“So, look, I would argue that doing work in the community to try to create jobs, to bring people together, to rejuvenate communities that have fallen on hard times, to set up job training programs in areas that have been hard hit when the steel plants closed. That that's relevant only in understanding where I'm coming from, who I believe in, who I'm fighting for and why I'm in this race. And the question I have for them is that why would that kind of work be ridiculous? Who are they fighting for? What are they are advocating for? They think that the lives of those folks who are struggling each and every day, that working with them to try to improve their lives is somehow not relevant to the presidency?

“I think maybe that's the problem — that's part of why they're out of touch and they don't get it 'cause they haven't spent much time working on behalf of those folks.”
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/indiv…

“So, look, I would argue that doing work in the community to try to create jobs, to bring people together, to rejuvenate communities that have fallen on hard times, to set up job training programs in areas that have been hard hit when the steel plants closed. That that's relevant only in understanding where I'm coming from, who I believe in, who I'm fighting for and why I'm in this race. And the question I have for them is that why would that kind of work be ridiculous? Who are they fighting for? What are they are advocating for? They think that the lives of those folks who are struggling each and every day, that working with them to try to improve their lives is somehow not relevant to the presidency?

“I think maybe that's the problem — that's part of why they're out of touch and they don't get it 'cause they haven't spent much time working on behalf of those folks.”
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/indiv…

Chris, it's a pattern they've returned to often in the past few elections, presumably because they know there is always a portion of the electorate who won't be savvy enough or have time enough to learn the difference between fact and fiction.

Elrod, you mentioned the book, “Dreams from my Father”. After reading this book, one realizes just how absurd and without foundation the comments of Giuliani and Palin were last night.

Chris, it's a pattern they've returned to often in the past few elections, presumably because they know there is always a portion of the electorate who won't be savvy enough or have time enough to learn the difference between fact and fiction.

Elrod, you mentioned the book, “Dreams from my Father”. After reading this book, one realizes just how absurd and without foundation the comments of Giuliani and Palin were last night.

Absolutely. I'm pretty careful about it because I believe in standing by what I say. Of course there will always be some folks who don't like what they read, some who don't understand what they read, and some who even respond without reading at all but none of us is perfect eh?

Absolutely. I'm pretty careful about it because I believe in standing by what I say. Of course there will always be some folks who don't like what they read, some who don't understand what they read, and some who even respond without reading at all but none of us is perfect eh?

Obama is good at giving speeches (so was Reagan) but somehow that's a bad sign for an Obama presidency.

Obama was a faith-based community organizer (the kind Bush praised in 2000) but now that's a bad thing, it would have been better had he been a power-abusing mayor.

Obama gets big crowds to show up for his speeches (he gets people who didn't care about politics to get involved, a great thing for representative democracy) but that's bad because they must just be mindless hero worshipers.

Obama came from a poor background and became a powerful US Senator and successful author, but somehow he's an elitist that doesn't understand the average American, unlike a guy who was born and then married into privilege and wealth.

Obama is a smart guy, who performed well in premiere American institutions of higher learning (like just about every president that came before him, Rep. or Dem.) but that must be bad because Americans want their leaders to be intellectually incurious people who get mediocre grades and finish at the bottom of their classes.

Need I go on?

Obama is good at giving speeches (so was Reagan) but somehow that's a bad sign for an Obama presidency.

Obama was a faith-based community organizer (the kind Bush praised in 2000) but now that's a bad thing, it would have been better had he been a power-abusing mayor.

Obama gets big crowds to show up for his speeches (he gets people who didn't care about politics to get involved, a great thing for representative democracy) but that's bad because they must just be mindless hero worshipers.

Obama came from a poor background and became a powerful US Senator and successful author, but somehow he's an elitist that doesn't understand the average American, unlike a guy who was born and then married into privilege and wealth.

Obama is a smart guy, who performed well in premiere American institutions of higher learning (like just about every president that came before him, Rep. or Dem.) but that must be bad because Americans want their leaders to be intellectually incurious people who get mediocre grades and finish at the bottom of their classes.

Need I go on?

Note that it was Giuliani who ringed with such derision over it. Community organizers were his worst enemy because they called him out on things like police brutality. Of course, Giuliani figured that the GOP crowd would see it as “ghetto poverty pimps,” and not as people helping other people.

Note that it was Giuliani who ringed with such derision over it. Community organizers were his worst enemy because they called him out on things like police brutality. Of course, Giuliani figured that the GOP crowd would see it as “ghetto poverty pimps,” and not as people helping other people.

Obama-Biden remains on the ballot and in fact is still in the lead this week.

Obama-Biden remains on the ballot and in fact is still in the lead this week.

First: “Community organizer” is not a term of derision, and has nothing to do with “uppity negros”. It's something that requires a huge investment of time and very little personal gain, except helping the community and those who live in it.

Second: Yes, Palin was dissing community organizers — it's extremely obvious, and she did it in a snarky, condescending way. It was ugly. Of course, I doubt the problems she encountered as mayor or governor in any way resembled life on south side Chicago (ooo! those gang-bangers in Juneux sure are crazy! All two of them!), so maybe she doesn't realize how vital community planners are to the people they help.

Third: sure, maybe being a community planner was less experience than being a small town mayor. MAYBE. But it built a foundation for 8 years in state government and 4 in national government.

First: “Community organizer” is not a term of derision, and has nothing to do with “uppity negros”. It's something that requires a huge investment of time and very little personal gain, except helping the community and those who live in it.

Second: Yes, Palin was dissing community organizers — it's extremely obvious, and she did it in a snarky, condescending way. It was ugly. Of course, I doubt the problems she encountered as mayor or governor in any way resembled life on south side Chicago (ooo! those gang-bangers in Juneux sure are crazy! All two of them!), so maybe she doesn't realize how vital community planners are to the people they help.

Third: sure, maybe being a community planner was less experience than being a small town mayor. MAYBE. But it built a foundation for 8 years in state government and 4 in national government.