GOP jabs at Barack Obama, 'community organizer,' spark a reaction

After initially taunting Barack Obama about tire gauges, the message-makers for the just-concluded Republican National Convention segued to a new target -- that portion of his resume when he worked as a community organizer in some of Chicago's lower-income neighborhoods.

Several speakers made cracks about the job, none more memorably then the GOP's new vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, in her Wednesday night speech to an enthralled partisan throng.

Referring to her own background as the chief executive of Wasilla, Alaska, she said: "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities."

Clearly she (and her handlers) like the line: Palin just recycled it at a rally in Cedarburg, Wis., with John McCain.

For its part, the fraternity of community organizers are fighting back (after getting over what must have been the shock of hearing their chosen field singled out for ridicule).

Our colleague Frank James at The Swamp blog noted The Center for Community Change, a D.C.-based group that trains community organizers, quickly responded with a sharply worded statement. It said, in part, that when Palin "demeaned community organizing, she didn't attack another candidate. She attacked an American tradition --- one that has helped everyday Americans engage with the political process and make a difference in their lives and the lives of their neighbors."

And the New York Post has more quotes today from upset community organizers. Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, says: "I don't like seeing the really hard work that goes on in really poor communities being demeaned by cheap politicians."

Add this to the list of disputes in this campaign season that we didn't see coming.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[sally]

Palin just said it again, today Friday September 5th, the exact same speech..."being a small town major is so of like being a community organizer, except you have real responsibility"
She in Wisconsin with Mccain rigt behind er smiling, crowd cheering.
They just don't get it!
Maybe if he was a beauty queen, Obama would have more experience than serving the needy

[Chuck Ewe]

I wonder why the GOP hates poor people and Jesus. Wasn't their party all about Jesus? Jesus was not a politician, he was a community organizer, out to help the poor. Even George H. W. Bush, saw the import of community organizers with his thousand points of light.

And aren't the GOP the party of less government intervention and more community based assistance to help those in need and get them off of he government's list of responsibilities?

Oh GOP, hypocrisy be they true name.

[Paul]

Giuliani knows better, but does not care who he insults. He thinks this is fun. Palin, just does not know what she is doing, and perhaps does not know what a community organizer is and does. Speaks volumes about the future of America if McCain were to win this election.

The divisivness under the Republicans is alive and well and will not be changed, regardless of McCain being the leader. After all, the rhetoric coming from these people is the same kind of red neck crass nonesense being posted anonymously by bloggers. We know who is unabashadly encouraging them.

[Amy]

Community organizing for people like Palin and McCain consists of standing around the country club after a golf game. They are clueless about the different groups and incomes that comprise the country that they live in. I don't care if Palin auctioned a jet on eBay - the only reason they do what they do is so they can brag about it later and say how down-to-earth they are. They are old politics and America deserves a real change - not this duo.

[Bobama]

As a young African American, community organizing has been part of our culture and in most cases it has served the people well even though other people may not consider it as real job. Community organizing has transformed people's lives, improved living standards and given many an opportunity to work with real people and understand their daily struggles. Why did the RNC choose "Country First" as the theme? How do you intend to put the Country First when you are busy ridiculing your fellow hard working Americans? How do they intend to reach our to the minorities and unite the country when they're making this sort of dividing speeches?

[oaklynne]

The pitbull's fanged attacks have already started to backfire. She should be ashamed of herself. She would be a horrible excuse for a VP -- no legal knowledge, no relevant experience, and absolutely no diplomacy skills -- a pretty lousy combination for a VP.

[Agill]

What gets me is that they just told grassroots organizers that they don't matter. They got up there and said that change can only come from politicians and from on high. The party of personal responsibility and small government just said that people don't matter - politicians do.

[Kevin]

How quaint for a mayor of a town of 7000 people to demean the occupation of tens of thousands of hard working social workers throughout our nation's cities who accept low wages and small recognition in order to make a difference for the least and meekest among us. These people make real differences every day to families across the country, helping them get that extra push off our welfare system and into stable jobs. That's part of the American dream and Sarah just proves that once again she and McCain are out of touch.

Americans are neighborly people and value contributing to each other and our communities. Few among us list hockey and moose hunting among our accomplishments, values - or for that matter - qualifications for VP.

Shame on her.

[Frank US]

In my opinion, McCain's choice of Palin shows him to be incompetent and reckless. McCain had only met with Palin one time before he chose her to be his running mate. His staff had not vetted her. And yet he chose her to be a 72-76 year old heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States of America. McCain's poor judgement appears to mirror that of Bush's. McCain and Palin continue to give big oil ownership of America, your wallet, and eventually your mortgage. Not to mention the fact that McCain and conservative republicans have trampled upon the Constitution of the United States vehemently, (not that Americans really care about small details like that - our main concern is being able to afford gas right now.)

[Greg]

These would be a great topic for for the Press to ask Palin about, but she is being squirreled away and refuses to do any interviews. Why is that? I think the press should have access to someone who wants to be one heartbeat away from the press.

[wolf]

I think, it just shows that the real elitists in this campaign are the Republicans. Bully for them --- they finally motivated some of their party to action in support for McCain-Palin... and the rest of us in action against them.

