Anita MonCrief

Cultural Slave Catchers and Defining Blackness

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:55:00 +0000

On election night 2012, Barack Obama’s acceptance speech highlighted what so many people around the world love about America:

“What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth … it doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white, or Hispanic or Asian, or Native American, or young or old, or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight — you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.”

Democrats, and most of black America, should find heavy irony in that statement. Obama’s feel-good words are deliberately misleading to those living under the heavy hand of social programs. The message is also ironic for those living in black communities across America as political correctness has replaced simple, obvious truths. Black pride is nonexistent and a whole culture exists just to maintain the status quo.

Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, I was acutely aware of my race and the line between blacks and whites. I witnessed cases of extreme racism and violence because of the color of my skin. That racism was ugly and institutionalized, but white people were not the sole source. Growing up as a lighter skinned black girl, I was constantly reminded of my “shade” of blackness. Over time the black community has developed a “slave catcher” mentality where every move is measured against a blackness meter. If you try to obtain a good education, you are “acting white.” If you don’t talk in slang, you are accused of talking “proper.” Every step forward was met with someone of my own race checking for cracks in my blackness. It meant I had to hide my love for Guns N’ Roses and only play Tupac. It meant I dropped my voice lower to hide my “white accent.”

As the only black in most of my honors classes at school, liberal whites encouraged me to read “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou during Black History Month—perhaps the only time they realized I could read—while my black friends chided me for hanging around whites all day. Black entertainment, media and even our very culture, is designed to keep other blacks in line. Rap lyrics degrade women; social programs have replaced men; and our education system has failed our children.

Collage by Anita MonCrief

If one person deviates from the script that defines blacks, they are ridiculed, harassed and corralled back in line. If they refuse assimilation into the caricature of blackness designed by liberal whites, they are hated, despised, and targeted for destruction. Like the Borg, collectivism and group-think are the keys to survival in black communities.

Celebrities play their part as well. Stars like Samuel L. Jackson and Chris “Obama is our boss” Rock jump at the chance to play the role of slave catcher. In several films, like the recent Django Unchained, Jackson eagerly serves as Quentin Tarantino’s ideal black guy. But, off-screen , Jackson uses his celebrity to spread intolerance and remind people to vote based on color. Not content being liberal Hollywood’s go to black-man-who-will-curse-you-out, Jackson has become just another pop culture slave catcher.

In today’s society, free-thinking blacks are dangerous and must not be allowed to communicate with other blacks. Labels like “cooning,” Uncle Tom, Aunt Jemima, and House Negro were created to smear troublemakers and block their message. Who is really holding blacks down? Rich white men in suits? No! Black hands have held me down and black hands reach out at my ankles even now. My race has gone from marching for freedom in dress clothes and dying for voting rights to eating our own. When will black leaders and celebrities stop playing up stereotypes and encouraging groupthink? Why aren’t their actions seen as “cooning” for the white liberal agenda?

The consequences of Johnson’s Great Society have finally played out. The destruction of pride, self-sufficiency, and prosperity in the black community is almost complete. Sadly, the progressive/liberals who oversaw this destruction will never realize how beautiful it is to be black in America. Despite the negative history impressed into my brain, I refuse to hate my race or my country.

How do you measure blackness in America? Clothes, music, dialect, education, partners or friends? At every turn, a person who looks just like me is standing there waiting to scrape a little bit more of my skin away because I am a threat. I am seen as a threat because no one can predict my reactions or use me for their agenda. I see through them. I don’t fall for every trap placed in front of me by the media or our “leaders.” I have a chosen black person to speak for me: I speak for myself.

My love for my race is unconditional. Like an abused child, I love them despite the hurt. I have a daughter and watching her struggle in this world is hard. She must wrestle with what I teach her and the desire to be liked and fit in. She hides her love of hip hop from me and I realize in her mind that I am already in that “other” category. As a black mother, I want her to understand that I am just like her.
What my people must realize is that we are our own enemy. We are the problem. But we are also the solution. Being black is not a condition; it’s not a state of mind or being. You can’t measure my blackness by my actions or thoughts. I am human before I am black.

Across the country black voices rise up against any real or perceived racial slight, so often playing into the hands of the Handout Kings, also known as the Democrat leftist establishment. When will blacks speak out in terms of humanity and not race? Until blackness stops being defined by others and reduced to an arbitrary set of actions or beliefs, we are still in bondage. Mental slavery is the hardest form of bondage to escape from because we hold the keys but lack the will to use them.

“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” -Harriet Tubman

My New Site: Emerging Corruption UPDATE: Emerging Corruption Severely Hacked August 18, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:25:00 +0000

Editor's note: Emerging Corruption was forced offline over the weekend.We were hacked severely and I do not have an ETA for restoring the site. This is the third time we have been taken offline and I am working to figure out a solution.

Thank you for visiting my blog. It has been an amazing and sometimes trying two years. I have used this site to find my voice, explain my conversion, expose ACORN and connect with people. While I will still maintain this site, I am no longer actively posting here.

A new chapter has begun and now I am focusing on overall government corruption and have put together a team of investigative journalists and writers to help me. I urge all of you to visit Emerging Corruption.

Thank you!

Casa de Maryland: How to use tax dollars to skirt immigration laws

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:58:00 +0000

Tuesday, September 14^th is primary day here in Maryland. Campaign signs litter roadways and volunteers greet commuters as they idle at traffic lights in Prince George's County. One hot button issue that should be on the mind of Maryland voters is immigration. As the number of illegal immigrants continue to rise in Maryland and the economy further spirals downward, voters in Maryland face tough decisions.

Adding to the immigration debate is an organization that has caused outrage and controversy over its mission and programs. CASA de Maryland, also know as the Central American Solidarity Association deserves national attention for it's programs that target day laborers in Montgomery County, Maryland.

The Background

From Wikipedia (emphasis mine):

“CASA was founded in 1985 in the basement of the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church by concerned U.S. citizens and Central American immigrants. It has since expanded its scope. It is affiliate organization of the National Council of La Raza. It has received funding from a variety of sources, including a two-year grant funding operations in Baltimore from George Soros' Open Society Institute. CASA of Maryland is also a founding member of the National Capital Immigration Coalition ("NCIC") which promotes "comprehensive immigration reform".[5] Other funding sources include the Annie E. Casey Foundation and United Way. They are a member of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. CASA also has received $1.5 million from CITGO, the state-owned Venezuelan petroleum products corporation.

CASA operates five day labor centers throughout the state, with public and private funding, three in Montgomery County, where its efforts have been the center of controversy. There is both significant support, and significant opposition, to their efforts to provide central sites where contractors can pick up day-laborers…."

Judicial Watch has documents here on the day labor centers.
To be clear, a Soros, and Chavez funded organization with ties to the radical La Raza receives millions in taxpayer dollars while Maryland faces severe budget shortfalls,

“House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, R-Calvert/St. Mary's, offered an amendment Wednesday that would strip $200,000 allocated to Casa de Maryland Inc. from the state's capital budget.

The amendment failed, 47-89.”

A Washington Examiner articles notes that Casa de Maryland recently formed a political organization called Casa in Action and currently receives a significant majority of its funding from the state.

“CASA will receive nearly $2.1 million this fiscal year from local governments, including $1.3 million from Montgomery County, and another $32,000 in federal money, according to Kim Propeack, the group's director of community organizing and political action. CASA in Action has raised $45,000 thus far from members paying $9 annual dues, she added.”

While students languish in underfunded schools that are one step above a daycare or prison, Maryland's Democrat Governor Martin O'Malley partnered with the group to open a multicultural center inside of a restored mansion.

“Governor Martin O'Malley recently joined CASA at the launching of a three-year $30 million campaign to restore the George Oakley Totten, Jr. designed historic Langley Park mansion in Langley Park, Maryland, to be converted into a multicultural center. The center will offer English lessons, legal assistance, job placement”

What other programs have suffered while Casa de Maryland enjoys the seemingly endless largess of state lawmakers? According to the Center for Budget and Policy:

In late 2007 and 2008, some ten states enacted tax increases, closed loopholes, restricted tax credits, or implemented other revenue-raising measures. Major packages were enacted in Maryland, Michigan,and New York.

Other states that have capped or reduced funding for programs that serve people who have disabilities or are elderly include California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia

Maryland cut professional development for principals and educators, as well as health clinics, gifted and talented summer centers, and math and science initiatives.

Some states, such as Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, have implemented cuts to localities, leading to local concerns about reductions in funding for policing, child care assistance, meals for the elderly, hospice care, services for veterans and seniors, and other services.

Other states cutting higher education operating funding and financial aid include Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland..

The Immigration debate

Casa de Maryland discourages local police enforcement of immigration laws and advocates for driver's licenses for illegal aliens – contentious issues in the current political climate. Local point to the fact that crimes in Silver Spring, Maryland and gang activity are on the rise.

Wikipedia notes that tensions ran high in 2006 when “Gustavo Torres, the Executive Director of CASA, remarked to a reporter for the local Gazette newspaper that CASA was determined to track the leadership of a local unit of Minuteman Project, and take the following actions: 'We are going to target the Minutemen in a specific way... we are going picket their houses, and the schools of their kids, and go to their work. If they are going to do this to us, we are going to respond in the same way, to let people know their neighbors are extremists, that they are anti-immigrant.”

The site Help Save Maryland warns citizens that Casa de Maryland encourages illegal immigration and provides links to a case study on the Langley Park mansion project and a disturbing pamphlet that instructs immigrants in what to do in case of immigration raids.

Did tax dollars pay for this document? The Department of Labor's website shows that OSHA gave a grant of $200,000 to Casa de Maryland, and $225,000 to an affiliate group. The money was described as being for:

The grantee will provide training for high-risk Latino workers in the construction, building and grounds maintenance, agricultural, and warehouse industries in Maryland. Training will be offered through local community colleges and employment centers. Training will include a train-the-trainer module. The training and/or materials will be offered in English and Spanish. Click to enlarge.

The Obligatory ACORN Connection

Politics as Usual

Major players behind Casa de Maryland include Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Perez. Perez, a former member of Casa de Maryland's board, worked on O’Malley’s 2006 campaign, Obama's presidential campaign, and was a member of Obama's transition team. Byron York describes Perez's work with the DOJ:

"Of all the transformations that have taken place in the Obama administration, perhaps none is so radical as that within the Civil Rights Division. Under Perez, it is bigger, richer and more aggressive than ever, with a far more expansive view of its authority than at any time in recent history.
Perez is playing a leading role in the Justice Department's lawsuit against Arizona's new immigration law. He is promising a huge increase in prosecution of alleged hate crimes."

Readers may remember that Perez was also actively involved in the dismissal of charges in the DOJ case again the New Black Panther Party and has been accused of lying under oath about the case.
It appears that Casa de Maryland has friends in high places.

As Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley prepares to face off with former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. in the general election, one has to wonder what win for either side would mean for Casa de Maryland. If O'Malley is elected, the group should anticipate more funding but with two of Ehrlich's former staff members on record supporting the group, one has to wonder if this will be yet another case of different party-same political corruption.

Cross-posted at Emerging Corruption.com.

Suspicious Fire, Massive Voter Registration Fraud Plague County with ACORN-tied Congresswoman

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:41:00 +0000

An article posted at the site Texas GOP Vote highlights the close connection between Representative Kristin Thibuat and ACORN:

"The Republican Party of Texas today unveiled a new website, kristiworksforacorn.com. The site documents Democrat state Rep. Kristi Thibaut’s sordid past and her involvement with the notorious leftwing organization ACORN. Thibaut is the incumbent in House District 133.”

House District 133 encompasses Harris County, Texas the site of massive ACORN-like voter registration fraud and where a mysterious fire destroyed most of the voting machines in the county last week.

"Another blow has been dealt to voters in Harris County, Texas just days after the Harris County Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez released a 72 page PowerPoint on voting irregularities from a local group similar to the infamous ACORN.

'The integrity of the voting rolls in Harris County, Texas, appears to be under an organized and systematic attack by the group operating under the name Houston Votes,” Vasquez said at a 2 p.m. press conference at his office, where he also released copies of applications in some of the most egregious cases.

[Friday], voters are waking up with the news that the Harris County Election Technology Center was the site of a massive three-alarm fire early this morning."

As the site kristiworksforacorn.com points out, Thibaut, actively worked for ACORN for a number of years, and was even a paid lobbyist for the group. Screen shot below. Click to enlarge.

By the way, yes, there was money flowing back and forth between Thibaut and ACORN.

A meeting was held yesterday in Harris County regarding purchasing new voting machines or other options regarding the upcoming elections.

Considering the current political climate and the impending sense of doom that most Democrats are experiencing, a situation is emerging it Harris County Texas and it reeks of corruption. Will voters have a chance to have their voices heard or are political players stacking the deck?
Cross-posted at my new site Emerging Corruption

Facts Obama Doesn't Want You to Connect

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:54:00 +0000

Cross-Posted from my new site Emerging Corruption.

What really happened during the 2008 elections? Recent information regarding the primary caucuses paints the picture of a campaign that would stop at nothing to win. A campaign that was willing to strong arm candidates and volunteers in order to meet its goal. The documentary We Will Not Be Silenced delves into the Obama 2008 Campaign.

“We believe The Democratic National Committee (DNC) made a grave error by depriving American voters of their choice of Hillary Clinton as Democratic nominee. Senator Clinton, by all accounts, except caucuses, won the Primary Election and, therefore, should be the 2008 Democratic Nominee. That didn't happen, due largely to illegitimate and illegal acts. We have interviews of many accounts from caucus states recounting threats, intimidation, lies, stolen documents, falsified documents, busing in voters in exchange for paying for "dinners," etc. There are at least 2000 complaints, in Texas alone, of irregularities directed towards the Obama Campaign, that have lead to a very fractured and broken Democratic Party.”

In July, the 2007 2^nd Quarter Obama Donor List was revealed and tied back to Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and its sister organization Project Vote. On Friday, August 13^th a three-judge panel of the United States Court of appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a funding ban on ACORN stemming from Congressional action:

"Congress cut off ACORN’s federal funding last year in response to allegations the group engaged in voter registration fraud and embezzlement and violated the tax-exempt status of some of its affiliates by engaging in partisan political activities."

A clear picture of Obama and his desire to win has emerged and the public is now aware of strong arm tactics and illicit coordination with groups like ACORN. Will an imminent FEC complaint reveal that ACORN/Project Vote used tax-exemept grants and funds to run a partisan voter registration drive to get Obama elected?

Project Vote's 2007-2008 Development Plan lays out a plan to raise over $20 million dollars through a program that including targeting maxed-out presidential donors. The plan-- unaltered since June of 2007 -- can be found here.

What is particularly interesting about the plan is that Sandy Newman is mentioned several times including in a the section below.

"Establish a 'Finance Committee' who will serve as the financial voice of PV. Put together a small group of PV core funders and/or supporters who can solicit new donors and/or connect PV staff to donors or the appropriate contacts. Points: Sandy, Zach, Jeff, Slater, and Karyn"

As a Development Associate with Project Vote, I attended meetings with Sandy Newman, Zach Polett, and Karyn Gillette at Newman's offices in downtown Washington, DC. As a founder of the organization, Newman was extremely involved in Project Vote's finances despite having left the leadership staff in the early nineties. Newman is mentioned on Obama's website as a friend, and mentor. Click to enlarge.

According to Ballotpedia:

“Project Vote (or Voting for America, Inc.[1]) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. According to its website, Project Vote provides "professional training, management, evaluation and technical services on a broad continuum of key issues related to voter engagement and participation in low-income and minority communities." It was founded in 1982 by Sandy Newman and its current executive director is Michael Slater, who has worked for Project Vote since 2004.”

The problem with lying is that it often becomes hard to keep those lies straight. Project Vote's own website states that it has been around since 1982 and several of its grant application reference this year, but Project Vote and Obama both maintain that he worked for a different organization that was started around 1994. This organization, they claim, of course, was never affiliated with ACORN. The screen shot below was taken last year of Project Vote's website.

Interestingly, Project Vote's own tax returns repeat this lie as seen in the screen shot below:

Maybe Michael Slater of Project Vote can explain why their website says one thing but their tax returns say another.

Back to Sandy Newman. In 2007, Newman did reach out to potential funders and penned a memo to interested parties in the voter registration/participation community. Newman stressed the importance of the work that ACORN/Project Vote and how important the 2008 elections were.

“Together with the voters added to and remaining on the rolls because of the registration drives conducted over the last two cycles, voters galvanized by these three kinds of programs (even before counting voter turnout work) would exceed the 2004 presidential margin in nine states! They would also have an important impact (whomever they may choose to support) on other elections up and down the ballot, from US House and Senate races, Governor and Secretary of State through state legislature and races at the bottom of the ballot”

Newman also urged funders to give even if the reasons may have been to influence the outcome of the election. Newman gently suggested other ways of giving.

“They may also believe that reducing such distortions is likely to yield policies more in keeping with the interests of those whose representation in the electoral process has been inadequate. The fact that a donor may hold such a belief, or even that it may motivate giving decisions, does not cause a charitable contribution to be improper, provided that the donor intends that the actual work supported remain strictly non-partisan – that is, the work supported may not provide support or opposition to any candidate or party.”

As the chart below reveals, ACORN/Project Vote's voter registration drive was not targeted at registering voters as it was at winning for Democrats. A number of their political plans and ACORN's own endorsements of the likes of Obama and Donna Edwards made it clear whose side they were on.

In 2008, it was revealed that the Obama Campaign had given over $800,000 to an ACORN affiliate, Citizens Service Inc,

"The Ohio primary was March 4. According to FEC records, the Obama campaign paid Citizens Services Inc. $832,598.29, from Feb. 25 to May 17.

A Trib analysis of campaign finance reports showed Obama paid CSI for services that stood out as unusual. For example, CSI received payments of $63,000 and $75,000 for advance work. Excluding the large payments to CSI, the average amount the Obama campaign spent with other organizations was $558.82 per check on more than 1,200 entries classified as advance work.
Citizens Services Inc. is headquartered at the same address as ACORN’s national headquarters in New Orleans. Citizens Services was established in December 2004 to “assist persons and organizations who advance the interests of low- and moderate-income people,” according to paperwork filed in Louisiana. In a 2006 ACORN publication, Citizen Services Inc. is described as “ACORN’s campaign services entity."

Project Vote's own 2009 tax returns reveal that it gave a similar amount to CSI.

Here is the explanation:

Ballotpedia quotes from a New York Times article that references the Elizabeth Kingsley report gives insight into who Project Vote was paying at CSI.

"An example would be Zach Pollett, formerly Project Vote’s executive director and also ACORN's political director, until July, when he relinquished the former title. Mr. Pollett continues to work as a consultant for Project Vote through another Acorn affiliate"

As evidence continues to mount against Obama and ACORN it remains to be seen how long Obama's Teflon will last. While the public was distracted by ACORN's antics like registering Mickey Mouse to vote, the group implemented a strategic plan in battleground states to produce the right margin of victory for Democrats. ACORN's own 2008 Get Out the Vote plan illustrates how this was done. Click to enlarge.

ACORN's impact in shaping American politics has become clearer since Obama took office. Considering the number of corrupt politicians holding office, that ACORN effect should not be surprising, nevertheless, the actual numbers are quite startling.

When you break those numbers down by battleground state, the true threat of ACORN and its friends becomes even clearer.

With his ineffective leadership, lies to the American people and an imploding economy, the commander-in-chief is starting to resemble yet another corrupt politician from ACORN- a usurper intent on making deals and passing agendas that push America closer to ACORN's socialist utopia.

Revealed: The Obama Donor List

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:44:00 +0000

Cross-posted from my new site Emerging Corruption.

For a number of years traditional print media has been on life support, but after the revelations from Tucker Carlson’s The Daily Caller, it looks like someone finally pulled the plug. The expose on Journolist, a now defunct, listserv that included hundreds of liberal journalists, detailed:

the Journolisters' attempt, during the 2008 presidential campaign to kill and bury stories about Obama's relationship with "Reverend" Jeremiah Wright;
their push to deliberately smear innocent conservative journalists and politicos as "racists" and "bigots"
their twisted passion to see Rush Limbaugh killed off and dead;
their intolerant desire to have the government censor and shut down Fox News; and
their baldly partisan effort to coordinate liberal talking points that would discredit Sarah Palin and John McCain, while helping to elect Barack Obama president.

Considering that Journolist included journalists from Washington Post, the New York Times, National Public Radio, New Republic, and Time, one has to wonder if the biggest story covered up in 2008 was the illegal coordination between ACORN and the Obama campaign.

Below is a screen shot from the newly released Obama 2nd quarter 2007 donor list. ACORN obtained this donor list from the Obama Campaign in 2007 to target maxed out presidential donors.

OBAMA DONOR FILE SCREEN SHOT

VIEW THE FULL OBAMA DONOR FILES

Revealed: Obama Donor File Part 1

As a confidential source for the New York Times, I turned this document over to reporter Stephanie Strom months before the 2008 presidential elections and though the list includes information more complete than what the Obama campaign turned over to the Federal Election Commission, the NYT decided to bury the story.
Strom and I used pseudonymous e-mail addresses while communicating and in 2008, Strom wrote:

"I’m calling a halt to my efforts. I just had two unpleasant calls with the Obama campaign, wherein the spokesman was screaming and yelling and cursing me, calling me a rightwing nut and a conspiracy theorist and everything else…"

After this weeks revelations about the efforts of the liberal media to cover-up or spike stories damaging to Obama, Strom’s next words are even more telling:

“What's happened is that the campaign has answered some of my questions on the record -- but when I sought on-the-record answers to my questions about the meeting and about the list, the campaign insisted on speaking only on background. When I asked why, I got the barrage I described earlier. Clearly, I've hit a nerve with what you've told me. The campaign knows that having the allegations of meeting attributed to 'former employees' -- and there are more than one of you talking -- and having an anonymous denial of the meeting makes it harder for me to get it into the paper.”

