A member of ACORN holds a banner during a march in Phoenix, Arizona, in this July 27 file photo.
(Newscom / File)Photos (1 of 1)
What is the ACORN controversy about?
Here are the basics about ACORN and about the videos that have put the organization in hot water.
By Michael B. Farrell | Staff writer/ September 16, 2009 edition
San Francisco
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is once again at the center of controversy. This time the group is in hot water over videos that show employees telling two conservative activists masquerading as a pimp and prostitute how to trick federal tax authorities.
ACORN says the videos are part of a “multiyear political assault” on the organization, which conservatives say uses tax dollars to advance a liberal agenda. But the organization also says it is “deeply disturbed” by the videos and has launched its own review of employee procedures and training.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are using the videos as evidence for why the federal government should cut off all funding to the organization, which helps low- and moderate-income people gain access to mortgages.
On Monday, senators overwhelmingly voted to keep the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from issuing grants to ACORN. On Wednesday, Sen. Richard Shelby (R) of Alabama asked for a full-blown investigation of the group.
But how did an organization that largely concerns itself with matters of America’s poorest find itself, once again, in the sights of both lawmakers and talk-show hosts? Following are some basics about ACORN and the recent controversy.
What is ACORN?
According to the group’s website, ACORN is a collection of grass-roots organizations that serve as an advocate for the poor. It began in the 1970s and now has about 1,200 chapters. It is “committed to social and economic justice” and has worked to raise the minimum wage, end predatroy lending practices, and develop affordable housing.
But during the presidential campaign last year, a few ACORN employees working to register voters were charged with filing bogus applications. They were caught and fired. But when it was revealed that President Obama had connections with ACORN, the incident became highly politicized. Republican presidential candidate John McCain attempted to tie ACORN with Mr. Obama.
ACORN does receive federal tax dollars for some of its work. The Senate vote on the motion presented Monday by Sen. Mike Johanns (R) of Nebraska would prevent it from receiving any dollars from HUD. The group was in line to receive grants to counsel low-income homebuyers.
Senator Johanns, who also wants the US attorney general to investigate ACORN, says that the group has received $53 million in federal money since 1994.
In light of the most recent controversy, the Census Bureau has fired ACORN, which had been hired to help with the 2010 Census.
What do the videos show?
On Sept. 10, the website Biggovernment.com began posting videos of a couple who said they were operating a prostitution ring that involved underage girls from El Salvador. They went to ACORN offices in New York, Washington, California, and Maryland with essentially the same story: They wanted help hiding their illicit income from federal tax authorities.
In all the videos, ACORN employees offered their help, knowing full well what the couple’s intentions were.
Mike Flynn, editor of Biggovernment.com, said Wednesday that the site will be posting even more videos of ACORN.
Since the videos aired, ACORN has become the scorn of conservative talk-show hosts. Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly of Fox News have said the tapes prove not only that the group is “corrupt,” but also that corruption extends to the Obama administration.
“Who does the president surround himself with? ACORN and [the Service Employees International Union]. Well, gee, there’s corruption there. We can’t take anything,” Mr. Beck said.
One Republican insider told Politico: “This is an organization that has attracted attention before…. Basically, ACORN gets federal money, and it advocates for the liberal, Democrat agenda. That’s wrong, and we need to stop it.”
What is ACORN doing in light of the controversy?
On Wednesday, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis said the tapes were “indefensible actions of a handful of employees” and warranted an independent review of the group’s procedures.
She said this in a statement:
“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.”
Can ACORN survive this latest controversy?
John Fund, an op-ed writer for The Wall Street Journal, says that this time, ACORN “may be finally running off the rails.”
He noted that last week, “11 of its workers were accused by Florida prosecutors of falsifying information on 888 voter registration forms.” He continued, “Last month, Acorn’s former Las Vegas, Nev., field director, Christopher Edwards, agreed to testify against the group in a case in which Las Vegas election officials say 48% of the voter registration forms the group turned in were ‘clearly fraudulent.’ Acorn itself is charged with 13 counts of illegally using a quota system to compensate workers in an effort to boost the number of registrations. (Acorn has denied wrongdoing in all of these cases.)”
ACORN says it is besieged – again – because of a few bad apples within their offices.
Brian Kettenring, an ACORN spokesman, told the Associated Press that Republicans were “playing politics” and trying to “stop ACORN’s good work fighting to stop the foreclosure crisis and to win quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans.”
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Comments
2. Now | 09.16.09
Fox TV is far more corrupt than Acorn and the link in apparent in your own article. This is a Republican effort to prevent Acorn helping voters to register.
3. Bob | 09.16.09
Whether these are a few rogue individuals or not it seems to me that the organization has gotten too large for it to control itself. These incidents show that they have lost sight of why they were created.
Maybe they should be broken into autonomous regions with charters that reflect the needs of each region with rules more easily enforced.
4. Chuck | 09.16.09
The bottom line is that ACORN is a corrupt organization with an angena that is far left of mainstream America. They have been caught. It is not Republican or Democrat. It is corruption.
5. John Minahan | 09.16.09
15 years as a business turn-around specialist there is one thing I know for sure. The CEO and executive team set the tone and owns the culture for the company. Period. So, who is in charge of the culture if not the CEO.
6. HeckSpawn | 09.16.09
Well, if it quacks like a duck…
To borrow a quote from The Bard (from an alternate universe),
“Methinks they doest quack to much…”
7. James | 09.16.09
It is obvious ACORN has more than a few bad apples. They have a lot of bad apples. To the people who defend this corrupt organization: For the good of all Americans, poor, rich, middle class, hold these guys accountable. Its not good if conservative organizations are corrupt, and it isnt good if liberal ones are corrupt. The evidence is pretty irrefutable. Lets demand some ethical behavior from groups that advise people who dont know better. Lets demand ethical behavior from organizations that take tax payer money!
8. Rob | 09.16.09
Any group can do advocate there political agenda.
