Volume 48 | Number 4 | July–August 2020

Inglés Español

The Godfather of Today’s Political Liberalism


By Dr. H. T. Spence

Presently our country is experiencing the radical powers of not only the Antifa and Black Lives Matter movements but also the political beasts of the Washington swamp with its social media cohorts. Their overwhelming forceful, demonically energized anger against America and its Constitution is found throughout the boisterous political spectrum of liberalism; all are seeking a complete overthrow of the America we once knew. Today, in America we are in the throes of a revolutionary movement of “cancel culture.” The current Covid-19 pandemic has been politically manipulated to catapult our nation into a sweeping and aggressive movement to destroy and redefine this once-honored country. The Covid-19 crisis is being used to fuel atheistic Marxism, which is determined to “burn America to the ground.” Communism has consistently used the belief that “out of chaos comes cosmos (order)”; this concept of conquest goes all the way back to the Assyrian Empire. In other words, it seeks to thrust a country into utter lawlessness and chaos and then, out of the resulting rubble, rebuild it in a new contrary image. The Liberals are determined to bring America into utter chaos nationwide and then build what they believe to be the perfect utopia of atheistic socialism and totalitarianism.

It is for this reason that Liberals intensely hate President Donald Trump. His administration has exposed the “swamp” of Washington’s Deep State that has worked long to destroy from within this nation, to bring it to its knees, and finally to cause it to submit to the god of socialism and the totalitarianism of communism. It was a miracle that brought Donald Trump into the White House, and it can only be a Sovereign God Who will keep him there for another four years. Despite what we think of President Trump’s crudeness and bold candidness, it took a man such as he to confront the lewd, oppressive, immoral, debauched powers that pervade Washington. No other kind of man (in the natural world) could have taken on the political swamp and fake news without his thick-skin rawness. For the first time in American history, today we are witnessing an open display of the powers of darkness vying to annihilate the powers of natural light. And amidst the blatant, alcoholic, demonic corruption that pervades our nation’s capital, only God knows the outcome of November’s election if providence even permits it to occur.

What are we now witnessing in the burning of America and lawlessness ruling the land? These actions are the result of decades of political and immoral undercurrents pulling our nation into ideologies that seek to escalate globalist powers for a coming Antichrist rule. Historic America must be dismantled for globalism to ensue. Nevertheless, God seems to be permitting a final attempt of a ray of light to overcome the inevitable darkness.

The Godfather of Our Present-Day Chaos

The Bible speaks of “the power” behind the powers of a nation’s leader (Isa. 14:4, 12; Ezek. 28:2, 12, the prince behind the king; Satan behind the king of Babylon). It also speaks of the teacher behind the student (Paul behind Timothy) and the father behind the son (David behind Solomon, Book of Proverbs). Whatever the ideological thought that rules a nation or a movement, there are certain individuals who must be viewed as the matrix (or the mind) from which an ideological thought has been birthed. These are the godfathers of an ideology.

A godfather is commonly considered the man who presents a child at baptism and promises to take responsibility for his religious education. However, godfather is also a term used of an individual who is the originator or principal shaper of a movement or organization. It is in this latter definition that we introduce Saul D. Alinsky and his powerful influence in both the thinking and the actions of Liberalism and the Leftist movements of the political world.

Born in 1909, Saul Alinsky was the child of poor Russian Jewish immigrants. He majored in archaeology at the University of Chicago and later became a criminologist. During this time, he spent two to three years interviewing the Al Capone gang in Chicago. In the late 1930s he worked as a labor organizer, particularly in the communities of Chicago. Mentored by the labor leader John L. Lewis, he began the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). This foundation began training community organizers around the country. Financially assisted by the liberal millionaire Marshall Field III, Alinsky began expanding his influence in the inspiration and organization of urban communities across America.

Although in 1946 he wrote Reveille for Radicals, he is best known by his second book Rules for Radicals (1971). Written a year before his death, in this book he acknowledged Lucifer:

Lest we forget at last an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all the 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 last won his own kingdom—Lucifer.