[Marcia B]

As a mother who volunteers in the schools and in my community I was deeply offended by the sarcastic tone and disrespectful wise cracks. Obama/Biden have called on American youth to get out and serve their communities, to help those in need, and to make a contribution to their country. What will McCain/Palin do? Ask our youth to stand on the sidelines and sneer at those who serve?

[woodstock1969]

This so called cheap politician is going to sink the community organizer unless we can get Hillary to campaign 24/7 for his election. At this point on, she must be the virtual candidate, not just for prez, but for vp also. How it happened I do not know, but there is now a negative aura around both Barry and Biden, and Hillary is just the one to remove it. She must appear together with both of them, and at every locale, to turn this around. She has to transfer the power and the strength of the Clintons to Barry, or its an undone deal.
Francis Hussein

[Dee]

I guess Sarah Vladimir Putin doesn't have a very high opinion of Jesus. He was the greatest of all community organizers on the face of this earth. Looking at her record, she doesn't have a very high opinion of animals God put on this earth.

Putin against God and His Son...Jesus! Not a very nice slogan!

[abby0802]

McCain and Palin are totally out of touch with mainstream America that reaches out to those in need through COMMUNITY SERVICE & ORGANIZING!!!
McCain and Palin are NOT qualified, acceptable to be in the highest offices in our country.
This Christian prays that they will not be elected because that will mean I will have more community service to do for more families in need.
Palin's family needs some sex education classes so the daughters realize "abstinence only" only works if you don't have sex.

[tdub]

It is a sad conclusion that the Republican Party is now little more than the party of anger. Angry at Obama, angry at liberas, angry at the media, angry at Congress, angry at immigrants, angry at the poor, angry with those awful community and charity organizers, angry with the rest of the world...... I think they are most angry that now someone wants them to pitch in on their taxes like they used to before Bush came along. But they are pretty much angry at everything in their path. Their weakest applause last night at the Convention was when McCain spoke of bipartisanship. Most of them are too angry to even consider such a foreigh concept.

[ScottScott]

When Palin says her job as mayor of a small town was like a community organizer meant that she had to do many of the same tasks as a community organizer does. So, she knows how to bridge the gap between government and the public, just as a community organizer does to get her views heard and put through. But unlike a community organizer that can focus on one particular item, her responsibilities also included mandatory responsibilities required of the mayors office. So, while Obama was able to pick and choose what to fight for, he could devote all his time to one task, Palin was doing essentially the same thing while also doing many other tasks or jobs required of her. Palin, unlike Obama, has the experience to get things done, even when other tasks might interrupt her.

[frank]

her kid could have used some type of community help don't you think.and she wants to bring this type of behavior to the white house.thats her way of change.

[shawna]

I'm not trying to start a craze or anything but for you all to say she was saying that community organizers don't matter is to take the quote a little out of context. She was listing her resume which the Obama campaign has been calling weak and make a point albeit sarcastically that if he is going to claim his community organizer role as political experience then her elected position is at least as important. I am from a small town and I'll be honest I'm a little offended when dams say that being a mayor in a small town doesn't matter, but I don't think it makes them evil, or that it means the ultimate demise of small towns if dems come to power, or that people who make sarcastic comments about her town being so small are trying to put me down as not cosmopolitan enough. Honestly people we all agree that this is an important election so why are half of the people who take the time to read the news still acting like children. Stop yelling and looking for reasons that the other party is evil and should be wiped off the earth. The only thing that will lead to is A) a Hitler type holocaust or B) we castrate both opponents by creating an environment in which everyone is so partisan and bitter that they are not able to get any of the things they want to do in office done.

[pat]

Wow Big deal.. If Obama worked as a social worker and she mocked it for not being a position you would say qualifies you to be the leader of the free world. That doesnt mean she doesn't have respect for Socail workers, it means that she doesnt believe that qualifies you for president , Dummies..
Community organizers are great and I am sure she supports them, but that doesnt mean you should be president. Obama just used that as a stepping ladder like he used every other position he ever had.

[ScottScott]

This article should have started out.. "Due to the left wing media attacks that pointed out Palins stint as a mayor of a small town... Palin went on the offensive and did a comparison of her resume to Obama's..." Where she showed that she did the same job as a community organizer and also was responsible by law of many many other duties.

[pat]

There is a difference between asking for volunteers in the community and forcing you to volunteer in the community which obama will do.

So you fools go ahead and support Obama and watch as socialism takes over our free market.

[Reddy]

Barrack Obama is not qualified to be the president. He should stick to community organizer job. He is a communist organizer not just community organizer.

You Obama maniacs don not get it. The reason Palin said what she said is the result of your left wing liberals questioning her experience. She is more qualified than the naive idiotic community soicialist organizer. He should go to Russia and organize the communists.

Stop your nonsense and baseless stupid arguments. you left wing people do not use the whole brain.
Obama has ZERO executive experience..end of story. He will lose this election worse than Dukakis.

[Don]

Sarah wasn't putting down community organizing per se; she was putting down the rediculousness of the Obama campaign using community organizing alone as an actual qualification for becoming president of the United States.
If that is all he has, I'm not sure I want him in the Oval Office, forced to make decisions "above his paygrade."

[nisl]

Jesus was a community organizer, Pontias Pilot was a Governor.