My friend and fellow blogger Marie Lakin has an entry up defending public service from the ridicule that some Republicans attacked it with at their convention.

Check it out:

http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/mlakin/

Did Republicans mock community service at their convention? Huh. I didn't hear that. I've been a volunteer and volunteer organizer/recruiter and fundraiser and service club officer, etc. etc. for many years... should I have been offended? Maybe I'm too dense to even know when I'm being mocked ;-)

What I heard from the Republican speakers were repeated references to Obama's *job qualifications* -- his qualifications for President based on his work history -- in comparison/contrst to Palin's dubious qualifications.

They (Palin, Giuliani, etc) repeated that Obama worked as a "community organizer" (wink-wink-nudge-nudge). Some may call community organizing as public service. But to a lot of conservatives, a "community organizer" is nothing but a trouble-maker. I believe that's where the term "rabble rouser" came from -- someone who goes around spreading strife and whipping-up the disgruntled masses into a frenzy.

It doesn't take anything away from his (requisite) pro bono work and his (volunteer) volunteerism. I don't consider "community organizing" and "community service" as the same thing. One is self-serving, the other is other-serving. And I'm sure that's why the Republican speakers used that term over and over.

What was Obama doing in Chicago as a volunteer (or "community organizer" if you will)?

A lot of conservatives *fear* community organizers (particularly in Chicago): I suppose it brings up images of strikes, union brawls, mobsters, organized crime. I believe that's what the wink-wink-nudge-nudge repetition of "Chicago community organizer" was about.

I will check-out Marie's blog, thanks.

"A lot of conservatives *fear* community organizers (particularly in Chicago): I suppose it brings up images of strikes, union brawls, mobsters, organized crime."

Your observation confirms what was meant by Giuliani's mocking of the role of community organizer: by deliberately turning it into voter shorthand for "rabble rouser", "criminal", "commie", etc. Wouldn't you have been offended if the Dems had described McCain as a "savings & loan bailout facilitator...duh"? Or perhaps as a "well-intentioned flyer...wink wink nod nod"?

He was working a low wage job with long hours organizing churches and other community groups to provide health care, child care, and job training to people that were impacted by a changing economy.

It was his immediate job after college. I don't see that as his primary qualification and not many do. They Republicans did mock his service and say it had no real duty. They hinted that it was somehow bad but I haven't seen any criticism of his actual work.

Do you think he wasn't there to help others?

Let's face it. Obama is cut from the same cloth as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. His community organizing/activism in Chicago was nothing more than fomenting unrest among whichever disaffected minority group he could find out there (mostly young, unemployed blacks).

How about you back that up with a single mainstream article? He wasn't part of a civil rights group, he was working with many churches including Catholic churches.

You should apologize to the Catholic Church for saying they were employing and working with people to cause racial strife. I understand you don't see a difference between these three black men because of your insistence on promoting racial intolerance, but you should at least hesitate before you throw the Catholic Church together with Al Sharpton.

Have you no sense of decency?

gs, yes, you got my point: I think it was a deliberate attempt to make Obama's activities in Chicago look suspicious if not ridiculous & pathetic (I use the word "activities" intentionally as word-play, just to show how modifying one word can make something honorable sound dubious.)

You could hear it in Palin's voice when she playfully turned-on the sarcastic patronizing tone. I understood what that meant.

A goal of the RepConv was to establish/defend Palin's qualifications to be VP (a "heart beat away from the presidency"). The speakers' tongue-in-cheek references to Obama's "community organizing" were definitely intended as mockery.

But were they mocking *public service*? Or the idea that public service constitutes relevant experience for candidacy?

I thought the speakers very effectively compared Obama's work history to Palin's work history and asked "Who's more qualified" to be VP/Pres? They basically held-up Obama's resume and asked in so many words "community service as qualification for the presidency of the US? gimme a break."

Is that offensive to volunteers, to people who serve their communities and/or work in churches? I wouldn't say so.

I put community service at the *bottom* of my work resume because I figured it's relevant. But if a prospective employer were to turn my resume upside down and emphasize my "interests and activities" over my work experience it would make my attempts to appear viable ridiculous, and my self-confidence naive.

That's what they were doing to Obama using rhetoric and/or images familiar to them. 'Reminds me of the swiftboaters attack on Kerry.

Brian, "Do you think he wasn't there to help others?"

No. I wouldn't say that. In "The Audacity of Hope" Obama said the work was, as you say, social work. He sounded sincerely interested in helping people & communities through social work. I gather his earlier book talks more about those days in Chicago -- I haven't read that one.

What were his motives at the time? He talked about partnering with churches to achieve moral/political ends. And he admitted that being active in church work was a social experience for him -- a way of belonging to the community. And he talked about his Christian faith, too.

Was he sincere? Probably. Was he good at what he did? I imagine that he was FANTASTIC (Who wouldn't want Barack Obama as a pro bono attorney or volunteer?!) But even if he wasn't perfect, it wouldn't change anyone's opinion of him now.