Make no mistake: the "community organizer" slur is about race

[EffieBlack]

McCain's people know that "community organizer" conjurs up images of black neighborhoods and black people among their base.

So they snidely, sneeringly remind people that Sen. Obama was a a "community organizer," not only to diminish his accomplishments, but in hopes that ignorant, frightened white people will think that he is some kind of black radical with a history of helping scary black people organize themselves sufficiently to threaten the safety, security and entitled positions of good white people - you know, "ordinary Americans."

Make no mistake - the "community organizer" slur is about race.

[BumRushDaShow]

1. But what is ironic is that on Monday and again on Wednesday

the repukes had their big screen emboldened with with websites and phone numbers to "community organizations" that would assist in Hurricane Gustav relief.

But of course them dumb 'Mericans won't see that connection.

[heliarc]

6. Not to mention all of the warmup speakers...

who are foster parents, and renovate dilapidated buildings by organizing students and neighbors in the name of Christ and then give them to the poor, ... they don't mean community organizers LIKE THAT are beneath them... Oh no... those people are closest to god... but Obama... well that community organizing... pshaw.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. And this despite the fact that Obama's "organization" was "faith-based" and run by church groups

but of course that isn't "the same".

[bunkerbuster1]

38. The Republican fundy base don't think other Christians are Christians

And they don't think there is any "faith" beyond their own.

[No Elephants]

39. Sorry. Wrong spot.

[kwolf68]

2. Yeppers

Community Service = Communist Ni**ers

[u2spirit]

3. Its racial for sure

It's a subtle slight on race and a wink wink to the anti welfare crowd.

[MadMaddie]

4. You are absolutely correct! The Repugs are playing their

last hand and it really is the race card!

They do not want to lose and to them, "The Ends justify the Means"!!

[BuyingThyme]

5. Ed Schultz nailed this the other day.

Eloquently, from where I sit.

[EffieBlack]

7. I didn't hear this, but would love to.

Do you have a link?

[BuyingThyme]

11. I don't know what they have as far as audio,

but his site is bigeddieradio.com .

I'm thinking it was probably on Wednesday.

Sorry I don't have more info.

[BuyingThyme]

19. On second thought, it might have been yesterday.

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. Thom Hartman also said the same thing this week

It was a racial attack

[renate]

24. unfortunately the Obama campaign didn't hear his suggestion...

... to get some ads about community organizers out within the next 24 hours showing white people (and people of other colors too, of course, but he thought it was urgent that the racist implications not go unanswered).

I hope they're working on ads like that now. I think discussing McPalin's attacks on community organizers, though wonkish on the face of it, would actually be a great talking point... what's not to like about helping people? What kind of people mock doing good?

[endthewar]

26. They'll save it for when McCain runs bitter-gate ads

They know that McCain is still trailing big time, so he'll need to make another drastic move sometime within the next month or so. Plus, the Obama campaign seems to raise a lot of money off of these attacks.

[backscatter712]

9. It's the latest dog-whistle.

McKlan and Sarin need to be called out on it!

[dailykoff]

10. Good catch.

For the GOP, nearly everything is about race, including the war on terror. It's the best thing they have.

[TeamJordan23]

12. not just black neighborhoods, but urban latino ones also. nm

[msongs]

14. would like to see Jesus is a community organizer ads from the dems

n im not even a jesus myth fan lol

Msongs

[kestrel91316]

15. Exactly what I have been saying since the minute she said it.

Combine that with the "pitbull" reference and you have got a lady who wanted to be sure the white supremacists out there knew she has credentials. JMHO, of course.

[stillcool]

16. I didn't see it...

I just saw it as an attempt to demean Obama. I wonder if she said he worked with Catholic Charities if it would have gone over the same?

[EffieBlack]

21. She wasn't blowing the dog whistle at you . . . you're too highly evolved to hear it. :-)

[stillcool]

35. One can hope..

this whole spectacle has rocked my soul.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

17. Community organizers are the new Willie Horton. nt

[Raine]

18. Yup for sure

and they're not fooling anyone.

[Heather MC]

20. I think they really just don't get it

I love finding the racial gotcha, but I don't think that's what they were doing
I really think they find anyone who is willing to roll up his sleeve and help the "helpless" is wasting his time, or stupid, no matter what color they are.

