I used to be a community organizer and my old profession came in for some open derision and scorn tonight from both Rudy Guiliani and Sarah Palin. That’s okay. I don’t mind. I actually kind of welcome being singled out for special abuse. It validates everything I do, and have done, in politics and in poor urban communities. These people hate me and they hate the poor people I helped. I understand. I already knew that. I’ve spent a good part of my life trying to argue that case to people that were not convinced. “They hate you”, I said. Many couldn’t quite believe it. During the primaries I looked at Team Clinton and I told the denizens of the blogosphere, “They hate you.” Many were not so certain.
Guiliani and Palin did me a favor tonight. They came right out and told us that they hate community organizers and the people that they serve. Good. Now I’ll have a much easier time making my arguments about that point in the future.
Something that should be understood about community organizers, though, is that most of them don’t work on elections, which only come along every so often. Most of them work with people that have fallen behind on their bills and are trying to avoid losing their home. They teach people how to budget. They fight against pay-day lending and advance income-tax rebates and check cashing joints, and other forms of legalized usury. They rally people against crime and drug trafficking and gun violence in their neighborhoods. They fight to keep local parks open and to open local health clinics for the uninsured. They teach people how to speak English and how to use computers. They do job placement and drug and alcohol counseling. They take care of abused woman and children. They organize to clean up garbage and vacant lots.
And, yes, they register people to vote. I know the Republicans think it is a crime to register black people to vote and that is why they demonize and legally harass ACORN. They think I’m a criminal. I knew that. Now you know it, too.
The Republicans hate a lot of things. They hate niggers and spics and faggots and Muslims and European ideas (according to Mitt Romney). They tell us these things everyday in large and small ways. It is uncomfortable to watch but it is going to be very satisfying to see all those community organizers elect one of their own in two short months. And, you know what? You’ll all find out that community organizers aren’t out to screw anybody over. An Obama administration isn’t going to return the hate. They will look to use the government to help all the people that were previously dependent on lowly community organizers for what little help they got.
They hate teachers, too.
And apparently small-towners are more patriotic.
Basically the same assholes who talk about class warfare practice it all of the time.
But fuck logic. That shit’s for elitists.
But fuck logic. That shit’s for elitists.
That’s all the Republicans have left as the basis of their ideology. To try to solve problems rationally is elitist, and hence, un-American.
Bush and Cheney have taken the Repubilcans down the road of irrationality started at least since Reagan, and instead of trying to regroup, the Republicans under McCain are putting up a battle to fight against reason to the last man.
Will the media finally catch on to where the Republicans have been going, and through the media, the average Joe? Or is the average Joe beginning to catch on even without the media’s help?
I remain stunned that you can be so confident.
Hope you’re right!
I keep thinking about the upcoming election, and trying to visualize the McCain constituency, compared with the Obama constituency, and I just don’t see how McCain wins. When we look at the map it becomes apparent that it takes a whole lot more imagination and wishful thinking to imagine McCain getting to 270 electoral votes.
Obama starts with some big, vote-rich states in his column– New York, California, and Illinois. He should also do well in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Washington, all of new England, and with a decent shot in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio, Florida, and Missouri.
Even if we concede the South to McCain, he faces the problem that he pretty much has to run the table and take all the swing states and win all the close ones. His margin of error is a LOT smaller than Obama’s.
Throw in the fact that the Democrats are unusually organized and motivated this year and should benefit from huge minority and youth turnout, the GOP is discouraged and not solidly united behind McCain, the Iraq War is unpopular, McCain’s predecessor Bush is rated lower than a snake’s belly, and gas is pushing $5 a gallon. If we can’t win given this scenario, then I’m moving to Easter Island or someplace. IMHO, the only formula for a McCain victory is that maybe there are enough closet racists who aren’t reflected in the polls to make the difference.
or they can cheat, or start a war. There’s still time — don’t sell them short.
They seem to despise any people or groups that are actively engaged in helping others. They don’t seem to want the population of “haves” to increase. I have always found it ironic that the people who express the most scorn about community organizers, legal aid attorneys, organizations like Medicins sans Frontieres, etc., almost always profess to be be Christians. Somehow I think they really haven’t spend much time with New Testament. They may think they are “walking with Christ” but they have become so self-involved that they didn’t even see him taking a different path.
Loves it. A resounding “fuck you” to Republican hate.
I mentioned this in my blog post, but what’s interesting was watching twitter and friendfeed and young Republicans who are also community organizers getting (rightfully) pissed at being shat on. One guy said that tomorrow he’s going to volunteer for the Obama campaign in Ohio. Another said he’s changing his registration to Democrat and going to vote Obama. These younger Republicans I interact with on social sites felt ousted by their party in one night.
