BlogHer - What does ACORN stand for? - Comments

Nordette

Southerngirl — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:54:41 -0500

Wow thanks for this response. I have worked with ACORN reps before and am relly upset as to how the organization has been demonized in the press. I attended a few of their homeownership workshops. One couple in the room was already talking to a broker who was going to get them an ARM and the ACORN rep told them it was not a good idea and explained in detail why. They went to another broker and got an FHA and a cheaper house after being consueled on budgets and unexpected expenses. They were really grateful. I went with an older church memeber who wanted to buy becuse at 54 she ended up with 3 of her grandchildren and was looking at maybe having to take in 2 more. She did end up buying and getting a 15 instead of 30 year mortgage for $100 more than her rent and is still happily paying her mortgage. She was soo very grateful for the experience. After seeing firsthand the resources they offer I know that this is a very important organization one the ground where it matters.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Voter Suppression 101

Nordette — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:34:46 -0500

I've been watching this post build on ACORN and voter fraud charges and smears against Barack Obama build, and have been reluctant to comment for a variety of reasons. However, in support of the information from ShellyP, I submit the following links that show this issue is an old story tied to Republican attempts to disenfranchise voters and to smear ACORN's work with fighting for the working poor and the poor who can't find work.

The Republican War on Voting by Art Levine

Threats to Jail Black Voters

The Fraudulent Voter Squad story at Slate Magazine

The Truth About Voter Fraud from The Brennan Center for Justice

An Interview with David Iglesias, one of the attorneys fired by the DOJ b/c he would not follow its politicized agenda, in particular, to prosecute ACORN

More on US Attorney Firings, for anyone who needs history

Missouri Attorney A Focus in Firings, The Boston Globe

Phony Fraud Charges, NYT editorial

Republicans and Voter Caging

The GOP's ACORN Voter Fraud Canard (from BradBlog. He leans left but his facts are correct)

ACORN has been working on its quality control

I included this last link because what's really going on with the accusations against ACORN is that the Republican party is going after the weakest link, a group that hires temporary workers in impoverished areas to help people fill out their voter registration cards and encourages low-income citizens to speak up and vote. It's inevitable that errors will be made in a large-scale voter registration drive, and it's a McCain spin doctor's joy to twist these errors into bogus charges of voter fraud.

As others have said in this thread, it's unlikely Mickey Mouse is going to show up to vote even if a voter registration worker, in an attempt to get paid for work he/she didn't do, turns in Mickey's card.

Regarding Amy Titleman at ACORN having to answer an ambush phone call, she misspoke. ACORN did not endorse Obama. The ACORN political action committee endorsed him. But she was correct to tell the caller that voter registration was over. BTW, ACORN can't register voters. It may only help voters to register by approaching them and asking them to fill out the voter registration form. Board of Election offices register voters.

Get Out the Vote or GOTV is not voter registration, and it really doesn't matter whether ACORN's PAC supports Obama or not. All ACORN workers can do is try to get people to go to the polls and exercise their right to vote. It can educate voters on issues important to ACORN. They can't go in the booth with able-bodied citizens and vote with them. Neither does ACORN have the power to commit election fraud, which by the way is not the same as voter fraud. (Election fraud is the crime of attempting to swing an election and generally is committed from the back end, not the front end of helping people to register to vote.) Also, an organization cannot commit voter fraud, which is one of the reasons ACORN has not been convicted of voter fraud ever, that and because no ACORN member or staff person has ever instructed anyone to fill out a false voter registration form.

Actually genuine voter fraud is an individual impersonating an actual voter and attempting to vote in that person's name. Republicans have written and enacted legislation to redefine voter fraud as a crime including the filling out a voter registration form with false information, the result of which has been to prosecute little old ladies who help their friends fill out voter registration forms and in this case, to go after temporary workers for large-scale voter registration drives in an effort to smear the organization that employs them.