The funny thing is when they call people to come volunteer for their campaign they are raising up community Organizers. Their campaign wouldn't have legs or go anywhere without Volunteers and people willing to work for peanuts

If I was working for free on McCains Campaign I would stage a community walkout until his pitbull with lipstick apologizes

[BklynChick]

22. I agree. As is Rudy's comment about cosmopolitan. Lots of codes out there.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

23. Ironic coming from the ex-mayor of a city that defines cosmopolitan.

[Major Hogwash]

28. I heard that Ghouliani had said that. Weird coming from him.

As if being "cosmopolitan" were a bad thing.

[LooseWilly]

42. And that's the irony...

To the Palin "faithful", cosmopolitan IS a bad thing.

Maybe Rudy's making his first tentative steps toward mortgaging whatever soul/conscience he might have... in the interest of cozying up to the "base".

What the hell?... It worked for McCain...

[bleever]

25. Agree.

And the other connotation is "urban", which overlaps very much with race.

Thank you for this post.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. I see you edited but since she made it a personal attack against him and his organizing experience

and since he worked in the near all-black Southside of Chicago, then what else can one conclude? :shrug:

As a note, I think it was on one of the news shows this evening, there was a mention that one of the McPalin surrogates said that their position was that "community organizers" did nothing but encourage groups to ask for money "from the government". Of course they neglect to mention Shrub's vouchers for "faith-based" schools and Office of http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/">Faith-based and Community Initiatives.

[Beausoir]

29. I do agree.

[TOOLZ]

30. wear this COMMUNITY ORGANIZER shirt!

http://www.cafepress.com/with_organizer

"I'M WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZER!"

[Caribou Barbie]

31. when do the ads start?

Call em out on this fucking racist bullshit. How many minorities did you see at their convention that weren't working for minimum wage trying to provide for their families while Bushco ignores them?

[JoFerret]

32. Of course it is

Only lazy incompetent black people need organizing.
Only welfare queens breeding criminal children and associating with feckless drug pushers and abusers need organizing.

[mojowork_n]

34. Republicans only believe in GATED communities... K &R

That's "communities" plural because, like McCain, they maintain addresses in multiple zip codes, while paying taxes on income with hidden, 'off-shore' assets unaccounted for.

[Bjorn Against]

36. You are absolutely right...

I was thinking the same thing earlier today, it is most definitely code. It is subtle enough that they know they could plausibly deny it, but given their history it would be extremely difficult for me to believe that they don't realize the racial implications of their attacks.

[jcla]

37. Dear EffieBlack

I have always thought of community organizers as mentors. People who offered their time and expertise to help other people get empowered to help themselves. The really good men and women who cared are community organizers. These are people that made and make a difference in peoples lives. They reach out boldly to help. It was one of the first things I would say about Obama to show how much he cared about us ordinary Americans.
Well, the Rethuglicans sneered and belittled Senator Obama's experience all week. It only shows how ignorant and foolish they are.
Some community organizers:
Mohandes Ghandi
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mohammed
Benjamin Franklin
Nelson Mandela
Samuel Adams
Paul Revere
Jane Goodall
Israel Putnam
Fredrick Douglass
Sojourner Truth
Lemuel Haynes
(feel free to add your favorites)
When the Rethugs sneered and belittled, these are some of the people they did it to. Not only to these people but the people whose lives were touched and changed by these organizers.
Let us defeat the Rethugs in September. Vote!

[No Elephants]

40. It is about needing assistance, be it to register to vote, to fill out an application for college,

to be aware of the programs that are available, or to get a hot meal at least once a day. Assuming that only African Americans need assistance is racist. And I am sure that some people have spent over a year finding ways to evoke race without specifying it. Then, when they get called on it, they can turn it around and call you racist or paranoid or both.

[Lucinda]

41. Oh good grief. It was not. Obama compared his experience with his national

campaign against Palins being a mayor of a small town and totally ignored the fact that she is a sitting Governor. So they smacked back with an attack on his earliest job. It was stupid of them to antagonize community organizers, but they knew that they weren't likely to rack up votes with them anyway. It wasn't about race.

If we lose, it will because of crap like this.

[elkston]

45. Why are you defending them?

And Obama is doing the right thing by just ignoring her now.

[XemaSab]

43. I've been saying that for weeks

It's code for RADICAL BLACK ACTIVIST.

You know, the people who go into the CITY and make THOSE PEOPLE all uppity. :eyes:

[TexasObserver]

44. Agreed. It's about labeling Obama as a minority "agitator"

Palin is designed to nail down the fundie base, and that base is largely white and racist.

[Kickin_Donkey]

46. Bingo ...

No doubt about it. It's code.