Tonight I was not only offended but I felt as if a member of my own family was brutally attacked by this mob of rich old white men in St. Paul. For Rudy Gulliani and Sarah Palin to say such awful things is just infuriating. They had some very artfully written speeches but what I heard them saying is crystal clear. That the Obamas are a couple of unpatriotic, ungrateful recipients of the affirmative action system. They were trying to stoke the flames of white resentment in some parts of the country… they even named the states. ‘And how dare these ungrateful darkies think they’re entitled to the White House. They just don’t know their place…’
I am just furious. More money sent to the campaign and tomorrow I’m going into the Obama office to see what more I can do to help out. Even my Republican (for Obama) dad was furious at this hypocritical waging of the culture wars. The country is in shambles after eight years of this crap. All they have to offer us is more condescension and hatred of our neighbors…
Really?
The victim mentality has always been the red meat of the modern GOP. The illegals and the blacks and the gays and the Muslims took our jobs, and our culture, and our kids, and our dreams.
The only hope you have is to hate them with every fiber of your being, and in doing so allowing us to strip them of their rights.
Sarah Palin is as good as I’ve ever seen that card be played.
While I don’t always agree with you, Booman, I have the deepest respect for you and for anyone who works as a community organizer. IMHO, you are the salt of the earth and the glue that holds our civilization together.
Palin and those convention-Republicans are pathetic to the nth degree. With them it’s always a matter of money, of how many of the good things they can hold on to, of how the pie is only so big and they must get their share, or more than their share.
Their flag waving patriotism just disguises and justifies their fundamental selfishness. Their wearing Christianity like a cloak reminds me of what that Galilean carpenter once said to the Republicans of his day: you are like whitened sepulchers, gleaming on the outside, hiding corruption on the inside. Their hypocrisy and basic materialism guarantees them a place in the hell they so freely consign others to. That is, those truly blessed souls who see Christ (or Buddha or Vishnu or Allah or whatever Deity you wish) in the unfortunate souls they come upon.
Sarah Palin and company are not entitled to their wealth nor to the riches of heaven; no matter how frequently they prattle on about their coming salvation. It’s works that count, not just words.
Healers, like community organizers, are my kind of people. God bless them all.
Rabbi Yeshua bin Yusuf’s simile to whited sepulchres was meant to show that the Republicans of his day were nice and pretty on the outside, pleasant to look at, but on the inside everything is decay and death.
h/t to pastordan of Daily Kos and Street Prophets who pointed this out to me several years ago with regard to the Bushistas.
I like the verbs you use: teach, rally, counsel, fight, and when it comes to abused women and children, “take care of”.
Community organizers help people help themselves, in other words, by empowering them. With the notable exception of those who need, above all, to be protected.
What’s to hate about that?
Your post lifted me from the well of despair into which that hate fest of last night had sunk me. And realizing I was as hate-filled towards all of them as they were towards anything threatening their narrow ideas had only managed to switch my anger to sadness.
Thank you for your reminder of the goodness in this world. And that actions, the hallmark of community organizing, done well and determinedly can prevail.
The instant echo chamber of the media repeating all things right-wing serves to make one feel hopelessly unable to stop the maniacs. Your reminder of the power of community was exactly what was needed.
I’ve seen people at many sites who have expressed their outrage at the attacks on community organizing and have thus said they will re-double their efforts at working for Obama. Some are maxing out their donations, others are donating for the first time.
If you talk to people online, give them this website:
https:/voteforchange.com
There, they can look up their voter registration information and can apply to register to vote if need be.
For everyone who has done community organizing, thank you. I’ve participated and it can be tiring, but fun and bring enjoyment at helping others.
everyone I work with and all of my neighbors are community organizers, from the woman who runs our homeless shelter to the neighbor who started the block watch to the block captain to the guy who coaches youth football.
Sarah Palin and Rudy the Ghoul can go fuck themselves.
Thanks for the post, BooMan.
I watched the speech last night and felt insulted. My girlfriend and I kept wondering how the the Republicans could degrade the hard working folks that keep people in their homes and help them find jobs. That my parents were once organizers made the insults personal.
Your post makes me feel better this morning. After seeing the reaction of CNN’s Roland Martin, I feel better still. I believe that most people in the country agree that the work you and other organizers have done in the past and continue to do today is important. I don’t think Palin’s speech will be received too well among anyone except the conservative base.
Last night we discovered:
The Republicans don’t believe the government should help people, it should be handled on the local level.
Republicans don’t believe local organizations should help people.
Straight-forward contradiction and one that is completely outside the mainstream.