Monday, September 8, 2008

Community Queens

Thanks Chris Matthews! for at least being intellectually honest enough to ask the question: "is community organizer the new welfare queen? does community organizer have Al Sharpton connotations?"

Of course it does, Chris. As Chuck Todd and Mr. Rothenberg just attested to, most Americans glaze over when they hear the term. But for activists on the Right, "organizer" evokes "urban," "troublemaking," and, yes, ACORN.

We all know Obama has gained from bringing something of an "organizing model" to the national elections process. But we may have to agree with Todd and Rothenberg, that they may wish they'd left the discourse of organizers and organizing out of Barack's autobio.

1 comment:

E. said...

Whoa, for real? I always thought that that narrative was intended to energize the base, but I also thought "community organizer" also had all-American VISTA volunteer connotations for most folks. Well, leave it to the new "change we can trust," "spirit of the individual" campaign to make us fear large groups of black people in a city mobilizing for anything.