In 2008 the liberal media provided the cover needed for Obama to get elected, but two years later, questions remain about his relationship with ACORN and it has been clear that Obama has lied repeatedly to the American people. Its time to get Obama and ACORN on the record about what really happened with the donor lists in 2007 and 2008.
The release of the Obama donor list to the public will be followed by a formal complaint to the FEC, which both Obama and ACORN will have to respond to - on-the-record.
In 2009, the Democrat controlled Judiciary Committee heard testimony from attorney Heather Heidelbaugh, who read my 2008 testimony against ACORN into Congressional record. Evidence, and sworn testimony were among the facts ignored by the members of the committee:

“Based on the testimony, Project Vote, ACORN and other ACORN affiliated entities illegally coordinated activities with the Obama presidential campaign, converting the expenditures by Project Vote, ACORN and ACORN affiliated entities to illegal, excessive corporate contributions to the Obama presidential campaign, in violation of federal law.”

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty—power is ever stealing from the many to the few…. The hand entrusted with power becomes … the necessary enemy of the people. Only by continual oversight can the democrat in office be prevented from hardening into a despot: only by unintermitted Agitation can a people be kept sufficiently awake to principle not to let liberty be smothered in material prosperity. - Wendell Phillips, speech in Boston, Massachusetts, January 28, 1852."

Why Georgia's 12th CD Should be on Everyone's Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:28:00 +0000

When Howard Dean implemented his "50 State Strategy" most, including some in his own party, considered his plan to be unworkable and more importantly "unwinnable". After the resounding sweep of the Democrats in 2006 and Obama in 2008, the RNC has only feebly attempted to replicate this strategy.

From Wikipedia:

"As chairman of the party, Dean created and employed the '50 State Strategy' that attempted to make Democrats competitive in normally conservative states often dismissed in the past as 'solid red.' The success of the strategy became apparent after the 2006 midterm elections, where Democrats took back the House and picked up seats in the Senate from normally Republican states such as Missouri and Montana. In the 2008 election, Barack Obama used 'The 50 state strategy' as the backbone of his candidacy."

As the November 2010 mid-term elections rapidly approaches it is now even more important to focus on every race, every state, and every primary. Blogger Melissa Clouthier describes the problem in the Republican party:

"The Republicans conceding in between elections as well as races, themselves, has been a tremendous source of irritation. It is one thing to microtarget and write off a district because it’s 'unwinnable'. The problem is that too many areas were written off that could, in this election, be won. And now, with no foundation there, it makes the task of winning more difficult. Texas isn’t the only place this has happened. In fact, this is a problem nationwide for Republicans. With a lack of organization and get out the vote effort and the lack of relationship building, many potentially winnable races will be lost simply because there is no there, there. It’s been conceded."

Clouthier's article includes a review of a primary race in a solidly red state of Georgia. In Georgia's 12^th Congressional district candidate Ray McKinney is running a tight primary race against former fire chief Carl Smith, Jr. McKinney, a former supporter of Smith, has run a solid campaign while Smith has been embroiled in a number of ethical situations reminiscent of Democrat candidates. This is where the problem lies, as the Tea Party activists have become more politically savvy, every candidate must be held to a higher standard. To ensure a government that is free of corruption, the people must be willing to expose those within their own party whose actions are not aligned with our values.

According to the Savannah Business Journal:

"On June 9, Thunderbolt Town Council terminated Smith’s $52,000 a year position as Thunderbolt’s Fire Chief. The reasons behind the termination have publicly varied – officially it's financial reasons, unofficially Smith took too much time off to campaign, and to Smith it’s all politically motivated..."

According to local reports, Smith was advised by former congressional candidate Wayne Mosley, members of the 12th District executive board, and Ray McKinney, that to avoid appearance of conflict of interest, he should resign as Fire Chief to run for Congress. Obviously Smith declined that advice and now there are allegations by concerned citizens in the district that not only was Smith an absentee fire chief but that he may have violated the Hatch Act.

Part of the 50 page watchdog report states:

" The Hatch Act of 1939 was introduced to prevent corruption in government and elections. Its main provision prevents federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity. However, it also applies to employees of state and local governments.....
Currently in Georgia’s 12th congressional district, a public official who has applied for and received federal funds in his capacity as chief of the Thunderbolt Fire Department is in violation of the Hatch Act."

The report alleges that Smith, in his role as Fire Chief, used his office, uniform, and vehicle to campaign for public office in violation of the Hatch Act. Evidence included screen shots of Smith's website which show him in various official uniforms on his campaign website and in fund raising letters like the ones below.

The report also includes information on the Federal funds that Smith had either applied or lobbied for in his capacity as Thunderbolt Fire Chief.

As the report points out, politicians in others states have been found in violation of the Hatch act for amounts less than shown above and in one instance, the state of Utah must either forfeit federal funds or force a state senator to resign.

Ray McKinney's camp is taking this primary seriously and according to the Savannah Business Journal, has raised $100,000 already. McKinney, who I met at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in April, and again in DC over dinner, has been endorsed by local Tea Party groups and One Nation PAC, has been praised by the NRA and has a plan to clean up the Gulf oil spill.

Character counts in selecting elected officials and Republicans must be willing to recognize the early signs of susceptibility to corruption within our ranks. When representatives go across the aisle on votes like Cap and Trade or Wall Street reform, voters are left wondering what happened. That's why every race counts. ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, operated under the idea that “all politics is local.” As seen in other districts like California's 37^th Congressional district where Star Parker is running to unseat Representative Laura Richardson, a corrupt local politician can became a national problem with the outcome of one election.

If Republicans introduce their own problem candidate into the November 2010 election, they run the risk of handing that district over to a Democrat who will capitalize on Smith's current troubles.

Smith's ethical issues only highlight McKinney as the viable candidate and a costly run-off will distract from the main goal for putting the Democrat candidate on the defensive. If Republicans unite in GA-12, McKinney is the best choice for a sustainable conservative majority. To donate or find out more information about McKinney, go here. Every race, every state.

Did Jack McConnell Lie About ACORN During His Confirmation Hearing?

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:47:00 +0000

The ACORN apologists over at Media Matters were hard at work last week as they took time to once again whitewash or ignore the truth in order to protect ACORN. Even though Media Matters claims that my article titled “Radical Judicial Nominee Jack McConnell’s Disturbing ACORN Connections" is "nothing new" and the connections I drew in the article "between ACORN and progressives" are "even weaker than previous conservative attacks," Media Matters apparently felt a need to try to refute it. Why write about "nothing new"?

Unfortunately for Media Matters, its arguments only work as long as its readers are content with ignoring key facts about ACORN and its role in politics, elections and government itself.

As stated in my previous article posted at many websites, including BigGovernment.com, there are several disturbing connections involving Jack McConnell, the lead paint litigation, and ACORN. Keeping in mind that this is the same “news organization” that still insists that ACORN's alter ego Project Vote was totally separate from ACORN when Barack Obama worked for them, I will let ACORN's own words explain its involvement in the Sherwin-Williams California case. The excerpt below is from page 59 of an ACORN report available here (click to enlarge).

Why would Media Matters ignore ACORN's own words? For the same reason it tries to dismiss my article as a conservative attempt to use ACORN as the “boogeyman.” By omitting the fact that I worked for ACORN and testified against ACORN/Project Vote in 2008, Media Matters hopes to downplay the significance of my knowledge of ACORN's inner workings and its relationships with others.

In fact, while in the DC office of ACORN/Project Vote I worked on projects that allowed me to discover that among the donors to Project Vote was the private law firm involved in the California lead paint case.

Court documents show that the petitioners, California counties and cities, had not only hired Jack McConnell’s firm, Motley Rice, but also "Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy" (and others) to represent them against the paint companies (interestingly, the Santa Clara County counsel who initiated the lead paint case was appointed by the Obama administration to the Justice Department last year).

Not only did Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy give over $10,000 to ACORN's Project Vote, they were ACORN's own attorneys. The connection between Motley Rice, ACORN and Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy is crystal clear in a reference here from page 31 of a 2006 report by ACORN.

"Amy Schur, directing this effort, was vigilant, and having dogged them all year, has constructed a legal strategy with ALERT and the Cachet firm [sic Cotchett] that has now brought the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles into the lawsuit."

ACORN founder Wade Rathke mentions donor/attorney Naill McCarthy by name and also explains the lead paint litigation strategy in his book Citizen Wealth.

Wade goes on to explain how organizations like ACORN use litigation to gain power.

To recap for the Media Matters readers who may be used to having their news filtered:

ACORN staged a NATIONWIDE campaign against paint company Sherwin Williams.
ACORN turned down settlements to clean up the damage because it wanted money.
ACORN and its attorneys were in the final stages of given ACORN a seat in the negotiation process in the California case.
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy represented ACORN in similar cases against Household Finance and Wells Fargo.

Don't be fooled by the misspelling in the ACORN report, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy is the same law firm that successfully represented ACORN in the Wells Fargo case.

“Wells Fargo Financial, Inc., the consumer finance subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company, and the law firms of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy (Burlingame, Calif.) and Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C. (Madison, Wisc.) said they have agreed to settle a class action lawsuit.....
In the proposed settlement, Wells Fargo Financial commits to continue for three years several improvements it had already put into practice, which have further strengthened its nonprime real estate-secured lending practices, and to implement other practices to benefit its customers. It also agrees to enact a default relief program, earmarking $2.4 million to provide relief to qualifying class members whose loans have become delinquent by more than 60 days. Qualifying class members who submit claims may also be entitled to cash payments, which will be determined using a formula to disburse up to $4.4 million.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a party to the lawsuit, had alleged that Wells Fargo Financial failed to adequately disclose points and prepayment penalties and had inaccurately reported loan balances on some of its California customers to credit reporting agencies."

ACORN involvement in the lead paint issue was tremendous. Besides releasing reports and, staging protests (both national and international), ACORN even dedicated a separate website to the cause.

ACORN demonstrations included:

A reasonable person would say that given ACORN's relationship with former Rhode Island Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse and current United States Senator (an enthusiastic supporter of Jack McConnell's nomination), and its work with Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy on settlements, does raise the question as whether Motley Rice's agreement with DuPont paint deserves more scrutiny.

"It's odd and I think unlawful that the Attorney General, in a sense, appropriated the DuPont settlement moneys for his own purposes. It's curious part of the money went to his alma mater, another part w[ent] to pay off a pledge made by Motley Rice to a Boston hospital, then the rest of the money went to the Children's Health Forum, which is not based in Rhode Island at all."