To transform questionable voter registration forms into live people voting by impersonating others would take an effort far beyond the capacity of any community organization. (For one, the organization would have to set up thousands of physical addresses to receive the Board of Election voter registration cards that resulted from the forms. These groups don't have those kinds of resources.)

In low-income communities, which are ACORN service areas, getting people to impersonate voters ain't gonna happen. It's an uphill battle to get people to fill out their registration forms at all and to show up and vote legitimately in their own names much less anyone else's. The people who want to vote in their own names in such communities are far more likely to have trouble getting to the polls than anything else, but if these legitimate voters make it to the polls, Republicans have challenges for that too.

Also, ACORN and other community organizations lack the power of mind control to motivate people to vote under an alias. I'm shocked by the seemingly educated people who believe this form of mass mobilization would be possible.

Perhaps Republicans believe mass mind control during elections is possible because they believe in the power of people like Rush Limbaugh and his "Operation Chaos." Or maybe it's simply Republicans getting dirty because they recognize that disenfranchised minorities and people in low-to-moderate -income communities won't vote Republican anyway.

When voters from low-income and minority communities become engaged and realize their votes count, they will vote, and when most vote the one vote to which each is entitled, is it any wonder they don't vote for Republicans? What has the Republican party consistently done to show that it's concerned about people in poverty? Not much intentionally. That's why Republicans want to shut down low-income communities that wake up and vote. They know those votes are unlikely to favor Republican candidates, and emails from their operatives back up my thinking on this.

The questionable voter registration cards from ACORN are just that, cards filled out questionably by a few temporary workers who wanted to con their employer, ACORN, and be paid for registering voters when they actually didn't get out on the streets and help to register anyone. ACORN fires these employees when they identify them through quality control, and it cooperates with prosecutors who want to prosecute the workers.

When all is said and done, when you look at the numbers of
people ACORN has helped to register, a laudable effort, you'll find that the error rate for problematic cards is consistent with other large voter registration operations, some of which are run by government agencies. You will also find that Republicans call almost anything voter fraud, even bad handwriting. Republicans are scared that ACORN's success at getting more people from low-and-moderate-income communities to register to vote will result in these citizens exercising their right to vote. Smearing Obama is more icing on the cake.

On a final note, I watched the video to which Jane linked that she believes shows Obama saying ACORN will play a "major" role in his administration. He did not say that. He said that community organizations will have a voice in determining his policies. More than one community organization was present. There's nothing new about his saying that. Obama believes the working poor and the poor who have trouble working as well as the organizations that help them have been left out these last eight years. He's right.

I think Obama should be commended for having seen the need for poor, underrepresented Americans to have equal opportunity and an equal voice in this nation and having the heart to do something about it. He did that early in his career and not specifically with ACORN. Republicans openly laughed at him for being a community organizer, which tells you what they think about working to help hard working families and also what they really think of fighting for voting rights.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that I used to work for ACORN, and it is also in the spirit of full disclosure that I tell you that ACORN, while doing an admirable job working to organize low-income people to stand up for their rights, is ill equipped to swing any election and that any questionable voter registration cards are more evidence of a need to tighten up on quality control than anything sinister. The accusation that ACORN has the power to commit massive election fraud is the best joke here. The group is good at moving people not paper, which is why that organization has had to work hard to develop quality control procedures for voter registration efforts. Community activism is at ACORN's heart not administration skills. And that's the truth I could not have shouted while in its employ.

Post Script: Republican Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, said today that voter fraud accusations in his state are most likely exaggerated.

Nordette is a Contributing Editor with BlogHer.com whose personal blog is hosted on another site at this link.

I checked and did find a few

shelleyp — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:30:25 -0500

I checked and did find a few instances of voter fraud. The New York Times did a broader overview:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html

Bottom line, most of the "fraud" was confusion, such as felons not being aware that they can't vote. Personally, once a felon has paid their debt to society, I think they should be allowed to vote, but that's beside the point.

The vote buying schemes seem to be related to small, local races.

