Too late for ACORN?
Posted at 1:47 PM on September 16, 2009
by Bob Collins
(27 Comments)
Filed under: Politics
It started after BigGovernment.com, a site run by commentator Andrew Breitbart, sent a couple of kids into an ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) office to try to get funding for a prostitution ring. Hidden video revealed an intake worker ready to help.
For conservatives, it was proof of a story they claim mainstream media has been ignoring: that of a fraudulent organization tied to the president.
ACORN's response has been -- charitably put -- uneven. At first, according to a press release, the group said an intake worker was just kidding:
When the actors approached Ms. Kaelke with their provocative costuming and outlandish scenario, she could not take them seriously. So she met their outrageousness with her own personal style of outrageousness. She matched their false scenario with her own false scenarios.But another press release today from ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis suggests now that they weren't:
"As a result of the indefensible action of a handful of our employees, I am, in consultation with ACORN's Executive Committee , immediately ordering a halt to any new intakes into ACORN's service programs until completion of an independent review. I have also communicated with ACORN's independent Advisory Council, and they will assist ACORN in naming an independent auditor and investigator to conduct a thorough review of all of the organizations relevant systems and processes. That reviewer, to be named within 48 hours, will make recommendations directly to me and to the full ACORN Board. We enter this process with a commitment that all recommendations will be implemented."It may be too late. Earlier this week, the Senate voted to prevent the organization from getting -- and distributing -- any housing money. When Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken line up against you, it's over.
Said Ms. Lewis: "We have all been deeply disturbed by what we've seen in some of these videos. I must say, on behalf of ACORN's Board and our Advisory Council, that we will go to whatever lengths necessary to reestablish the public trust. For nearly forty years, ACORN has given voice to communities, and gotten results. Right now, our nearly 500,000 member are working their hearts out for quality, affordable healthcare for every American and to help stop the foreclosure crisis. We must get this process right, so the good work can go forward."
And today, according to MPR's Tom Scheck, Gov. Pawlenty has ordered a halt to any state money going to the group, if any.
(Update 4:47 p.m. MPR's Tom Scheck reports Pawlenty appears to have put a halt to something that didn't exist in the first place.)
Conservatives, meanwhile, are claiming the mainstream media are ignoring the story, which puts it squarely in the lap of comedians to figure out:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Audacity of Hos | ||||
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Comments (27)
Not only are the networks ignoring the story, but it took until today for the major dailys to cover it.
Ahem.....
You know I wouldn't miss the opportunity for a friendly jab in the ribs to MPR. You mentioned the word "Conservative" twice in the above piece, yet you failed to identify ACORN as leftist or liberal.
You get credit points though. The networks are running 6 - 0 on identification.
On another VERY SAD note, NPR's Frank James wrote:
"So the flaws conservatives are pointing out about ACORN are not so much problems associated with that organization per se but more about the problems of being poor and minority in urban America."
Where is the outrage?
Mr. James just equated being poor and minority with a series of moral lapses. That is disgusting. The problem is not with poor people, the problem is with ACORN.
Being poor and minority does not make one a criminal.......that is unless Mr. James is profiling.
Always with the half-empty, Greg. (g). You don't see the word "conservative" in front of Andrew Breitbart's name, do you?
Three cheers for Jon Stewart. He nailed this piece.
- "under-age El Salvadorian girls....WHAT THE F***"
- "Journalists...where were you? You got scooped by a kid in his mother's chinchilla coat?"
"You don't see the word "conservative" in front of Andrew Breitbart's name, do you?"
True, but the name of his site made that redundant..
Republicans with persecution complexes, after eight years of Democrats harboring their own. Let the American political circus continue...
I really could care less about ACORN..
However I'm a bit surprised that people are condemning the whole organization, like it's filled with people like this..
For example I just read an article about some police officer in texas arrested for kiddie porn, so should all of the texas police officers be condemned? However this is exactly what we're doing here.
This is why companies do background checks. In this case it's going to cost ACORN big time..
Curtis,
Republicans are not the story here. Watch the Jon Stewart clip. The story is a series of surreal Borat moments.
It's not that ACORN has problems, it's that it's problems are from Planet Zork.
I hate to say this, (Aynn Rand forgive me), but maybe this is a classic case for the constraints of civil service. Housing advice and voter registration need to be pulled in-house.
"For example I just read an article about some police officer in texas arrested for kiddie porn, so should all of the texas police officers be condemned? However this is exactly what we're doing here."
Bobby,
Quit kicking the tar baby. It's a freak'n trap. Just join in the outrage and relax.
