Attacks on ACORN Based Not on Facts, But on Fear of 1.3 Million Poor People Registering

The Republicans tried to make fun of Barack Obama as a community organizer at their national convention in Minnesota, which I guess just goes to show how little Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have to fear from right-wing "humor."

Now they've gone further: Now they're attacking ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), one of the strongest, hardest-working, most dedicated community organizations in both Chicago and in 40 states across the U.S.

Why are they after ACORN? Well, I'm sure they're going to come up with a lot of "reasons" in the coming days. But the real reason is obvious: Because ACORN, along with Project Vote, just announced that they had successfully registered 1.3 million poor people this year.

Get that? 1.3 million, including 148,000 in Pennsylvania, 152,000 in Florida, 217,000 in Michigan, and 238,000 in Ohio. No wonder the GOP is up in arms. They're scared of too many poor people preparing to vote this year.

In the last week, the right wing has tried to blame ACORN for the collapse of the globalized financial system--yeah, that's a viable argument. They got excited because they found a some possible fake registration forms in Florida, which predictably led to a bunch of whining from the party that stole an entire presidency from Al Gore by blocking vote counts, mischaracterizing voters as felons, refusing to recount entire counties, sending congressional staff down to riot and intimidate volunteer vote-counters, and topped it all off with the most partisan, badly-reasoned, illegitimate Supreme Court decision since Plessy v. Ferguson. A decision so illegitimate that the partisan majority, to their eternal discredit, themselves damned by writing into their own decision that it should never be used as a precedent for any other court ruling.

This week, the right-wing is hyperventilating because apparently Democratic election officials raided an ACORN office after they found the names of some Dallas Cowboy football players among the 80,000 new registration forms that ACORN helped to get done in Nevada.

Obviously it's not right for a fake "Tony Romo" to be registered in Las Vegas, so someone was probably playing a not-very-funny joke, or trying to pad their registration numbers to get paid a little more money rather than doing the hard work in the hot Nevada sun that helping voters to register requires, or maybe a provocateur was setting up ACORN for some bad press. But remember the basic point--it's not voter fraud unless someone shows up at the voting booth on election day and tries to pass himself off as "Tony Romo." And who would try to do that? No one is going to be that stupid.

The truth is, the main voter fraud efforts going on in my lifetime--and I was born the week of the Selma march in 1965--have been repeated conservative attempts, far too many of them successful, to demonize and suppress the vote of African-Americans and Latinos in election after election, a history for which former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman actually apologized a few years ago, while promising the GOP would no longer engage in such tactics.

So they stole an election from Gore, made the Department of Justice into an outfit for partisan hacks, allowed New Orleans to drown, lied us into a war against a country that did not threaten us, replaced science with bad ideology, indebted our grandchildren to China, and turned our banking system into a deregulated casino--but thank the Lord that "Tony Romo" will not be able to sneak in to vote in Nevada next month.

This time, there are already fake flyers mysteriously appearing on the streets of minority areas of Philadelphia, illegal voter purges in numerous states, "caging" tricks, threats of using home foreclosure lists to strike voters from the rolls, and "black box" electronic vote-counting systems under the control of private companies--and we haven't even gotten to election day!

Meanwhile, I say thank you, ACORN. Thank you, Project Vote, for taking our democracy seriously enough to try to include 1.3 million more poor people in a more perfect union.

Comments

[OsamaBushLadin]

Thanks for breaking it down Jesse. You're the perfect person to carry Gus Savage's district.

[thecanadian]

The Report on Palin just came out but CNN spent the whole evening talking about Acorn and the
Terrorist connection. In the bag are you CNN? Shame on you Larry King! Just a note. First of all, Obama was 8 years old when that all happened. By the time Obama met the guy he was a University President. Repeat - how often have you seen an 8 year old terrorist. (this was during the Nixon Watergate era). Last but not least, the Prosecutor of the :"Terrorist Case" has clearly said that it was ridiculous.
Good News. BBC Worldnews is really covering the Palin - Troopergate report. Good going BBC WorldNews.

[NTO08]

BBC is always excellent in their coverage...I have been listening to them for 35 years, first on the exemplary short wave and then Internet and FM and TV services in US and they never fail to offer a perspective that the American press never gives you...besides, hearing about news of the world, especiallt Africa, that US MSM minimizes is wonderful.

[Davwbaird]

the republican are turning in registrations with the acorn stamp that they the republicans put on there.

[LeeroyFDermit]

I hope ACORN can get more people to vote, and I hope it is a diverse group that looks like America, but I guess that is too much to hope for.