THEY CAN’T GET FEDERAL FUNDING TO DO SO!!!.
9. CAN’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YA | 09.16.09
Sorry but one can not ever finish sweeping a dirt floor. Sweep sweep sweep…and still more dirt. This crew is rotton to the core.
10. Databyter | 09.16.09
Acorn is has been and will continue to be the tool of unscrupulous radical change towards an authoritarian socialism.
The other comments I’ve seen on the board indicate the apathy and ignorance that allow it to happen.
If only the proponents of this socialization could see the end product of a ruined Country with no rights and no resemblance to the liberties that are our birthright then maybe they would wake up and stop allowing socialist front orginizations like Acorn achieve so much power and influence in this Country. It is corruption and it is evil, no matter how good the cause is sold to be.
11. Now and Later | 09.16.09
Fox TV is more corrupt than Acorn?
Acorn representatives have offered their assistance to people whom they believed were engaged in child slavery and child prostitution: Actions against the most innocent of our society, children, which are so absolutely vile that every single person on this planet who has even the slightest capacity for basic human compassion should be immediately repulsed. To the contrary, these Acorn employees not only offered their assistance, certain of them offered their assistance in exchange for a benefit to Acorn in the form of new memberships from the purported offenders.
Although it pales in comparison to their support of crimes against children, these Acorn representatives also offered advice and assitance with tax fraud: A crime that affects the living standard and, consequently, the well-being of every taxpaying member of our society. Further, Acorn is in the rare position of being tax cheat who derives so much of its very existence from tax funds. Not only is Acorn ripping us off by advising others how to reduce tax collections, it is also greedily accepting funds from the very tax pool reduced by its actions.
Please provide support for your knee-jerk “Fox TV far more corrupt” allegation. In fact, in the interest of debate, let’s remove the “far more” from your statement and merely have proof that Fox TV is corrupt.
12. Cam | 09.16.09
That’s true. Acorn is great at registering voters: dead ones, foreign ones, jailed ones…
We need more of those folks voting.
13. john | 09.16.09
Pete your thinking in the right direction we need term limits and a reduction in the power of the lobbing groups. but anyone that cant see that acorn is rotting from the inside out is not willing to see what is realy going on.
14. Marylyn | 09.16.09
Thanks to the two journalists who are doing the investigation of this corrupt organization. Eric Holder needs to get on the ball and investigate. The mainstream media needs to act like real journalists and investigate and uncover the fraud going on. We cannot allow this kind of immoral and illegal activity to continue. Yea for the real journalist. I hope they get a Pulitzer!!
15. Andy | 09.16.09
Re: 2 above. How is it that Republicans can “prevent” someone from registering. Last time I checked you went to the post office filled it out and sent it in, for FREEEEEE! Do we really need ACORN to accomplish the most simple of civic tasks? So what is ACORN’s real agenda? Is it possible the members are politically motivated? I think any fair minded assessment of the organizations past practices makes the answer clear. However well meaning the intentions of this organization were when it started, it is clear that the culture is now one of “the end justifies the means.” They encourage illegal behavior, have corrupt practices and are no longer deserving of public support. It is time to pull the plug.
16. – | 09.16.09
The higher the voter turnout, the less likely the republican candidate is to win. Getting people out to vote is bad for republicans
17. Charles Manson | 09.16.09
“Look down at me and you see a fool;
look up at me and you see a god;
look straight at me and you see yourself”
Helter Skelter
18. Paul | 09.16.09
Pete is right, we need to completely turn over the House and Senate and Presidency in the next 6 years, and go back to the people running the government, not professional politicians.
As for ACORN, they should go back to what they were formed for, to help low income families find affordable housing.
19. Aaron Truitt | 09.16.09
Well I think it’s obvious - the way to deal with this is to blame Bush, or Fox, or call conservatives “racist” or any combination of the three. Problem solved!
20. chuck | 09.16.09
The kids who made the videos went to five ACORN offices and in all five cases the ACORN workers offered to help the kids avoid paying taxes, advice on how to smuggle underage children in this country for the purpose of prostitution and how to get government funds to buy a house for a brothel. How can you say this is a few bad apples. Every single office they went to did the same thing, this is what ACORN does. Only now has ACORN admitted that there is a problem, they have even threatened to sue the kids who made the video. Is this what you pay taxes for, to have a government funded origination help teach it’s people how to cheat on taxes and encourage child prostitution? Don’t forget the Obama campaign gave ACORN $888,000 to help sign up voters, no wonder there is no justice department investigation.
21. Steve | 09.16.09
acorn got caught… Thank god. acorn is exactly what is wrong with the political process these days.
22. JohnScott | 09.16.09
This is a poor excuse for an article and a fine example of doing anything to keep a dark cloud away from the Obama Presidency. Starting in the middle of a story that has been public for a week, the author ignores the MANY statements denying guilt and mocking the evidence as partisan attacks on ACORN. The many threats of legal action on the journalists who broke this story and FOX News that broadcast the evidence is also missing. Starting in the middle, you can pretend all the offensive statements by ACORN never happened. As of today, when the evidence was overwhelming and ACORN says (as it has in the past) for the first time that it will take action and look within itself, it is at THIS point you publish half the story. SHAME on you.
23. DL13 | 09.16.09
ACORNGate has been reported on FoxNews for nearly a week now. It is where people go that want more than the spoon fed propaganda from the Democrat Run News Media.
24. Lloyd | 09.16.09
The thing I don’t understand about ACORN…besides their corruption…it appears….throughout is…….
If they are for low to moderate income people…why charge $120 for a membership!!!! They have over 500,000 members…..that itself is a lot of money!!
I believe them Rathke boys love the green!! The old fashioned kind!!
25. Hank | 09.16.09
We need to monitor and question everyone, no exceptions. Acorn is allowing unqualified employees to run thier organization.This shows that the organization is run poorly. They have been involved too many times in unethical transactions. This shows that they might have a secret agenda. They need to be investigated and kept an eye on. This should not be a bipartison issue, but an issue of corruption that can harm our democracy. What they are doing is plainly wrong.
