The Backlash To The Backlash

The community organizer slur in Republican speeches on Wednesday continues to be a rallying cry for Democrats, spawning viral videos and major media coverage.

For community organizers, the Republican vice presidential candidate didn’t just drag their profession through the mud, she mocked the entire belief that Americans can’t collectively work to solve problems.

“I think it demonstrated that they don’t take common people seriously,” says Gonzalez. “They put all their trust and faith in themself and other electeds… just elect me and I’m gonna fix your problems. Who believes that?" [...]

“I think it was a cute line that she felt like she could deliver,” says Gonzalez. But, “it invites a contempt for organized Americans, and I think that is incredibly dangerous and short-sighted.”

The coup de grace, of course, was from Jon Stewart, who summed it up brilliantly:

So to everyone out there trying to make a difference in your communities, FUCK YOU! You stupid asses! You jerk-offs! You know what you are? You're a thousand points of bullshit, that's what you are. By the way, if it seems odd that the GOP was denigrating community service, the night after making "service" their slogan... you're confused. Those Republicans were not praising service with those signs, they were demanding it from the waitstaff.

Never underestimate the ability of Republicans to keep two contradictory notions in their head at the same time. Indeed, in last night's address, John McCain appeared to flip back to advocacy for community service and community organizing when he said this:

If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

They are for service, except when it's done to help scary black people. That's basically it in a nutshell.

This backlash is a bit under the radar, but it's absolutely real. Anecdotally I'm getting a lot of information to buttress that. And the $10 million raised in a day, after a fundraising email explicitly attacking the slur on community organizing, speaks volumes.