The Liberal crowd and its news media have been committed to keeping cloaked the reality of Saul Alinsky and his powerful influence in organizing rebellious movements in urban America. He has been the Pied Piper of the tactics being perpetrated throughout our country by liberal leaders, especially since the days of Jimmy Carter.

Even the embryonic influence of Alinsky can be seen as far back as the 1960s, when he set up institutes to train other organizers. He has become the godfather of the Marxist movement of the twentieth century. In 1969, Hillary Clinton (as a college student) chose Alinsky’s work as the topic for her Wellesley College thesis. She described him as “that rare specimen, the successful radical.” (A radical is one who attacks the root of a matter.) The worldview of Saul Alinsky has become the polluting cesspool of today’s radical movements in all their sundry forms. Although Alinsky never admitted to being a communist, he never denied he was a socialist. In fact he embraced the term socialist, which originates from a Marxist worldview. In Alinsky’s early years, he was captivated by social works that denied the existence of God; his thoughts and writings presented the social sciences from purely a secular context.

Marxist culture has infiltrated at least three major areas in our country—the mega film industry, the public educational system, and the news media empires. Marxism initially arose in the Frankfurt School, founded by German Marxists following the Russian Revolution (1917-1923). These Marxists initiated what has become known as the “sexual revolution.” A second powerful influence came through the Italian communist Antonio Gramsci, who focused Marxism’s attack on religion generally and God directly, with the purpose to secularize society. Finally, Fabian socialism arose and founded the London School of Economics. This school sought to establish a so-called democratic socialism that would gradually destabilize the American economic system.

Many historians of socialism, however, view Alinsky’s worldview as existing before Marxism. In many ways the emerging socialist thoughts coming from the mid-1800s found their roots going back to the birth of the French Revolution. Motivated by a hatred for God and the institutional church, the French Revolution was determined for society not only to deny the reality of God but also to embrace the belief that society is saved through its self-made ideologies (including secular “religious” ideas). Such an approach is similar to the oldest philosophical enemy of Christianity dating back to the first century—Gnosticism. Gnosticism was based only on ideology, not theology. The French Revolution glorified man’s power of intellect and reason while denouncing Jesus Christ.

In history books Alinsky is portrayed as the “father of community organizing”; in this capacity Alinsky has profoundly affected Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Never identifying himself as a communist, Alinsky was bold in declaring himself a radical and a man of the Left. Hillary Clinton (who knew him personally) and Barack Obama were both seriously taken by his ideas. Thus, it is befitting to clearly identify Alinsky with present-day liberalism of the Democratic Party. It was during the administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama that Alinsky’s socialism gained national influence through the White House. As we have noted, before Hillary Clinton rose to prominence, she wrote her senior thesis about Alinsky, interviewing him in the process. In David Brock’s 1996 biography of Hillary Clinton, The Seduction of Hillary Rodham, he dubbed her “Alinsky’s daughter.” It is interesting to note that the late conservative writer Barbara Olson began each chapter of her 1999 book Hell to Pay on Clinton with a quote from Alinsky, arguing that Alinsky’s strategic theories directly influenced Hillary’s behavior during her husband’s presidency.

It is also interesting to note that Clinton asked Wellesley College to seal her thesis for the duration of her husband’s presidency—which it willingly did. In 2001, access to her thesis was restored. Then as Barack Obama’s candidacy gained momentum (eventually defeating Clinton), attention shifted to Obama’s ties to Alinsky and to other Alinsky-trained organizers. In September 2008, Rudy Giuliani attacked Obama for being “educated in the Saul Alinsky methods.” Many conservative political commentators saw the strong influence of Alinsky in the political platform of Barack Obama. One conservative asked,

Has [Obama] ever had an original idea—by that, I mean something not found in The Communist Manifesto? Has he? Has he simply had an idea not found in Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals?”

