Republicans Hate Community Organizers Because Hate Is All They Know

by: Matt Stoller

Thu Sep 04, 2008 at 01:32


I'm in New York City now, having flown out of Minneapolis earlier this evening.  And I suppose it's fitting that my last experience in that city was to tour foreclosed houses in St Paul with ACORN, a group of community organizers.  I'm watching the Republican line-up, just getting done with Giuliani, and what strikes me is the utter sense of hatred and contempt for ordinary people emanating from this Christian white group.

Steve Clemons says that Palin added some sizzle to the convention, and I'm sure that's right.  When I left, this was a deadened and frustrated group.  But now I see on TV an air chopping Giuliani dripping with hatred in a symbiotic relationship with a lustful and excited crowd.  This hatred, this anger, this rage is what they love.  This is who they are.

This party is aroused by a raw primal screeching bitterness.  I don't know if independents see Rudy's prime time speech like I see it, but what I see is a vicious white mob who laugh and sneer at people losing their homes in the name of small town American values and who hate community organizers standing up for those people.

... Ok, I watched Palin.  She's terrific.
Matt Stoller :: Republicans Hate Community Organizers Because Hate Is All They Know

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Republicans Hate Community Organizers Because Hate Is All They Know | 59 comments
Community (4.00 / 2)
It's easy to hate community organizers if you have no community. What are the suburbs and the exurbs but a decided lack of community?
that's not true (0.00 / 0)
they have churches, which serve a similar but destructive function.
[ Parent ]
In the case of Obama's work (4.00 / 4)
Giuliani et al are attacking the work of the Catholic Church.  

Maybe Biden should point that out.

So true (4.00 / 3)
Catholic Campaign for Human Development (from the US Council of Catholic Bishops, funded by donations from Catholic laity)

Community Organizing Grants Criteria and Guidelines

Criteria

  1. The activity for which funding is requested must conform to the moral and social teachings of the Catholic Church.

  2. The applicant organization must demonstrate both the intention and capacity to effectively work toward the elimination of the root causes of poverty and to enact institutional change.

http://www.usccb.org/cchd/gran...
http://www.dcpincorp.org/suppo...

CCHD funded the Developing Communities Project where Obama worked as an organizer. Paging Bill Donohue! Gov. Palin is Catholic-bashing.

John McCain

[ Parent ]
Thousand points of light (4.00 / 8)
I posted this as a quick hit, but thought it worth repeating here.
Community organizers were the first President Bush's "thousand points of light", I guess that's no longer operative, just another core Republican principle kicked to the curb (like balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility):

From GHWB's first (and only) inaugural address, lauding community organizations as "a thousand points of light":

The old solution, the old way, was to think that public money alone could end these problems. But we have learned that is not so. And in any case, our funds are low. We have a deficit to bring down. We have more will than wallet; but will is what we need. We will make the hard choices, looking at what we have and perhaps allocating it differently, making our decisions based on honest need and prudent safety. And then we will do the wisest thing of all: We will turn to the only resource we have that in times of need always grows--the goodness and the courage of the American people.

I am speaking of a new engagement in the lives of others, a new activism, hands-on and involved, that gets the job done. We must bring in the generations, harnessing the unused talent of the elderly and the unfocused energy of the young. For not only leadership is passed from generation to generation, but so is stewardship. And the generation born after the Second World War has come of age.

I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good. We will work hand in hand, encouraging, sometimes leading, sometimes being led, rewarding. We will work on this in the White House, in the Cabinet agencies. I will go to the people and the programs that are the brighter points of light, and I will ask every member of my government to become involved. The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/ava...

Voter Genome Project

great point (4.00 / 2)
George HW Bush was terrible in a lot of ways but was not as mean-spirited as the Republican base is today.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.
[ Parent ]
Yes he was (4.00 / 4)
Remember Willie Horton.  Bush 1 was just better than this latest generation of Republicans at having the help do the dirty work.

Voter Genome Project
[ Parent ]
well, he did have the help do the dirty work (4.00 / 1)
but he also signed the Clean Air Act and was more fact-based than the current crop of Republicans.

That's why he signed that tax hike--he could see it was needed.  

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.

[ Parent ]
As Tsongas said, Bush 1 had no "core" (4.00 / 2)
If Bush knew the tax hike would cost him the election he wouldn't have signed it.  He had 90% approval ratings in 1991.  He's as shallow as his son and McCain, he just didn't stoop as low as his son or McCain to try to keep power because he didn't think he had to do so (the collapse in 1992 caught him by surprise).

