--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Barack] Obama isn't pointing to anyone…" description: "\"[Barack] Obama isn't pointing to anyone, and certainly doesn't like it when others note (correctly) that his influences were the likes of Saul Alinsky,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/paul-kengor-14302_acknowledge_barack-obama-isn-t-pointing-to-anyone-an_1938904.jpg" --- # \[Barack\] Obama isn't pointing to anyone, and certainly… ![“[Barack] Obama isn't pointing to anyone, and certainly doesn't like it when others note (correctly) that his influences were the likes of Saul Alinsky, the Chicagoan and modern founder of community organizing, or Frank Marshall Davis, the communist journalist and agitator from Chicago who mentored…” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/paul-kengor-14302_acknowledge_barack-obama-isn-t-pointing-to-anyone-an_1938904.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/paul-kengor-14302_acknowledge_barack-obama-isn-t-pointing-to-anyone-an_1938904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/paul-kengor-14302_acknowledge_barack-obama-isn-t-pointing-to-anyone-an_1938904.jpg) > “\[Barack\] Obama isn't pointing to anyone, and certainly doesn't like it when others note (correctly) that his influences were the likes of Saul Alinsky, the Chicagoan and modern founder of community organizing, or Frank Marshall Davis, the communist journalist and agitator from Chicago who mentored Obama in Hawaii in the latter 1970s, and who Obama warmly acknowledges in his memoirs.” [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obama acknowledges his early mentors, highlighting how diverse influences shape political perspectives. **In simple terms:** Political mentors shape views. Key Takeaway Recognize and evaluate your influences. Themes politics influence leadership Mood critical analytical Type historical political When to use this quote - campaign strategy - public speaking - policy development - personal reflection Key Concepts community organizing political theory Questions to Reflect On - Who are your key influences? - How do they impact your decisions? A Different Perspective Influences may be controversial and affect public perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1970S Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1970s-obama-3077302/) [Acknowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acknowledge/) [Barack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barack/) [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Community organizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-organizing/) [Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) [Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frank/) [Hawaii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hawaii/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influences/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Latter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latter/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Memoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoir/) [Mentored Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentored-obama-3077300/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes/) [Obama Hawaii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-hawaii-3077301/) [Pointing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pointing/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saul-alinsky/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [“Obama’s formative background is the left-wing fever swamp of Chicago “community organizing,” a gussied-up term for systematic rabble-rousing that has now become acceptable enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mccarthy/obama-s-formative-background-is-the-left-wing-fever-swamp-of-chicago/) [Andrew McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mccarthy/) > [Obama wouldn't have been voted president if he weren't black. Somebody asked me over the weekend why does somebody earn a lot of money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/obama-wouldn-t-have-been-voted-president-if-he-weren-t-black-somebody/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he wasn't Saul Alinsky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrisv82/the-greatest-trick-the-devil-ever-pulled-was-convincing-the-world-he-4/) [ChrisV82](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrisv82/) > [“On that basis, I recently tried to interest a troubled young woman of my acquaintance with Peale’s work, as a substitute for recommending Neville,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-j-o-meara/on-that-basis-i-recently-tried-to-interest-a-troubled-young-woman-of/) [James J. O'Meara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-j-o-meara/) > [In one of his puckish moods Saul talked the president of a university into letting him anonymously take an examination being administered to candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-von-hoffman/in-one-of-his-puckish-moods-saul-talked-the-president-of-a-university/) [Nicholas von Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-von-hoffman/) > [The tactics of Saul Alinsky and Barack Obama are geared toward wealth redistribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/the-tactics-of-saul-alinsky-and-barack-obama-are-geared-toward-wealth/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [I kind of make my life an open book as long as the left exists to use Saul Alinsky tactics to destroy people, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-breitbart/i-kind-of-make-my-life-an-open-book-as-long-as-the-left-exists-to-use/) [Andrew Breitbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-breitbart/) > [“The New Left in the 1960s was obsessed with consciousness raising. Saul Alinsky, a mentor to Obama and Hillary, devoted a large part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/the-new-left-in-the-1960s-was-obsessed-with-consciousness-raising/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Obama's Marxist mentors - Franklin Marshall Davis, Saul Alinsky and Bill Ayers - also understood that you don't build an army of street organizers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-limbaugh/obama-s-marxist-mentors-franklin-marshall-davis-saul-alinsky-and-bill/) [David Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-limbaugh/) > [Do not let the Obama administration fool you with all their cunning Alinsky methods. And if you don't know what that method is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/do-not-let-the-obama-administration-fool-you-with-all-their-cunning/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [“If