A Community Organizer is a person in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood
By Johnny Roosh
Okay, so maybe not in your neighborhood.
The Republicans were having some fun last night at the expense of Obama and all other “Community Organizers” across the land who are running for national office with such a prestigious entry on their resumes.
Sarah Palin was especially animated given the Obama campaign’s insistence of focusing on the VP candidates tenure as Mayor of a small town while conspicuously omitting the same as Governor of a State with hundreds of employees and a 6 billion dollar budget.
In response, Obama’s peeps felt the need to clarify just what a community organizer is.
The ‘Community Organizer’s’ New Clothes
But the mystery of the “community organizer’s” job description was solved this morning, when an Obama campaign email, signed by the delightfully named David Plouffe, popped into our inbox.
I wasn’t planning on sending you something tonight. But if you saw what I saw from the Republican convention, you know it demands a response.
I saw John McCain’s attack squad of negative, cynical politicians. They lied about Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and they attacked you for being a part of this campaign.
But worst of all–and this deserves to be noted–they insulted the very idea that ordinary people have a role to play in our political process.
You know that despite what John McCain and his attack squad say, everyday people have the power to build something extraordinary when we come together. Make a donation of $5 or more right now to remind them.
Both 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.
Let’s clarify something for them right now.
Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.
And it’s no surprise that, after eight years of George Bush, millions of people have found that by coming together in their local communities they can change the course of history. That promise is what our campaign has been about from the beginning.
That’s right–community organizing consists of helping elect Barack Obama president! This fits right in with Obama’s claim, noted here yesterday, that he is more qualified to be president than Palin is to be vice president because, whereas she has run a mere town, he has run a campaign for himself.
I personally am not so impressed with experience as I am accomplishment. I am surrounded by people that have much experience in their given occupation but little accomplishment.
Palin’s speech included a joke that was not part of the prepared text: “You know what they say about the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.”
Perhaps someone can recast this as an Obama joke. Here’s our attempt:
What’s the difference between a “community organizer” and a Chihuahua? A Chihuahua has a real job.
Sarah Palin has relatively little executive experience, although certainly more than the other three candidates. What she does have, is a series of significant accomplishments that belie her young political career. She has leveraged that experience to serve someone other than herself.
As far as I can tell, Obama has leveraged his position to serve no one but himself.
If you were to extrapolate Palin’s and Obama’s career, ostensibly multiplying each candidate’s accomplishments pro forma, you would in Obama’s case, confirm the theorem that zero times zero is zero.
Are we supposed to cast our eyes on the slums of Chicago, behold how well organized they are, and exclaim in wonder, “Wow, Barack Obama did that!”?
So maybe zero times zero is negative five?
From the Governor’s speech last night:
Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.
I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities.
It’s a good line, but it still doesn’t explain what a “community organizer” does. Take away the “actual responsibilities” of a small-town mayor, and you have . . . nothing. Oh wait, that’s her point, isn’t it?
The community Barack Obama has organized is, in Plouffe’s own telling, the community of those who admire Barack Obama. He is mayor of Obamaville and aspires to be president of Barackistan.
It is a sad state of affairs that national politics have become so polarized that a politician with no experience, a history of unsavory associations and no accomplishments to speak of can acquire so much political capital, despite the free flow of information in our connected world. Maybe Obama should have selected Al Gore as an encore VP.
He, like Obama, has done so much with so little.
September 5th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
RDFL- “Losing two wars.” What two fricking wars are you talking about? I guess i missed that we lost this one, even though it`s not over yet. And if that`s the case, isn`t that what you guys seem to want anyway, by pulling out early? “Problems in America like low wages and bad health care.” Now that`s a typical liberal line, as if low wages are a problem the govenment must solve. On our side we think low wages are solved by working harder, going to school, ect., not by the government. And you mean that bad health care that people from other countries come here to get by the thousands?
September 5th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Terry:
“Talk is cheap, especially loose talk.”
