ACORN's biggest lie

The most outrageous lie from ACORN can be found on this page of their web site:

ACORN is a non-profit, non-partisan social justice organization with national headquarters in New York, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.

Um, OK.

The OTHER problem with ACORN

As ACORN officials issue one defensive statement after another in response to the devastating revelations about their criminal enterprise, they're revealing to the public what the Right-wing Noise Machine™ has known and been trying to call attention to for a long time: that ACORN is nothing more than an extension of the Democratic party and exists mainly to serve their agenda. Take, for example, this closing paragraph from ACORN's most recent statement announcing suspension of some services:

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."

Huh-what? Passing the health care reform bill the Democrats so desperately want? Stopping the mortgage crisis of the Democrats' making? When the hell did those two things become ACORN's job? Oh, right...some time around 20 January this year, I guess. I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that ACORN probably wouldn't be too excited about pushing something from the Republican agenda, no matter how good it would be for everyone. Like tort reform, let's say. Or school vouchers. Or building nuclear plants and expanding domestic oil and natural gas production.

And that's the other problem with ACORN. Not so much that they're relentless advocates for the Democrats' agenda, but that they receive taxpayer funding to be advocates for the Democrats' agenda! They have zero accountability to Congress and therefore to the taxpayers who fund them.

So here's a challenge for the two or three people who might read this...name a non-profit community organization pushing a Republican agenda receiving taxpayer funding.

The public face of ACORN

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I remember seeing this guy on TV a couple times during the campaign when allegations about ACORN were really starting to boil over. Scott Levenson is easily the smarmiest, sleaziest most condescending spokescritter to ever hold the job. Oh, and as Allahpundit says, unctuous. If this is the best guy ACORN can put forward, just how rotten are the rest of ACORN's members?

Don't view the video above if you've got a queasy stomach. Instead, watch this one...it's basically what Levenson is reduced to:

ACORN: Ready, fire, aim

ACORN is reacting predictably in the wake of the damning video evidence of their criminal activities by threatening legal action and denying that they are, in fact, a criminal enterprise disguised as advocates for social justice.

I am appalled and angry; I cannot and I will not defend the actions of the workers depicted in the video, who have since been terminated. But it is clear that the videos are doctored, edited, and in no way the result of the fabricated story being portrayed by conservative activist "filmmaker" O'Keefe and his partner in crime. And, in fact, a crime it was - our lawyers believe a felony - and we will be taking legal action against Fox and their co-conspirators.

So, let's see...the video tapes were doctored and edited and the whole story "fabricated", yet they still fired the workers involved. Way to undermine your own assertion, ACORN.

On top of that, they're targeting Fox News and their "co-conspirators". Fox had nothing to do with the production of the videos and merely reported on the furor that arose over them after they were posted on biggovernment.com and YouTube. Their motive in targeting Fox is a two-fer; they get to go after the big, bad Fox News Channel, plus they surely have deeper pockets than Hanna Giles and James O'Keefe, the two independent producers of the videos.

But there's a saying I've heard regarding civil lawsuits: "Discovery's a bitch." During the discovery phase of a lawsuit, the defendants get to demand all kinds of information of the plaintiff, information which may not be in ACORN's best interests to disclose. And in naming Fox in a possible suit, they'll have battalions of Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp attorneys to contend with.

I hope ACORN is foolish enough to go forward with a lawsuit. It'll be fun to watch.

Update: Good lord...yet another video released, this time from NYC. Ed at Hot Air says the same thing today that I said yesterday.

"The powers that be" are protecting ACORN

Back in June, nearly three months before James O'Keefe's exposé blew the lid off the criminal enterprise that is ACORN, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) backed off from his plan to investigate the taxpayer-funded liberal activist group.

"The powers that be decided against it," Mr. Conyers told The Washington Times as he left the House chambers Wednesday.

The chairman declined to elaborate, shrugging off questions about who told him how to run his committee and give the Democrat-allied group a pass.

So just who are the powers that be? The paragraph following those quoted above implies that Conyers was referring to himself, but it really doesn't matter. As a Democrat he certainly is one of "the powers that be" so it probably wouldn't have taken much arm-twisting by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid or Barack Obama to dissuade Conyers from pursuing his investigation, which was surely political grandstanding for public consumption, anyway.

Under the stimulus Obama's political remuneration bill, ACORN stands to receive some $5.2 billion in funding. That's close to the annual budget of the Department of Commerce and more than that of the Army Corps of Engineers, and effectively elevates ACORN national president Maude Hurd to a cabinet-level post. I guess that makes her Community Organizing Czar.

Clearly, ACORN needs to be investigated for its criminal activities. Just don't hold your breath waiting for it from a Democrat-controlled Congress or an Obama-controlled Justice Department.