As for the fraudulent votes there doesn't seem to be any ties between ACORNs effort and the fraudulent votes.

Certainly there's been no grand conspiracy to steal the elections because of voter fraud. However, "stealing the election" because of not allowing legitimate voters the right to vote is just as much a danger -- or do we forget Florida 8 years ago?

That's not bashing -- that's

shelleyp — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:50:37 -0500

That's not bashing -- that's a reminder of the problems we've had with voter registration drives in the past, and how today's attempts to discredit all such efforts are only a continuation of the same.

How every time a state race is close, Republicans bring up issues of voter fraud ahead of time, in order to obfuscate and confuse. To send bully boys to polls in order to intimidate voters, which McCain wanted to get Obama to go along with, and Obama wisely declined.

I'm still waiting for you to point out one instance of convicted voter fraud in the last ten years.

You say you're associated with the Democratic party. Great for you. That has nothing to do with the topic of this post, does it?

Jane, ACORN has never been

shelleyp — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:38:47 -0500

Jane, ACORN has never been involved with voter fraud. Voter registration fraud practiced by some ACORN employees is not equivalent to voter fraud. Unless you believe Mickey Mouse will show up to vote?

What does Fannie Mae have to do with this discussion? Can you please focus on the topic? You're the one that started it.

That video has said that Obama would involve all community organizations in shaping his presidency. Of course. Or would you prefer that only corporations shape the administration? Religious nuts? Right wing Alaskan secessionists?

I can't believe you think we're so stupid as to believe your extrapolation of Obama's address to all community organizers to be specifically about ACORN. Thank you for your vote for our intelligence. But I hope Obama does also include ACORN. ACORN is an organization representing the common man and woman, no matter how much you all fear it because of how much power it gives to the poor and the minority,IE the people the Republicans disdain.

Obama paid $800,000 to Citizen Services, Inc in order to augment it's own "Get out the vote" campaign. Whether Citizen Services, Inc is actually directly financially affliated with ACORN is uncertain, because you can't find anything on the web -- search results are contaminated with blogger opinions, and the ACORN site is down. But the money was used for canvassing, not voter registration. I'm assuming it's permissable for Obama to canvas voters, isn't it? Or is it only allowed for Republicans?

But you're into facts and against ACORN -- do you denounce the fact that McCain has also worked with ACORN in the past? That he was keynote speaker at an event in Florida, 2006 that was co-sponsodered by ACORN?

To be honest, I think many of the fraudulent registration cards associated with ACORN were filled out by Republican operatives, trying to discredit ACORN. In many states, registration cards have to be turned in regardless of how invalid they may seem. What a better way to discredit the voter registration movement--a movement you should applaud, if you believe in what this country stands for-- than to have people fill out registration forms with names like Mickey Mouse and then when the cards have to be turned into election boards, denounce ACORN for its "blatant attempts at voter registration fraud". Seriously, I think all registration cards filled in with obvious falsifications such as these are deliberate plants. But that's just my opinion.

However, since opinion weighs the same as facts here abouts, then that's my "fact".

Now that's bashing

Jane Becker — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:51:23 -0500

My roots, Shelley P, are deep in the Democratic party where I have spent the last 30 years working on democratic presidential, statewide and local campaigns. Those are the facts.

Jane Becker

Fact Bashing

Jane Becker — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:48:51 -0500

Here's a link to the Fannie Mae Foundation page listing ACORN grants: http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/grants/grants_awarded.html?grantee=acorn&state=all&submitted=1

Here's a link to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics' list of Fannie Mae contributions to Senators: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html

Here's a link to one of the many stories about Obama's $800k contribution to ACORN: http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/ds_nuts_acorns_legal_troubles.php

Here's a link to one of many stories about ACORN's voter fraud: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/2008/view.bg?articleid=1125581&srvc=rss

And here's a link to a video wherein Obama promises an active role in his admin to ACORN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJcVgJhNaU (two minutes in).

Bashing or fact checking?

