"Community Organizer" is a term for someone who does the 'get out the vote' work and gets paid for it. They are essentially the local equivalent of lobbyists. Now, this is not an Obama slam, it is just the reality of what these people do. Someone with money and a need for local votes hires the "organizer" to get the chosen councilman or mayor elected so the money provider gets the local legislation they want. Whether you think that's good or bad ,that is the job of a "community organizer".

What you're referring to is a political organizer. Political organizing and community organizing are different kettles of fish.

Political organizing is, in essence, the practice of persuading individuals or groups of individuals that a candidate or political party has his/her/their best interests at heart and to vote for said candidate or political party. An honest political organizer avoids persuading those whose interests are clearly not held dear by the candidate for whom he/she is organizing. Most political organizers, however, adopt a more inclusive and self-interested tact, targeting any and all willing to listen that his/her candidate is tops. Voter registration drives are used by political organizers in districts where a registered vote is more likely to count in his/her candidate's favor. The immediate goal of a political organizer is, however, always and forever the election of a candidate for political office.

Community organizing has a distinct starting point and less clearly-defined goals. A community organizer typically begins by holding months of one-on-one meetings with community members, by which bonds are forged with these members and, just as importantly, the needs of the community are identified. As common grounds for action are established, a community organizer will develop local leadership (often through leadership workshops and trainings), encourage civic participation (this may involve voter drives), and agitate for community members to hold local leadership accountable to the community (through workshops, individual meetings, etc.). Goals are realized in myriad ways, sometimes through the intervention of an elected official, sometimes through the creation of a program or organization by the community itself, and often through a combination of the two.

The goals of a community organizer, unlike the political organizer, come from within the community--from the community members themselves. The specific goals of community organizers will vary widely, as communities and community needs vary widely.

This difference is often lost on people, but it is an important distinction.

Well done.

Follow the money-some local non-gov't person/organization PAYS THE SALARY of the organizer . The organizer's paycheck is not signed-"Community".-SOMEONE?TH­ING pays them. They are paid to get the "right" person/legislation voted for . Follow the money/paycheck and you will see who wanted the community 'organized' - their way.

Who cares who signs the paychecks? 501(c)(3)'s have limitations put on foundation- or grant-supported organizing positions, typically proscribing political campaign or organizing work. Your point still fails to address the larger issue--the distinction between community and political organizing. It doesn't matter who funds a community organizer's position, since a community organizer is NOT a political organizer. In fact, a community organizer working for a 501(c)(3) would imperil her position and put herself at odds with the law by using community organizing funds to organize politically. Do you research.

"Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes."

If you insist that community and political organizing are one and the same, then we have nothing further to discuss. Enjoy your ignorance.

Trying to differentiate political and community organizer is pure obfuscation. And it ALWAYS matters who the money comes from- not the glorious name of the non-profit but who actually is footing the bill and what that entity behind the non-profit actually wants. Community organizers don't organize the community to pick up trash or serve ice cream- they organize them to a political end.

"Pure obfuscation?" That sounds like code for either "You made a good point, and I don't have an answer" or "I don't understand, could you dumb it down a shade?"

Political organizers get politicians elected. That is their sole purpose. Politicians hire political organizers to get them elected. Politicians are open about hiring political organizers to get them elected. Individuals and groups of individuals donate money to politicians to hire political organizers to get them elected. It's all on the up and up, and all very legal.

With me still?

Ok.

The word "community" is not the some as the word "political." I know they both have the letters "o," "i," and "t," but trust me when I say that they are different words. Now I know that you're having trouble with nuance, and I really wish I could demonstrate this in pictorial form, but I can't, so words will have to do. When you put the word "political" in front of "organizer," you've made a different job that when you put the word "community" in front of "organizer." Wow, that's a lot of syllables. Whew.

Community organizers help communities. They help communities by talking to people. They ask what people need. People tell them. They get groups of people together. They all talk about their needs. The discuss how to get things done. Sometimes, it's problems like gang violence. They might organize a community watch group. Other times it's a problem like high drop-out rights. They might start a parents-as-mentors group. Other times, the local alderman or councilwoman is ignoring a problem, like a pothole, a broken street lamp, or a bad drug corner. They might go talk to this politician. The community organizer helps with all these things.
Do political organizers do this stuff, you ask, eyes brimming with innocence. No, Billy [insert hearty, sympathetic laugh], they certainly don't.

Now, I know you want to make community organizers into political organizers, so I'll throw you a bone--community organizers help communities understand politics. They help community leaders understand how power is exercised. Sometimes these community people are poor. I know that's scary for some people--to imagine poor people understanding political power. So I guess community organizers are scary. I'll go one further. Community organizers help communities learn to hold their local politicians accountable. What? I know, right? Crazy. So I guess we can just call community organizers political organizers, right?

Sigh...Time for bed, Billy. I can tell you've reached your limit.

Poor people are not ignorant-as you imply- and they do not need anyone to explain politics or power to them. But like people rich or poor, there can be someone paid to manipulate them to "understand" politics a certain way and vote a certain way - the community organizer.

"Poor people are not ignorant-as you imply- and they do not need anyone to explain politics or power to them."

An interesting trap you try to set here. A bit like saying "All teachers are pretentious and patronizing because they think their students are ignorant." Nice try. If any teaching occurs in the course of community organizing, it is because an organizer is responding to a need presented by the community. Seminars and courses on power are offered, attendance is voluntary, and typically, community members go on to teach the classes themselves. Remember, it's the organizing, not the education, that is paramount. The real presumption of the organizer is that he/she is ignorant himself/herself of a community's needs, and must work assiduously to cultivate relationships with individuals within a community to understand and relate to it.

We all receive lessons throughout our lives about what power is and how it is wielded. This universality of this informal education diverges when one considers the socio-economics of a particular group. The poorer the community, the less likely that group is to be personally exposed to the tools (money, connections) of power wielded by middle- and upper-class communities. Underexposure to a subject or aspect of a subject can lead to lack of understanding--like you and community organizing for example. This may be ignorance, but ignorance does not always, and usually doesn't, mean a lack of intelligence (the implication I gather you were trying to foist on me).*

"But like people rich or poor, there can be someone paid to manipulate them to "understand" politics a certain way and vote a certain way - the community organizer."

What a broken record. The above, for the (sigh) third (fourth?) time, describes a political organizer, not a community organizer. Much as you may wish it, your pigheaded fealty to an erroneous denotation does not a new definition make.

*You know what? Thank you. Your words illuminate my point about ignorance and intelligence--for you see, they are a perfect example of that class of ignorance that DOES demonstrate a lack of intelligence--that is, ignorance that willfully disregards reason and substantiated judgment in favor of illogic and sophistry.

I heard Palin's speech, and thought that her point was NOT that community organizers were evil, but that as a town mayor, she had more responsibiilty than Obama at that respective time in their lives.

Could be mistaken, of course, and personally I think it was kind of foolish to go after community organizers at all, as they help repubs as much as dems, but again think her point was supposed to be not "you are bad", but " I am better".

I didn't say being a community organizer is bad,just what one does for real. But I am impressed by how defensive some of the posts are and how elitist- insisting that alternate views are based on ignorance. I like Obama and these types of condescending,nose in the air posts are hurtful to his election. Whether we are for Obama or not, people can disagree without ad hominim.