True. Sadly, there is nothing to do about it until we get control of the Armed Forces. There is nothing else we can do until your dead hand is off the wheel.
“You have no guarantee Osama is even alive.”
I am sure that is what he wants us to think. I am sure he appreciates your help.
“you might consider defiling them on live television — in a culturally sensitive way, of course.”
Sure, wrap them up in bacon and feed them to Obama’s dog.
“Personally I don’t think foreign policy should be based on the notion of ‘vengeance’,” OK, I guess I am glad people did not feel that way about Bunker Hill, Ft. Sumter, or Pearl Harbor. Again, I am sure Osama appreciates the help.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
My “dead hand”? Didn’t know I had the power.
“You have no guarantee Osama is even alive.”
I am sure that is what he wants us to think. I am sure he appreciates your help.
Link please? I’d think you’d want a little evidence that Osama is alive before you start WW3.
The rest of your reply is incomprehensible. Do you really believe we declared war in these cases to achieve ‘vengeance’? I’d love to see you debate this. Hirohito, King George III and Jeff Davis lived long after the end of hostilities. How was the Battle of Bunker Hill motivated by ‘vengeance’? The Civil War? Do you think our motive for incinerating a few hundred thousand Japanese civilians with atomic weapons was in ‘vengeance’ for the death of a few thousand soldiers & sailors on Oahu?
You shouldn’t play at war, RickDFL. You don’t even understand the basic concepts involved.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Jimf:
“isn`t that what you guys seem to want anyway,”
No, instead of bungling Afghanistan, we wanted to hunt and kill the Taliban. Bush settled for photo ops with a guy in a funny hat. As for Iraq, we wanted to skip that little disaster. If we had, we would have a trillion dollars, 4000 lives back, and 30,000 wounded restored to health.
“as if low wages are a problem the govenment must solve. On our side we think low wages are solved by working harder, going to school, ect., not by the government.”
No, the government’s anti-union policy is the problem. Since Reagan you people have enforced an economic system that does not reward hard work and education. While worker productivity doubled since the late 70s, median wages have stayed almost flat. We want workers to have more power to work together to raise their own wages.
“You mean that bad health care that people from other countries come here to get by the thousands” Well I suppose Arab sheiks and Latin American dictators who don’t care about cost and got nothing at home come here. But among real people, Americans are just as, if not more likely to go abroad for health car.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
RickUFO:
*sigh* again with the “you people” shibai. Arguing against “you people”, rather than a statement an actual commenter has made is not a sign that, well, you know how to debate an issue. JimF said nothing about unions. Who are you arguing with? Do you draw a face on your hand and argue with that, too?
September 5th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
“Link please?”
So you will believe Osama is alive when what – he posts a live webcam of his hut on his Myspace page. I am sure that sort of dedication to the task will be amply rewarded at the ballot box.
“before you start WW3” Oh no, the might hordes of Pakistan are coming.
“You don’t even understand the basic concepts involved.” Well then maybe you and John Kerry can sit down and talk about the nuance of all this. I think if you asked most people who actually fought in the Revolution, the Civil War, or WWII why they fought, the list would probably be topped by getting back at the enemies who attacked us.
Not to mention the simple as rather obvious fact that OBL can not attack us again if he is dead.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Terry: Try to keep up, this stuff is not that hard.
“JimF said nothing about unions.” He did say something about wages, which I helpfully quoted. I said unions help keep wages rising with productivity. You people, the GOP, are pretty much dedicated to the opposite proposition. If I am wrong about that last bit, great, glad to have you on board brother.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
RickDFL. The slender line that anchors you too reality has snapped. This is close to the most lunatic, trying-to-justify-an-idiotic-statement comment you’ve ever made here. “I think if you asked most people who actually fought in the Revolution, the Civil War, or WWII why they fought, the list would probably be topped by getting back at the enemies who attacked us.”