Saying so does not make it

shelleyp — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:32:02 -0500

Saying so does not make it so, Jane. Or are your facts Palinized facts? Repeat it often enough, ignore the parts you don't like, and maybe some gullible fool will actually believe you?

Cite specifics where Obama has specifically said ACORN will have a role in his administration?

Cite where ACORN has, directly, been charged and convicted with voter fraud? Cite where any worker in ACORN has been charged and convicted of voter fraud?

Cite where Obama gave ACORN money for voter registration?

And did you also neglect to remember to cite the fact that McCain also took campaign money from Fannie/Freddie? And what the hell does that have to do with voting fraud, or ACORN?

And since you're using this post to bring out everything about this campaign, how about that Keating, eh? While I'm at it, now what did that report say about Palin's abuse of office? Wow, too bad McCain believes in deregulation, because it sure us hurt us this year, didn't it? And isn't that something, McCain's going to gut Medicare in order to pay for those tax cedits for the oil companies, before they go and rip up ANWR and the fishing grounds along the Atlantic coast. Who needs fish, anyway?

I could go on, but I think I'll just stick with the topic of your post.I am furious that you tar and feather an organization whose only goal is the betterment of the common man and woman, in order to discredit the voter registrations to prevent people who _might_ vote for Obama from voting. To disenfranchise the poor and the minority.

Why don't you all just return to your roots: go get a bunch of guys to grab people doing voter registration, take them out into the woods, and beat them to death.

And those are the facts.

The only facts

Southerngirl — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:24:23 -0500

The only facts in the above statement is that Obama's campagin gave 800k to ACORN for voter registration efforts. The rest is subjection meant to bring about doubt. If you have sources please provide them.

Acorn has Co-written legislation that has been put into law by at least 2 repbulican Governors. But Jane Again I say lets stand back and take a good look at what we are doing to this org by demonizing it. Yes I stand by my contention that you want o bash Obama. I am bashing McCain he is not my guy. I do not want him to win the election just as you don't want Obama to win, but lets make sure we don't throw innocents in the fray. That's all I am saying with this ACORN thing.

By the way Franklin Rains has said he is not an Obama advisor. I guess he is lying in your mind.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Facts About ACORN

Jane Becker — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:45:35 -0500

ACORN takes money from the US taxpayers.

ACORN has engaged in voter fraud. A federal judge in Ohio has issued a ruling that the state must now set up a system to verify new voters because of the ACORN registrations.

Obama gave more than $800k to ACORN to engage in voter "registration".

Obama has promised a role in his admin to ACORN.

ACORN took money from Fannie Mae under F. Raines, and Obama took money from Fannie Mae under F. Raines, who now works for Obama.

These are facts.

Two things

Nathanhj — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:46:16 -0500

First, the thing about ACORN getting 20% of anything related to the bailout is just an out-and-out lie. The money was supposed to go to the National Housing Trust Fund, which supports affordable housing. This money is only available to non-profit housing developers, of which ACORN is not one. ANd it is only available as part of a competitive grant process, not as an Congressional earmark.

Of course, ACORN itself does NOT seek nor accept federal grants anyway, so the point is moot.

Second, you can find out the real deal from the horse's mouth here: http://acorn.org/index.php?id=17851

Returning to the discussion

shelleyp — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:27:12 -0500

Returning to the discussion on ACORN, I'm disappointed to see the same tired, old argument brought up again and again about ACORN. This is an organization that works for worker's rights, in support of Unions, equal opportunity for education, and yes, get out the vote campaigns.

Every Presidential election, some Republican in my state in Missouri comes out whining about ACORN and fradulent voter registrations. And every four years a couple of ACORN workers get busted, turned in by ACORN, and convicted of using the phone book to make it easier to fill in cards.

Every four years, ACORN registers several thousand Missourians -- 53,000 this year. And ever year, about 100-200 of these registrations are found to be duplicates or frauds, almost invariably flagged that way by ACORN directly. As far as I know there has not been one fraudulent vote cast because of ACORNS work.

