Kudos to community organizers

I was very disappointed to hear Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani mock Barack Obama’s prior experience as a community organizer during the GOP convention.

As the title suggests, these people work with communities across the country to find solutions to difficult situations. They might help find a tutor for a child, a ride for an elderly person, safety for an abused spouse or shelter for a homeless family. In almost every case, the people performing these tasks are underpaid, overworked and dedicated to the idea that they are working to make their community a better place.

These individuals should be held up as what is good about our country, not mocked and scorned to score cheap political points.

Jon Hile
Kansas City

Any and all volunteers and community activists should be appalled and absolutely insulted by the comments of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. To hear the audience actually chuckle at her obvious criticism of Barack Obama’s “community organizing” efforts early in his career was shameful.

How can anyone criticize the efforts of any community organizer? For that matter, how many Republicans actually think those comments were warranted? Where would this country be if it were not for community organizers? I guess when there is no dirt to dig you bury yourself in pond scum.

Kathy Peterson
Prairie Village

At the Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin introduced herself to the world as a self-proclaimed lipstick-wearing pit bull. As she sunk her teeth into Barack Obama, she also sunk her teeth into millions of Americans who wholeheartedly believe in the power of community organizations.

While Palin belittled Obama for being a community organizer, I also felt belittled. She arrogantly dismissed the fact that her entire political career is possible only because of a community of women who organized and fought for the right to vote — the women’s suffrage movement.

If it weren’t for a community organizer named Elizabeth Cady Stanton, there wouldn’t be a vice presidential nominee named Sarah Palin. Her lack of respect shows that she truly does consider herself a pit bull, because she bit the hand that fed her.

Safiyyah Mills
Kansas City

Comments

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

If only these "organizers" empower rather than disable the community. Most play the race card, the gender card and advocate single parent household so they can continue their mission of governemnt dependency. One thing is for sure, they do not teach people about priorities, budgeting or to stop feeling entitled.
Hitler was a community organizer and that did not turn out so great.

[GCYL]

“The Founding Fathers of the United States of America...all these and more were community organizers.” – devin

No, these were rich white men. Some historians have argued that these rich white men supported a war of Independence for personal business reasons. Sounds familiar with our current events?

[devin]

Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Mother Theresa,
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America...all these and more were community organizers.

Yeah, I sure wouldn't want any mere "community organizers" running our country. Of course, they founded our country, but what does that have to do with "real responsibilities?"

[Pub 17]

Somewhere
If you continue to have impure thoughts about Sarah Barracuda, even second-hand impure thoughts via an intermediary, try setting Safe Search to Off on Google.

You're welcome.

[THAT was my foot]

Ditto jack... I hope her record playbak dosn't skip; but I think it's cool the way mcainster looks at her butt.
oops!!! is that sexist???

[GCYL]

“Community Organizers is a title that can mean many many things. Obama used this word and he is a community organizer, so is the President of the US, so is an 8th grade Student Council Representative.” – Mr.T.

You have to appreciate the spin with semantics, which is pretty weak here. Seriously, the President of the U.S.? A 5th grade student council representative? I can understand the 5th grader using this service as a reference when running for class President in 6th grade.

[Engineer]

Pub 17
Rather that than a wealth redistributor whose articulated plans would be pressed to realize $200 Billion under 2005 figures. And that is without considering the tax cuts he is promising to the other 95%. Unless he has something up his sleeve he isn't even hinting at he will make the Bush deficits look like surpluses.

[Gary]

Here's another take on community organizers from the British newspaper The Spectator.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/2073071/revolution-you-can-believe-in.html

[Pub 17]

As opposed to being the chief executive of a town one-third the size of Newton, Kansas, which any reasonable person would conclude qualifies you to be Commander-In-Chief of the world's mightiest military.

Should, God forbid, anything untoward happen to a man in his seventies who's been hospitalized four times for cancer.

[T. Hanson]

Well as I said in another posting. This is a whole new tool that will be used in future elections. Find a key demographic, have them as your running mate. But unlike previous cases make your running mate an unknown and then blast your opponate as attacking that whole demographic if he or she says anything against that person.

Not saying that it is a dirty tool, but it is a tool nonetheless and we can expect the lossing party of 2008 to use it in 2012. Bravo to the Rebpubs for playing the card that no one saw coming.

[Engineer]

T.
Not attacking him, just pointing out that being a "community organizer" is not experience for being the chief executive.

[T. Hanson]

I freaking hate buzz words. Community Organizers is a title that can mean many many things. Obama used this word and he is a community organizer, so is the President of the US, so is an 8th grade Student Council Representative.

Did the GOP insult all those Community organizers? No. They were trying to attack Obama as being one. Which is a pretty weak attack because this is all semantics.

[Kate]

Iowahawk has a column about what America’s community of hard-working professional community organizers, and what they do:

“Like no other time in our history, Americans are staring into an abyss of a hellhole of helplessness. And this is where community organizers like me come in and provide needed solutions. Specifically, America's community organizers:
Reach out and work with communities in various ways.
Liaison with, and for, community agencies for service within affected areas.
Fight to make a difference.
Raise awareness.
Deal with community issues.
Raise awareness in the community of how we are making differences about undealt-with issues .
When necessary, refer inquiries to outreach coordinators. “
http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2008/09/when-americas-c.html

Makes me question whether it was such good idea for McCain and Palin to throw away the community organizer vote so carelessly.

[Engineer]

Take Obama's teleprompter and set speach away and the man s a lost cause.

[Pub 17]

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno.”
--John McCain, sensitive, caring conservative.

[GCYL]

“I'd like to know the rules on when one gets to 'own' a cliche.” – Kdog

Like I mentioned in the other letter, welcome to the new learning curve on our double standards with race.

It has nothing to do with owning a cliché. It has everything to do with being able to talk about yourself in a way that others can’t mimic. One person can say lipstick and its funny while another person replies with saying lipstick and it’s demeaning.

[Rogue]

Nice try Gayhawk dog, but the horse is now out of the barn. Live with it.

[Kansasdog]

"Now after his "pig" remark he is a tasteless, classless, no experience, no talent political hack novice." - Rogue

I'd like to know the rules on when one gets to 'own' a cliche. Since the 'Hockey Mom - Pit Bull joke' does SP get to own all references to lipstick and if so for how long? Now does this also apply to the 'Change' message?

[Rogue]

Al Brooks for President! Alonzo for President! The Rev. Fuzzy Navel for President! What talent! What experience!

What a crock.

Osama Yomama was an ACORN member teaching folks how to register "voters", In exactly how many cites have ACORN members been arrested and convicted of voter fraud, including right here in KC?

This guy is not only a lame no experience no talent political hach novice. Now after his "pig" remark he is a tasteless, classless, no experience, no talent political hack novice. But hey, other that those little things he is okay.

[GCYL]

This whole thing is interesting. I think it will start a whole new fad. When 2012 comes around the parties will find the largest demographic and put a token President in. Let it be African American, Asian, Jewish, Christian, or who knows.

Both parties will start doing this and the fun part is that the token has to be an unknown. Fun times now and ahead.

“That and when you say anything about the token you will be insulting the who class of people! Fun...” - Posted by: T. Hanson | Sep 10, 2008 6:53:24 AM

I hear you Mr. T.