Community organizer

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Do conservatives ever describe themselves as "community organizers," even if the label fits the job they do? I suspect that the RNC is disrespecting the terminology more than the actual work.

And maybe it's helpful to remember that the context, at least for Palin, was responding to people who wanted to minimize the work involved in being a small town mayor. And from that perspective her barb wasn't far off.

All the folks you name in your post were leaders who worked on behalf of a cause(s), but they were leaders who got to shape and define any responsibilities they took on, as opposed the the well defined responsibilities and accountability of being a mayor.

Yes, conservatives do use the term. One of the anti-choice organizations in the area is quite fond of it...or at least they were until the GOP declared war against it.

[crescent&pearls]

You meant a pro-life organization, right? As opposed to a pro abortion organization? People we've got to stop that kind of rhetoric and respect that we can disagree on important issues and still stand together as Americans, evaluating each candidate fairly, and knowing that we won't agree or disagree with either on on every position they take or decision they have made or will make.

Back to the topic, I've seen a few interesting programs on Obama's work as as a community organizer over the past few days and it's helping me, an undecided, registered independent form a better understanding of his experience and point of view.

So when did this term come into the current usage? From what I've seen Obama was working as a community activist or advocate, and a big part of what he was doing was registering people to vote and encouraging them to do so. So why call it "organizer" instead of activist or advocate?

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by crescent&pearls

You meant a pro-life organization, right? As opposed to a pro abortion organization? People we've got to stop that kind of rhetoric and respect that we can disagree on important issues and still stand together as Americans, evaluating each candidate fairly, and knowing that we won't agree or disagree with either on on every position they take or decision they have made or will make.

No, I don't mean pro-life, I mean anti-choice. They call me anti-life, I call them anti-choice.

[BetteDavisEyes]

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

No, I don't mean pro-life, I mean anti-choice. They call me anti-life, I call them anti-choice.

HAHAHAHAHA!

FTW!

This is very true. My hubby's relatives all keep saying I'm anti-life so I say they are anti-choice which really pisses them off. They claim they are for choice as long as choice is defined by them.

[pbear19]

Originally Posted by crescent&pearls

You meant a pro-life organization, right? As opposed to a pro abortion organization? People we've got to stop that kind of rhetoric and respect that we can disagree on important issues and still stand together as Americans...

I am tickled to death by the irony of a post that asks to stop 'that kind of rhetoric' immediately after using the term 'pro abortion'. I would think that pro abortion would be equally troublesome to pro-choicers as anti-choice is to pro-lifers. (If not more so, because many people like me are pro-choice but not necessarily pro-abortion.) I am not meaning to pick on you, crescent&pearls, but it really did strike me as deliciously ironic.

As to the original topic, I don't know when community organizer became common terminology, but I've heard it for years. I don't have anything more than anecdotal evidence, but I personally don't think it's a terribly new phenomenon.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by pbear19

I am tickled to death by the irony of a post that asks to stop 'that kind of rhetoric' immediately after using the term 'pro abortion'. I would think that pro abortion would be equally troublesome to pro-choicers as anti-choice is to pro-lifers. (If not more so, because many people like me are pro-choice but not necessarily pro-abortion.) I am not meaning to pick on you, crescent&pearls, but it really did strike me as deliciously ironic.

As to the original topic, I don't know when community organizer became common terminology, but I've heard it for years. I don't have anything more than anecdotal evidence, but I personally don't think it's a terribly new phenomenon.

I feel the exact same way as you on that sis.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by pbear19

I am tickled to death by the irony of a post that asks to stop 'that kind of rhetoric' immediately after using the term 'pro abortion'. I would think that pro abortion would be equally troublesome to pro-choicers as anti-choice is to pro-lifers. (If not more so, because many people like me are pro-choice but not necessarily pro-abortion.) I am not meaning to pick on you, crescent&pearls, but it really did strike me as deliciously ironic.

I took to be intentionally ironic.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I took to be intentionally ironic.

Me too.

What's the organization that you mentioned, Geekypenguin? It seems odd to me that "community organizer" would fit for an anti-abortion/ anti-choice group? Who are they organizing, picketers?

On the other hand, I can see how you might be organizing a community to for women who were having babies and needed support, in which case, you might actually be Pro-Life. What group was it?

I hadn't realized the RNC had declared war. It seems like they were making fun of a job title.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Me too.

What's the organization that you mentioned, Geekypenguin? It seems odd to me that "community organizer" would fit for an anti-abortion/ anti-choice group? Who are they organizing, picketers?

On the other hand, I can see how you might be organizing a community to for women who were having babies and needed support, in which case, you might actually be Pro-Life. What group was it?

I hadn't realized the RNC had declared war. It seems like they were making fun of a job title.

Right-to-Life Wisconsin. I had several friends do it in college. They were organizing people to picket and to sign petitions to ban abortion everywhere all the time for any reason ever.

If the RNC wants to start making fun of job titles I don't think it's going to end well for them given some of the people they run in state races. I thought the mockery of community organizers was absurd. Several people that I graduated law school with are now working in a very similar capacity to what Obama did. It's not an easy job or a well paying one, but it's certainly an important one.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

Right-to-Life Wisconsin. I had several friends do it in college. They were organizing people to picket and to sign petitions to ban abortion everywhere all the time for any reason ever.

If the RNC wants to start making fun of job titles I don't think it's going to end well for them given some of the people they run in state races. I thought the mockery of community organizers was absurd. Several people that I graduated law school with are now working in a very similar capacity to what Obama did. It's not an easy job or a well paying one, but it's certainly an important one.

No doubt community organizers are important, but again, I think small town mayor is at least comparable. Maybe I missed a lot of dismissal of community organizers even before that.

But you know, this is just partisan BS. Community Organizers probably skew heavily Democratic and it's not a big risk for the GOP to make fun. It'd be the same with Democrats talking about corporate fat cats. It's not going to really make your own base mad.

Personally, I doubt there was anyone in American who said, “I was all about John McCain and the Republican party, but darn it, they're making fun of community organizers.”

And I doubt any Democratic mayors of small towns switched parties when Palin's experience was minimized either.

As Michelle Obama might say, "this conversation isn't helping my kids." I'm happy to have it with you, but I don't think it matters much.

And even as someone who wants to see abortion restricted, I'm usually creeped out by Right to Life. I think they frequently do a lot to set back the cause more than they help it. ETA: okay, maybe I've overstating here about R to L in particular. But a lot of pro-life groups will go through periods of behavior when their own conduct is far more off putting than it is effective.

[crescent&pearls]

Thank you Mystic Cat.