The fact that ACORN Advisory Committee member and long time ACORN ally Henry Cisneros is on the board of the Children's Health Forum could be considered a coincidence to the folks over at Media Matters, but what if I were to tell you that the Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa was on the advisory committee of the Children's Health Forum?

In 2009 Cisneros was honored for his commitment to ACORN while Villaraigosa engaged in crisis PR for the group. Side note: Villaraigosa is also board members of the Institute for America's Future, a group that goes out of its way to protect ACORN interests.

Either Jack McConnell’s law firm Motley Rice was totally oblivious to the FACT that Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy were in the FINAL stages of securing ACORN a seat next to them at the negotiating table or McConnell lied during his confirmation hearing (see transcript below)

SEN. KYL: I understand. My five minutes is up. It's kind of hard to have continuity in questioning when we have this kind of limitation. I understood the point you were originally trying to make, but if I can -- and I have a couple more minutes' worth of questions just as a follow up to this.

My point really was not only, is it right to seek this as a movement, but whether you actually encourage these lawsuits in other states -- you or your law firm -- did you?

MR. MCCONNELL: No, Senator, we did not.

SEN. KYL: Are you aware of any role by the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now -- that's ACORN -- in how those cases might have come to be filed?

MR. MCCONNELL: No, neither I nor my firm have had any relationship with ACORN.

President Clinton said that his answer depended upon what the meaning of the word is is. McConnell might say that it depends upon what a relationship is. Apparently McConnell did not want to acknowledge any kind of relationship to ACORN by the time his confirmation hearing was held. Still, McConnell, his firm and ACORN are all connected. McConnell's key role in the lead paint litigation in Rhode Island, where ACORN had a significant presence, and his law firm's subsequent participation in the California lead paint case on the side of ACORN and its California law firm contradict his unqualified assurance that neither he nor his firm "had any relationship with ACORN."

To quote from ACORN Report shown in the screen shots above:

p. 38: "Luck would have it that the major CA lawsuit against the paint industry is being handled by the same law firm handling our Wells Fargo case [Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy]--and they want to work together on the lead case. Over the last month we have been able to convince several major CA cities and school districts to join the lawsuit. In a potentially important precedent for our role in these types of cases, we are in the final stages of negotiating a seat for ALERT (ACORN Law for Education, Representation & Training) on the legal team for the case, which puts us at the table--and in the settlement negotiations."

P. 59: December 2006--"ACORN gets 2 cities and 2 school districts in CA to join a lawsuit against paint companies"

Key ACORN leaders gather in DC to help plan America's future

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:04:00 +0000

Last week's America's Future Now Conference, hosted by the Campaign for America's future, attracted progressive groups from around the country, including MoveOn, SEIU, ACORN's Project Vote and politicians such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Barbara Lee.

Despite ongoing investigations by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and voter fraud allegations in several states, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or ACORN continues to maintain its innocence regarding the undercover videos that led to the “dissolution” of the national group. Prominent politicians like Pelosi and Lee have been willing to lend their credibility to ACORN and other radical organizations by ignoring details like the FBI documents released last week by Judicial Watch.

The documents include handwritten notes from FBI investigators interviewing canvassers working with Project Vote, an ACORN affiliate. Among the highlights from the FBI handwritten notes:
[ACORN] “Told employees not to talk to the FBI. ‘FBI trying to intimidate you.’”
Fraudulent cards:
To cause confusion on election day to keep polls open longer
To allow people who can’t vote to vote.
To allow to vote multiple times.
Project Vote will pay them whether cards fake or not – whatever they had to do to get the cards was attitude.
Constantly threatened
Staff restricted on what to say to FBI
“Poverty pimpin” (sic) ACORN
ACORN HQ is wkg for the Democratic Party.
PV [Project Vote] pays ACORN $6.00 per card…Said “You treat the cards like (cash) $”
Some [names] went right from the phone book and made up the rest.

Tom Fitton, president of Judaical Watch raised significant points when he stated:

“These documents show the need for a national criminal investigation by the Obama Justice Department into ACORN. Is Attorney General Holder doing nothing because of Obama’s close connections to ACORN and Project Vote? The information in these new documents has national implications that cry out for further investigation.”

Lawmakers like Representative Donna Edwards who attended the conference have never worried about their connections to ACORN in the past and (considering the speakers listed below) most are willing to turn a blind eye to its transgressions.

This may explain why, when most Americans were beginning their work week, ACORN leaders like Zach Polett were welcomed at a conference called America's Future Now.

Amid numerous reports of its demise, ACORN sent various top leaders to Washington, DC last week. That statement may bring to mind ACORN's CEO Bertha Lewis.

However, ACORN's true leaders have always prided themselves on remaining behind the scenes. Zach Polett, pictured below, is the former Executive Director of Project Vote, former head of ACORN Political Operations and a founding member of ACORN. Polett in his own words, was also once the supervisor of Barack Obama when he worked at Project Vote in the 1990's

Joining Polett last week were ACORN leader, Steve Kest (picture below) and Project Vote Executive Director Michael Slater. If one can imagine the America's Future Now conference like a high school reunion, the ACORN leaders were obviously the football team.

Efforts were made to protect the already "victimized" ACORN from any unwanted scrutiny (more on that later) but it is interesting to note that facts mean little to radical liberals and their “progressive” friends. Hundreds of pages of notes, testimony and evidence exist that suggest that ACORN is a criminal organization set up in a manner that is subversive and harmful, but lawmakers, and apparently the FBI are content to ignore critical facts in fear of where a full investigation would lead.

The fact of the matter is Barack Obama is a liar who has used his position to cover up the very criminal activity that got him elected president. In May of 2009, Bill O'Reilly began to delve into the ACORN/Obama story but stopped short after my statement that ACORN operated as an “unofficial arm of the Democratic Party.” O'Reilly chose to form a truce with the White House after pressure from the administration about Fox's anti-Obama stance and the mainstream media continue to ignore the true story.

Not surprisingly, my testimony in Pennsylvania in 2008 mirrors the FBI notes released last week, and it has been over a year since Heather Heidelbaugh presented testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Yet, instead of investigating, top House Democrats wait for more “credible evidence.” Among the evidence ignored by House Democrats are:

Project Vote receives donor lists from other Democratic and labor union sources: John Kerry campaign, [Hilary] Clinton campaign, Barack Obama campaign, Democratic National Committee, America Coming Together (“ACT”) (p.3)
Project Vote development plan was to ‘approach maxed out presidential donors’, and ‘allegedly use the funds for voter registration drives’ (pp.3-4)
ACORN ‘employees’ were paid through Project Vote for partisan campaign activities telling voters … “don’t vote for Albert Win (sic) or vote for this person” (p. 4)
There were no divisions between the staff of ACORN and Project Vote, and persons working for one entity actually perform work for either or both organizations (p. 4)
The Obama campaign’s donor list was part of the evidence admitted into the hearing on the injunction in October 2008 (p. 5)

ACORN's work has been critical to the Democrats to secure and maintain their majority in Congress. My blog posts have noted this repeatedly, but here is ACORN in its own words from page 46 of a 2006 report describing how they will leverage power with the new Democratic controlled Congress (available here). Click to enlarge.

After two full days of speakers and workshops, the attendees gathered for an awards ceremony on Tuesday night. Awardees included the leftist liberal donor Peter Lewis of Progressive Insurance Company and this reporter arrived early to the event. After inquiring about a ticket for the dinner, I decided to give the VIPs a chance to gather their tickets while I walked around.

Judging from the amount of protection that ACORN received at the America's Future Now conference, it is obvious that other liberal groups consider ACORN's work to still be critical to passing the radical agenda.
What happened next can only be described as roaches reacting to sunlight. After smiling for the camera, a stunned Zach Polett of ACORN reacted by scurrying across the room to find Michael Slater of Project Vote while Steve Kest of ACORN attempted to duck into another room with a piano in it. The group chatting so animatedly just a few minutes ago closed ranks (probably to hide other radicals from the lens of my camera).

Inside the awards event Representative Donna Edwards and ACORN insiders discussed plans for America's future, but in the hall I was denied entry to the event after words from Michael Slater to the event staff . Though it had been confirmed minutes early that there were seats available I was told that tables had just been removed. When I decided to wait in hopes of getting a seat, a staffer named Alex Lawson came rushing out with Tommy Christopher from Mediaite.

Apparently, an everyday American is no longer allowed to ask questions or attend conferences with names like America's Future Now. The ACORN leaders inside had complained of pictures being taken and I was grilled (while Mediaite videotaped the incident). ACORN could no longer ignore my statements against them so Lawson was sent to remove me from the event. Lawson accused me of working for Andrew Breitbart (which has been revealed to be a Democrat talking point) and refused to sell me a ticket to an event at which public officials, progressive organizations and ACORN celebrated their success in taking America to the far left.

Anyone who has been paying attention knows that ACORN has not disbanded but merely reformed. One has to wonder what else ACORN and its friends are hiding. SEIU, MoveOn, Media Matters and the Center for Community change have all jumped to ACORN's defense and by discounting the mounting evidence against ACORN, it appears that ACORN is "to big to fail." The implications of admitting that ACORN is a corruption, socialist organization could implicate dozens of funders, allies, partners and politicians.

Who else was hiding behind the liberal wall at the America's Future Now conference? Could it have been Jeffrey Robinson of Citizen Services Inc, the ACORN affiliate that was contracted by the Obama campaign for "get out the vote" activities.

"U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for services the Democrat's campaign says it mistakenly misrepresented in federal reports.

An Obama spokesman said Federal Election Commission reports would be amended to show Citizens Services Inc. -- a subsidiary of ACORN -- worked in "get-out-the-vote" projects, instead of activities such as polling, advance work and staging major events as stated in FEC finance reports filed during the primary."

The same leaders who covered up an embezzlement scandal, ran a massive voter registration drive riddled with fraud and coordinated with the Obama campaign to violate Federal election law are still in place. A glance at Zach Polett's friend list illustrates this point, from Heather Booth to Tom Matzzie of MoveOn, Polett's friends have been instrumental in the Democrat party for decades.

The one lesson I took away from the America's Future Now conference after being turned away is that America is in peril. The left is on a collision course with the Constitution and our freedoms. Among the handouts I picked out was a booklet that laid out the plan for a "Democratic and Socialist Future." I will share more about this booklet later but it's important to see that the past two years have shown Americans the political lives of ACORN and exposed the depth of deception Democrats will sink in order to protect their "vote making" machine.

Obama has lied repeatedly about his background, and his ties to ACORN. It's time to go after the leaders behind ACORN, and the politicians who are shredding the Constitution for them.

OFA and the DNC: ACORN 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:51:00 +0000

If elections were like football games, this would be your two minute warning. All of the passion, energy and renewed interest in politics that propelled the tea party movement of 2009 opens the door to a new level of involvement. As patriot groups around the country prepare for the November 2010 elections, a quiet force has been building behind the scenes.

