NEWSWEEK: What was your initial reaction to Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin's comments about community organizing?
KELLMAN: My initial reaction was that mockery and ridicule are the lowest form of criticism. People ultimately find it nasty and find it small and I thought there was a lot of that going on. There was also the irony of John McCain organizing a convention, which is about three and a half days of cheap shots, and then changing to this idea of serving your country. I thought it was inappropriate. It was disrespectful to Barack and all the people that he's worked with; and politically, it's a short-term tactic. It lowers the standard of public discourse but ultimately reflects badly on them.
What do you make of their perspective on organizing? What does it say about them?
I think it shows how much people from the wealthy and privileged sectors have dominated community life…People who are wealthy enough, don't need to be organizing. There are things you can fix easier if you know someone or have a little money. If you don't have access to those things, you need to come together and act. And that's a part of the world that very few candidates, Republican or Democrat have ever had experience in—the world of those who don't have access to political power.
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