Voter Genome Project
[ Parent ]
Bush I (4.00 / 7)
Bush the Elder comes from the old-school of the political and monetary elite.  He honestly believed it was his God-given right and responsibility to rule and take care of the little people.

As bad as that is, there really was a responsibility element to it that was real.  And he was no movement conservative.  He was much, much better than his son.

I don't want to defend Bush I too much, but I won't have his son's (evil) accomplishments diminished by comparison.  At least Bush I was competent and had competent friends to fill political positions.

Besides, Bush the Elder has the whole "voodoo economics" line against Reagan and donated a lot to Planned Parenthood before he had to pretend he hated them; that's worth something.

[ Parent ]
The Buchananites took him down. (4.00 / 1)
And Sarah Palin was one of them.

[ Parent ]
And the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). (4.00 / 1)
The sleazeballs were working in his campaign, but they didn't have their hands on policy yet.

That came with his Son and now McCain.

[ Parent ]
Speaking of .. (4.00 / 1)
1,000 points of light .. and GHWB .. I am surprised no one brought up this ...


[ Parent ]
Has Anyone Checked (4.00 / 2)
if the 1,000 Points of Light Foundation gave money to any community organizations?  I'd bet they gave to a lot.  Just wondering since we have now learned the Rs hate community organizers and therefore the organizations for which they work.  It could make for a fun comeback.

[ Parent ]
But (0.00 / 0)
The Points of Light Foundation explicitly does NOT fund the kinds of community organizations that do community organizing, like ACORN, Gamaliel, DART, PICO, IAF, etc. They are very clear that they do NOT want to give money to folks who might get folks together to demand their rights.

See the posting above about CCHD for what funding community organizing is really all about.

[ Parent ]
That's Not the Point (4.00 / 1)
You need to point out that community organizing is everywhere from block associations to ACORN.  We have tendancy to look at it from a narrow scope of the organizations you listed but its not just about them, its about the community that organized in whatever way to improve the school, drive drug dealers from the block, stop a highway through their neighborhood, start job training programs, etc.  Its about working together to improve the lives of people who live in your community.

The Repubs were offering scorn to people and organizations who do this and they need to be called out on it.  

[ Parent ]
1000 points of light = compassionate conservatism = bullshit (4.00 / 2)
It's all just an excuse to not fund government programs that help the working class. Community organizers do their hard work to make up for this lack, not to excuse it. Big difference.

miasmo.com
[ Parent ]
I am praying that tons of people (4.00 / 1)
turned the tv on to see Palin and caught most of Rudy's speech. I cannot imagine that he helped McCain with anyone but the most hard-core Republicans. He came across as so mean.

Palin's delivery was better, but I think the drip drip drip from the media scrutiny will create a lasting drag on McCain.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.

I know McCain voters. (4.00 / 1)
  I do not know how they can look hatred straight in the eye and not see it.  The self-proclaimed moderates Republicans I know love Palin.  But my independent friends hate Palin so much I was startled.  Efforts must be redoubled.

John McCain lets lobbyists shape his economic policy
So your independent friends saw the speech? (0.00 / 0)
What'd they think?

Were they previously undecided? Or were they already leaning towards Obama or McCain?

[ Parent ]
Raw indeed (4.00 / 5)
Here's the current description of the group where Obama did his community organizing.

Developing Communities Project (DCP) is a faith-based grassroots organization organizing and advocating for social change in the Greater Roseland Community.

Obama worked out of an office in a church. I could point out the disconnect between the GOP support of faith-based initiatives and their criticisms of Obama but their entire party is based on shouting 'FUCK YOU!' to anybody who isn't an authoritarian, a bigot, or both.

If I'm Obama I mock the shit out of Republicans for being against private faith-based groups doing job training on their own dime. Republicans are so rabid they hate job training programs paid for by church groups. The assholes in the Xhole center were booing the very thing they say their party is all about -- self-reliance and less government.

Tonight was a repeat of Buchanan '92. Palin is not going to wear well as an attack dog. The old white male media thinks she is cute but back in the 21st century there are enough people who take statements at face value that Palin won't survive an introduction that was filled with lies.

John McCain

It comes down to reinforcing their narrative (4.00 / 5)
And the flavor of the month is portraying Obama as "urban" and out of touch with Palin's "small town America". Community Organizing has been an old target of Republicans, simply because it has connotations of race and perceived radicalism.  
Face It (4.00 / 3)
The idea that people should get together and organize politically to better themselves and their community is a radical idea.
[ Parent ]
Republican organizing (4.00 / 3)
They've been amazingly successful selling serfdom as citizenship.