Not one.

Every four years, I think of the same thing: why is it that the Republicans do not want people to be registered to vote. After all, I would think that both parties would want everyone to vote. Then I look at the voting identification campaigns and so on here and realize that the Republicans are trying to keep out the poor, and the black. Since the party can't win fairly, it will take whatever win it can get, even to denying entire groups the right to vote.

If you all want to talk about the true crime here, trying to prevent legitimate voters from voting is the worst possible crime associated with each election.

My own take on this issue: http://realtech.burningbird.net/not-technology/politics/support-acorn

Evidence, please

Kim Pearson — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:49:56 -0500

I've never known Obama to deny his middle name.Why does he have to defend it? It's his name.

I have seen him refute lies about him being Muslim -- here and here, for example. I wrote about the need for cultural competence when covering Obama back at the beginning of this campaign. I specifically referred to his name, although not his middle name.

Perhaps there is a cultural issue here. It's very common to find African Americans born between the 1960s and the 1980s with Arabic names, and most of them aren't Muslim. I almost named my own daughter Khadijah, even though I am a born-again, Bible-believing, water-baptised, not-ashamed-of-the-gospel believer in the risen Christ. It was a very common thing to do as a sign that we were no longer ashamed of our African ancestry.

All of the statements that I have heard Obama make about taxes say that he would only raise taxes on people making more than $250,000 year. If you have evidence to the contrary, you should present it.

Peace.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

If I'm not mistaken he has come out and said that.

Maria0305 — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:37:45 -0500

It is his name. Ok. So what? But I'll show you why those that use it are considered racist:

Because it's only used by those that want to stir up feelings of fear and animosity amongst the public. What IS John McCain's last name? Do you know, or will you have to think about it? Or Google it? What's Joe Biden's? Sarah Palin's? What's the W. in George W. Bush stand for?

Yeah. Exactly.

- Maria

http://immoralmatriarch.com

Obama's Middle Name...

Jane Becker — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:25:07 -0500

Has nothing to do with anything. But why are people who use it called racist? Why doesn't he come out and say, yes this is my middle name, what of it? Why has he allowed people to be called racist for using it--thereby impugning Arabs everywhere? It's his god-given name as they used to say. Why doesn't he defend it and thus eliminate the Arab argument?

Voting for a man just because he is half black is no indication of "America's advancement". Voting for a man or woman, regardless or ethnicity or religion, is.

As to Obama's tax plan, I watched his dialogue in Ohio with a plumber. He's definitely raising taxes and he said so.

Jane Becker

What does ACORN stand for?

Jane Becker — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:14:44 -0500

ACORN is suddenly in the news a lot.

Two weeks ago the New York Times revealed that Pelosi and Frank had tried to build a clause into the bailout bill that would hand over the first 20% of every dollar invested in the bailed out institutions to ACORN. Not to taxpayers, but to ACORN.

On Monday, AP reported that officials in Nevada raided the offices of ACORN after claims of voter registration fraud (including registrations in the name of Tony Romo, the Cowboys quarterback). Fraud on the part of "voters" registered by ACORN has already been found in Missouri, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Today it was revealed, by Investors Business Daily, that Obama's campaign paid ACORN $800,000 to register new voters--a payment that his campiagn finance records did not make public. Obama also worked for the voter registration arm of ACORN in 1992.

So, who is ACORN and what do they really stand for?

Jane Becker

http://thedamedomain.blogspot.com

BlogHer - What does ACORN stand for? - Comments

Nordette

Voter Suppression 101

I checked and did find a few

That's not bashing -- that's

Jane, ACORN has never been

Now that's bashing

Fact Bashing

Saying so does not make it

The only facts

Facts About ACORN

Two things

Returning to the discussion

Evidence, please

If I'm not mistaken he *has* come out and said that.

Obama's Middle Name...

What does ACORN stand for?

If I'm not mistaken he has come out and said that.