If we followed your analogy, we should be able to walk into police stations from Baltimore to San Bernardino and chat up kiddie porn with the desk Sgt's.....
There is absolutely no corollary.
The problem with ACORN is hilariously systemic.
//Quit kicking the tar baby. It's a freak'n trap. Just join in the outrage and relax.
Haha.. i'm pretty chill..
//The problem with ACORN is hilariously systemic.
Is it? Did I miss something here, I thought it was one location.
"Is it? Did I miss something here, I thought it was one location. "
I hope that this is not attributable to the lack of information on Public Broadcasting.
ACORN intake workers have been captured on tape in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and San Bernardino, giving advice to "a pimp and a hooker" on to run an illegal enterprise.
In each of the locations, and there are several more to come, the intake workers were CLEARLY told that the house would hold underage girls shipped from El Salvador, some as young as twelve, to be used as sex slaves.
The ACORN workers didn't have a problem with that.
In fact in San Bernardino, the ACORN intake worker was told that "the girls would be educated". She advised against this because then they would begin to ask questions.
It is the moral relativism gone a muck that us conservatives have complained about for decades.
No human being with a quarter ounce of decency or compassion could watch these tape without screaming, "WHAT THE F****" like Jon Stewart did on the Daily Show.
Maybe now people will begin to do what I have done for years, balance the stilted world view that I get from Public Broadcasting and dailies such as NYT with a healthy dose of FOXNEWS.
So everyone can get a flavor of how disgusting this all was, I clipped a small section, almost at random, from the New York interview.
The transcripts are available at www.BigGoverment.com
Volda (loan counselor):
I tell you because I have seen it I did live here and I say it little girls with nothing
James:
wait a minute you saw prostitution of little girls?
Volda (loan counselor):
of course
James:
how old?
Volda (loan counselor):
from 13 years down to 3 okay
Hannah (Eden):
and you helped them, you helped them also?
Volda (loan counselor):
Okay but you have got to start thinking. And when you in this businessyou gotta think fast because I cant tell you don’t do it because you will never listen to me. Right now that’s all you're seeing okay? So if you are going to do it do it well and start thinking foryourself
Hannah (Eden):
Okay
Volda (loan counselor):
That’s what it is and save for a rainy day
Hannah (Eden):
Okay
Volda (loan counselor):
that’s what you have to do
James:
Okay
Volda (loan counselor):
It's your business how you wanna live
Hannah (Eden):
mmhm
Volda (loan counselor):
But live well
Hannah (Eden):
okay
Milagros (counselor):
And don’t get caught...
Volda (loan counselor):
ya know
Milagros (counselor):
cause it is against the law what you are doin
Volda (loan counselor):
mhm and
Milagros (counselor):
and there is a chance you might get caught so
Volda (loan counselor):
So then they wanna throw you in the lock up...
Hannah (Eden):
But they should throw Sonny in jail, not me, he's the one who got me started
Milagros (counselor):
yea but its [garbled]
Hannah (Eden):
I mean he got a whole slew of which is why I also want a house
Volda (loan counselor):
yes because he prey on little girls yea
Hannah (Eden):
He’s got all these 13, 14,15 year old girls from El Salvador and that’s what—Ineed to protect them like I know what its like and I have to protect them and like give themsomewhere to live.
Volda (loan counselor):
You know
Hannah (Eden):
So
Milagros (counselor):
So you guys ready to schedule that for the summer
Hannah (Eden):
Yes let’s schedule that that would be great
Milagros (counselor):
Okay cool
Volda (loan counselor):
yep so good luck to you and be wise
Hannah (Eden):
Thank you
Milagros (counselor):
And be careful
Hannah (Eden):
Thank you what was your name
Volda (loan counselor):
Volda
Hannah (Eden):
Volda?
Volda (loan counselor):
mhm
James:
Volda?
Volda (loan counselor):
alright
James:
Well thank you Volda I appreciate your time, I really appreciate that
Volda (loan counselor):
yeah alright[garbled]
Hannah (Eden):
Can we call you for the like mortgage stuff.
Volda (loan counselor):
Yeah when you come to the meeting - is going to get a counselor, I'll beright here... yeah... those who are doing housing
James:
Do you have a card so we call you, could speak to you personally
Volda (loan counselor):
mhm
James:
cause we spoke to you privately... much more friendly than the other bank we went to...much more understanding
Hannah (Eden):
they'll send us a to good bank though[background noise]
James:
Yea but... oh thank you so much thank you
Volda (loan counselor):
Take care of yourself now
James:
Thank you you too… Eden
//I hope that this is not attributable to the lack of //information on Public Broadcasting.