Investigative reporter Carol Greenberg's work inside Obama's Organizing for America has already helped expose the OFA's connection to ACORN and its network of top Democrat party insiders. Greenberg's latest article explains the OFA plan to deploy rapid response teams to Ohio ahead of the elections.

Any liberal discussion of Ohio includes the sentiment that “Ohio is ground zero for the left.” Long a playground for groups like ACORN, they conducted voter experiments, filed lawsuits against the state and their voter fraud shenanigans led to a civil RICO suit brought by the Buckeye Institute. ACORN's settlement of the case required that it surrender its business license in the state.

Unfortunately for conservatives, the awareness of ACORN's network of organizations and mob like behavior come at a time when he same political workeasily be done by Obama's permanent campaign. A campaign that was absorbed into the Democratic National Committee after it ceased being Obama for America.
Obama's ACORN cronies designed a system that could be substantial from any number of leftist organizations, including the DNC.

“Apparently, ACORN and Project Vote were 'smack dab' in the middle of another one of Obama’s voter registration drives. According to ACORN reports, ACORN was Catalist’s first client. Let me be clear, the ACORN VBASE, is the archetype of the Obama campaign. ACORN’s technology combined with union money elected a president.”

Draft slides of a 2006 Project Vote PowerPoint show that Project Vote's method could produce the desired results to sway an election.

Critics of Project Vote and ACORN underestimate their effectiveness in contacting voters to move them on an issue or to the polls.

Other slides detail their plans to turn this Voter Mobilization Network over to the leftist friends (including the DNC).

The left may scoff at whether this connection exists, but Karyn Gillette, then development director of Project Vote, also gave me a copy of the 2004 DNC donor list to work from. Karyn Gillette came to Project Vote from Ohio where she was employed by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

“According to a court filing in Ohio alleging ACORN violated state Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, 'Project Vote, regularly advises Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (hereinafter “Secretary Brunner”) on election strategy, and recently issuing a news release claiming credit for Secretary Brunner’s directive restricting challenges to suspected unlawful voter registrations.'

"Maurice Thompson, the attorney handling the Ohio RICO action, told me late yesterday, 'Evidence of collusion amongst ACORN, Project Vote, the Obama Campaign and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner comes as no surprise to us -- these supposedly separate entities appear to have been co-mingling funds, trading political tips, and helping each other gain power for years now.'"

Here is a screen shot of the email Gillette sent to ACORN.org email addresses containing the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Though a number of news outlets like the New York Times had copies of the DNC donor list, it was never made public, until today.

Click here to view the DNC major donor list ACORN used to fundraise for its voter registration drives.
The OFA's organizing machine can track millions of calls and mobilize countless volunteers and it would behoove the right to take notice. Twitter and Facebook may spread the message and connect folks but there is a serious need for some good old fashion grassroots door knocking. If conservatives are going to win in November there must be a combination of new and old organizing. In 2004 Ohio surprised the nation by going red for Bush. As many others have noted, there was initially a

...lack of outreach among African American communities. Karl Rove proved in 2004 with black voters in Ohio that persons should not assume that African Americans will consistently vote progressive."

Organizing for America has stopped the game clock with the unveiling of Vote 2010. November is the goal and they have the ball. Kickoff events are scheduled around the country for June 5th. Inviting emails with subjects like “What are you doing Saturday?” are making the rounds.

Conservatives, what are you doing this Saturday? If you want to win in November, it should be attending one of those kickoff parties. OFA, it's the new ACORN. Learn who they are and how they operate. Click here to find an event near you or to sign up for their updates. If the OFA can continue to organize to pass Obama's agenda and maintain the Congressional majorities, and all of the momentum of the past year and a half will be lost.

If elections were like football games, this would be your two minute warning. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-minute_warning All of the passion, energy and renewed interest in politics that propelled the tea party movement of 2009 opens the door to a new level of involvement. As patriot groups around the country prepare for the November 2010 elections, a quiet force has been building behind the scenes.

Any liberal discussion of Ohio includes the sentiment that “Ohio is ground zero for the left.” Long a playground for groups like ACORN, they conducted voter experiments, filed lawsuits against the state and its voter fraud shenanigans lead to a civil RICO suit brought by the Buckeye Institute. ACORN's settlement of the case required that they surrender their business license in the state.

http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/about-us

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/03/update_on_acorn_rico_suit.html

Unfortunately for conservative, the awareness of ACORN's network of organizations and mob like behavior come at a time when their efforts can easily be done by Obama's permanent campaign. A campaign that was absorbed into the Democratic National Committee after it ceased being Obama for America.

Obama's ACORN cronies designed a system that could be substantial from any number of leftist organizations, including the DNC.

“Apparently, ACORN and Project Vote were “smack dab” in the middle of another one of Obama’s voter registration drives. According to ACORN reports, ACORN was Catalist’s first client. Let me be clear, the ACORN VBASE, is the archetype of the Obama campaign. ACORN’s technology combined with union money elected a president.”

Draft slides of a 2006 Project Vote PowerPoint show that Project Vote's method could produce the desired results to sway an election. Other slides detail their plans to turn this Voter Mobilization Network over to the leftist friends (including the DNC).

The left may scoff at whether this connection exists, but Karyn Gillette, then development director of Project Vote also gave me a copy of the 2004 DNC donor list to work from. Karyn Gillette came to Project Vote from Ohio where she was employed by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

“According to a court filing in Ohio alleging ACORN violated state Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, “Project Vote, regularly advises Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (hereinafter “Secretary Brunner”) on election strategy, and recently issuing a news release claiming credit for Secretary Brunner’s directive restricting challenges to suspected unlawful voter registrations.”

Maurice Thompson, the attorney handling the Ohio RICO action, told me late yesterday, “Evidence of collusion amongst ACORN, Project Vote, the Obama Campaign and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner comes as no surprise to us -- these supposedly separate entities appear to have been comingling funds, trading political tips, and helping each other gain power for years now.”

http://www.scribd.com/full/32277284?access_key=key-mbzls714b149pwmemfg

The OFA's organizing machine can track millions of calls and mobilize countless volunteers and it would behoove the right to take notice. Twitter and Facebook may spread the message and connect folks but there is a serious need for some good old fashion grassroots door knocking. If conservatives are going to win in November there must be a combination of new and old organizing. In 2004 Ohio surprised the nation by going red for Bush. As many others have noted there was initially a

...lack of outreach among African American communities. Karl Rove proved in 2004 with black voters in Ohio that persons should not assume that African Americans will consistently vote progressive

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/761/don%27t_blame_black_voters:_the_obama_non-effect

Organizing for America has stopped the game clock with the unveiling of Vote 2010. November is the goal and they have the ball. Kickoff events are scheduled around the country for June 5^th. Inviting emails with subjects like “What are you doing Saturday?” are making the rounds.

Conservatives, what are you doing this Saturday? If you want to win in November it should be attending one of those kickoff parties. OFA, it's the new ACORN. Learn who they are and how operate. Click here to find an event near you or to sign up for their updates. If the OFA can continue to organize to pass Obama's agenda and maintain the majority all of the momentum of the past year and a half will be lost. So Made 8.7 million door to door and contact attempts

Radical Judicial Nominee Jack McConnell's Disturbing ACORN Connections

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:32:00 +0000

“If you make a mess, you have to help clean it up”, John "Jack" McConnell said in his opening statement in a case that would have lasting and costly effects. From the looks of things McConnell and his friends may need a mop because there is a trail of corruption originating from Rhode Island that has spread to DC and polluted the country. McConnell's nomination for the Rhode Island's federal court reeks of backroom deals and paybacks.

“President Barack Obama nominated Jack McConnell in March for a spot on the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island. He was recommended by the state's two senators, Democrats Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse.”

The Heritage Foundation explains McConnell's background:

“Another of McConnell 's claims to fame is the lead paint litigation in Rhode Island and Wisconsin. In Rhode Island, McConnell's law firm shopped a lawsuit against the former makers of lead paint to Whitehouse, when the latter was that state's Attorney General. Whitehouse's successor ratified a decision that Whitehouse made and contracted out the state's power to sue in the public interest to McConnell's law firm. In the lawsuit, which McConnell considers one of his most significant, the state sought an order directing the companies to abate lead pigment in all buildings in Rhode Island that were accessible to children on the ground that the buildings were a 'public nuisance.'
The Rhode Island Supreme Court recognized that lead poisoning was a serious public health problem, but declined to play the role of the legislature and create a new cause of action to address it, as McConnell 's lawsuit wanted it to do."

Have angry mob, will travel

Naturally, when there is an opportunity to exploit the situation, attack business, and make some money, ACORN is not far behind. As so called leaders in the 'social justice' movement, ACORN was active in lead paint initiative early on. Whether it was state and local grants or lucrative partnerships, ACORN was ready to sign on. In the case of Rhode Island, ACORN formed an alliance with an organization called the Childhood Lead Action Project (CLAP). CLAP was instrumental in pushing the litigation in Ohio and joined with ACORN to file an amicus brief on behalf of McConnell's case.
A one time partnership on a case of mutual interest can be overlooked but ACORN and the Childhood Lead Action Project teamed up on a number of projects including

Rhode Island Diesel Pollution Initiative
The National Low Income Housing Coalition
The Fund for Community Progress

The Childhood Lead Action Project presented Jack McConnell with the Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award and McConnell's firm Motley & Rice LLC. donated funds to CLAP.

Steal from the rich and give to the liberal rich.

With ACORN organizing protests across the country against McConnell's target Sherwin-Williams, the “advocacy group” was able to maintain leverage over negotiations and even described their motives to a gathering of staff in December of 2006:

“As an outgrowth of the neighborhood lead-based campaigns in recent years, the profile of our lead work leaped forward targeting giant paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams. Legal settlements in Rhode Island most notably gave us encouragement that some level of victory was possible in finally winning remediation for the impacts of lead paint.
The initial gamut of the company and others was to attempt to force us to tread water with the trade association, but meetings won through early actions produced nothing. Amy Schur, directing this effort, was vigilant, and having dogged them all year, has constructed a legal strategy with ALERT and the Cachet firm that has now brought the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles into the lawsuit.”

Read more on page 31 of the ACORN 2006 YEYB Report.
ACORN insiders go on to describe how the organization is more concerned about using the lawsuits to force a monetary settlement for the organization than for removing lead paint (emphasis mine):

“We knew going into this campaign that we faced a particular challenge in the current environment. They can settle with ACORN, but still haven’t gotten rid of their biggest problem – the city and state lawsuits.
Over the last 6 months our primary strategy has been to demonstrate to Sherwin-Williams that ACORN has the capacity to compound their legal problems, primarily by getting more cities and states to sue. While right now there is a chance that the company’s legal problems will grow significantly, ACORN’s work could almost ensure that this would be the case. So, deal with ACORN to take out that factor, and they might hope to beat back the worst of what could come.
Sherwin-Williams hasn’t wanted to deal, so we now either give up or make good on our threat. The problem is, while we can get more state lawsuits moving, and these very well may lead to the homes in our neighborhoods being made lead safe, securing the final victory is in the hands of the AG’s and how do we benefit organizationally?
Luck would have it that the major CA lawsuit against the paint industry is being handled by the same law firm handling our Wells Fargo case – and they want to work together on the lead case. Over the last month we have been able to convince several major CA cities and school districts to join the lawsuit. In a potentially important precedent for our role in these types of cases, we are in the final stages of negotiating a seat for ALERT (ACORN Law for Education, Representation & Training) on the legal team for the case, which puts us at the table - and in the settlement negotiations.”

