I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. One of the overriding themes of l
September 3, 2008

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.

One of the overriding themes of last night's sneerfest was the trumping and dismissal of Barack Obama's qualifications as a community organizer for years in Chicago. I understand the need for Republicans to tout their own expertise -- though the snideness put me in mind of the movie "Heathers" personally --but this line of attack just seems to fly in the face of the larger Republican narrative that it shouldn't be the government doing everything for you. If you believe that, it would seem that community organizers would be something to laud. Especially since Sarah Palin's own foray into politics was being the President of the PTA in order to have a voice in the educational standards of her children. Or am I being just too logical for Republican minds?

Maybe the fact that most great strides we have made as a society have been made by community organizers is what scares Republicans so much. PaulVA at DailyKos has a nice list of people that Tracy Flick Palin & C0. have just derided:

Let's start with Lech Walesa, the man who stood on the front lines of the fight to bring Democracy to Eastern Europe as the leader of the Solidarity Movement. This guy was so radical, he even convinced Ronald Reagan to hand him a medal. [..]

Then there's Mother Jones, a woman who inspired a famous song and who is still known throughout Applachia as the Miners' Angel. [..]

Or how about Susan B. Anthony? [..] She also actually thought it would be a good idea for women to vote. Now that's a radical! Just look at what she wrought.

Then there's Cesar Chavez, a man that's some sort of inspiration to millions of immigrants. [..]

(W)hat about Martin Luther King, Jr? I guess Sarah Palin must have contributed a lot more to society than him. [..]

And last, but not least, there's this guy. Lived a long time ago. Said a lot of radical stuff and got everybody all fired up.

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