26. lisa | 09.16.09
Acorn is just plain BAD! They have proven over and over that they encourage people to break the law, lie, cheat and basically steal! And the best part is they pass this **** using OUR TAX DOLLARS!!!!! Where in the heck is our representatives on this one???????????
27. Jesus | 09.16.09
ACORN is a great organization that has many people of faith within it and those who condemn it do not know the truth. Moral Christians should stand up for the injustice that is happening. ACORN helps the poor. Isn’t that what I have taught you?
28. Don | 09.17.09
Chuck — you forget Philly where the ACORN workers called the cops on the suspicious couple. Can we trust “reporters” with such a clear up front agenda and questionable methods to not have doctored some of those videos?
ACORN clearly needs better training and supervision. Its former CEO and founder, finally fired last year, is clearly to blame for the screwed up culture and poor supervision. The current leadership has not been on board long enough to fix the leaky ship. Still, they do some very good and important work in keeping thousands of people from losing their homes. I hope that work can be salvaged and go on.
29. Bob G | 09.17.09
It has always amazed me about perspectives. 1 person’s wrongdoing is another person’s normal mode of operation. If we cannot agree on what are normal ways to conduct one’s self then we are truly in trouble. My take is that you have an organization that may have at one time done great things for the inner city poor. Since the early 1990s report after report shows clearly wrong doing by many people of ACORN organization. Voter fraud, unlicensed chapters (in Maryland they are unlicensed), unlicensed financial advice and fraud with regard to filling in IRS forms. Either these things exist or they don’t. With the many arrests during the past year, resignations of chapter executives under investigations and recent exposures of the aforementioned irregularities it is impossible to draw any other conclusion than that they have done wrong; no matter who exposed it or how or why. Right or wrong, good or bad, pure or evil: you can’t have it both ways.
30. Dick | 09.17.09
Just think of all the harm that ACORN has done to the poor people by influencing them to vote a certain way,by getting them into bad loans,and securing home morgages that they could never repay.By there fruits ye shall know them.
31. me | 09.17.09
ACORN is mismanaged. I know people who were ACORN employees years ago and sued them for paying below minimum wage. It has grown far beyond what its management is capable of handling.
But the whole controversy around ACORN is manufactured. They get a relatively small amount of federal funds, and they do a lot of different work to earn it. The voter registration flare-up was a joke: ACORN was the one being defrauded by its employees, but it was trumpeted as somehow being left-wing voter fraud. Tell me: How can registering “Mickey Mouse” possibly help any candidate in an election?
The idea that organizations who receive federal funding can’t have an ideology or social goals is just plain wrong. If that were true, no church group could ever receive government money for any programs. You can’t promote a specific agenda when you’re registering voters (for example), but no group is completely ideology-free so this is just a red herring argument.
ACORN is just being used as a whipping boy to try to create the entirely false impression that there is a vast left-wing conspiracy to abuse government funds to promote socialism. It’s frightening how ignorant Americans are that they can be so easily misled by demagogues. Shame on you.
32. singfast | 09.17.09
Yeah, it is a conservative smear campaign. Let’s leave it at that. I think not. I think we might want to divert the resources invstigating the CIA for toture and have them focus on ACORN. Nation wide and at state and local levels as well.
In fact we should table the health care reform for a couple of months until a complete and through investigation is done. Time should be taken to connect the dots. How are Arcon and the SEIU connected. How about the Appollo Alliance which authored much of the stimulus bill. Let go back and take a closer look at all the szars and how was Van Jones appointed without anyone in the Obama administration knowing this guys backround. Do you think unionizing health workers will solve the so called health care issues.
Let’s try and understand how ABC, NBC CBS and the rest were unable to vet Van Joes. How was it that Charles Gibson of ABC news had not heard of the ARCON scandal until Tuesday of this week? Duh! Let free up some time for Tom Brokow since he did not have time to vett online stories about Van Jones. Never mind that Van Joes held two press conferences apoligizing for his remarks prior to his resignation. Duh!
Oh maybe we can have a beer summit? Who’s idea was the beer summit anyway? Was this a question of profling? Yeah, an Irish cop, he has to drink beer. Yeah that the ticket. we will have a beer. Who is profiling who?
33. JimC | 09.17.09
Finally, the Monitor has “started” reporting some of the news. Although I have to agree with JohnScott, this article was hardly a full dislosure of what’s going on with ACORN. Maybe now you can get back to business.
Ignoring the Van Jones resignation, ignoring the ACORN debacle, bad mouthing Glenn Beck, and running down Fox news, has run contrary to the founder’s motive of “injurying no man”. It has, frankly, hurt the country. Thank God there are some people/agencies out there who actually do their homework.
It can be hard to get to the facts when other’s points of view are callously disreguarded. I hope this is the start of being able to listen to other’s points of view. Sometimes, they actually have some validity.
34. jimbo | 09.17.09
A couple of bad apples didn’t bring down the Catholic Church. This is ho-hum, rightist pablum, that will be passe when they find some other nontroversey to hyper-ventilate on. I love watching the right completely melting down.
35. interloper | 09.17.09
Pete said, “If we are to follow the logic that republicans use to condemn ACORN then it would seem that we need to completely turn over both the House and the Senate as well as all of the state house in the 50 states during the next three election cycles.”
Hey I got no problem with that!
36. E. G. | 09.17.09
Start Fresh………..
ACORN is a corrupt organization getting taxpayer’s money, what more do we need to know. Shut them down and start fresh with people who have passed background checks. I read the brother of the founder of ACORN stole 1 million from the organization and he was not reported to the police, it was handled internally. I work hard for my money and pay taxes to the government and they give it to an organization that they know is corrupt and no audits are done to see if the money is spent to help the poor, it doesn’t make sense to a rational person.