ACORN's above statement raises questions as to whether McConnell was candid to Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas when Cornyn “a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked John McConnell Jr. if it was appropriate for a lawyer to solicit a school board as a client in a lead paint lawsuit even if the district is not sure its schools contain lead paint.”

Written Questions from Sen. John Cornyn and Written Answers from Nominee John McConnell Jr.
16. Attached as Exhibit A is an August 2, 2000 memorandum from a Texas plaintiffs' law firm to Texas school board members lobbying the school board to join a lead based paint remediation lawsuit that was headed by Ness Motley, predecessor to Motley Rice LLC and your firm at the time.
a. Do you believe that it is appropriate for a lawyer to solicit a school board as a client in a lead-based paint remediation lawsuit if the district is not aware whether district school buildings have lead-based paint and is not aware of any past remediation costs?
Response: No.
b. Do you believe that it is appropriate for a lawyer, in soliciting a school board as a client in a lead-based paint remediation lawsuit, to assure the district that if it recovers funds for lead-based paint remediation, those funds do not have to be spent on lead-based paint remediation, but may be placed in the general maintenance and operations fund and used for any appropriate purpose?
Response: No.
c. Did you or any attorneys with your firm help prepare the attached memorandum or the resolution attached thereto? If so, please identify who helped in the preparation.
Response: I have never seen the memo that is Attachment A and know nothing about the circumstances of the preparation or distribution of this document. I made diligent inquiry of members of my firm and they advised that they also did not have any involvement with this memo.

Amazingly the ACORN idea of targeting school districts for potential clients in lead paint litigation was used by Motley Rice, though no one cal recall doing so. More interestingly, according to court documents, Motley Rice was also involved in the California lead paint case ACORN was working on.

How much is that AG in the window?

While its no secret that McConnell is a top donor to the Democrats, it should be noted that McConnell's firm Motley Rice has given tens of thousands to Senator Whitehouse.

However, the question is whether he worked with ACORN on the lead paint lawsuit. In addition to the connection through CLAP, ACORN and McConnell's share one powerful friend. United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) recommended McConnell for the Rhode Island federal court vacancy and he and McConnell have a long friendship
In 1999 Sheldon Whitehouse was attorney general of Rhode Island when he first:

“ initiated a lawsuit against the lead paint industry that ended in a mistrial; the state later won a second lawsuit against former lead paint manufacturers Sherwin Williams Co., Millennium Holdings and NL Industries that found them responsible for creating a public nuisance.[4] However, this decision was unanimously overturned by the Rhode Island Supreme Court on July 1, 2008. The Court found that it is the responsibility of the property owners to abate and mitigate lead hazards (as specified by Rhode Island statute).”

ACORN and its coalition partners had tried a number of strategies before relying on the “all politics is local” mantra and employing the skills of politicians like Whitehouse who obviously had aspirations for higher office. ACORN's strategy was clear and state attorney generals were a key component of the plan. ACORN stated it would:

Work to find a second large law firm willing to develop a partnership along the lines of the one being negotiated in CA and get several more state AG’s (or cities) to work with us on a lawsuit strategy.

On page 258 of the same report ACORN finished its tale of corporate shakedowns by declaring "we plan on nothing less than a Rhode-Island style win!"
Whitehouse and McConnell worked closely on the Rhode Island lead paint case while the attorney general continued to curry favor with ACORN. In March of 2007 Senator Whitehouse proudly attended an ACORN rally in Washington DC where an ACORN leader stated:

"We need things for the needy and not the greedy,' said New York ACORN President Pat Boone at the rally. 'Congress must act now to appropriate $450 billion and fully fund these vital domestic programs, rejecting outrageous and unnecessary tax breaks for wealthy individuals.”

Whitehouse was also instrumental in using the Alberto Gonzalez scandal to politically align the stars for ACORN affiliate Project Vote. A mere two months before Project Vote released – to much fanfare and finger pointing at the right – its report Caging Democracy: A 50-Year History of Partisan Challenges to Minority Voters, Whitehouse paved the way with a provocative letter to the Department of Justice.

Reliable ACORN Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) “asked the Justice Department to investigate the alleged 'caging' of predominantly African American voters in Jacksonville, Florida by the RNC in 2004.” Rhode Island and Massachusetts are liberal testing grounds for what Project Vote called its “experiments.” Groups like ACORN pushed fusion voting, living wages and lead paint campaigns through areas filled with ACORN friendly politicians.

In 2008 Senator Whitehouse again delivered for ACORN by introducing a bill aimed at fulfilling Project Vote's action items on voter caging:

Voter Participation – ACORN is committed to helping all citizens exercise their rights to participate in the electoral process by registering people to vote. This election year, ACORN is committed to ensuring that citizens be able to register and cast their votes without fear of harassment and intimidation from dirty political tricks such as voter caging. Prohibiting voter caging, which a New York Times editorial this week called “a little known but pernicious technique,” is the goal of bills introduced in the Senate by Sheldon Whitehouse (S. 2305) and in the House by John Conyers (H.R. 2305). ACORN members will be lobbying their representatives to sign on in support of the bills.

The recommendation of McConnell by Whitehouse, a notorious member of the ACORN 7, "Chicago style politics." As James R. Copeland explained:

“But you’d have to be paying close attention to know about two of the president’s craziest choices for the federal district courts, Wisconsin’s Louis Butler and Rhode Island’s Jack McConnell.
President Obama nominated Butler last year, but the Senate returned Butler’s nomination without action after it passed through the Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote; the president resubmitted the nomination on January 20 of this year.
...In 2005, Butler authored a split opinion for the court in Thomas v. Mallet, which permitted lawsuits against the manufacturers of paint that may have contained lead, even absent proof that any individual manufacturer’s paint had been used by the person or persons filing the lawsuit.
This expanded Wisconsin law to embrace the theory of “market-share liability,” a doctrine accepted in California regarding litigation against manufacturers of the anti-morning-sickness drug diethylstilbestrol but overwhelmingly rejected in other jurisdictions and contexts thereafter.”

Recently Obama's Environmental Protection agency passed new restrictions modeled after the Rhode Island and Wisconsin cases:

A new federal rule aimed at reducing exposure to toxic lead-paint chips and dust requires renovators to be trained and certified in EPA-approved methods of containing and cleaning up work areas.
…The EPA estimates that its new rule will add $8 to $167 to the cost of the average interior remodeling job, but contractors say the expense to homeowners will be much greater. "The EPA has grossly underestimated the costs to comply on any job. I can see my labor costs go up by thousands of dollars."

It appears as though ACORN and the “environmental justice” movement secured a major victory despite losing the court cases because the main goal was not a local victory. ACORN and other organizations wanted to impose national restrictions totaling billions and by using small states like Rhode Island ACORN was able to secure a temporary victory whose momentum could be used to enact national changes.

From little ACORN attorneys powerful politicians grow

If federal judgeships are for sale, "'the massive campaign contributions...approaching $700,000 over the past two decades'—by McConnell and his wife to [Senator Jack] Reed, [Senator Sheldon] Whitehouse, and an array of other Democrats" might entitle him to one. But judgeships should not be for sale and it is apparent that McConnell would be a "liberal judicial activist" and rule based on his personal empathy and political views instead of follow the law.
McConnell's involvement in lead paint cases in Ohio, Wisconsin and California without any overt mention of ACORN's work raises several red flags. What is McConnell hiding and has he been truly honest about his connections to ACORN. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time an ACORN lawyer with powerful friends was able to get a job he wasn't qualified for.

You can follow Anita on her blog or on Twitter.

The OFA Peril: Ignore at our own risk

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:45:00 +0000

Note: I have asked Carol Greenberg to post in my place today. Her undercover investigative work inside Obama's Organizing for America continues to yield information that needs to be widely spread. Stayed tuned for my post tomorrow that will expose more corruption inside the Democrat National Committee and explain why Ohio can't be ignored.
Anita MonCrief

- By Carol Greenberg
Calling all Tea Party groups, tea partiers, twitterers, Facebookers et al, it's "Tough Love" time!

I'm sure all of you have heard the words "this is serious" and these three little words have become banal to you all.
Many of us Conservatives seem to be "riding high" on the presumption that the November elections will be a slam-dunk for us all. However: money, great candidates and astute campaign managers cannot be assumed to be a winning combination and is no guarantee against the corrupt Godfather-tactics of the "Community Organizer-in-Chief" in the Oval Office and his elite OFA (Organizing for America) forces. And money is no obstacle.
Several months ago in conjunction with Anita Moncrief I warned against the ongoing threat of OFA.
Just to make sure everyone realizes the fact below, SO LET ME BE PERFECTLY CLEAR:

Barack Obama's OFA is a project of the Democratic National Committee

I've tried to get the attention of my own reps in Congress, the GOP, politicians on twitter, Michael Steele. You name it. My pleas have either gone ignored or I have received the response of:

We know they are there.

Sort of like the scorpion or rattlesnake waiting outside your hotel or bedroom window. NOT a comforting thought.

So this is how it is going to be. We are on our own. We are going to have no choice but to counter-act them ourselves. I went undercover for the third time last week with a conference call to Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher (Dem) who won the Ohio US Senate primary against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. I again pretended to be one of "them." Ohio is a true battleground state and is usually a deciding state not only in presidential elections but mid-term elections as well.

You are all saying "well, Brunner lost the primary to Lee Fisher. But she ain't a threat anymore." WRONG! Soros-funded and ACORN- backed Brunner is still in charge of the November election and I don't believe anything will be different this go-around. Even though she lost the primary corrupt Brunner will still be on Obama's side and stop at nothing as she did in 2008 to pull out all the stops to put and keep Dems in office. Could be she was promised something by Zero for a "great performance"?.. Lest you forget how Election 2008 went in Ohio here is a recap. And back in February Hotline On Call announced the ODP (Ohio Democratic Party) will build a "firewall" to insure Obama is again re-elected in 2012:

The ODP has been deploying staffers all across the state for a road show known as the "Knockout" program. The program aims to "knockout the Republicans for the next decade [by] motivating activists to get involved early and often.[sic] The ODP plans to hold these "Knockout" events in all 88 counties, and in doing so, they're lengthening their volunteer list. What's more, ODP field staffers say they're supplying those volunteers with access to some of their best data to make them most effective now.

