Thursday, September 4, 2008

Community organizer

From campaign manager David Plouffe's e-mail to Barack Obama supporters:

Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed.
Indeed. Giuliani:
On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What?
And Palin:
I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.
Community organizer. Ha ha.

Has it occurred to these people that Jesus (among others) might be described as a community organizer — and one who worked among the poor?

[No, I'm not comparing Barack Obama to Jesus. I'm only pointing out the absurdity of last night's ridicule.]

comments: 7

thalkowski said...

The concept of working to help others less fortunate than oneself is so alien and exotic to some people that they can only mock it.

Going into the business world to make millions of dollars by shipping jobs overseas is seen by these people as 'executive leadership'; working to help displaced workers is viewed with suspicion and derision.

Strange world...

Michael Leddy said...

Timothy, are you referring specifically to Mitt Romney's company, Bain and Company? They are, just about literally, the people who invented "downsizing."

Elaine Fine said...

We would have a much better world if more people used their education, Ivy League or otherwise, to help people rather than as an empty means to personal gain. It makes me very sad to read this dismissal from Giuliani of the most effective and immediate (not to mention American) kind of public service.

Palin (or whoever wrote the li(n)es she read last night) doesn't even deserve a comment.

Lisa Johnson said...

My thoughts exactly! And thanks for dropping by my blog the other day. : )

Michael Leddy said...

Thanks for coming by and commenting, Anali.

As I know now, the Jesus-as-community-organizer idea is everywhere today. But I'm happy to have thought of it on my own, free of blogospherical influence.

Elaine, I'll see you for The Daily Show.

T. said...

Michael, since you brought up Jesus, I simply MUST tell you my story from the O.R. the other day.

I was once again in an operating room having a friendly discussion with a very outspoken republican surgeon. He HATES "government handouts" and social programs, free services for those who are unable to pay, etc. He believes success comes to those who deserve it because they seek it out through hard work.

He looked a little puzzled when I expressed a conservative leaning on one particular issue when he knows that for most things I am pretty darn "blue." Then I cited my faith as a reason for the particular set of views I hold, closing with the half-joking statement, "Jesus was not a Republican."

"Yes he was," he retorted facetiously, as if to say, pshaw, woman.

"Well, he spent his entire public life providing FREE health care and other services to the POOREST of the poor REGARDLESS of whether or not they 'deserved it' or whether or not the intellectuals and elites of his society supported it (which, often, they didn't). I think it's pretty clear what he thought we all should be doing."

For once he didn't have a loud retort for me, and the O.R. was quiet.

Michael Leddy said...

Oops — I said "Great story" in a comment on another post, T. I should've said it here. So — great story!