Einar wie Keiner

I recently joined the Americans in Berlin for Obama group, comprised of Americans living in Berlin. I was interested in spreading interest for the next potential POTUS. I was interested in seeing who was in the group and what they were doing to spread the word and message of Obi-San. The following text was copied from the body of emails sent around the AIB group via listserv. I have removed all the names but left the information intact and untouched. The following is an example of just how difficult it is to get like minded people together and work towards a common goal. There’s always one person that creates chaos to balance the order of the universe.

First email regarding AIB meet at Max & Mortiz Restaurant, Berlin Ger, dated 07/15/08:

here’s one curmudgeon’s view of the Obama / Dems situation in Berlin:

“Don Quixote” and “Sancha Panza”, aka our “leaders” of Dems Abroad Berlin,
have seized control of the Obama organization… and for many months done
NOTHING with it!

o.k. two examples:

1.) the bridge event at Oberbaumbrücke:

90% of the attendees were either “same old same old” over 40 [50 might be
more charitable] hangers on I remember from D/A Berlin in the last – 2004
- election cycle; the balance were wonderfully interested but sadly
ineligible people without the right to vote in the US election!

2.) the ‘event’ on the Hostel houseboat on the Spree…

more or less same demographic, BUT D.Q. and his sidekick S.P. had not
checked out the venue with the operators, so we were AS A GROUP unwelcome.
The amaerikan organizer would neither wear an Obama pin, allow a banner,
nor any other overt activity!  What a waste of time, with the overpriced
lousy food, blaring music making conversation IMPOSSIBLE and sun in one’s
eyes.

Our chair was reduced to peddling self-produced Obama pins “on the QT”.
SHAMEFUL!

I have a couple of times SPECIFICALLY asked D.Q. for financial support to
reach out with small paid inserts, cards in clubs / venues, etc… via
ExPat media e.g. the monthly EX-BERLINER or at the hostels and clubs
frequented by those “under 50″… and in “the East…”

Result: a mealy-mouthed excuse as to how funds flow ONLY from us donors to
D/A National or Obama Central or…, and how we can not expect ANY support
from either for our outreach here!  QED

Recently I had the chance to spend a delightful evening – also at, Max &
Moritz, with Elsa Rassbach, one of the REALLY activist Dems in Berlin,
whom D.Q. and S.P. went out of their way to drive out of D/A Berlin!  And
there were a NUMBER of other disgruntled FORMER DA Berlin members there!

Summary:

‘The BIG Announcement’ tonite is PURE B.S.   Obama Central completely
ignores these clowns.  And one may SERIOUSLY doubt they have any greater
respect in the Obama appearance organizing than my doubts expressed here
would indicate.  Read the ‘net and you’ll know more and sooner…

Our numbers remain at an absolutely DISGRACEFUL 42 after a year +

This entire winter when there were active critical Obama primaries, D/A
Berlin held to a Tuesday schedule at M&M, which was a waste of time as
‘the action’ was taking place hours after the Berlin meeting was over.
The excuse for not moving to Wednesday?  S.P. ‘had to give a music lesson’
(or take one, or…)

This is NOT leadership… it’s ‘mucking about’… or something that rhymes
therewith 

SAD, VERY SAD.

QED

Email #2, same sender:

Genossen!

“not intended to be distributed to the” … ‘people’… those ‘commoners’
who are constantly hit up for ‘$USD 25.- more’… or… $USD 2,300.- more’
or…

so, as I suspected, the whole facade of Don Quixote and Sancha Panza
‘running things’ here is charade… a fraud!

This has ‘Vorteil and Nachteil’… At least it may get organized better
than the embarrassment of watching our ‘Chair’ trying to hawk Obama
buttons one at a time, in a ‘English-speaking youth Venue’ where he is
unwanted…   

well, maybe D.Q. and S.P. will get seats in the ‘VIP Circle?’… and F—
the rest of us in AmericansinBerlinforObama or D/A Berlin?

…and we’re being manipulated from ‘behind the scenes’ by ‘those who
shall remain un-named’ in of all places Area Code “202″ a.k.a.
WASHINGTON… we don’t even rate attention from CHICAGO! ((

le plus ce change le plus ce rest la meme…

our ‘local ops’ are liars, or at best  and obfuscators as I have long
suspected and posted!

So much for pseudo-transparency…

Count this Obama voter [me] OUT!

Response from A Senior Advisor:

David, I don’t know who you are or what your problem is, but we are trying to run a campaign here and bring together all sorts of Americans to vote for Barack Obama, and your nefarious conspiracy theories are not helpful.  I’m not sure why you think a Washington, DC number is somehow suspect – I work at the DNC with the head of the Obama campaign’s DNC operations.  I run the campaign’s operations outside the United States and am working closely with Democrats Abroad-Berlin, Americans in Berlin for Obama and Americans in Berliln-Brandenberg, as well as many other such groups around the entire world.  Your wildly inaccurate conclusions and unreasonable statements do not advance the cause of getting Senator  Obama elected.  There are many Americans in Berlin who are working very hard to make next week’s event a success, and it is unfair and slanderous to insult them in this manner.

XXXXXXXX XXXX
Senior Advisor on Americans Abroad
Obama for America

Some Responses From AIB Members:

This is not helpful, Mr Schurman.  Nor were most of the other emails you sent in recent weeks.

I suspect Mr Schurman may ignore this last request, but I do hope that he won’t:

Please let people do their jobs.

(If Mr Schurman has a response to this, I won’t see it since I will be blocking his emails from now on)

PS For those who have been working to help the Obama campaign, you have my sincere thanks.

Another Response:

I do fully agree with XXX XXXXX.

I am really astonished, to hear the nasty words from Mr. M.S. I do not know, whether he is aware of the fact that, the phrase he is using is sueable under German criminal act ….. /using national socialist ideologie/.

I am absolutely sure, that none in our groupe, has any doubt about the hard work,  leaders are doing to make the event a sucessful one.  They have nothing common with the Führer ideologie. The Goal is to have Barack elected in November and to make his visits in the world safe.

Once again, thanks to everybody, working hard to achieve the set goal.