Fisher announced on the call last week that Obama will be bringing his artillery to Ohio, rolling out his dreaded OFA "rapid response" teams and included will be at least one, but probably more, "appearances" by the Organizer-in-Chief himself.
If you read my "An Inside Look at the OFA" post you'll see a couple screen shots of these "rapid response" teams I managed to get while on a webinar with them and warned everyone about. I'll show them to you again:
As you can see calls are broken down by representative, precinct, and every single one is carefully logged.
When I heard about how our beloved Scott Brown caved on the cloture vote on Wall Street Reform, apparently under OFA pressure I was poo-pooed by many who believe the 922 calls claim to have been made to his office by OFA was exaggerated, but after what I've seen I absolutely believe this is true. And it's confirmed by this one OFA tweep:

Below is another screen shot of how Lincoln was tossed during the Healthcare Deform fiasco:

As you can see here OFA actually made 114% more contacts than they had originally hoped for. A total of 7,060 calls, doors-knocked on and other means of contact.

As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.

For the most part, yes. Ignore Ohio at your own peril, and the peril of the nation!

And this is what's in store for all of us all over the country. How Obama plans to keep control in Election 2010. It ain't pretty:

I can't make it any plainer than that. Sorry. We're all gonna have to go out there and work our buns off just like they are or we'll be headlining in the premier episode of next season's "LOST." The biggest problem Conservatives have is we haven't learned to play hardball like the other side does, so in the words of Todd Beamer

LET'S ROLL!

FYI please read Anita Moncrief's conclusion "An Inside Look at the OFA Part II" where she connects all the dots between the "usual suspects" of OFA, Obama, SEIU and ACORN.

Wednesday Ms. Moncrief will be following up with the second part of the OFA/DNC expose and their illicit coordination with ACORN to ensure their candidates are elected. Stay tuned...

Crossposted

You've just won an all expense-paid trip to Hawaii.

: Waikiki Beach

NOW do I have your attention?
Calling all Tea Party groups, tea partiers, twitterers, Facebookers et al, it's "Tough Love" time!

I'm sure all of you have heard the words "this is serious" and these three little words have become banal to you all.
Many of us Conservatives seem to be "riding high" on the presumption that the November elections will be a slam-dunk for us all. However: money, great candidates and astute campaign managers cannot be assumed to be a winning combination and is no guarantee against the corrupt Godfather-tactics of the "Community Organizer-in-Chief" in the Oval Office and his elite OFA (Organizing for America) forces. And money is no obstacle.
Several months ago in conjunction with Anita Moncrief I warned against the ongoing threat of OFA.
Just to make sure everyone realizes the fact below, SO LET ME BE PERFECTLY CLEAR:

Barack Obama's OFA is a project of the Democratic National Committee

I've tried to get the attention of my own reps in Congress, the GOP, politicians on twitter, Michael Steele. You name it. My pleas have either gone ignored or I have received the response of:

We know they are there.

Sort of like the scorpion or rattlesnake waiting outside your hotel or bedroom window. NOT a comforting thought.

The ODP has been deploying staffers all across the state for a road show known as the "Knockout" program. The program aims to "knockout the Republicans for the next decade [by] motivating activists to get involved early and often.[sic] The ODP plans to hold these "Knockout" events in all 88 counties, and in doing so, they're lengthening their volunteer list. What's more, ODP field staffers say they're supplying those volunteers with access to some of their best data to make them most effective now.

As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.

For the most part, yes. Ignore Ohio at your own peril, and the peril of the nation!

And this is what's in store for all of us all over the country. How Obama plans to keep control in Election 2010. It ain't pretty:

LET'S ROLL!

FYI please read Anita Moncrief's conclusion "An Inside Look at the OFA Part II" where she connects all the dots between the "usual suspects" of OFA, Obama, SEIU and ACORN.

Wednesday Ms. Moncrief will be following up with the second part of the OFA/DNC expose and their illicit coordination with ACORN to ensure their candidates are elected. Stay tuned...

Crossposted

Obama, ACORN and Stealth Socialism: Dire Domestic Threat

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:38:00 +0000

As an ex-ACORN insider and ex-radical who used Democrat donor lists to raise money for ACORN alter-ego Project Vote and designed the ACORN 2005, 2006 and 2007 Political Operations Year End PowerPoint presentations, I know that President Obama (for whom I now regretfully admit I proudly voted) was an ACORN guy for many years and realize that he became the instrument for the implementation of its stealth socialism agenda.

National Journal rated Obama the most "liberal" United States Senator, even more "liberal" than avowed socialist Bernard Sanders of Vermont (for whom then Senator Obama campaigned), because he earned it.
In her sensational New York Times no. 1 bestseller, "Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies," published in 2009, intrepid Michelle Malkin generously gave me "special thanks" for daring to expose ACORN corruption and wrote about it and the New York Times cover up of the Obama/ACORN relationship in detail at pages 244-49. (Since that material was added after the manuscript had been sent to the printer, I did not make the index.)

Stealth socialism in vogue

It's not surprising that on May 3, 2010 Aaron Klein and Brenda J. Elliot released "The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists" and on May 15, 2010 former Speaker Newt Gingrich released a book titled "To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular Socialist Machine." Of course they are right about Obama's radical ties and "secular socialist machine." (I'm looking forward to Laura Ingraham's "The Obama Diaries," out on or about July 13, 2010, but I bet President Obama isn't.)

Even though on October 21, 2008 The New York Times killed the Obama/ACORN expose on which I been reporter Stephanie Strom's source and I decided to blow the whistle myself and appeared on Laura Ingraham's radio show before the end of the month, Bill O'Reilly of Fox News apparently did not learn about it until March of 2009 (the month in which attorney Heather Heidelbaugh, for whom I voluntarily became a witness in the Pennsylvania ACORN, testified before a Congressional committee about ACORN voter registration fraud and the New York Times cover up), it was inevitable that the truth about Obama, ACORN and "stealth socialism" finally would become generally known as the socialist agenda was implemented. After all, the idea was for Obama to deliver as President on that "fundamental change" that he promised as a presidential hopeful.

After an appealing generality becomes an examinable specific and the cost calculations are done, putting lipstick on a pig doesn't fool nearly as many people. For example, Obamacare is a massive wealth redistribution program and--no surprise--not long after it was enacted, an Obama Administration official acknowledged it and we learned that Obamacare would be much more expensive than it had been officially estimated before it was passed.

Defining stealth socialism

Graham L. Strachan explained the "stealth socialism" path this way:

"Why did the Western media persist in calling the social system in the Communist bloc ‘Communism’ instead of Socialism? They did it to manufacture a false reality: to protect the reputation of another form of Socialism which existed in the West....so-called ‘Democratic Socialism’, socialism by stealth, socialism achieved through the ‘permeation’ of existing political institutions by members of organisation such as the Fabian Society, in order to influence the policies adopted by those institutions towards socialism.

"Democratic Socialism itself was based on a lie: that Socialism could be implemented peacefully through the ballot box. The implication was that if the voters didn’t like it they could vote it out again. That was a hoax. Since Socialism does not permit private ownership of property, it cannot be ‘democratic’ in the sense of allowing a choice of political Parties. This is not a matter of ideology, but of logistics. It would be impossible to have a two Party system of genuine democracy, for example, under which the state nationalised all property including business when the Socialists were voted into power, then sold it all back to the people again when they were voted out. The intention of Democratic Socialism was (and still is) to be democratic just long enough to gain power. Then it will declare the ‘end of history’ and entrench itself forever, enforcing its politically correct speech and thought on everybody, and being just as tyrannical as its Marxist revolutionary counterparts."

How to make a socialist the ACORN way

As an ACORN insider my indoctrination as a socialist was a slow but steady progression from radical liberalism to embracing the stealth socialist methods that had made ACORN a powerful force in American electoral politics. Two years ago, in the mist of a heated presidential election year, I noticed a Facebook page of Socialism 2008. The graffiti-like picture beckoned young Socialists to Chicago, Illinois on June 19th, 2008. I RSVPed for the event on Facebook without fully understanding what had just taken place. The line between radical, liberal Democrat and socialist was almost invisible at this point.

Working for ACORN/Project Vote facilitated my crossing the “socialist”threshold and I had become what insiders termed "one of the true believers.” True believers were instrumental in the survival of ACORN and the process of making an employee a true believer began on the very first day.

Inside ACORN offices across the country, young, idealistic liberals were being ingrained with the Saul Alinsky style of Organizing. Alinsky's Rules for Radicals was never mentioned by name, but Alinsky's tactics were used on employees and ACORN members.

ACORN's strategy of stealth socialism was aimed at gaining power through duplicity and somewhat assimilating into society. Alinsky, the "father of community organizing," taught that the path to power necessitated the use of people who would serve as pawns.

"Organizing for power was Alinsky's political end, not political party influence. When he asked his new students why they wanted to organize, they would invariably respond with 'selfless bromides about wanting to help others,' according to Ryan Lizza writing in The New Republic. Alinsky would then "scream back at them that there was a one-word answer: "You want to organize for power!'"

Saul Alinsky almost single-handedly invented the modern art of community organizing...
He was a master teacher of others, and left a legion of trained disciples and organizations, including Obama and Clinton."

Every ACORN employee was given a copy of the ACORN Organizing Model, bylaws and various information on running campaigns, but the real education was in how ACORN operated behind the scenes. Like Alinsky, ACORN openly organized to build power, but ACORN's ace in the hole was the black community.

Community organizers became the “information police” for minorities in dozens of cities. As the official representative for its members, ACORN was able to frame the debate in ways that aligned with its People's Platform. The platform is based on the socialist idea of sharing the wealth. Members were asked, even coerced, to attend rallies and protests for issues ACORN had decided would lead to power.

As students exited schools with a “liberal arts” education and a desire to help, ACORN stood ready with the social justice flag in one hand and a cigarette lighter and American flag in the other. Attending such events like Socialism 2008 was the culmination of two years of looking the other way and accepting a little bad in order to save the “movement.” Some leave ACORN at this point but the ones who stay are trusted just a little more.

The Road from radical terrorists to professors and community organizers

With greater access comes greater understanding of the true subversive nature of ACORN. As stated last summer in my article "Liberal Fallout Zones":

"Poverty is big business and a predicate for class warfare intended to perpetuate political power in the masters of that big business. In the current climate special interest groups are writing bills and influencing votes amid a huge liberal spending binge."

That spending binge is more like a bender now because ACORN, recognizing the past mistakes of other radical groups like Weather Underground and Students for a Democratic Society decided the best way to gain power as was to pass unnoticed in mainstream America. Radicals like Frances Fox Piven and her husband Richard A. Cloward retreated into the world of Academia where they penned papers on Socialism peppered with Alinsky tactics and a new name:

The Cloward-Piven strategy
On May 2, 1966, Columbia's Professor of Social Work Richard A. Cloward, and his then research associate Frances Fox Piven, wrote a pivotal article in The Nation, articulating "a strategy to end poverty."

In what became known as the Cloward-Piven strategy, the article argued a revolutionary approach to mobilizing the poor in the form of class warfare against capitalist forces viewed as exploiting labor and oppressing the poor.