It was clearly indicative that Alinsky laid the blueprint for Obama and that Alinsky’s radicalism became the heart of Obama.

Shortly before his death, Saul Alinsky granted an interview with Playboy magazine that was publicly distributed on the internet. Towards the end of the lengthy interview, he stated, “Let’s say that if there is an afterlife, and I have anything to say about it, I will unreservedly choose to go to hell.” The interviewer then asked him, “Why?” He responded,

Hell would be heaven for me. All my life I’ve been with the have-nots. Over here, if you’re a have-not, you’re short of dough. If you’re a have-not in hell, you’re short of virtue. Once I get into hell, I’ll start organizing the have-nots over there.

The interviewer then asked, “Why them?” He simply responded, “They’re my kind of people.”

The Rules for Radicals

As we have noted, Rules for Radicals was Saul Alinsky’s last book, completed the year before his death. Within this book he reveals his worldview or what has been called his “power tactics.” These tactics are the basic guidelines for radical organizers and activists today.

  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.”
  2. Never go outside the expertise of your people. It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone.[Businesses and corporations under attack today wonder why radicals don’t address the “real” issues. This is why. They avoid things where they have no knowledge.]
  3. Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty.
  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 their own rules.
  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. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage.
  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.
  7. A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Don’t become old news.
  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 enemy a chance to rest, regroup, recover, and re-strategize.)
  9. The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself. Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist.
  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.
  11. The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative. Never let the enemy score points because you are caught without a solution to the problem.
  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.)

Alinsky in His Day versus Today

The present-day Democratic Party is not the Democratic Party of fifty years ago. It is not the Party of Harry Truman or even John F. Kennedy. The Party of today is the Party of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and newer rising socialists. How did such a change occur within the Party? And who brought the change?

If the Democratic Party is much different today than it was decades ago, what brought about the change, and what are the characteristics that mark this present Party? Perhaps at one time the Party had in mind a good end for America, though differing regarding the means to that end. However, the Party today has radically changed to a systematic, intentional deployment of lawlessness. We saw this “radical” change take place in the days of former President Obama, who boldly rendered such lawlessness when he acted opposite to America’s immigration laws. Regarding marriage laws, Obama flaunted and promoted same gender marriage until the Supreme Court yielded. Obama projected the belief that the President’s office was above the law, and that law was simply a tool to a means.

However, another characteristic that has become a part of the Democratic Party has more recently arisen—using the power of the State against your political enemy. In the Obama administration, the FBI and other government entities (including the IRS) were used to “spy” on its opponents. Most notably has been the use of the FBI to spy on the Donald Trump campaign, forcing some individuals to submit to their politics. Democratic governors and mayors have taken similar bold tactics this year by using their governmental powers to mandate their desires upon their constituents, even forcing into submission churches in their state or cities. Such tyrannical, oppressive governmental authority has never been exercised to such extent as it has been by today’s Democratic Party. The crying out for public killings, hatred, and flagrant stripping away of the rights of its citizens have not been witnessed before. They openly break the law or overturn the law for their own diabolical purposes. State mandates were illegally forced upon the public, bypassing state legislation, inevitably creating new laws of the land.

At the same time, we have also witnessed these radical politicians becoming multi-millionaires through government shakedowns, placing authoritative pressures upon companies and organizations to financially support them personally as well as in their private ventures. We witnessed the hundreds of millions of dollars pressed into the slush fund of the Clinton Foundation, even manipulated from foreign governments who were promised “favors” when the Clintons got into power. It is something to note that though Barack Obama was “viewed” as a public organizer among the poor in his early days leading up to and into the Senate, we no longer see him among the poor. He and his wife have been escalated into the power of big money, and they live far away from the poor. This has become the “new” Democratic Party of the twenty-first century.

And how did this new Democratic Party come into existence? It has been through the powerful persuasiveness of their Saul Alinsky tactics. Alinsky was a political scam artist that forced people into the socialistic mold. He began first as a teacher with his students, with those students then becoming national scam artists in various public arenas to remake America.