That excuses nearly every act of war. You could use it to justify the US invasion of Iraq on the grounds that they tried to asassinate GHW Bush. The Taliban can use it to justify their attacks on US troops in Afghanistan. The Croats can use it to justify attacks on US soldiers in the Balkans.
The UN does not accept ‘vengeance’ as a proper motive for declaring war and invading another country. They only gave us the okey-dokey on Afghanistan in 2001 because the Taliban refused to hand over Osama. Are you trying to turn us into a nation of war criminals? No nation gives up its right to self-defense to the UN. But its right to ‘vengeance’? Criminy.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Rick, with all due respect, you’re about as intellectually lazy a troll as I’ve ever seen. There’s an excellent reason to be very careful with Pakistan. They have nuclear weapons. It’s usually a good idea to take a different approach than “f them” under those circumstances.
“Sure, State Senator, passed some laws, U.S. Senate, passed some more laws blah, blah, blah” has to be the laziest answer I’ve seen yet, which is saying something. Some laws? How many? Two? Five? One? Added his name to something someone else wrote? The point of this exercise is simple — you don’t know and you don’t care. At least Peev/Penigma/whatever the hell he’s calling himself these days has a passing notion of what’s going on.
Bottom line is simple — Obama hasn’t done anything in his political career except plan for the next office. I’d have a hell of a lot more respect for him if he’d go back to Illinois, run for Governor to replace the current corrupt incumbent (who will likely be indicted soon) and then clean things up for a term or two. If he did that and came back to run in, say, 2016, he’d still be in his mid 50s and he’d have an actual record to run on. And you know what? If he did that, he’d be a better candidate than he is now. And you would have something to talk about besides a bunch of gauzy platitudes. Who knows, you might even be able to explain how your Hero is going to deliver “Jobs, Healthcare, Lower gas prices, and Peace,” despite the fact that he hasn’t left a lasting legacy at any level of government in his entire career. If he had, you’d be telling us about it.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Terry:
“The UN does not accept ‘vengeance’ as a proper motive for declaring war and invading another country. ”
Oh noes, the U.N.
“That excuses nearly every act of war.” I wouldn’t say it excuses, it motivates (along with loot and the sheer joy of blowing stuff up) every act of war. Of course, statesmen have an obligation to channel those motives into useful and justifiable channels. If you think there is some good reason to suppress our desire for vengeance and leave Bin Laden free to attack us again, take your case to the electorate. Regardless, I am sure he appreciates Republican efforts to minimize America’s desire to seek vengeance against him.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Mr. D:
“There’s an excellent reason to be very careful with Pakistan. They have nuclear weapons.” There are many reasons to be careful with Pakistan, but their nuclear weapons are not one of them. They are not going to threaten nuclear retaliation if we go after bin Laden and if they did we could ignore them or give India the world’s largest parking lot.
“laziest answer” True, because I find the question boring and well-rehearsed. I will just note, that almost 60 posts into this and no one has listed any of McCain’s great legislation.
“Obama hasn’t done anything in his political career except plan for the next office” Unlike Johnny Mac who dedicated himself to the dry unglamorous work of a legislative craftsmen. Come on, Mac has been in the mix for VP/Pres since at least 1992. Everything he has done since the late 90s has been focused on running for President. Why do you think it is so hard to get between him and a camera.
“And you know what? If he did that, he’d be a better candidate than he is now.” Maybe, but the question is whether we would be better off as a country. We don’t have the luxury of waiting, we need our best man now. See unlike Johnny Mac’s – have a talked about me enough – Ego campaign, Obama is putting Country First.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Keep doubling down, RickDFL. The next two hits have got to be aces!
First you responded to my question:
“Is this RickDFL endorsing Obama’s ‘invade a nuclear armed nation to wreak vengeance on Osama” plan? ”
With:
“Yes. Democrats will destroy the man who killed 3000 Americans.”
Then you claimed that vengeance for “Bunker Hill” “Fort Sumter” and Pearl Harbor” were the proper motivations for our involvement in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and WW2 — excepting the War against Germany, I guess, since they never attacked our territory.