37. gzaller | 09.17.09
I think we need to look deeper. ACORN is corrupt. The underlying cause is that people are losing the ability to evaluate their actions beyond the immediate superficial. If you can see this and want something good to do then become a leader and help people to see. Jesus did this but few know it today.
38. Mike Dailey | 09.17.09
This shows the CORRUPTION in the Democrat Party. The Democrats should do their UTMOST to weed out the Corruption.. wherever it is - lest the Spillover of corruption (acorn) will flow directly to Democrats.
Idea ! > > > Democrats Clean Up your Party and Be a REAL FORCE in this Great Nation of America
39. Mr Logaree | 09.17.09
$50+ million in funding? The “ethical conduct” bar should be set very high for getting that much of my money. Turn off all funding.
40. Sean | 09.17.09
All organizational behavior flows from the top down, their organizational culture clearly is based upon finding loopholes in the rules. Ethics of “as long as you don;t get caught” are the ethics of your average elementary schooler… They literally are trying to teach prostitutes how to launder thier money through a falsely established LLC, and our tax money is paying them to do so
41. Rodney Howard | 09.17.09
I’m fairly progressive-some would say liberal- A pro musician, Obama voter etc. But I believe in the truth and my instincts, even when they tell me something I don’t want to hear. My life experience has shown me that AMOST ALWAYS that rotten wood surrounds rotten wood. RARELY do you remove one bad apple and find that it was THE ONLY ONE IN THE BARREL.
If you think that these ACORN officials in the video are the only corrupt components of the organization, you are in complete denial.
42. Jeff | 09.17.09
Wait, I’m confused. I’ve read two posts today where one person said that Fox News spoon feeds right wing propaganda, and now #23 DL13 tells us that apparently the “Democrat Run News Media” spoon feeds us left wing propaganda. With all the spoon feeding of propaganda going around, I was wondering - is there anyone who can spoon feed me some centrist propaganda? That’s the type of propaganda I prefer to be spoon fed.
43. Jamal | 09.17.09
As a good Christian and a father of 3 young children, I am sickened by what these Acorn videos have shown. I DEMAND a federal investigation be done on this group. Does the FBI not take Child Prostitution Rings seriously????? Acorn should be shut down until a complete investigation is done. I will be sure to mention this to my senators and congressmen.
45. ejhickey | 09.17.09
The Acorn story is really about an some members of this organization advising people on hiw to evade the Federal income tax laws. Acorn says that these were isolated incidents. However, the pattern was the same in five different location in different parts of the country. Basically, we have a voluntary tax system and there are not enough IRS employees to enforce compliance if tax evasion became wide spread. Counseling people on how to set up an illegal business which relies on tax evasion to be profitable is a very bad thing and should not be taken lightly. I believe the IRS should be brought in to determine if this practice is wide spread. There are also issues about Acorn possibly encouraging sexual exploitation of children who are illegal immigrants. These are not matters to be taken lightly.
46. hoosiergirl46 | 09.17.09
I question whether Mr. Stern from the SEIU can be unbiased
as he becomes an evaluater for Acorn’s behavior.
47. Rob2 | 09.17.09
Compare the $54M has received from the taxpayers since 1994 to the $800B sent off to the banks with no records or accountability, and whose executives just walk away with the cash…
I think that the noise being made by Fox and the conservative machine is, as always, just a little misdirected.
48. CAROLYN | 09.17.09
Thanks to Michael Farrell and the Monitor for bringing out the facts in a fair-minded way. I think enough investigating has been done. We should just cut off the funding.
49. Skip | 09.17.09
Who shall cast the first stone? Congress? Senate? The President? We the people are responsible for all actions of our Gov. which helped create ACORN and other programs that use taxpayers hard EARNED money. We voted them in! Maybe we need to vote for common folks that live next door instead of who has the most money! America doesn’t need a new Goverment! The people need new leaders!
50. Judy | 09.17.09
Chuck (#30) - Clearly, you don’t know the ACORN organization. They actually fight to make sure people dodn’t get unaffordable loans. Both my husband and I are college graduates with good decent jobs. We came to ACORN to get a mortgage at the advice of our bank. We were able to get a below market interest rate loan, fixed for 30 years that we could actually afford. Thanks to the counseling and education we received from them, we’re not facing foreclosure like many other people. Please check your facts. I could speak first hand, can you? Instead of listening to what is being said on TV, do your research and learn the facts. Do you know that people that got mortgages through ACORN has one of the lowest numbers of delinquencies in their mortgage payment history. Why isn’t FOX reporting that? CHECK YOUR FACTS. Just don’t repeat what you hear. Did they show the video of the offices where they were asked to leave and the police was called. DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
51. Lewis | 09.17.09
It is interesting that ACORN refuses to address the Republican charge that they only work to advance liberal causes and yet they clearly support one political party. Their own rhetoric indicates that this is the case. This alone should disqualify them for any federal funds. When government funds are use to support a political party, then we are on the road to a one party system and a loss of freedom!
52. Jack Waldron | 09.17.09
First, the employees of ACORN who are in these “doctored” videos, should be in jail. What they did is horrible. Secondly, the videos don’t show the places where ACORN representatives called the police on these “amateur” journalists (rich Daddy’s kids).
Third, ACORN has 500,000 members. That’s half a million people. Odds are you’ll have a percent or two of unscrupulous people, that would be in this case about 5,000 to 10,000 bad apples. Shouldn’t be hard in an organization this size to find plenty of opportunities to “prove” it is a corrupt organization. I would be looking closely at the people who ran these individual locations. As, far as #11 and ACORN supporting tax fraud, that’s just a drop in the barrel to all those rich people with criminal tax evasion soon to come on them via the Swiss Bank disclosure coming. I expect a lot of Republicans will be caught in that sting. Probably a good number of Democrats too. It’s high time to reform America, and get rid of BOTH the Republicans and the Democrats in power and put in some Centrists. If only we had a Centrist party, you know one that represents what most of us are, rather than the far left and far right nut jobs we see day to day telling us what we should think. Not even GOD tries to do that. Where were all these pundits when God put down the Leviathan?