John McCain
[ Parent ]
Obey (4.00 / 5)
The hatred of "big government" is just how the Corporatists say, "Don't you even think of getting organized. We'll demolish you if anybody here gets organized except us."
[ Parent ]
Well put. (0.00 / 0)
I'll have to remember that line.
[ Parent ]
They're The Anti-Beatles (4.00 / 6)
"Hate Is All You Need!"

Yeah.  That's the ticket!

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

The ad writes itself: (4.00 / 7)
footage from tonight of Rudy and Palin mocking community organizers and the gleeful response from the crowd

footage of laid off steelworkers talking about how the job training programs saved their families

cut back to brief Repub line mocking community organizers and gleeful crowd response

voice over "Bush/McCain Republicans talk about values. What are their values?"

miasmo.com

[ Parent ]
Great Point (4.00 / 1)
Very short sighted, especially in this economy.

The only thing I would change in your commercial is to keep the More of the Same tagline with the picture of Bush and McCain in the Rose Garden.  That ending is gold.

[ Parent ]
More like Sympathy for the Devil (4.00 / 1)
Pleased to meet you! Hate is my real name!

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton
[ Parent ]
Ask your non-political friends who are inpendents or conservative (4.00 / 3)
leaning if they thought the speech was terrific
Terrific? This is what I saw and heard tonight (4.00 / 2)

What did you think they mean by "Community Organizer"?

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

No kidding (0.00 / 0)
During Mitt's and Rudy's speeches in particular it pretty much seemed to me like the night we got to hear from the fascist wing of the Republican party. The xenophobic, militant nationalism on display was pretty disconcerting.
[ Parent ]
The "fascist wing of the Republican party"? (0.00 / 0)
Are there any others left? Oh, right, the opportunistic corporatist wing, which gleefully exploits this wing to get its taxes lowered, regulations removed, oversight eliminated and big fat no-bid contracts awarded. And, I suppose, the old money country club set (the one that McCain married into), which doesn't feel entirely comfortable around these people but does absolutely nothing to oppose them. And, I guess, the remaining Eisenhower "moderates" who don't have the guts to leave their unrecognizeable party like his grandaughter did.

So I'd say that in terms of ideology, leadership and at the grass roots level, the Republican Party = American Fascist Party. And it's not just about last night, but about the past 8 years, and beyond. What started in 1960 with the John Birch Society and all the nutjobs who tried to draft Goldwater, and really goes back to the late 40's and Nixon, Cohn, McCarthy and HUAC, was on full display last night. This is who they are. This is what they do.

And they need to be politically crushed, and their ideological bunkers destroyed. There is no accomodation possible with people this vile, vicious and irrational (not to mention batshit crazy and stupid). You either effectively destroy them, or they destroy you--sometimes literally (see YouTube above to know what I mean--anyone who views it only metaphorically just doesn't get how dangerous these people are). I think that even Obama is starting to get it.

We need to win this, period.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

[ Parent ]
Community organizing (4.00 / 8)
Obama and Biden should have some event next week where they celebrate real community organizers, have people tell their stories of how they helped, and so on.  Really bash Palin and McCain over this.  Expose their hate.
Not one but *two* Facebook groups have sprung up (4.00 / 1)
[ Parent ]
The Palin speech was beautifully delivered but (4.00 / 8)
nasty, condescending, bitter, self-righteous, and substance-free. Of course that crowd, which really creeped me out, ate it up. It was their kind of dog food. Will they still feel good about her as their VP candidate a week or two from now? Oh, probably yes, they're those kind of people. But will independents like it? I'm hoping not. Will people with real economic problems resonate to her message? I don't see how. Will her air of intolerance motivate the apathetic to get out and vote Democratic? Maybe it will.
Let's hope. (4.00 / 1)
To the rank and file, she's their new hero. Hell, most of them would probably love just to kill off McCain and put Palin at the top of the ticket.

Independents are the key. McCain has obviously lost control of the party, his campaign and his vice president.

Will he still be able to convince the country that he's the maverick. Or will they see that he's just a doddering old man under the control of the Radical Right.

Stay tuned.

[ Parent ]
Desperate to win by any means necessary (0.00 / 0)
McCain just selected a baraccuda as his VP who has rapdily overtaken him as his party's favorite, and who, I believe, will take advantage of every opportunity to shine over him. She's an out of control nutjob who's clearly very, very power-hungry, and is willing to get it by any means necessary (you can just see it in her eyes), kind of a cross between Rove, Bush and Schlaffly. Or a female and much smoother Nixon.