As a dazzling follow up to Mister D:
They are not going to threaten nuclear retaliation if we go after bin Laden and if they did we could ignore them or give India the world’s largest parking lot.
Which is head-achingly stupid. Pakistan has a nuclear arsenal specifically designed to ward off invasion.
I’m becoming daily more enthused about voting for McCain, if for no other reason to keep RickDLl & his pals from killing a few hundred million people to satisfy their fantasies about vengeance.
Typical scaramouche. Wants to run from the battle he is fighting while he boasts about his bravery and bloodthirstiness in battles yet-to-come
September 5th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
‘Community organizer’, hard at work . .
http://www.insidebayarea.com/crime/ci_10393279
September 5th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=29880
In only the wildest dreams of Carl Rove will Obama make his performance as a professional, paid ‘community organiser’ the centerpiece of his campaign. If you’ve got any common sense the first thing you’d notice is that the ‘community’ he ‘organized’ hasn’t changed much, but Obama has parlayed his ‘service’ to this ‘community’ into a house on millionaire’s row and a prestigious job.
His kids don’t have to attend a public school. And they don’t.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Terry:
“you claimed that vengeance were the proper motivations”
No, I said it was a major motivation for most people involved. I don’t even really know what a proper motivation for ‘us’ would be. People have motives, not countries. Is there a ‘proper’ motive for someone to serve in WWII? Is there a ‘proper’ motive for the U.S. to fight? Anyway, you want to say there is something improper about a desire for vengeance against OBL feel free.
“excepting the War against Germany, I guess, since they never attacked our territory”
If you are going to be cute, at least know what you are talking about. If you asked most Americans why they wanted to fight Hitler what do you think they would say? He started this whole war. He invaded our friends and allies. He encouraged the Japs to attack. He sunk our merchant ships. Sounds like getting back at him for hurting us and ours to me.
“Pakistan has a nuclear arsenal specifically designed to ward off invasion.”
. . . of large scale infantry forces from India (or China) or possibly a nuke strike from India. It has nukes to deter them, not the U.S. Nor would it have any strategic interest in provoking a nuclear confrontation with the U.S. over a U.S. strike against OBL.
Seriously game it out. The U.S. sends a cruise missile, drops in some Special Forces, or even air lands a battalion of paratroopers to get OBL. You are Pakistan and this pisses you off. You have a few primitive bombs, no ICBMs, and a mortal enemy next door with nukes. How does the bomb help you get what you want? Explain how you credibly threaten the U.S. with your nuke in a way that does not immediately expose you to a more credible and more serious retaliation.
“from killing a few hundred million people to satisfy their fantasies about vengeance”. Pakistan would only get nuked if they actually attempted a nuclear attack against the U.S., in which case U.S. nuclear doctrine calls for an overwhelming U.S. strike.
“boasts about his bravery and bloodthirstiness”
I am not boasting about anything other than a superior desire to defend American against OBL. As for “bloodthirstiness”, what would you do if Pakistan attempted to deliver a nuclear attack against the U.S?
September 5th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Terry:
“In only the wildest dreams of Carl Rove will Obama make his performance as a professional, paid ‘community organiser’ the centerpiece of his campaign.”
True. Ergo, Change We Can Believe In.
September 5th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I am not boasting about anything other than a superior desire to defend American against OBL.
RickDFL, you said you wanted to kill Osama out of a desire for vengeance. Can’t backtrack now.
September 6th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Lookie who’s conducting raids in Pakistan! Another meme busted. What’s RatioRick to do? Go rummage through the dumpster to find another one?
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/09/us_airstrike_killed.php
September 6th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Unlike Johnny Mac who dedicated himself to the dry unglamorous work of a legislative craftsmen
Unlike Slow Joe Biden, of course. But you are all fired up about that statesman’s Veep pick! Your marching orders are that you must be. No?