53. Justin | 09.17.09
Dear Gov., Please return my tax dollars that were given to ACORN so that I can go out and buy a few meals for the needy. I’ve decided that this middle-man thing isn’t working out. Thanks
54. ACUConservative | 09.17.09
Fellow conservatives. Are you tired of seeing ACORN in the news? Tired of your tax dollars funding them?
The American Conservative Union has been leading the battle against ACORN over the past two years. We must keep the pressure on now more than ever - Join the ACU and keep the pressure on ACORN - Sign the petition now.
We at the American Conservative Union thank you for all you do.
55. Dale Hansen-Jensen | 09.17.09
The CIA and other agencies are adept at infiltrating these organizations and creating these scenarios for political purposes. (Review the case of Sacremento and the Citizens for Public Water, Greenpeace and many others!). Operatives also infiltrate peaceful demonstrations and start riots, then leaders are incarcerated. I can easily imagine the same thing occuring in this case.
Whoever is in charge of this investigation should thoroughly investigate the identity and history of the people making the requests, the camera man and Mr. Chrisopher Edwards. (Who is he, really)?
56. chuck | 09.17.09
Don,
You say i forget that in one ACORN office they got kicked out, well, let me see, that’s means that means that 17% of the time ACORN did the right thing and 83% of the time they encourage clients to break the law and even have sex with children. There is no excuse for this, look at what you are saying, it is ok for the government to fund ACORN to enable illegal activities, just because they get it right 17% of the time.
As for the new administration not being in office long enough to change this, the new administration is ACORN. Obama’s election office gave them $888,000 before the election to go out and registered voters. In Nevada 48% of ACORN registered voters were false. After finding this out did the new administration do anything, NO, they just made it possible to receive up to 8 billion dollars out of the stimulus bill. Who is more corrupt ACORN or Obama?
57. NJMan | 09.17.09
What I have not heard anyone say is that even the Catholic Church has suspended funds allocated to ACORN. They stopped all funding and are conducting an investigation into the misuse of funds. If the Catholic Church with it’s human rights appeals and generally liberal attitiude is investigating this, what does that say about the organization. I would also like to add that Mr.”O” worked for them as a legal representative, so I am guessing he must have know some of these goings on.
58. Liz2009 | 09.17.09
Eric Holder needs to start an investigation on ACORN - leave the CIa alone — if ACORN has received funds for low income folks from HUD, what does HUD do? I thought over the past thirty years HUD was supposed to counsel and assist low-income folks with housing and urban development — why do they need a “non” profit scam to do the same thing. I think investigating HUD would be a great start too! Congress should do nothing but review its past expenditure bills to see if they make any sense - which each of us does in our own budgeting — we don’t keep paying for things we no longer need or want just because we did so in the past unless we have determined that they still make sense to our lives. CONGRESS NEEDS TO GET WITH IT OR WE INVOKE PETE’S SUGGESTION - TERM LIMITS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
59. SandraDee | 09.17.09
I agree that an investigation is necessary. However, the videos are anything but an investigation. They were produced by people whose aim it was, and is, to destroy Acorn. I would want to see the unedited versions. What did the employees do once these people left? I’d like to know how many Acorn people they went through before they found these apparently, corrupt employees. If a PROPER investigation finds illegal activity then the people responsible should be prosecuted, right up to the top if necessary. And if Acorn is systemically corrupt or negligently managed, then funding should be stopped.
But all this hysterical right-wing, lynch mob mentality, is really disturbing. The screamers from the right have already decided that crimes were committed, the criminal activity is system wide in Acorn and that the Obama administration is behind it all. They are so afraid of and disturbed by, Obama that they are willing to accept any allegation as fact as long as it tends to prove, in their minds, that he is out to destroy America. It’s pathetic.
60. Ed | 09.17.09
What really has me amazed is that ACORN seems to have dozens of organizations that spring from it and interweave their various funding sources with it. Their being hip-by-jowl with SEIU, the Democrat Party, and the Obama Administration and various members of Congress woulde seem to demand an Inspector’s General investigation, if not a Congressional and IRS Audit. Follow the money, and since it is our money-we can, and we’ll find the truth.
61. Jay | 09.17.09
I am a progressive liberal. I find the actions of these individuals reprehensible, and they (and people up the chain) should be fired.
But blaming the whole organization for a few bad apples? Lets see.
How many Catholic priests have been found guilty of child molestation? How does that number compare to the ACORN employees found guilty of misconduct? Should we ban the Catholic Church too?
62. Cort S | 09.17.09
Hello Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity! Thank Ann for writing a book on Treason and Sean for writing a book on Deliver Us from Evil. The word “subversion” seemed to be forgotten word or a bad word today. The truth is that the Devil practiced it first. It is a Balaam’s sin. Also, it is and was practiced by the Communist.
Beside this, my prayers are being answered. I have been praying to the Lord our God, our Heavenly Father to protect the United States of America from all evil men and women with their evil agendas and bring out these evil people to open so that our public could deal with them properly.
63. K.L. | 09.17.09
I would like to thank (not that it means much) the posters of this board. For the most part all of you have stayed on point - this is about some corruption within the organization. Period. As a liberal democrat I am heartened to see the reasoned responses that have been posted here. Other boards have disintegrated into Obama is a Kenyan/Mulsim/Socialist/Hitler/America Hater type of rhetoric.
Again thank you for allowing me to enjoy some good ole SENSIBLE debate. You are to be commended.
64. PelosisBotoxSupplier | 09.17.09
For people to blame this on Beck or the students or Fox is hilarious. How about blaming these crimial Acorn workers or the group itself? Or blame the media that cover for these groups, causing them to feel more confident that they can get away with anything?
