This is just too good. What have they been slipping into Mr. Klein's coffee? I used to call him the bad Klein -- now he's even better than Ezra. (Forgive me 90s music fans.)
I am going to quote at length because frankly it's better than anything I could write:
So here is what Giuliani and Palin didn't know: Obama was working for a group of churches that were concerned about their parishioners, many of whom had been laid off when the steel mills closed on the south side of Chicago. They hired Obama to help those stunned people recover and get the services they needed--job training, help with housing and so forth--from the local government. It was, dare I say it, the Lord's work--the sort of mission Jesus preached (as opposed to the war in Iraq, which Palin described as a "task from God.")
This is what Palin and Giuliani were mocking. They were making fun of a young man's decision "to serve a cause greater than himself," in the words of John McCain. They were, therefore, mocking one of their candidate's favorite messages. Obama served the poor for three years, then went to law school. To describe this service--the first thing he did out of college, the sort of service every college-educated American should perform, in some form or other--as anything other than noble is cheap and tawdry and cynical in the extreme.
Perhaps La Pasionaria of the Northern Slope didn't know this when she read the words they gave her. But Giuliani--a profoundly lapsed Catholic, who must have met more than a few religious folk toiling in the inner cities--should have known. ("I don't even know what that is," he sneered.") What a shameful performance.
"La Pasionaria of the Northern Slope." And "a profoundly lapsed Catholic." I would kill to have written that.
Once again -- Good for you Joe -- great work and great writing.
I would love to see the Obama campaign put together an ad with several "real" Americans--moms, dads, oldsters, kids--talking about how community organizers helped them, and saying, "Shame on you, Gov Palin, for mocking what you don't understand." Even better if the people in the ad are Alaskans.
Posted by: Karl Weber | September 04, 2008 at 04:29 PM
I'd really play up the Catholic Church angle too. I didn't even know about that.
Posted by: Sir Charles | September 04, 2008 at 04:33 PM
I have sent Klein's column to every person on my mailing list (yeah, there's one Republican there, but he's disgusted with Bush -- as ever, the people who need to read stuff like this never will). Anyway.
Best comments:
I'd like to see Sarah Palin survive one day in a South Side neighborhood like Englewood.
Posted by jbentley4 | September 4, 2008 3:09 PM
As another commentator said:
"Please remember, Jesus was a Community Organizer and Pontius Pilate was a Governor."
Posted by The Other Ed | September 4, 2008 3:15 PM
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | September 04, 2008 at 05:02 PM
Two thoughts on the week:
1. Sarah Palin is the lead singer in a Pat Buchanan cover band.
2. The GOP is a crack dealer who has started to smoke its own rock.
Posted by: Delicious Pundit | September 04, 2008 at 05:08 PM
DP,
Very nice -- a "Pat Buchanan" cover band -- I am just imagining the Dropkick Murphys palying the "Horst-Wessel song."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQBhxOFjCn0
Posted by: Sir Charles | September 04, 2008 at 05:14 PM
Delish, what would we do without you!
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | September 04, 2008 at 05:15 PM
That would be "playing" - I really should think about proof reading.
Posted by: Sir Charles | September 04, 2008 at 05:16 PM
Better Than Ezra, huh? I find that bit of wordplay wanting. Desperately wanting.
Joe's got a lot of ground to cover before he's better than Ezra, but still: instead of the bad Klein and the good Klein, we've now got the good Klein and the better Klein.
What have they been slipping into Mr. Klein's coffee?
Shouldn't that be "into Mr. Klein's cup of joe?"
Whatever it is, I hope someone can bottle it so we can use it on other pundits. (If it only works on Joe, we'll just leave it in a Klein bottle.)
Posted by: low-tech cyclist | September 04, 2008 at 05:42 PM
l-t c,
You might want to switch your joe to decaf there. You're all wound up.
I was not familiar with the Klein bottle.
The nice thing about Joe becoming the "good Klein" is that he has a huge audience and is definitely highly respected among the inside the beltway types. It is really nice to see him use his powers for good.
Posted by: Sir Charles | September 04, 2008 at 05:53 PM
l-t c, May I just take a moment to say "Well done, Sir"? Three absolutely genius pop culture references in one very short comment, ranging from pop culture reference, to name pun, to obscure geeky reference? And all being perfectly on point? Good show, sir. Nicely done.
My favorite Better Than Ezra album is "How Does Your Garden Grow?" That one is a near-perfect bit of power-pop, and it's sonically all over the place in a really delicious manner. "One More Murder" is killer.
Posted by: Corvus9 | September 04, 2008 at 07:37 PM
You might want to switch your joe to decaf there. You're all wound up.
But at least he isn't just spinning his wheels, right?
Posted by: Corvus9 | September 04, 2008 at 07:38 PM
I love the way that "Jesus was a community organizer" line is spreading like wildfire. Whoever originated it should feel proud.
It's the cherry on top of the sundae of Klein pointing out that Obama was working for a church organization when he was a community organizer.
Posted by: dm | September 04, 2008 at 09:02 PM
Corvus, Chas - thanks, guys.
:bows:
This is why I'm a Democrat - I've always been the sort of guy who brings a pun to a knife fight.
:ducks & runs:
Posted by: low-tech cyclist | September 04, 2008 at 10:16 PM