To Fox News, The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, is the epitome of everything that is wrong with the United States of America, and President Obama is, and has been, the organization's greatest champion and supporter for decades.
Unfortunately, the facts surrounding ACORN and Obama's association with ACORN do not support Fox's argument, but that doesn't stop them from trying to make it.
Yesterday, Fox News aired a "new" video showing Obama heaping praise on ACORN as more proof of his radical communist ties to the organization. As far as, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity are concerned, any group that engages in community organizing, and isn't an overt right-wing organization, is part of a communist plot to overthrow the government.
Beck, Hannity and O'Reilly each ran this "new" video of Obama allegedly singing the praises of ACORN. The video was "discovered" by Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-CA) office. Hannity even brought Issa on to discuss the video.
The thing is, other than the edits made by Issa, the video isn't new, it's from 2007, and it proves nothing that hasn't already been know for a long time.
Here's what Issa's edited version has Obama saying to ACORN, "And you know you've got a friend in me, and I definitely welcome ACORN's input ... When I ran Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois ACORN was smack-dab in the middle of it … Since I've been in the United States Senate I've been always a partner with ACORN as well … I've been fighting … alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career."
Here's a portion of Obama actually said, as reported by Politifact in Sept. 2009, "I come out of a grass roots organizing background. That's what I did for three and half years before I went to law school. That's the reason I moved to Chicago was to organize. So this is something that I know personally, the work you do, the importance of it. I've been fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career. Even before I was an elected official, when I ran the Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work."
So what does any of this prove? Looking at the actual facts of Obama's connection to ACORN, not much.
In 1995, Obama and two other attorneys represented ACORN and other organizations in a federal civil lawsuit against the state of Illinois to demand that it enforce the so-called "motor voter" federal law that allows people to register to vote when getting their drivers' license. Oh those filthy communists and their voter registration efforts.
According to Politifact, "There were five other named plaintiffs in the case, but ACORN was the lead plaintiff. Among the groups that sided with ACORN in the matter: the U.S. Department of Justice and the League of Women Voters. The courts concluded that Illinois had to enforce the law, and the case generated several federal court orders through 1995 and 1996."
As for Obama's community organizing, he never worked for ACORN. He did work for an organization called Project Voter that did similar work as ACORN. While the two organizations did end up merging, Obama never worked directly for ACORN.
Politifact reported that ACORN's political action committee endorsed Obama for president, but so did a lot of other organizations.
It's also worth noting that despite Fox News' attempt to portray ACORN as a radical criminal organization, the organization has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Congressional Research Service.
On the other hand, the right-wing conspirators, Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe, who attempted their "prostitute" and "pimp" ACORN sting operation last year are facing felony charges for illegally entering a US Senators office. The two are also staring at a federal civil court for recording a Pennsylvania ACORN employee without permission - that's illegal there. Maryland and California are considering charges as well.
But in terms of Obama's connection with ACORN, it's dubious at best. Politifact had this to say about Karl Rove's claim that Obama used to be a lawyer for ACORN.
"As for Rove's claim that Obama used to be a lawyer for ACORN, yes, Obama once took on a case for ACORN. But Obama was never a staff attorney for ACORN. He did not do ongoing work for the organization. He handled one case along with two other attorneys. ACORN was one of several plaintiffs. And the U.S. Department of Justice sided with ACORN in the case. We think Rove's comment suggests a deeper legal relationship between Obama and ACORN than actually existed. And so we rule Rove's statement Half True."
As is often the case, Fox News will take the appearance of a connection and blow it up to be a widespread conspiracy involving the highest levels of government, despite the facts that show otherwise.
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Comments
Notice you did not embed the video. Is it not available or did you not like the expositional value of it? At any rate your column sir is typical ignorant, liberalist twaddle that presumes much and lacks truth and substance. Sorry, just the way I see it. Best regards though.
Ignorant liberalist twaddle.
I didn't find Issa's Obama video that I could embed in Examiner.
It's quoted here in its entirety. There's no "expositional value" to it.
You don't need to apologize, the insults and barbs you're hurling at me are typical right-wing claptrap directed at anyone who dares criticize Fox News.
ACORN is a government subsidized joke. Obama is a typical two-faced politician on steroids. The government is a circus. Americans act like sheep and yet we are surprised when we are herded and branded and fleeced. what a silly thing to talk about. turn off the tv. read a book. go to bed.
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