65. George Bruce | 09.17.09
Some posters have claimed that there was one ACORN office with turned away the citizen-journalists. In other places it is claimed that many ACORN offices turned them away. The two kids that did the videos state that they were not turned away at any office they visited. There is no evidence that any ACORN office called the police about this at or near the time of the visit. Remember, it is a crime in most or all states to fail to report evidence of child abuse. If anyone still claims that any ACORN office refused to help support child sexual slavery, and reported the matter to the Police, please submit a link to a credible source to back up that claim.
The evidence before us is that those two visited five ACORN offices and were offered help to set up a child sex slavery brothel at 100% of them. What are the odds of there being just five “bad apples”?
66. nfp | 09.17.09
Not-for-profit organization had caused much damage to America through 911 and during the Iraq/Afghanistan war. Not-for-profit organization elsewhere was a good way of laundering money and masking its true intention. Perhaps, it is time to pass law to held someone responsible for its book and business transaction. As well, it is urgent during the present,un- precedented expansion of national deficit to investigate the corruption and impeach/jail politicians for their gross shares in corruption like Philippine, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
67. Mike Greene | 09.17.09
Thanks to CSM and writer Farrell for giving us room to see each other clearly.
Lots of this: “I have been praying to the Lord our God, our Heavenly Father to protect the United States of America from all evil men and women with their evil agendas and bring out these evil people to open so that our public could deal with them properly.”
Now read “Crazy for God” by former evangelical Franker Schaeffer. Fact-fearing, logic-hating demagogues have taken control of the Republican Party. They run many cities, and quite a few nuclear missile squadrons, as well.
68. Gene Guffey | 09.18.09
A couple of young jounalist to be ran a sting on ACORN not expecting to learn much of anything. What they did learn is that every office they went to they were given instructions on how to avoid paying taxes to the city, state and federal government. How to declare underage girls as family members to avoid getting caught by the police, even help on how to smuggle the girls of 13 to 15 years of age into the US and where would be the best place to set up a house of prostition. We American taxpayers provide tax dollar support to these people and here they are helping people hide money from taxation!
This is serious corruption and from what has been disclosed they have even further tapes that will be forth coming for the public to see and let the public make up it’s own mind. My mind is made up. The President of the United States even though he supports this group Must demand the Attorney General to perform a RICO investigate on ACORN and all of it’s associated companies. This then must be made public on the findings and if it leads to criminal prosecutions so be it, but, if they come out clean with no wrong doings then we should continue to fund for the help of the poorer in our society, however, this must be backed up with serious oversight. This is not a Democrat, Republican or Independent problem it is an American citizen problem that must be corrected.
69. Greg | 09.18.09
ACORN is actually the organization responsible for starting the entire subprime mortgage mess that is ravaging communities across America. ACORN led noisy protests at big banks to force them to lend money to poor people, without extensive credit checks and determination of ability to pay. Soon Democrats passed laws forbidding banks from “discriminating” against minorities, and thus was born the subprime mortgage debacle.
70. Fred | 09.18.09
1. These actors went to many ACORN offices that tossed them out. Where’s the video of those?
2. ACORN receives most of its funding outside of Federal funding. As of today, they are cut off from Federal funding.
3. Yes, there are some bad employees, who need to be dealt with accordingly. Fired. But with 1200 offices, you can’t punish the entire organization…at least not fairly.
4. ACORN did not cause the housing meltdown. If you took only loans given to “poor people”, it would amount to less than 25% (I’ve heard 10%) of the defaulted loans. Do you think these “poor folks” have $500K loans? Of course not!
5. Obama assisted with some legal work for ACORN at one time….and it wasn’t for very long. So it’s not true that ACORN and Obama are tied at the hip.
71. Joe | 09.18.09
I guess I’m not the only one to say this but, what would FOX News be saying if this was a white Christian fundamentalist group helping poor and working poor campaigning for a right-winger? It’s all about race.
73. The Badger | 09.18.09
The above article needs to be updated. This time please include all state indictments and convictions against ACORN, including its present and former employees / management. There is a pattern of corruption that extends over many years.
ACORN is related to over 300 organizations of questionable purpose. Succinct and complete reporting is important to avoid misleading your readers.
74. RonK | 09.19.09
Some of the postings by left-wing Dems are amazing. Please look at the facts that prove ACORN is corrupt. First, there are now 20 states investigating ACORN for voter fraud. In Nevada, one ACORN official is turning on other ACORN officials and that investigation is headed for several convictions. Several years ago, ACORN discovered that their CEO, Rathke (the older one of the brothers) had stolen about $1 million from ACORN — yes from his own organization. ACORN decided not to press charges because any investigation by police would reveal the corruption spread throughout the nation. The Louisiana attorney general has asked for the books of ACORN and its union ally, SEIU, which is located in the same building as ACORN in New Orleans. The two young film makers stumbled on seriously crooked people and, if it had been a conservative organization they outed, they would receive top journalism awards like Woodward and Bernstein. The old left-wing media were asleep in bed with Obama and didn’t know anything. (I refuse to call the three old networks “Main Stream Media” or MSM because they lost touch with America’s main stream long ago.) Three cheers for these two young folks! Calling them “conservative” is, to me, correct and enouraging. RonK
75. John | 09.19.09
In 2006, ACORN was found to be busing voters from St. Louis to Kansas City for double voting. Surely the press can find those stories.
76. Tammy | 09.19.09
In response to 59’s accusations of anyone who questions this administration’s policies as having a “lynch-mob mentality”, I say that is the pot calling the kettle black indeed! As 69 pointed out, ACORN was a catalyst for the sub-prime melt-down with the very “lynch mob” tactics the right is being acused of. This unscrupulous and corrupt left-wing “community organization” sent angry mobs to bank executives’ homes to intimidate. The recent demonstration in Washington D.C. by thousands and thousands of concerned citizens with a so-called lynch mob mentality did not result in a single arrest!!! Miraculous!!
