist others who share Obama’s vision and to stay away from trying to convert naysayers.

“We’re looking for supporters,” said DeHaven of Hoover, one of the event’s organizers. “We’re not looking for a fight. That will come later, when we have an army.”

The volunteers are part of Organizing for America, the same grassroots, national network credited in large part with Obama’s quick rise from obscurity to president. Birmingham and 11 other sites statewide were part of a national push this weekend by Organizing for America to trumpet Obama’s spending proposal.

Across the metro area, volunteers gave their opinions about why Obama’s plan is good for the country’s future. Then they asked those willing to sign a pledge of support for the budget. Supporters’ e-mail addresses and other contact information were collected, to keep people engaged and to recruit more volunteers.

Ummmm…I think this illustrates why so many conservatives are  nervous about the potential for a mandatory Civilian National Service Corps hidden in the Americorps bill.

Just sayin’.

Hat tip: Melanie Phillips

UPDATE:

Allahpundit at Hotair reports that the “mandatory volunteerism” requirement was stripped from the bill…..for now.  Still, this bloated program will almost certainly be used for political and propaganda purposes, at a time when we should be cutting government waste.

Michelle Malkin has the details:

Quin Hilyer takes a closer look at the creepy national service expansion plans in today’s DC Examiner, and posts an update on one troublesome provision:

Between being first officially “reported” to the House and being voted on by the full House, bill managers stripped one whole section of the measure that created a Congressional Commission on Civil Service, thus removing the section that contained the language cited above concerning “a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people” and a possible requirement for “all individuals in the United States” to perform such service. The section could be restored during the Senate-House conference committee meeting. A new, separate bill containing that language has since been introduced in the House.

Looks like they’re going to keep trying.

UPDATE II:

It’s Ba-ack: Obama’s Mandatory Civic Service Act