Don't tell Bob this, but I don't get my news from MPR, or NPR..
//ACORN intake workers have been captured on //tape in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and //San Bernardino, giving advice to "a pimp and a //hooker" on to run an illegal enterprise.
That's odd, the first time I read about this story, it was focused in Baltimore. The ACORN person said that this group had also targeted other ACORN locations, and mentioned the ones above. That seems... odd.
///Maybe now people will begin to do what I have //done for years, balance the stilted world view that //I get from Public Broadcasting and dailies such //as NYT with a healthy dose of FOXNEWS.
Ha! I wish people would just stop watching cable news altogether.. it's sick.. and twisted corruption of the news..
To be honest I don't think most people care about ACORN, they didn't during the election, and it doesn't seem like they do now.
GregS:
"Republicans are not the story here."
Really? If that's so, then why was your lead-in to this post about how the "conservative" site's commentator made this discovery, followed-up with an embarrassingly stupid transcript from this same conservative site (which you linked to)?
Then you scolded Collins for not labeling ACORN as "leftist or liberal." Perhaps labeling ACORN as such, given its unabbreviated name, is also redundant. Finally, you took the "liberal" major dailies to task for not breaking this story, unlike the "conservative" FOX News.
You're painting party all over this situation, even though I think we can all agree, regardless of party, that this was pretty fricken stupid on ACORN's part.
On another note, this is perhaps more evidence that Jon Stewart is our only hope.
"You're painting party all over this situation, even though I think we can all agree, regardless of party, that this was pretty fricken stupid on ACORN's part."
Uh Kim,
Jon Stewart had it right. "Journalists...where were you? You got scooped by a kid in his mother's chinchilla coat?"
Instead of picking up on the scoop, NBC, ABC, CBS and MSNBC, as well as the usual suspects in the print media played the "conservative" angle, citing the label six and seven times in their articles without citing ACORN as "liberal" or "leftist".
CNN was late to the party, but has actually done a pretty good job.
Go figure.
" I think we can all agree, regardless of party, that this was pretty fricken stupid on ACORN's part"
I hope we could also agree that the only thing fricken dumber than ACORN is the pathetic way the media has tried to run interference for them. That and the "say-anything" crowd who hangs around progressive forums.
There is no excuse - even ACORN pulled its head out of its arse and suspended operation a few hours ago pending a top to bottom review.
I would hope that after today, NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC and most of the print media will each assign a reporter to watch FOX 24/7, and in addition to learning what how the majority of the country thinks, they might pick up on a story or two and learn something about journalism.
"(Update 4:47 p.m. MPR's Tom Scheck reports Pawlenty appears to have put a halt to something that didn't exist in the first place.)"
I fail to see your point. Pawlenty is moving to ensure that no state funds go to ACORN. A wise move in light of the scandal.
Imagine the field day the press would have in a week, a month or a year if ACORN weaseled its way into state funding?
However, as you write in the update, state money has gone to ACORN Housing.....WHOA, isn't THAT the target of the scandal?
Or put better, isn't ACORN nothing more than a myriad of shell-organizations?
ACORN has released this press release:
ACORN Receives No Money From the State of Minnesota
Sunday Alabi a member of the Board of Directors for Minnesota ACORN, issued the following statement:
ACORN and its affiliated organizations receive no funding from the state of Minnesota.
It really isn't fair that the Governor attack the good work we have done here in Minnesota, just because of the indefensible action of a handful of employees in other states.
I can assure you that the Minnesota chapter of ACORN is taking every step possible, including participating in our national outside audit of our staffing and training, to make sure that our frontline staff is doing everything in the most professional manner possible.
It is disappointing that the Governor is taking this easy political potshot instead of finding out the facts. I encourage him to come to look at the work that we are doing in the state:
l Minnesota ACORN fought for and Governor Pawlenty signed one of the strongest the strongest anti-predatory lending laws in the country.
l Minnesota ACORN helped tens of thousands of low income and minority Minnesotans apply to become registered to voters last year.
l Over the years, ACORN has helped thousands of Minnesotan become first time home-buyers, avoid foreclosure, to speak up for the needs of their communities.
-###-
T-Paw is just doing more political posturing by saying 'no more money to ACORN'. MN has given about 7 grand in the last few years to them. ACORN has helped people I know get their first home. Half a million workers, and a few bad eggs. How about how much went to prop up our banks, insurance companies, and other executives who really were corrupt and hurt the middle and lower classes? Billions of our tax money. And you get mad cuz the media isn't all over ACORN?The behavior of a few in the organization was inexcusable, and the individuals should be punished, but community activism must be promoted, and it ought to accountable for it's actions, but to be demonized for a few harmless, pathetic, ill intended fools is sad.