I'm hoping that McCain, no shrinking violet himself, and an out of control volcano of roiling insecurities, will resent the attention and adulation that she's getting and explode, causing division both within the campaign and rank and file, and making it easier for Obama to win. He will likely lose, she will become the effective heir apparent in the party, and he will be reduced to being a disgraced and defeated minority party senator whom no one in either party can stand. Well, except for his Dos Amigos Huckleberry and Joementum.

If we can get through the next few months of massive unpleasantness, it should get much better after that. Not easy, but better. Their coming electoral disaster (at all levels) will go a long way towards taming this rough proto-fascist beast of a party.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

[ Parent ]
Maybe it was something in the visuals... (4.00 / 6)
...but, listening to it over Internet radio, I didn't think Palin's speech sounded "terrific."  I heard someone without a good sense of pacing, who paused often in inappropriate places (possibly because she needed to glance at the teleprompter more often than most speakers?), who changed her tone of voice disconcertingly many times, and who had a habit of, after delivering a zinger, not knowing when to start speaking again, so that the crowd's reaction went on a bit too long (and started fading away too much) over and over again.  It's like she could deliver one-liners, but not a unified speech.  Looking over the transcript, I thought it read better than Palin delivered it.

And the content of the speech itself?  Pure Atwater/Buchanan/Rove boilerplate, understandable since it was written by generic Atwater/Buchanan/Rove-disciple Republican speechwriters, much of it long before McCain even decided on Palin as his running mate.  To me, the main significance of the evening lay in the speech rather than the speaker, and was that it was clear the Republicans were going to take an even lower road than usual.  In a straight line from 1980, it will be the same as it ever was, only more so.

Way over coached, and it showed (4.00 / 2)
High school speech class students deliver more genuine sounding and eloquent speeches than this grossly over coached 'professional' politician who has recently been catapulted into the big leagues of political theater.

The hate-filled, dumbed-down base of the Republican party would back the Wicked Witch of the West if the witch happened to be their candidate. But surely, the majority of American voters have no desire to be screeched at and ridiculed by a self-promoting, power hungry Karl Rove protege after eight years of living through and witnessing the results of that very same scenario.  

[ Parent ]
At first (0.00 / 0)
While most of her expressions were "correct", her eyes showed pure terror at first.  But the family and red meat really appealed to the crowed eager to lover her (and hate everyone else); she relaxed the rest of the way through.

So I agree it started as over coached, but she was feeding off the crowd by the end.

[ Parent ]
I agree (4.00 / 1)
Palin is a competent speaker but technically she is not one of the best, she hasn't had years on the campaign trail to practice. She doesn't know how to pace a speech to build up emotion, it was all stop and go.

I didn't think she was terrific and I didn't think she was terrible as a speaker. I don't think she sold herself a national leader material but she was composed. As for content there wasn't much but one liners, Meet the Palins, I'm a reformer, drill now, fight terror, Obama is a two faced, tax raising, unpatriotic elitist, Divine McCain, POW.

I'm glad I don't live in Alaska so I don't have to be governed by Sarah Palin.

[ Parent ]
Getting the feeling this is really about 2012 (4.00 / 5)
Look at the empty seats in Xcel Center and tell me this is a party that expects to win this year.

I think everybody except McCain knows they've lost.  Obama and Dems still need to work hard, no mistake, but this is their election to lose.

For now, Palin is about holding on to the party faithful for next time.

Rove and the Republicans will have four years to spread their circle of hate.  With economic and environmental crises coming, and an AA president as their fall guy, they will have plenty of ammunition to work on.  They started last night by reminding the white working poor of Obama's "bitter" comments.

BTW comments on this blog about "milfy" and "pat on the head" do Democrats no favors.

There's a fair amount of hate on the liberal blogs (0.00 / 0)
I can't read the comments at most of them. Obama is trying to keep his eye on the ball by running a variation of Bill Clinton's "It's the economy, stupid" campaign, but his supporters seem determined to turn Sarah Palin into a folk hero.  No way to win an election.
No, it's anger, not hate (4.00 / 5)
I'm so tired of the casual use of the word "hate" to describe any sort of criticism.  I don't hate Sarah Palin.  But it is perfectly legitimate for people to question and criticize her, and yes, even her "family values," since she and the McCain campaign have decided to rub all of our faces in her private life.  

As for winning elections, the GOP's base has been spewing this stuff for twenty years, and they seem to have no problem winning elections.  