77. george | 09.19.09
” The local ACORN president says the couple tried to solicit help with tax returns. And when ACORN workers refused, the couple allegedly got belligerent and ACORN workers called police.
“We have a copy of the police report that was filed,” Hemingway said. ”
. . .
“the edited tapes don’t show what happened in most cases.
“Show the tapes where this doesn’t work and also show the tapes at the end of the conversation where people said we really can’t assist you,” CEO Bertha Lewis said. ”
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7019810
Uncharged with a crime Acorn is condemned in its entirety.
Shame on all the easy pushover hypocrites for the right wing lie machine.
78. James Stroud | 09.19.09
Some guy shooting a candid camera video on unsuspecting workings is not proof of a conspiracy. We don’t know the mindset of those workers or whether they suspected a ruse and were just playing along. Did any of these workers ever file official documents on behalf of the fake ****? I suspect not. Did their actions indicate systemic corruption? Would they have acted differently if they knew they were being filmed by the two political activists posing as a **** and a prostitute? If someone came into your office with a costume on and it was a hot summer day, would you play along with their seemingly harmless game for a few minutes? Did the camera remain on after the **** and ***** left. Do we ever get to see the genuine reaction of the workers? Did they laugh about the absurdity of their guests or did the workers dutifully fill out documents to help them? Where are the documents?
It wouldn’t surprise me if Acorn is systemically mismanaged. But so is any large bureaucracy. But to use a this video as evidence of such corruption is irresponsible. More ridiculous would be to consider this video evidence of any sort of involvement by a political party.
79. Taryn | 09.19.09
To John Stroud: I don’t mean to give offense but even if the employees were “harmlessly” playing along with this outrageous statement they should be aware that a person will be arrested for screaming FIRE! in a populated movie theatre that isn’t on fire. Security in airports will take people who even mention the word “bomb” seriously. IF these employees weren’t actually trying to help, then why did they act as if they were?
80. Jim | 09.19.09
Acorn is totally corrupt and this fact has been known for years but covered up by Dems who profit from the voter registrations they produce (even though this is also a sham). Not another dime of American taxpayer money should go to this disgracefully corrupt group. This group has been a dirty little secret (and sometimes not so secret, just ignored) for years. Thank goodness for two young people who did phenomenal journalism when all mainstream media ignored this, except for Fox news. Wake up America and weed out groups like this that are a total disgrace and should not be allowed to function.
81. Marik | 09.19.09
In order to discover whether or not FOX News is a corrupt institution, we would have to have access to their corporate books as well as all the documents created by their legal staff over the last, let’s say, decade. The law is designed to protect such records from public scrutiny in most cases. Of course, if one could actually infiltrate FOX News’s corporate headquarters, evidence of misdoing might or might not be found.
82. Marik | 09.19.09
Although I have no specific reason to doubt the validity of these tapes, the fact that they have not been presented in toto raises the interesting question of what was left out of the tapes and why it was omitted.
A good journalist might want to investigate. There might be a story there.
83. David Bradford | 09.20.09
ACORN stands for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. What is Reform? Reform is defined as beneficial change, or sometimes, more specifically, reversion to a PURE ORIGINAL STATE. The first president of the United States said, “As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent,” he wrote James Madison, “it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles.” I think George Washington is rolling over in his grave at the thought that so much money and support by our goverment is given to ACORN.
84. Heather | 09.20.09
Could you imagine if this were a conservative organization? Or maybe a conservative religious organization?
The liberal outrage would be deafening!
85. Cal | 09.21.09
Basically, ACORN gets federal money, and it advocates for the liberal, Democrat agenda. That’s wrong, and we need to stop it.”
If that is the logic, then we need to stop evangelical christian churches, as well as the Catholic church and the mormons. They’re “funded” by Republicans (through “pass the plate” contributions)and are constantly involved in the political process.
86. Mark G | 09.21.09
Eric Holder dropped the charges on the ACORN thugs that were shouting how it was no longer a white America dn they were walking around with nightsticks hampering voting from whites. You really think that idiot Holder will investigate and charge ACORN? Please. He’s too busy trying to see if he can bust the CIA agents who, after receiving word from the Justice Department that it was OK, used extraordinary measures to keep us safe. Yeah, this Obama administration sure has its priorities straight.
Fold on Russia. Fold on Israel. Fold on Venezuela. Charge white cops with being stupid, and then fold on holding his own idiot friend accountable for his racism charges.
America, you were duped. You continue to be duped.
Do you know who’s controlling the strings of you puppets? George Soros. Why do you think he wants this to happen? Do some research people. Find out how your values, your society, your freedoms are being raped in front of your eyes and trampled all over the ground. You’re so damned beholden to Dem’s on one side or Repub’s on the other side, but make no mistake, both sides doth collude against you.
Our values have disappeared. The attacks against Christianity are not just against Christianity. They’re happening to Muslims as well, just more slowly because muslims won’t take it lying down, but it’s happening to them as well.
You’re being force fed tat religion is a scourge on society. It’s not, but you weak-minded people will believe anything these news rags and tv shows tell you.
Tell you what, once the microchips are implanted in you, then maybe you’ll wake up. Until then, keep sleeping at the wheel.
87. Anthony | 09.21.09
You are doing a disservice to your readers by presenting the so called “controversy” as legitimate.
Perhaps you could start to undo this by posting a photograph of the alleged “****”. Then it will be clear that he was not fooling anyone and these Acorn workers were going along with a bad joke.
It is not the job of media to convict the character of organizations based on false information, and that is effective what has been done here. These videos were edited. Anybody can make anything look like it is happening with editing.
Will the truth only come out in the court case where Acorn is suing to get the truth out?
88. Charlene M | 09.22.09
In defense of Fox News’ credibility vs. the fringe media
Bob Beckel, Kirsten Powers, Juan Williams, Geraldine Ferraro, James Carville, Alan Colmes, Geraldo Rivera and David Axelrod appear regularly on Fox News to present the liberal-progressive view on issues ranging from ACORN to Afghanistan.