I did not know that Republicans were trying to use technicalities to strike voters from registration lists. I am not surprised that Republicans value winning more than they value the will of the people. This sounds a lot like when Obama used technicalities to strike petition signatures so that his three African American opponents in Chicago would be removed from the ballot. Apparently Obama values winning more than he values the will of the people - like those Republicans.

I haven't actually heard many of the claims against ACORN that you mention, but then again, I am not a Republican.

I do know that ACORN is a pretty disreputable organization for other reasons. In fact, they are guilty of adding to the subprime mess, and Obama helped them.

For a complete analysis of the causes of the current economic crisis (including ACORN), go here:
http://www.leeroyfdermit.com/2008/09/great-depression-of-2008.html

[HoosierRadical]

You obviously know nothing about ACORN.

[MasterfullyInept]

Isn't odd that the "so called" voter fraud allegedly perpetrated by ACORN occurred in"swing states"?There's no allegations to that effect here in Illinois for instance.What a coincidence.What's more unamerican than keeping citizens from voting?Funny thing I read an article somewhere (I think it was in a diary on Daily kos,I read so much stuff lately it's tough to keep sources straight) about how the ACORN office in Nevada had been submitting information on some volunteers to local officials, because they suspected that those volunteers behaviour were questionable.Rather than act on this info it was ignored.Then all of a sudden on a Saturday when no one was around the Feds raided the office and confiscated files and computers.Just how stupid do they think we are?

[NTO08]

It isn't odd. Fraud would tend to occur in the states where it could really make a difference...in Illinois, there is little chance that fraud would swing the vote for Obama, or would that happen for McCain in Oklahoma or Utah.

[numbnuts]

I just watched that on Larry King. My first reaction wow that's terrible.
Voter fraud is wrong no matter how you slice it.
After doing some reading and thinking about it.
The fact is what counts is the actual vote not the registration!
Having the laws changed, and forcing people to show their ID when voting is ending up to be a good thing.
I still think their should be some accountability on those people who are getting people to register.
Bottom line this is a repub political attempt to suppress peoples right to vote!

[HoosierRadical]

You know, I never made the connection, You got to give it to the Republicans, they really know how to stir up fake scandals. I just assumed it was clerical errors at the most, but like you point out, this is only occuring in swing states. I believe this is also an attempt to label a Obama victory as tainted

[lioness99]

I haven't seen this level of participation since the 60s; it's so exciting. The right-wing bashes the 60s, people were engaged with their government and demanded accountability.

[curraheeswoman]

This is not a black issue,this is not a white issue...this is an American issue.Although I have been a registered voter for many,many years,I still called my local Board of Elections,just in case.This will be the most important Presidential election in my lifetime.After the 2000 fiasco, and the hacker voting machines,I started using an absentee ballot that is mailed to my home.This year I am being brave and going for the early voting at my local Board of Elections office.These raids on ACORN are another GOP dirty trick,probably straight from Rove's brain."We the people" must be smarter than the GOP and vote a straight Democratic ticket and take away the power from those that have disgraced America.

[ILOVELOSANGELES]

I smell a GOP operative at work submitting fraudulent voter registration in the drive sponsored by ACORN

[thecanadian]

EXACTLY! Infilltration - then theft = ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT REPUBLICANS trying to steal the election.

[knowBuddhaU]

Bravo! Sir, that's pure poetry. I bow in your virtual direction.

[valleygent]

Exactly...THERE ARE NO WHITE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY FORCLOSURES. THAT IS THE NEW STORY FROM REPUBLICANS. This is pure racism...that is enough right there to vote down McCain and Palin.

[Schaef]

Capitalizing your sentences do not make invented statements true.

[Awash]

This quote from Congressman Jackson should almost be added to the bible.

"So they stole an election from Gore, made the Department of Justice into an outfit for partisan hacks, allowed New Orleans to drown, lied us into a war against a country that did not threaten us, replaced science with bad ideology, indebted our grandchildren to China, and turned our banking system into a deregulated casino"

Kind of sums up the last eight years.

[dadw5boys]

They stole the 2004 election too !!!!!!

3,440,000,00, votes were not counted.

MOSTLY MILITARY VOTES !!!!!!!!!!

[Bushwillresign]

Only republicans would benefit from adding bogus names to the rolls of voter registrations. What they want is for all ACORN registrations to not be allowed so none of them can vote. Republicans own the patent on election fraud.

[Schaef]

Really? Why would Republicans benefit from that? What would be the argument to remove all ACORN registrations? I see no push for that and no indication from any county registrar that would ever happen.

