Obama Invites ACORN to Set The Agenda

Hat tip Wizbang.

1. What’s the difference:  ACORN setting the agenda or the other nuts in Washington setting the agenda?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 11, 2008 at 2258 hrs




2. Because ACORN is just so evil…

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 0624 hrs




3. Too bad Steve-O isn’t willing to view his own side critically.

   Considering that ACORN is clearly involved in a vote fraud scheme (whether because they intend to or they aren’t minding the store), this should be a clear indication that this is a dangerous precedent (See, “Stealing the Election”).

   Posted by Steve on October 12, 2008 at 0730 hrs




4. Um, no. ACORN isn’t clearly involved in anything. They set aside suspicious voter registrations and notified election boards of potential problems, as the law requires. Their practice of paying based on the amount of registrations probably lends itself to employees cutting corners, but the fraud is perpetrated on ACORN as well, since they end up paying for invalid registrations.

   Besides, the idea that ACORN is somehow trying to perpetrate massive voter fraud is crazy. First, they’d have to research plausible voter registrations that wouldn’t get caught by election boards, i.e. dead people or people who had moved out of state. Then they would have to mobilize their voter registration teams to fill out all those forms and find people who would be willing to vote in multiple locations using different identities. Then they would have to pay those people and trust that they voted the right way, or even voted at all! It’s far cheaper and more efficient to find sympathetic citizens, register them to vote, and remind them closer to Election Day.

   For example, in order to steal an election by voter fraud at the presidential level for a swing state, how many votes would it take? You might say it would be really close, but to make sure you covered the margin, just to make sure, let’s say 10,000 for the sake of argument. Again for the sake of argument, let’s say you paid each bogus voter $10. That’s $100,000 spent literally without accountability on whether the money actually got any extra votes. And that’s a lowball figure, because if you’re going to be serious about the scheme, you probably want more votes, and let’s face it, $10 is not much money to be paid to wait in line up to three hours just to commit a felony.

   This isn’t to say that the individuals responsible for either phony registrations or for not doing proper oversight shouldn’t be held to account, but a smattering of bogus registrations among millions registered is a far cry from “stealing the election”.

   I’ll also say again that people blaming ACORN and CRA for the financial crisis are way, way off.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 0844 hrs




5. Um, no. ACORN isn’t clearly involved in anythingThat is false, Steve-O.  Please read whathappened in Vegasd and you will find out that that flagged a few fraudulent registrations but they let a whole lot more through.  Get your facts straight.
   It’s not a smattering of registration either.  Evenif it was, in the states they are doing this, the elections are so close, that only a smattering of illegal votes canmake a difference.
   I would suggest,Steve-O, remove your blinders, read the paper and atually do some research before making comments that make you look foolish.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 0940 hrs




6. Only Steve-O’s massive cognitive dissonance fails can help him fail to see ACORN’s direct or indirect connection to massive voter fraud.

   “Besides, the idea that ACORN is somehow trying to perpetrate massive voter fraud is crazy. First, they’d have to research plausible voter registrations that wouldn’t get caught by election boards, i.e. dead people or people who had moved out of state. Then they would have to mobilize their voter registration teams to fill out all those forms and find people who would be willing to vote in multiple locations using different identities.”

   This is exactly what is being reported by the MSM as happening in Milwaukee, Indiana and Nevada.  Whether ACORN is directly involved or not, they are facilitiating.

   Posted by Steve on October 12, 2008 at 0947 hrs




7. I have. Look, there’s no evidence that this is anything more than a few employees trying to make some extra money by submitting bogus registrations. Those employees should be prosecuted.

   But this general conservative meme that ACORN is an evil organization out to steal the election and to force banks to make crooked loans to poor people is outrageous. They are out in low-income communities providing credit counseling, fighting discrimination in lending and hiring practices, and helping people find employment. They do a lot of good in this country.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 0953 hrs




8. Cite, Steve?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 0954 hrs




9. I know this isn’t good enough for ya, but here ya go.

   http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/09/acorn.fraud.c laims/index.html?iref=newssearch

   It’s too bad the cognitive dissonance of the Left prevents them from looking critically at their own.  I’m sure someone at CNN lost their job over this.

   Posted by Steve on October 12, 2008 at 1011 hrs




10. Again, there isn’t any evidence that this is some sort of sinister conspiracy by ACORN to rig the election. If you submit 1.5 million registrations with a 98% accuracy rate, that’s still 30,000 bad registrations. It doesn’t mean ACORN is out to steal the election, it means that they need to tighten up their quality control further.

    I also don’t know what you mean by “someone at CNN lost their job over this.” CNN isn’t a lefty organization; I could point to any number of outrageous right-leaning silliness by CNN anchors over the last 10 years. Doesn’t mean that they are rightwingers, either.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1103 hrs




11. And what right-wing silliness might that be?

    If you read my previous entries, you would know that I am not saying ACORN is at the heart of an evil plot to steal the election.  I said they were facilitating it.  That is, they are, at a minimum, culpable by the sin of omission.  If they fail to check on what’s going on and put a stop to it, they are negligent.

    But hey, accountability isn’t really much of sa Leftist ideal.

    Posted by Steve on October 12, 2008 at 1129 hrs




12. How are they facilitating it?

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1225 hrs




13. Rezko, Wright, Raines, Ayers … and now Acorn!!! This is over the top. Obama’s a fraud and should not be allowed anywhere near the White House.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1246 hrs




14. bbbbbb..  but….  but….

    Obama doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with ACORN!!!!!

