Obama Defends Community Organizing: "Who Are They Fighting For?" (VIDEO)

Barack Obama responded Thursday to Sarah Palin's dismissal of community organizing. Asked at a town hall what makes it relevant experience, he said:

"I would argue that doing work in the community, to try to create jobs, to bring people together, to rejuvenate communities that have fallen on hard times, to set up job training programs in areas that have been hard hit when the steel plants closed, that that's relevant only in understanding where I'm coming from, who I believe in, who I'm fighting for and why I'm in this race.

And the question I have for them is, why would that kind of work be ridiculous? Who are they fighting for? What are they advocating for? Do they think that the lives of those folks who are struggling each and every day, that working with them to try and improve their lives is somehow not relevant to the presidency? I think maybe that's the problem, that's part of why they're out of touch and don't get it, because they haven't spent much time working on behalf of those folks."

Watch:

Comments

[tel8034]

The McCain camp believed that BELITTLING Obama's work as a communitiy organizer would hurt him and provide humor for their supporters.

But ONCE AGAIN McCain gets slapped with his own campaign's words ..........­... IT PROVED ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT McCAIN WITH HIS 10 HOUSES, PRIVATE JET AND $520 SHOES, HAS NO COMPASSION FOR, AND DOESN'T CARE ABOUT, POOR STRUGGLING AMERICANS.

This will come back to haunt McCain the same way his 10 houses have.

[Desdemondo]

Palin does not have a clue and only recited the speech given her. After all she has so many personal troubles of her own in Alaska that she could scarcely spare the time to rethink the speech she was given to regurgitate. She is a typical fisherman's wife.

For her sake, I hope she does not get a prison sentence. Keep tuned, there is more to come.

[smark]

The way she was attacking, attacking, attacking, I would not give a hoot if she did get a prison sentence. Just what she deserves!! If all those two want to do is fight, fight, fight, God help this country!!!

[layman]

They are too busy trying to figure out how many houses they have, not time for community services.
They only thing they can organize is crime at the very top of government to loot the people.

[edwarvir]

We must not blame Sarah and Methuselah alone, if we allow them to get away
with it this time. Joe Biden has been in the Senate for 35 years he had to
be vetted. Mother Moose has been a governor for 2 years and she does not have
to be vetted.! What's up with that?

[smark]

Tell that to the likes of Sean Hannity. He thinks the poor little girl is being picked on!! He sure demanded to know more about Obama a few months back!! And NOBODY even knew who Palin was before last Friday!! WHAT A BIG FAT HYPOCRITE!!!

[OrionGal]

It's called "being in the trenches" - and there is nothing like working side-by-side with people who are doing the actual work to GET.THINGS­.DONE. That's correct, helping someone with the bills, helping them re-train, helping them find new jobs, helping out the family get health care, food, utilities paid. And giving these same families their SELF-RESPECT back after having it robbed from them by corporations who really do NOT care.

Thank you Obama - you wrote a great counter for a Heartless Republican SLAM - now we need a TV ad to go along with it :-)

[tammany]

Andrew Sullivan wrote a great line:

"Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor."

[abigail1]

I read that too, it's perfect.

[thesimulacra]

Classic!

I'm putting that right next to my favorite from one of the Swampland blogs:

"When I hear the words 'community organizer,' that's when I reach for my revolver."

[joshuahmcdonald]

Wow! If that doesn't illustrate the Republican Doublethink then I don't know what does. Perfect!

[attyroz]

Community organizers include: Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sojourner Truth, Fannie Lou Hammer, Ghandi and the folks who are organizing the campaigns of McCaine and Obama. Let us be mindful that community organizers have moved this country forward in voting rights, civil rights and stopping the Vietnam war. There is no shame in being a community organizer whether it was 20 years ago or whether it is now while trying to organize a nation to vote for the presidency of the United States.

[SFkid]

Great TIme article on "What a Community Organizer Does" and how The Catholic church is backing Obama!!!

http://time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/what_a_community_organizer_doe.html

[lboucher]

''When classmates in college asked me just what it was that a community organizer did, I couldn’t answer them directly'' ---- Barack Obama

[SpoxLogic]

Maybe because at the time he didn't know. But, he soon found out didn't he? Since he became a pretty good organizer.

[mediawatcher1975]

He was a community organized AFTER college. Pay attention.

[retreadite]

No-- he was a community organizer AFTER Columbia and Occidental but before Harvard.

Just trying to pay attention :)

[EddieMcWords]

YES! Now make an ad, and run it non-stop during NFL and college football games over the next two months. What did you raise all that money for!

[patanderson]

May I remind all you bible thumping, McCain/Palin admirers that Jesus Christ was a Community Organizer and Pontius Pilate was a Governor.

Now, what is that you're saying about Obama's work as a Community Organizer?

[Cheryllou]

Why are we so stupid? We continue to elect people who we can have a beer with instead of a person who is very educated and look whatt we ended up with, a stupid president and more debt than we can count. God help us all.

[houseofglass]

Great comeback Barack!!! The selfish and greedy can not see. They'll never get it. They love only themselves and are afraid to death of the poor and needy because god forbid, someone might ask them for a dollar.

[sherbug]

Once again, the Republicans have put their foot in their mouth by dissing the little people who struggle for jobs and housing and services. This is just the kind of faux paux that makes for good ads in the swing states.

[cdub1991]

The perfect response. THAT should be made into a political ad.