If someone shows up to vote under a phony registration, is turned away, and cries voter suppression for "being confused with someone else", that would benefit the Democrats and defenders of ACORN, would it not? Doth conspiracy theories cut both ways?

[char982]

not really, no... i dont see how that person's not being able to vote would help the Democrats.

[anniegirl9]

When I first heard the ACORN story, I felt very disapointed. The last thing I want my party to be known for are the same dirty tricks the GOP pulls.

Then I heard more of the story. The wide spread registration fraud with names like Jimmy John. Who could be so stupid as to think they would get away with that. You wouldn't be able to vote as Jimmy John (unless that's actually your name) so what's the point. It has to be a stupid gag. But it seemed to be wide spread. I kept coing back to the notion that whoever submitted those forms WANTED to be noticed. It is no secret that Obama paid ACORn with help during his primary race. It would be easy to connect the two. Although ACORN leans left, it trys to maintain a non-partisan organization and hires both Dems and Reps.

Then CNN just reported they also found illigal contributions to the Obama campaign with three names that were complete giberish. (as a very small side note, they also acknowledged that fradulant donations were found on the books for the McCain campaign) Again I thought, why would someone helping Obama make it so OBVIOUS they were doing something iligal for him. One of the names was just something like Jgjgjgjgjgjg.

I can come up with no other explanation than some people are going to a lot of trouble to make Obama look bad and create scandal. I smell a rat on board.

[Ensentium]

Yeah, it's a "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy." Look, sorry to give you the bad news Annie but most voter fraud cases are related to democrats. All the way from Chicago's Daily Sr. throwing the votes to Kennedy until now. Look there is one way to end most of the fraud. Identification Cards for everyone!!!. Why is that so difficult? And which party is responsible for blocking Identificiation cards? Democrats!!! Why? hmm, let's see.. Hmm can't come up with anything so why not just claim that it disenfranchises the poor. How? ID cards were offered for a dollar!!!

[vipersdad]

You cannot say something like that without backing it up with a link, quote, footnote, etc...
otherwise it's your opinion, which you're entitled to.

The US Constitution does not prescribe voter ID cards and there are cogent arguments in favor of them and against them. I will add that many of the arguments against them are shared by people at both ends of the political spectrum so that might indicate that this is not per-se a "left" issue.

you might read this piece by NPR for more information: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17942818

[contemporarymom]

Great point - it is well known that the Dems oppose id cards with the thinking that it is just another loop hole or hardship for a better word to keep them from voting.

[karinct5]

What is the big To Do? ACORN is facilitating voter registration forms and if some of them are fraudulent (either by the voter or ACORN rep), the voter still has to show a current form of ID when they cast their ballot on Nov 4 in the district where they are registered to vote.

[andvoodoo2]

Details, my friend, details. The right wing is afraid of ACORN because they help poor to middle class, urban people. The very people the repugs know will never vote for them.

[contemporarymom]

I'm not pointing fingers but how do you explain Indiana with a 105% registration? They've got more registered than actual people?

[Shieldmaiden]

I think some of the ACORN people were lazy and didn't want to be reprimanded for their smaller amount of registrations so they just started writing random names. Honestly if this was something sinister I don't think they'd be registering football players. I mean look at the names they used. Restaurant names? Tony Roma? Really? Some silly people let it get out of hand and if feels more like a bad joke than a plot.

[contemporarymom]

Yeah and I was wrong it was a small area in Indianapolis but still more votes than people. Really how serious can it be when Jimmy John is one of the names.

[BillCarson]

Could you provide a link? There's been a number of right-wing types posting on this article and making a number of allegations, but no links to back them up.

For example, couldn't find anything on "Indiana with a 105% registration". The closest I could find is: "Indianapolis Has 105% Of Its Population Registered To Vote" from a typical right-wing site.

[Schaef]

All you have to do is a little bit of arithmetic.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081007/NEWS0502/810070368/1304/LOCAL

677,000 voters registered in Marion County, IN.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=marion&_cityTown=marion&_state=04000US18&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010

US Census Bureau estimates 632,000 persons over the age of 18. So US Census estimates are even less forgiving than whatever numbers the "right-wing types" are "inventing". This suggests voter registration is at 107%.

[Alic4]

You complain once more people vote in a country than actually exist in it. Not when people register under the name of Dubya the Circus Clown. Yes, it's not perfect, but the law is that way for good reasons.

Welcome to the real world, where the president of DIEBOLD says he will help the Republican party in any way he can, and still stays in business.