Sorry for responding impolitely to your post, but you really struck a nerve, and I'm a fairly centrist, rarely angered Democrat.  But I'm so ticked off after that display of nastiness last night that any implication that we back off and play nicer sounds like a suggestion that we roll over and lose to these jokers.  Right now, my overwhelming preference is to attack across all fronts and attack hard.

[ Parent ]
She won't survive her first press conference (0.00 / 0)
if she ever has one.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
ah, but didn't you hear her say (4.00 / 1)
she's not running for VP to seek the approval of Washington insiders?

Sounds like someone who plans not to hold a press conference.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.

[ Parent ]
She really is GWB. (4.00 / 2)

No press conferences, and all the cultural elitist wars nonsense.

 



John McCain thinks we haven't spent enough time in Iraq
[ Parent ]
yes she reminds me of GWB (0.00 / 0)
her youthful good looks, plus "one of you" aura, plus the charismatic smugness.  She's not from rich family, but GWB acted like he wasn't either.  

And he had executive experience!  Just like Palin!.......look how that turned out.

[ Parent ]
no i think she's the real scary deal (0.00 / 0)
i don't think there's an ounce of realism in her.  George bush would have been too upper crust to join a secessionist party, i think.  he wouldn't have been a grandfather at 40 something.  etc.  george bush faked rightwing populism - this woman, were she maybe a little more seasoned, could do it for real with her background.  think andrew jackson.
[ Parent ]
Biblical References in speech (0.00 / 0)
CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITI...

"Palin also proved she inherited President Bush's gift for sprinkling speeches with Biblical references -- like her claim of a "servant's heart" -- that won't register with much of the population, but resonate deeply with evangelicals."

not sure if it is really Palin's gift, I doubt she wrote the speech. That was the only example CNN gives. Most such references I don't get, did anyone pick up any others?

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare

us vs them (4.00 / 3)
as our local NPR affiliate commentator just said: here again are the Republicans portraying this as a war between Apple Pie, Regular Americans, US and THEM -- The Unwashed (the sort of people who NEED "community organizers" -- you know, THOSE people.)

They will use this message again and again to scare the hardworking, family-values, family-first white folks about Obama and his educated, smarter, arrogant, smug, superior, we-know-what's-best-for-you followers.

I am scared, people. We all should be. The masterful W Bush handlers are running this now. Expect to see nothing but staged events, packed with supporters and scripts, and extremely limited press access.

I THINK Obama and his team have the potential to be masterful too, and I hope they figure this out fast.

We have GOT to stop belittling Palin and take the battle elsewhere.  They are going to JUST LOVE coming to the defense of their sexy, wholesome, tiger kitten.

corporations and parties are designed to resist change (4.00 / 2)
Corporations and parties are designed to resist change.  They will keep on doing what has worked in the past until it no longer works.

The liberal wiki
Send an email to terra@liberalwiki.com
Rude-y (0.00 / 0)
I'd love to see Giuliani dismissed today by Biden with a, "folks, did you catch any of 'America's Mayor's' performance last night?  He seems to be quite an angry guy.  Do you think it's just that he's still steaming about having run the most incompetent campaign for President in U.S. history?  I mean, who spends $60 million and wins one. lousy. delegate?  No wonder he's so bitter."

Time to Raise the Expectations (4.00 / 1)
Man, that was one amazing speech. She is going to be so tough in the debates. She clearly has a firm grim on national issues effecting this nation, especially foreign policy. Joe Biden better watch out.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
Palin/McCain 2008! (0.00 / 0)
The firebrand from the Northwest is a steady breeze of fresh air, clearing out the smoke-filled rooms and throwing the ol' boy network for a loop.

Sarah Palin: Small town values; Big time experience!

(too high?)

"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."

[ Parent ]
Right in Obama's wheelhouse (4.00 / 1)
Is it my imagination or doesn't the belittle-the-organizers rhetoric amount to a huge softball for Obama?

What better way for him to help address the "elitist" claim than to highlight what he did - and what others do every day - as a community organizer?

One thing I greatly admire about Obama is his demonstrated ability to counter-punch.  And I expect that he's going to come out of this exchange looking quite good.

Agreed (0.00 / 0)
It is also a great opportunity for Obama to show that community organizing takes many forms from the work he did to the block and neighborhood associations to which millions of people belong.  There are a lot of people in America who participate in community organizations and feel strongly about preserving and improving the places where they live.  This could easily come back to bite them.
[ Parent ]
Republicans Hate Community Organizers Because Hate Is All They Know | 59 comments
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