‘Organizer’ slams rude, ignorant

Janice Jackson Nelson County
Published: September 15, 2008

Thanks to the author of the letter “Palin ‘organizer’ barbs shameful” (The Daily Progress, Sept. 7) for pointing out the hypocrisy of Gov. Sarah Palin and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in denigrating Barack Obama’s experience as a community organizer, amidst the roar of approval from delegates at the Republican convention.

One cannot credibly devalue community organizers and then advertise a “new” Republican Party that purports to address the real struggles that real people are facing all over the country. Community organizers work in cities — and rural areas — to assist people who have been hardest hit by economic inequities and downturns to secure better lives.

In her speech, Gov. Palin said, “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.” She evidently doesn’t consider the responsibilities of community organizers to be of value to society. These include: helping people to obtain decent and affordable housing, promoting access to health care, advocating for better working conditions, providing job training, ad-vancing healthier living environments and aiding with re-covery after natural disasters such as hurricanes.

Barack Obama worked with people who lost their jobs when the steel mills closed — yet, the Republicans do not consider his contributions to be meaningful or substantive.

Faith-based groups have a long tradition of organizing within communities, so it was both cynical and insulting for Gov. Palin to invoke her “servant’s heart” and in the same speech mock the work of congregations across the country that are living out the biblical call to serve those in need.

Community organizing truly brings about change by giving voice to those who are often voiceless in our society — not just the powerful and the elite. As the saying goes, words speak volumes, and from the comments at the convention, it’s clear that the Republicans are out of touch and are the party of the elite.