Oh, and sure looks like you, RatioRick, have not heard about what Johnny Mac did for his country before he became a “legislative craftsman”. That experience of course does not count in your world. No siree bob…
To even question McCain’s sincerety over that of empty suit 0bambi is beneath the slime. What had 0bambi EVER done to prove his worth to this great country? Oh yeah… He put his life on the line as a Community Organizer!
RatioRick – your hypocrisy is stifling. I only hope that java, or coolaid, or whatever came out of your nose, cleared up your sinuses so you can breath better and get some much needed oxygen to your gray matter.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:19 am
RickDFl wrote:
http://www.shotinthedark.info/wp/?p=3229#comment-36602
Which puts him at odds with . . . Joe Biden? After Obama’s rash declaration that he would invade a nuclear power, Biden said, in response to the words of the Chosen One:
“The way to deal with it is not to announce it, but to do it,” Biden said at the National Press Club. “The last thing you want to do is telegraph to the folks in Pakistan that we are about to violate their sovereignty.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR2007080101233_2.html
Kind of a hard place to find yourself in, isn’t it, RickDFL? Between a community organizer and a blowhard. Hell, if Biden filled in for O’Reilly I doubt that anyone would even notice.
Tell me the truth — you don’t know anything about Bunker Hill or Fort Sumter, do you? You just needed to name some battles and they are the only ones you could think of, right? Cuz linking them with Pearl Harbor wouldn’t make sense. Bunker Hill was almost a year before we declared independence from Britain and Fort Sumter wouldn’t make sense unless you weren’t from S Carolina. Who would be the “they” and the “us” as in “they attacked us”?
September 6th, 2008 at 1:26 am
justplain angry wrote:
“What’s RatioRick to do?”
No worry. RatioRick can always read backcopies of his union newsletter. To break the monotony of simply nodding his head and repeating “that’s right!” while he reads he can comment on SITD!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Terry:
There are many good reasons to kill OBL, but it seems you Republicans object to them.
“have not heard about what Johnny Mac did for his country before he became a “legislative craftsman”. That experience of course does not count in your world”
Have not heard? Can Johnny Mac talk about anything else. His convention speech hit the word I every 15 seconds. This election is about the future of ordinary Americans.
“To even question McCain’s sincerety over that of empty suit 0bambi is beneath the slime.” No one says Johnny Mac is not sincere in his obsession with self.
“What had 0bambi EVER done to prove his worth to this great country?”
Go to school, get a job, raise a family, serve his community and the public. Nothing especially heroic, just the life of a good decent, exceptionally talented America. Johnny Mac was a hero a long time ago and traded in his wife for a richer younger woman and the life of a Washington celebrity.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:28 am
JPA:
Opps quoted you above.
“Bunker Hill was almost a year before we declared independence from Britain ” Did you fail history? The war against Britain started well before Independence.
“Fort Sumter wouldn’t make sense unless you weren’t from S Carolina. Who would be the “they” and the “us” as in “they attacked us”?”
Wow, real nest of traitors here at SITD. Ft. Sumter was a U.S. military post and, as such, the property and territory of all Americans. To suggest an attack on Ft. Sumter was not an attack on all Americans is to be a traitor. The ‘they’ is secessionist Rebels and the ‘us’ is Americans. The fact that ‘they’ were part of ‘us’ made the war both more tragic and more necessary.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:47 am
His convention speech hit the word I every 15 seconds.
Hmmm. McCain used the word “I” in his acception speach. Who would have thought! What gall! Crucify him!
On the other hand, 0bambi only used the royal “we”…
September 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
JPA:
“On the other hand, 0bambi only used the royal “we”… ”
And John McCain said he would eat babies for breakfast in the White House.
September 7th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Rick, does it hurt to be this stupid?
It should.
September 7th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Paul:
I figure as long as we have entered the realm of just making stuff up, why not have some fun with it. Find me one use the Royal ‘we’ in Obama’s convention speech and I will take it back.