Saul Alinsky was an atheist; therefore, he would not even believe in the Devil (though he mentioned the Devil and hell in his writings in a mocking context). Revelations concerning the dark and diabolical extent of his tactics are selectively few in his books. He believed one should never tell everything, thus keeping some “cards up his sleeve.” But before he died, his in-depth interview with Playboy magazine revealed his evil, sinister heart and his political scamming ploys. As previously mentioned, he met with the Al Capone mafia in Chicago and grew greatly impressed by how they shook up their enemies with aggressive, threatening tactics (like beating up or killing some). Alinsky believed such mafia tactics approach could be used in organizing movements to bring persuasive power over not only society in general but also one’s political opponents in government. He believed whatever rhetoric it took to control his opponents and society (even deceptively using the opposite of his actual intentions) was permissible. Although he was opposed to the businesses of capitalism and the so-called entrepreneurs (believing they did not have the right to wealth), he welcomed outside socialist elites seizing power and taking all the wealth for themselves.

These words describe the Democratic Party of today! These are the Liberals, the Progressives, who believe they must control all the wealth of the country as well as every minute detail of its citizen’s existence. They are a powerful force in America, and anyone who stands in their way must fall! And, in their thinking, whatever it takes, even lawlessness, the end will always justify the means they use.

Conclusion

Saul Alinsky’s plan has become the “bible” of the Democratic Party of today! This is the reality behind over one thousand cities in America that have experienced burnings, riots, lootings, and killings in their streets. This is the political ideological force of Saul Alinsky! Beyond the Covid-19 being used as a political ploy to bring martial law in Democratic states and cities, we have witnessed the godless militia of the Democratic Party (in Antifa and Black Lives Matters) take control of cities with Democratic mayors freely permitting them to force portions of our country into oppressive obedience and submission.

Though not specifically authored by Alinsky, the following can be said to succinctly outline the doctrines being embraced by the Democratic Party to overthrow a free nation and create a socialist state.

  1. Healthcare—control healthcare and you control the people.
  2. Poverty—increase the poverty level as high as possible. Poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live.
  3. Debt—increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty.
  4. Gun Control—remove the ability to defend themselves from the government. That way you are able to create a police state.
  5. Welfare—take control of every aspect of their lives (food, housing, and income).
  6. Education—take control of what people read and listen to; take control of what children learn in school.
  7. Religion—remove the belief in God from the government and schools.
  8. Class Warfare—divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent, and it will be easier to take (or tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor.

Though (according to the prophetic Scriptures) America must be overthrown, God’s people must not be blind to the ideologies that are rising in our country today. We believe all this is part of the End Time of the last days. As the last bastion of Western civilization remaining, America must eventually fall. As many antichrists are increasing, their lawlessness is becoming the law of the land. While we must understand these appointed times, we must look to God for how we should live in these appointed times. Whatever God’s will may be for the November election, we will witness the increase of hatred against God, His people, and His moral righteousness in the earth!

We dare not pray for God to bless America, for He will not bless a mess! Even the concept of true, biblical Christianity as a public voice is now dead. The voice of neo-Christianity now declares a new Jesus and gospel as the public Christian voice. It is sad but true that America must fall to resolve this planet for the coming of Antichrist. But we must pray for the biblical remnant that remains in this country; we must pray that their desire to be ready for the secret coming of the Lord in the air will continue to burn. The secret coming of Christ will initiate the Tribulation Period, bringing global judgment upon the chaff of Gentile governments. Once this world system and its governments of apostasy are judged, our blessed Saviour will openly return to set up His perfect Kingdom! And the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

What a day that will be! A day when Christ’s love, His peace, and His Word will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea. Thus, we pray for God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven! But until then, may we live by the precious, infallible Word of God, and not succumb to the utopian hopes of fallen, sinful man. As our country has looked to a godfather of ideology, we look to the only one “God” and one “eternal Father.” It is in His plan for this planet that we place our hope.