most of the people in the country believe that America is generally fair and decent, it becomes more difficult for Saul Alinsky types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/if-most-of-the-people-in-the-country-believe-that-america-is/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [The idea of protest organizing, as summarized by community organizer Saul Alinsky, is that if we put enough pressure on the government, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-idea-of-protest-organizing-as-summarized-by-community-organizer/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“Saul Alinsky advised his followers to level sharp attacks against their opponents with the goal of goading them into rash counterattacks that would then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/saul-alinsky-advised-his-followers-to-level-sharp-attacks-against/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [Baltimore is a beautiful city. I started doing a lot of community organizing back in 1999 and met so many great people in neighborhoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deray-mckesson/baltimore-is-a-beautiful-city-i-started-doing-a-lot-of-community/) [DeRay Mckesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deray-mckesson/) > [Community organizing is all about building grassroots support. It's about identifying the people around you with whom you can create a common, passionate cause.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/community-organizing-is-all-about-building-grassroots-support-it-s/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## More by Paul Kengor > [The American founding is not just about a group of people, a group of men. It is about an ideal: Both a vision and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/the-american-founding-is-not-just-about-a-group-of-people-a-group-of/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [Maybe the most interesting find in my research is that it is clear that Ronald Reagan, among all modern presidents, plainly rediscovered the founders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/maybe-the-most-interesting-find-in-my-research-is-that-it-is-clear/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [“Only when people are free to worship, create, and build, only when they can decide their destiny and benefit from their own risks—only then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/only-when-people-are-free-to-worship-create-and-build-only-when-they/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [As has been reported, and is unmistakably evident to all but the most naïve, federal employees have been ordered to exploit this crisis, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/as-has-been-reported-and-is-unmistakably-evident-to-all-but-the-most/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [ It is quite sad, to me, that that ideal, that vision and understanding \[of American founding \], doesn't seem to be a part of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/it-is-quite-sad-to-me-that-that-ideal-that-vision-and-understanding/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [ The presidents varied in the degree to which they cited the founders. Some, like JFK, LBJ, \[Richard\] Nixon, and \[Bill\] Clinton, cited them somewhat… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/the-presidents-varied-in-the-degree-to-which-they-cited-the-founders/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [ I was a child or didn't live through those presidents prior to \[Ronald\] Reagan, and thus didn't realize how little attention they had paid… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/i-was-a-child-or-didn-t-live-through-those-presidents-prior-to-ronald/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [In the middle of Hillary Clinton's push for national healthcare in 1993, Bill Clinton cited Thomas Jefferson's concern for health issues as, somehow, apparently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/in-the-middle-of-hillary-clinton-s-push-for-national-healthcare-in/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [ If our presidents, or potential presidents, don't know this or don't articulate \[an America ideal\], that's a blown opportunity. The president can teach as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/if-our-presidents-or-potential-presidents-don-t-know-this-or-don-t/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [“Only in the detached from reality world of goofy Hollywood and modern academia could a mass murderer like Che Guevara be turned into something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/only-in-the-detached-from-reality-world-of-goofy-hollywood-and-modern/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [Throughout American history our presidents have invoked our nation's founding fathers. This is particularly true of recent presidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/throughout-american-history-our-presidents-have-invoked-our-nation-s/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [ Which founders have these presidents cited - and why? What did, say, President \[Ronald\] Reagan's view of George Washington, or President \[Bill\] Clinton's view… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/which-founders-have-these-presidents-cited-and-why-what-did-say/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [Learning is a good thing, but unless it's tempered by faith and a love of freedom, it can be very dangerous indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/learning-is-a-good-thing-but-unless-it-s-tempered-by-faith-and-a-love/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [“Ultimately, Reagan presided over the largest tax cut in American history, and accomplished it working in tandem with (rather than against) a huge Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/ultimately-reagan-presided-over-the-largest-tax-cut-in-american/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) > [ Ronald Reagan \[ cite the founders\] on behalf of emphasizing the faith of our founders, of limited government, of the uniqueness and exceptionalism of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kengor/ronald-reagan-cite-the-founders-on-behalf-of-emphasizing-the-faith-of/) [Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) [Explore all 47 Paul Kengor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kengor/) ## More Acknowledge quotes > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. 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