Nutty Attacks On ACORN

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Boult

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Civil Rights-- Nutty Attacks On ACORN

In recent weeks, conservatives have escalated their attacks on ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Conservative lawmakers were able to remove a provision aimed at aiding low-income housing programs from the Bush administration’s $700 billion economic bailout bill by calling it a "slush fund" for ACORN. Before that, conservatives blamed ACORN for "precipitating the subprime crisis." And last week, they alleged that the "purpose" of ACORN is to engage in voter fraud. However, as columnist Joel McNally correctly noted, the "underlying motive for attacking ACORN" seems to be that it is the "nation's largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people." "It is an organization that engages in that dreaded community organizing," McNally wrote. "It actually tries to give a voice to the poor and most vulnerable among us." Indeed, after years of enacting policies catering to the wealthy, the right-wing seems to be fearful of millions of new low-income voters registered by ACORN casting their ballots in favor of progressive policies.

Click the red headline to read more and to visit source links as well as "Under the Radar" and "Think Fast"
Source: The Progress Report
 
The Truth About Voter Fraud

ELECTION
The Truth About Voter Fraud

A Conservative Myth that Makes Voting Harder

As the 2008 election process draws near -- and with early voting in many states having already begun -- conservatives are raising a great hue and cry about the threat of voter fraud. Attacks have centered on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the "nation's largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people," whose workers have registered 1.3 million new voters this year. Conservatives like Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) and former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell have seized on reports of improperly filled-out forms as evidence of "lawlessness" and "voting fraud," which will lead to "the kind of chaos you expect from a category-five hurricane." But mass voter fraud is just a conservative myth used to justify increasing the difficulty of the voting process. In an interview with Salon, Lori Minnite, a professor of political science at Barnard College who investigated allegations of widespread voter fraud, explained, "From 2002 to 2005 only one person was found guilty of registration fraud. Twenty people were found guilty of voting while ineligible and five people were found guilty of voting more than once. That's 26 criminal voters -- voters who vote twice, impersonate other people, vote without being a resident ... Meanwhile thousands of people are getting turned away at the polls."

click the headline to read more plus "Under the Radar" and "Think Fast"
Source: The Progress Report
 
Thanks for the thread, Boult. Lol, that is some smear campaign on ACORN, tsk tsk. One thing to keep in mind is that fraudulent voter registrations do not mean fraudulent votes, since someone who registered to vote 100 times can only vote once at the polls. (The fraudulent voter registration happens because the ACORN workers are paid by the number of voter registrations they bring in, thus increasing the temptation [or likelihood] of escalating the actual number of voter registrations, but that's another story entirely.) Voter fraud is a minor problem at the polls compared to voter intimidation, voter misinformation campaigns, and barriers to voting commonly set up in conservative states, such as Voter ID laws. In fact, just yesterday the Federal court ruled that Ohio must check voter registrations before proceeding further. The Associated Press: Federal court: Ohio must check voter registrations It will be interesting to see what next happens in the next couple weeks.
 
I'm not surprised that conservatives are once again attacking an organization that helps the less-fortunate. I've pointed out in another thread about voter fraud that McCain once praised ACORN, etc.
 
I'm not surprised that conservatives are once again attacking an organization that helps the less-fortunate. I've pointed out in another thread about voter fraud that McCain once praised ACORN, etc.

What kind of cars are these folks driving, Brad? Just like regular charities, I don't contribute one single penny because of the people who head them get such exorbant salaries that very little, if any, goes to the actual cause of helping people. Check their records before whipping out your checkbook to write any charity a donation, Brad.
 
FactCheck.org: ACORN Accusations
Key paragraph from the link above is this!
But so far ACORN itself has not been officially charged with any fraud. Aside from the heated charges and counter-charges, no evidence has yet surfaced to show that the ACORN employees who submitted fraudulent registration forms intended to pave the way for illegal voting. Rather, they were trying to get paid by ACORN for doing no work. Dan Satterberg, the Republican prosecuting attorney in King County, Wash., where the largest ACORN case to date was prosecuted, said that the indicted ACORN employees were shirking responsibility, not plotting election fraud.
Daily Kos:Factchecking the lies about ACORN

Daily Kos: Republican Arrested for Voter Registration Fraud
That's big difference from what ACORN's employees did!
State and local investigators allege that Mark Jacoby fraudulently registered himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California.


Think Progress » GOP operative arrested for voter fraud in California.

Think Progress » CNN fact-check: ‘This is looking like a fraud committed against ACORN.’
 
Yeah, where's the outrage over the arrest of that Republican?

Oh right, he's a Republican. It's O.K for him to do that.
 
Maxine Waters and Acorn speaker promote "the next President of the United States" Obama at Acorn convention.

YouTube - ACORN Convention - Maxine Waters Speaks About Obama

Also:

YouTube - The Lowdown on ACORN

Some subtitles:

YouTube - OBAMA CAUGHT SAYING ACORN AND FRIENDS WILL SHAPE HIS PRESIDENTIAL AGENDA
Think Progress » Video: Attacks on ACORN are part of a long-running right-wing campaign of voter suppression.
A new video from Brave New Films makes the case that recent fear-mongering claims of “voter fraud” are part of a long-running right-wing campaign to suppress the vote. As evidence, the video documents this statement made in 1980 by conservative activist Paul Weyrich:

They want everybody to vote! I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people – they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections, quite candidly, goes up as the voting populace goes down.

there you go!
YouTube - Help spread the truth about ACORN
 
Think Progress » Video: Attacks on ACORN are part of a long-running right-wing campaign of voter suppression.
A new video from Brave New Films makes the case that recent fear-mongering claims of “voter fraud” are part of a long-running right-wing campaign to suppress the vote. As evidence, the video documents this statement made in 1980 by conservative activist Paul Weyrich:

there you go!
YouTube - Help spread the truth about ACORN
I saw the video on TV with Maxine Waters and the other woman (a uniformed member of ACORN), give their "non-partisan" speeches endorsing and promoting Obama for President, at the ACORN convention (or should I say Obama rally). There is no denying that this supposedly unbiased, non-partisan group wants to get the vote for Obama. They said so at their rally.
 
I still wonder what kind of cars the leaders of this "nonpartisan" group drive . . . :hmm:
 
Is this non-partisan?

"After calling the current administration 'the worst president this country has ever had,' Waters stressed the importance of getting every American registered to vote so that we can seize the opportunity to elect Sen. Barack Obama as the next president."
ACORN: Article[tt_news]=22217&tx_ttnews[backPid]=12340&cHash=f6a026039e

"Now Obama is the presumptive nominee, he stands to be the President of the United States of America."
YouTube - ACORN Convention - Maxine Waters Speaks About Obama
 
Non-partisan?

ACORN spokeswoman at their convention:

"We're getting Obama for President. Obama needs us, ACORN, but we need Obama! Our goal . . . is to get out the vote. . . We're going to help Obama win!"

(Each segment followed by much cheering and applause.)
YouTube - OBAMA'S ACORN EXPOSED PART 2 OF 2
 
Also from the ACORN convention:

"Because Obama is our dream and the dram of every American that loves justice . . . Welcome, President Obama!"

John Edwards also asked ACORN to organize and support Obama for President.

Non-partisan?
 
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