Something exciting is happening in our country. It's been going on for some time now. People are getting engaged and involved in unprecedented numbers and ways. It's not just a political campaign, it's a movement. And there's a name for what we've been doing. It's more than just advocating or volunteering or phone banking or door knocking. It's a total commitment to do whatever it takes to change our country and our future in a positive way. It's...community organizing.
I'll never forget the smirk on Rudy Guiliani's face and the contempt in Sarah Palin's voice when they openly derided community organizers at the Republican National Convention. Seeing Republican party leaders and their assembled masses take such obvious pleasure in denigrating the noble pursuit of helping others told us more about the state of the Republican Party than a million speeches. And it did something else: it inspired us to work even harder.
Now, some two months later, I'm awed by this movement. I've met so many impressive people, all of whom share a common desire to overcome the nightmare that is the past eight years of failed leadership. Every day I'm inspired by the intensity, the passion, and the dedication I find in so many of my fellow citizens. It tells me something important about progressives in America: We don't give up.
Some have been at it for only a few days. Others have been working for many years. Some have traveled long distances and sacrificed time with loved ones. Some have forestalled career and education plans. We're doing things we've never dreamed we'd do. We're stepping out of our shells.
Introverts are calling strangers and knocking on doors and talking with people on buses and street corners. Folks from widely diverse backgrounds are coming together to work for a common cause. People with little management experience are fearlessly taking on leadership roles in groups small and large all across our country, in rural communities and large cities and everywhere in between.
What's happening to us? We have all, in our own ways, become community organizers. And unlike our adversaries, we know that's something we should be truly proud of.