Great post, Swordsperson!!
What many don't know is that Alinsky was a student of the work of Niccolo Machiavelli (primarily his more popularly known work The Prince his case-study on the dynamics of administrating dominion).
Machiavelli was not a fan of fascism (as is revealed by his clear affection for Roman Republicanism seen in his larger, more academically-regarded Discourses on Livy) but he was at his foundation, a proponent of doing what worked to achieve practical results in the real world. So was Alinsky.
For some time now, the far left has ignored Rules for Radicals in many of the more technical regards (such as employing triangulation and maintaining a low profile on the true aims of their movement) which has not served them well.
The last leftist politician to effectively utilize Alinskyite methodology which conformed to the doctrines fairly consistently across the board was probably Slick Willie Clinton. He was particularly adept at using triangulation to maintain the appearance of being a pragmatist even though he was almost-exclusively apt to do the right thing for absolutely the wrong reasons.
For instance, the compromises Clinton made with Newt Gingrich in regard to the Contract With America (welfare reform) was pure triangulation. Clinton did that with a figurative gun to his head, because all of the polls strongly favored it. He so much as admitted this when later he called welfare reform "one of his biggest mistakes" in order to try to rehabilitate Hill-O-Lies' standing with the far left black and socialist faction of the 'Crat party.
James Carville was (is) a Alinskyite to the core and no doubt watched the 'Crat self-destruction with a sort of "OMG, they can't really be doing this" reaction.
Obama was a good Alinskyite in how he used and expanded the power of the Executive Branch, Congress and mass media-driven demagoguery to bully the GOP for eight years - getting one political goal after another accomplished without any significant resistance to anything.
Obama and the 'Crats' mistake was overreach - they ignored Alinsky's Trotsky-driven incremental philosophy and instead "jumped for the Great Sky Hook" (nods to Hunter Thompson) attempting to use government power and ultra vires to establish a one-party radical socialist oligarchy and to effectively destroy the conservative movement as a political force in only two terms.
Instead of grabbing on to the Sky Hook and being lifted to Heaven, the 'Crats have impaled themselves upon it. Saul Alinsky is no doubt looking up from Hell and wondering what he did wrong.
That's an easy one Saul, they let themselves believe the lies they told to others in order to advance the radical socialist cause. They created an alternate reality but instead of wielding it as weapon, they accepted it as a replacement for genuine reality. And they are far from being done doing that still!!
Isn't it GREAT !?!