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1305 hrs




15. How so?  He used to work for them as a community organizer.  He gave them $800,000 and reported it as something else for FEC purposes, and just corrected the reporting, citing a “mistake” was made: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/ele ction/s_584284.html

    I honestly don’t know how you make a “mistake” of an $800,000 contribution.

    Authorities are considering a nationwide sweep of ACORN offices (there are currently investigations going on in 11 states—that’s over 20% of the country): http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=150 1&status;=article&id;=308358130652174&secure;=1&show;=1&rss; =1  Having voter registration/fraud issues in 20% of the states (that we know of right now) is disturbing and should be investigated.

    Posted by hsgbdmama on October 12, 2008 at 1322 hrs




16. Sorry - should have added <sarcasm off> at the end…  We all know he’s up to his eyeballs in ACORN, but he SAID he wasn’t so the media is dutifully repeating it.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1329 hrs




17. Steve-O, you and your ilk really scare me.  You will excuseany behavior or personif it is in your opinion, it is for the greater good.  Liberal politicians get passes because they are for the greater good.  Liberal organizations get a pass from you and your ilk because they operate for the greater good.
    This is how countries get dictators- Chavez, Hitler, Mussolini etc…  They tell the country what they want to hear, thecountry excuses them for their illegal and immoral acts and they take over power.
    You are so blind to your alliegence to liberals and liberal ideas you fail to see the big picture.  Unfortunately, you are not the only one is so blind.  Go overtoFolkbum’s site and you see it all the time.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1330 hrs




18. Dan, your last point is both hilarious and scary, considering conservative reaction to Bush.

    No, I believe ACORN and its employees should be held to account. But I don’t think this is evidence of some massive voter fraud scheme. I’ll remind you that this is something that is always brought up by the GOP, and it has been thoroughly investigated by Republican DOJ appointees. Nothing is ever turned up.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1334 hrs




19. First Steve-O said -

    ACORN isn’t clearly involved in anything.

    Than Steve-O said -

    No, I believe ACORN and its employees should be held to account.

    Account for what if they’re clearly not involved anything?

    And how did Bush get into that thread?

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1350 hrs




20. Bush got into the thread because Dan whined about what happens when leaders are praised and their mistakes ignored for the greater good. I found that statement odd considering conservative reaction to Bush.

    I didn’t say that ACORN is clearly not involved in anything, I said that ACORN isn’t clearly involved. Bad wording, maybe, but in other words, it’s not clear what, if anything, ACORN is involved in. It could be a quality control issue, or it could be that they followed the law to the T (they are required to turn in suspicious forms and label them.)

    Now, is anyone here going to condemn illegal purging, voter caging, jamming GOTV phone lines, etc?

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1408 hrs




21. Steve-O.  Will you at least tell 1 truth.  The ACORN investigation in Nevada is being run by the DEMOCRATS!!!

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1510 hrs




22. Bush got into the thread because Dan whined about what happens when leaders are praised and their mistakes ignored for the greater good. I found that statement odd considering conservative reaction to Bush.

    That would be news to Bush, Steve-O. 

    On Iraq War blunders, domestic spending, the DHS, Harriet Miers, comprehensive immigration reform, Medicare prescription-drug benefits, campaign finance reform, the TSA, and other issues, conservatives have been absolutely in the man’s face.

    I know it’s hard for you to let a thread go by without bringing him into the mix, but please try to hang in there for the next few months, mkay?

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1724 hrs




23. Conservatives have been mildly critical of Bush for breach of rightwing orthdoxy until very recently. And conservatives have been downright Bush apologists for things like warrantless wiretapping and torture, and remain so to this day.

    And don’t tell me what to do. ;P

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 12, 2008 at 1849 hrs




24. Hah! McCain has his own ACORN connections. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 13, 2008 at 1150 hrs




25. Hah! McCain has his own ACORN connections. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    All I get gather is that he supported ACORN in the immigration reform area. NOT voter registration. That is a good sized detail to leave out, Steve-O.

    But read the comments, in between all the flaming liberals, you’ll find one of ten points.

    What Obama doesn’t want you to ask your family members…——-
    (1) Ask them why Democrats, who were so outraged over alleged voter fraud in 2000 and 2004 are now silent about ACORN, who the Obama campaign gave $800K to, and is being investigated in 13 states for voter registration fraud——-
    (2) Ask them why when McCain and Republicans demanded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be REGULATED in 2006, the DEMOCRATS, who are now screaming for more regulation, in the Senate, blocked that regulation, because they were getting kickbacks from Raines and Fannie Mae for blocking that same regulation.——-
    (3) Ask them why it is always the Obama campaign and their surrogates who play the race card, the did it to Hillary, and they’re doing it again to McCain——-
    (4) Ask them why Obama and Democrats believe raising taxes in a weakened economy is a good idea?——-
    (5) Ask them if they believe Obama and his lying eyes that the Surge hasn’t worked…——-
    (6) Ask them if negotiating with terrorists and dictators without preconditions is a good idea.(yes he did too say it)——-
    (7) Ask them if they believe like Obama, that American troops are bombing villages and killing women and children in Afghanistan(he said that too)..——
    (8) Ask them if they really believe Obama’s “READ MY LIPS” claim that 95% of Americans will pay not a single dime more in taxes under his plan.——-
    (9) Ask them if during a time of war, it is treasonous to go overseas and attempt to get an allied government to ignore the US Policy set by the President of the US, and change their position because he (Obama) thought it was wrong….
    (10) Ask them if they really believe they can trust Obama over McCain to “protect and defend” the Constitution of the United States of America.

    Some good questions there..

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 13, 2008 at 1226 hrs