September 8, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Gov. Sarah Palin’s remarks about community organizers during the Republican National Convention last week continues to rile the nonprofit world, sparking a debate on The Chronicle’s Government and Politics Watch.
Partisan publications are also taking up the fight.
The liberal Nation magazine provides a thorough defense of community organizing, arguing it is a bedrock principle of American life dating back to the Boston Tea Party.
“At a convention whose theme was ‘service,’ GOP leaders ridiculed organizing, a vital kind of public service that involves leadership, tough decisions, and taking responsibility for the well-being of people often ignored by government,” says co-authors Peter Dreier, professor of political science at Occidental College, and John Atlas, president of the National Housing Institute.
The conservative Weekly Standard, however, says Ms. Palin was not insulting anyone.
“Sarah Palin wasn’t denigrating the work of community organizers,” writes Brian Faughnan, a Republican lobbyist, on the magazine’s blog. “She was simply making the point that it’s not something so utterly selfless and amazing that a presidential candidate would focus so much attention on it.”
What do you think? Join the debate here