Fox’s fair and balanced outlook first attracted me during their remarkable tribute to Pres. Ronald Reagan during the days-long mourning back in June, 2004. Fox reporters exploded all of the myths the media had indoctrinated the public with during the Reagan Presidency (remember the “amiable dunce” comment?).
I felt ashamed for being so gullible, then outraged at the malicious and purposeful misrepresentation by the national press of Pres. Reagan. Watching Fox has made me more alert, more questioning, and more politically active.
Wouldn’t the Founding Fathers want an engaged, informed, interested citizenry?
God bless Fox News. May their increase in numbers/strength continue to be in direct proportion to their integrity in news reporting.
89. Spark | 09.23.09
ACORN does the work that Jesus did in his day. They work for the poor and the vulnerable. Jesus was unpopular with the conservatives in his day, just as pro-poor organizations are today. Some things stay the same. Matthew 25
90. woodie | 09.24.09
ACORN is not Democrat affiliated or they couldn’t get public funding. They are advocates for the poor. They didn’t support a Republican for president. No surprise there. Republicans don’t believe in the poor. They believe the top 1% who control most the wealth in their capitalist ‘utopia’ will give them all good paying jobs. It has never happened before but who knows, maybe Fox News can make a fake video for us. Show us happy poor people.
91. GG | 09.25.09
Left, right or middle of the road.. who cares? This is a very important airing of facts about a very powerful organization which participated in significant ways in the downfall of the housing market, committed voter fraud and obviously now some major ugliness which scar everyone on either side. As a liberal thinker I am totally appauled with the media’s treatment of this scandal - unfortunately the Monitor included. It is their job to report, expose and fairly represent. Some of the media are attacking the kids! And, what about our president’s involvement with this organization? I have not seen one word about that? I recall it was the basis for his claim to ‘community organizer’ and he worked for them as a lawyer in Chicago. I voted for him, I support the presidency but I also have lived long enough to know that one needs to step back sometimes. Wow, we are not… at least the media is not.
92. inside the hatch | 10.07.09
ACORN, by the way, does NOT help the poor. Getting people who can’t afford a home loan into a mortgage they can’t afford only results in the applicant falling into ruinous debt. This does the poor no favors. In fact, it does just the opposite of thier stated intentions. In the long run, it makes the poor poorer, drags down the middle class and expands the role of Government.
It is obvious to me that ACORN exists for the sole purpose of promoting a socialist adgenda aimed at creating an ever expanding lower class that depends on Government support to survive. Meanwhile, anything they can do to syphon off public funds to make money for thier own organization is just fine. As for the sex trafficing, tax evasion and fraud, they obviously have been trained to promote these activities. Otherwise how would chapter after chapter of this organization be giving the same answers and advise? This comes from the top. The true mission of ACORN is to corrupt the American society and to facillitate the collapse of it’s current form of government. The proof is in the pudding.
And lets not forget who supports ACORN and who ACORN supports in return. Liberal Democrats. Enough said.
93. Chris Baker | 10.31.09
According to many on this blog, registering people to vote and helping them find housing is part of the liberal, Democratic agenda. Why isn’t that part of the conservative, Republican agenda?
Also, as far as I’ve heard, none of the “investigations” have turned up anything actionable against anybody. Its all speculation, hearsay and conjecture based on fear and only a small part of the evidence.
This is EXACTLY what Eugene McCarthy did. Nothing to be proud of.
Actually, I think its good news because it shows how desperate the Republican Right has become.
94. Revolutionist | 11.10.09
To all you Democrats: you have been deceived. The Democratic Party stands for nothing you want. You want democracy. The Democratic Party stands for socialism. Socialism equals a small group of people making decisions for the populace. You want freedom. The Democratic Party wants to spend massive amounts of money that we don’t have taxes to cover creating MASSIVE DEBT (George Bush– you don’t get a free pass here). Debt equals SLAVERY of YOU! Massive debt equals taxations without representation of the future generations that will be burdened with the debts. You want equality for all. The democratic party wants to give the public a lower standard of healthcare and retirement benefits than elected officials get. Wake up! It’s time to hold ALL government officials accountable regardless of party. Many Republicans are as guilty as the Democrats in leading this country to where it is today– on the brink of a depression and bankruptcy. WE THE PEOPLE need to hold ALL those with a bad track record ACCOUNTABLE. WE THE PEOPLE need to try those guilty of corruption (a.k.a. using their position of authority for their own personal gain) as CRIMINALS and TRAITORS. IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP AMERICA! IT’S TIME TO GET INVOLVED IN POLITICAL OFFICE AND FIGURE OUT HOW OUR GOVERNMENT WORKS AND HOW IT SHOULD WORK ACCORDING TO THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND– THE CONSTITUTION. It’s time that WE THE PEOPLE understand what candidates really stand for and to hold them accountable and return government to common sense decision making through voting. IT’S TIME THAT WE ELECT REAL REFORMERS WHO CHERISH THE IDEA OF FREEDOM AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO WE THE PEOPLE!
95. Kioti | 11.16.09
I can’t understand why our government is giving our tax dollars to organizations. When they could go out and do fund raisers or something like that. I think our government should stop giving to all Organizations. Non of them seem to be an asset to our country or our way of life. Why have we become so dependent of others to stand up for us? Why must you have to pay money to an organization to fight for us? Why cant we all band together and fight for what we belive in? Why does it have to have a cost. It seems that A.C.O.R.N. is taking advantage of the less fortunate. But I guess thats the way life is the strong feed off the weak. But why does it have to be that way? Can someone answer that?
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1. Pete | 09.16.09
If we are to follow the logic that republicans use to condemn ACORN then it would seem that we need to completely turn over both the House and the Senate as well as all of the state house in the 50 states during th enext three election cycles.