"Half a million workers, and a few bad eggs."
Half a million bad eggs, and few workers would have said it better.
ACORN is a toxic organization where corruption both trickles down and bubbles up.
When the organization's board learned that the founder's brother, Dan Rathke embezzled close to a million dollars, they transformed it into a "loan" - to be paid back at a rate of $30,000 a year.
A 40 year personal loan?
On the street, ACORN has always promoted an "in your face - physical intimidation" style of aggressive street pan-handling.
A quick poll around the lunch table found no one who hadn't been yelled at or intimidated by an ACORN street hustler. We all know how they work. They shove a petition in your face then scream at you when you refuse to sign it or give them a ten spot.
"but community activism must be promoted"
Why?
So college kids with the lingering political fantasies of childhood can defer adulthood?
I find the two ACORN statements interesting. One might think that the second is a retraction or correction of the first. I would contend they are unrelated in that manner. They may in fact both be accurate assessments of the situation. If this was a setup and some of the ACORN workers got wind of it they may have decided to play along. What I'd like to know is if any of the actors and any of the ACORN staff involved had prior connections.
The result of this is an embarrassment to ACORN and so they issue a statement from the top that a procedural audit will be done and training will commence to make sure nobody does this again.
At this point I think outrage in situations like this will follow the money. People have had their sense of outrage muted by what has happened in the last few years with bailouts and no-bid contracts. If it turns out that no taxpayer money was involved or at least nothing beyond the few dollars the intake worker was paid during the interview I don't think you'll see much real outrage over this.
"OK. Let's see if I have this right. She's -- she never spanked her kids, but she did shoot her husband dead. She doesn't spank her kids, but you can bring in 13-year-old illegal aliens and have them be hookers.
I mean, where do you even begin, America? This is twisted, bizarre, macabre -- I mean, is this theater? I'm not a lawyer. I'm not a jury. But, gosh, even to me, it seems like this is a potential admission of murder. And the way she was describing doing some groundwork beforehand, you know, so everybody in town knew exactly what was going on, a case might be made for premeditated murder."
I'm really confused by all this.. Did she kill her husband? Seems pretty freaky that she would admit to that..
GregS:
People head-over-heels in love with their own political beliefs (as evidenced by your comments) will never know what the real story is.
What the hell?
"This site exists to try and help examine the vicious rumour that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990. We don't claim to know the truth -- only that the rumour floating around saying that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990 should be discussed. So we're going to do our part to try and help get to the bottom of this.
Why won't Glenn Beck deny these allegations? We're not accusing Glenn Beck of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990 - in fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder, since he has failed to deny these horrible allegations. Why won't he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?"
Gentle reminder to all. Keep to the issue not the poster.
If you want the Star Tribune, You Tube, or the PiPress sort of conversation, go there.
Sorry Bob Collins!
Glenn Greenwald makes the point that I've been trying to find words for.
I just can't bring myself to be outraged about an organization that, while it did something really really stupid, received an average of $3.1 million from the federal government over the past 15 years. While that is a good bit of money, it's also about what we are spending in just over two days in Iraq. It doesn't come close to the amount we put into no-bid contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It pales in comparison to the hundreds of billions we've spent bailing out the financial sector.
This just seems like a big distraction. Is it a story? Yes. Is it deserving of the amount of airplay that it's gotten and the outrage it's generated? Not in my opinion.
It just keeps getting better. Every time a new rock is lifted, more bugs scamper out.
Now we have a video shot at ACORN's San Diego office where an intake worker offers "contacts" in Mexico to help smuggle under-age El Salvadorian girls into the country for prostitution purposes.
At some point, even the most die-hard, head-in-the-sand progressive has to scream like Jon Stewart - "WHAT THE F***"
It isn't just ACORN that is corrupt, the entire community organizing system rests on an ethically rotten foundation.
The underlying assumption behind community organizing is that inner-city neighborhood require predominantly white suburban activists to build and maintain inner-city fiefdoms financed by public dollars.
It is a system that is dependent on retarding the social progress of the inner-city and exploiting the resulting chaos and crime for financial, social, sexual advantage.
The proof of this becomes clearer and clearer as each new ACORN video surfaces.
"When Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken line up against you, it's over."
- and kudos to them.
However in the House, Ellison and McCollum supported ACORN.
What does that say?
My guess: Klobuchar and Franken represent a cross-section of Minnesotans, while Ellison and McCollum both represent the dark side of the moon.
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