David Horowitz, a long-time student of leftist political movements in the United States, characterized the Cloward-Piven strategy as seeking "to hasten the fall of capitalism by overloading the government bureaucracy with a flood of impossible demands, thus pushing society into crisis and economic collapse."

Cloward and Piven argued a "guaranteed annual income" should be established as an entitlement for the poor, a right the poor could assert and demand to be paid."

Other radicals like ACORN founder Wade Rathke and former Project Vote executive director, Zach Polett formed organizations and began implementing their socialist agenda while using the poor and minority communities as a defense if anyone dared question their actions. According to its website, ACORN planted its seed in American politics long ago and continues to play an “insider's game” to maintain it.

“Finally, ACORN® began playing the insiders' game in American politics. Congressional lobbying is practiced by ACORN® staff. Leaders and members became a central part of the insiders' games, too. Members elected to office or serving on APACs acquired experience and skill applying power from the inside of the political process. Instead of confronting opponents in actions (something ACORN® will never stop doing), members could trade and negotiate from inside positions of power. ACORN®'s work on the savings and loan bailout provided effective means of developing and applying power for low- and moderate- income people. ACORN® members won appointment to the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) to help determine the management of the billions of dollars of assets the government seized. The payoff to these activities came, and still comes, when substantial numbers of ACORN® members developed the ability to move inside the political sphere that has for so long been closed to low- and moderate-income people.”

Wade Rathke and Zach Polett learned the path to power quickly and utilized their influence to pass the 1996 National Voter Registration Act (the "Motor Voter" bill). Polett, seated below to the far left in a dark suit and tie, had officially brought the Arkansas based ACORN to Washington.

Interestingly, on the same page with their tales of insider dealing, ACORN discusses how the network of unions, non-profits and corporations were created for the express purpose of pushing ACORN's socialist agenda.

“The national lobbying arm of ACORN® is only one example of the diversification within ACORN® that was basic to its success. The ACORN® Housing Corporation worked to create affordable housing in conjunction with banks and state and local government. The United Labor Unions, now Locals 100 and 880 of the Service Employees International Union, became labor organizing arms of ACORN® which organize people where they work. ACORN® Services, Inc. and the canvassing operations enhanced ACORN®'s ability to create the financial resources needed to grow. The Arkansas Institute for Social Justice became the means for developing leadership skills and political talents among the ACORN® members. What was once a relatively simple organization of community groups has became a diversified system of institutions capable of applying specialized skills to solving the kinds of problems ACORN® encounters in its work.”

Along came a socialist

In late 2006 the atmosphere in the office changed and it appeared that the senior staff were energized. Efforts to function as a real office were implemented. Project Vote began using a donor database instead of a box and attempts were made to reconcile the accounting records. In anticipation of what ACORN began calling a “once in a generation opportunity.” John Podesta from the Center for American Progress gave a speech called “Preparing for Power: The Next Cycle?" in December of that year.

After two years with ACORN I understood how they operated and took the close relationship with the Democrat party for granted. The relationship between Democrats and ACORN was that the party needed ACORN to retain their seats and ACORN needed them to pass their agenda items. ACORN's belief that indeed, all politics is local, allowed them to place people strategically in positions that would allow run for higher office.

In 2007 when Zach Polett bragged about supervising Barack Obama and that “ACORN produces leaders,” his purpose was to energize the employees so that we would go out there and deliver. ACORN's voter registration goals and budget were unmatched and the stakes were high.

When Obama's campaign called the Project Vote offices in late 2007, I could barely contain my excitement as I relayed the information to my supervisors. After receiving the Obama 2007 2nd quarter donor list from Karyn Gillette, I had another look away moment. Were we violating FEC rules by targeting Obama's maxed out donors? Did I really want Obama to win this way? Believing that the bigger goal was helping people by implementing the ACORN agenda, I put my doubts aside and worked on pulling donors from the list (which included ALL Obama donors, not just the bigger donors required to be reported to the Federal Elections Commission).

From October 2005 until 2008, I did fundraising work with ACORN and used political donor lists. All Democrat: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Democratic National Committee. When I appeared as a guest on "The O'Reilly Factor" last year, I said that ACORN had served for years as an unofficial arm of the Democratic Party, but Bill O'Reilly didn't discuss that with me. Ignoring it is exactly what the stealth socialists want.

I once asked Marcel Reid, former ACORN national board member and President of DC ACORN, how it was possible for ACORN to push its agenda and she replied “We never use the word Socialism.” ACORN's appeal was to simply implement a Socialist agenda without ever saying the word. When Wade Rathke was interviewed by Megyn Kelly of Fox News, Kelly asked Rathke whether he would describe himself as a socialist, and Wade answered no. Kelly proceeded to point out that the ACORN People's Platform sounded socialism. Rathke weakly tried to defend ACORN against the Socialist label by pretending the "share the wealth" philosophy was not in the ACORN Platform. You can watch the video here.

Eventually Rathke conceded that the share the wealth language was indeed present, but cited some language about the right to be rich and free.

The People's Platform (or ACORN's socialist wish list)

ACORN People's Platform can be found here and it defines what rich and free meant, and it certainly is not capitalism!

"Our riches shall be the blooming of our communities, the bounty of a sure livelihood, the beauty of homes for our families with sickness driven from the door, the benefit of our taxes rather than their burden, and the best of our energy, land, and natural resources for all people.
"Our freedom is the force of democracy, not the farce of federal fat and personal profit. In our freedom, only the people shall rule. Corporations shall have their role; producing jobs, providing products, paying taxes. No more, no less. They shall obey our wishes, respond to our needs, serve our communities. Our country shall be the citizens' wealth and our wealth shall build our country.

"Government shall have its role: public servant to our good, fast follower to our sure steps. No more, no less. Our government shall shout with the public voice and no longer to a private whisper. In our government, the common concerns shall be the collective cause."

Marcel Reid's explanation described "stealth socialism." Aggressive tactics like ACORN's protests and rallies were to gain the credibility that would allow the acceptance of a radical socialist agenda. While Reid was president of DC ACORN they proposed a plan to redistribute wealth in the Washington, DC metro area. This plan was proudly presented to the organization at the 2006 ACORN Year End, Year Beginning meeting in New Orleans. The excerpt below is from page 191 of the 2006 ACORN YEYB Annual Report (click to enlarge).

DC ACORN readily admits that "this proposal would essentially be a redistribution of wealth across the board," but stealth socialism is so effective that even conservative watchdogs have been fooled by the ever changing names of the ACORN empire.

Obama's agenda mirrors the ACORN People's Platform as evidenced by a review of the healthcare and energy sections of the platform. On healthcare, the ACORN's socialist people's platform wants to "require the federal government to provide for the health care needs of recent immigrants. ACORN's position on Energy shows shades of Cap and Trade with goals like:

Prevent any single corporation or conglomerate from owning major interest in more than one of the following resources: oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, solar energy, and coal; or more than one of the following categories: source, refinery, shipping, or outlet."

Pay no attention to the white liberal behind the curtain

The "Liberals" who elected Obama President may have a "tower of Babel" moment as gay rights, civil rights, immigration rights, environmental extremists, pro-choicers and all the other special interests that supported the Obama presidential campaign strive to push America further to the left and shed all inhibitions. As with ACORN itself, it seems impossible that the coalition that put Obama in the White House and gave Democrats huge majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives will continue to work smoothly together now that Obama and the Congressional Democrats are in control and America is learning what Obama really meant by the seductive-sounding "hope and change." ACORN needed the cloak of stealth socialism to maintain its hold on the poor. ACORN's image is synonymous with blacks and other minorities and the race card has become the last bastion of its "hope."

During its greatest crisis, ACORN replaced its white leader with a black woman in order to hide behind Bertha Lewis's skin color. What they didn't want the public to see were the white liberal leaders behind the scenes who have been staying in Executive suites and partying in the mountains.

: ACORN Political Operations Retreat November 2007 (among the pictured are senior staff Patrick Winogrond, Jessica Angus, Nathan Henderson-James, Kimberly Olson, Amy Busefink and Johanna Sharrard)

Restoring the balance

Stealth socialism allowed ACORN to set the stage for Obama's "regime" as they called it internally. Wade Rathke was willing to fall on his sword in 2008 to protect Obama, and to attain what nearly 40 years organizing the country towards socialism promised. After the embezzlement scandal, ACORN board members and staff assembled at meetings across the country and as insiders revealed, and I testified about, "fighting Capitalism" was listed as one of the things "great about ACORN."

Obama has shown himself to be unrelenting in his quest to pass healthcare, take over American industries and weaken our national security. America can't afford to be fooled by increasingly obvious tactics of the Far Left. It's time for the great majority of Americans to turn the tables back on the Far Left by getting involved and organized and voting out incumbents who vote against the traditional American way. We need a morning in America, but it's always darkest before the dawn.

Star Parker v. Radical, Ethically Challenged Maxine Waters Acolyte in California 37

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:25:00 +0000

The November 2010 elections are shaping up to be memorable for residents of California as top Republicans target key districts. Minority leader John Boehner hopes to unseat Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House while Chuck Devore actively campaigns for Senator Barbara Boxer's seat.

America's eagerness to vote out corrupt politicians has opened the field for candidates who understand the issues and promise to resist the lure of the DC power structure.

In California's 37th Congressional District race that candidate is Conservative leader Star Parker.

Parker "is the founder and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal & Education, a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank that provides a national voice of reason on issues of race and poverty in the media, inner city neighborhoods, and public policy."

The 37th congressional district includes most of Long Beach and Compton, as well as Carson, Signal Hill, and parts of other municipalities and is represented by the ethically challenged Congresswoman Laura Richardson.

Richardson, who owes her seat to ACORN friend Maxine Waters, made headlines for the foreclosure of her home and pending ethics investigations. One blogger notes:

Richardson, in the meantime, has worked a pretty good deal. She has been elected to a safe (lifetime tenure) African American seat in a Los Angeles area Congressional district, where she reaps campaign contributions from many special interests, including area defense contractors and unions. She walks away from this home and lets the lender, Washington Mutual, take the loss.

To pay for her campaign expenses and personal loan debt to HER OWN campaign she collects additional campaign contributions AFTER Washington Mutual forecloses on her equity strapped Sacramento property and takes the loss.

Her credit score takes a hit but she is an elected Member of Congress with a steady and sizable income. Richardson pays herself back from campaign contributions she accumulates over the course of her election year campaign.

Richardson's personal troubles culminated with last October's announcement that ethics investigations would move forward for Richardson and her political benefactor Maxine Waters.
RedCountry noted that other California Democrats began to smell blood in the water:

"According to the Los Angeles County Registrar's office, Democrats Lee Davis, Peter Mathews and Terrance Ponchak have requested 'Signature In-Lieu', which allows candidates during the candidate filing period to collect signatures as a method to reducing the candidate's filing fee.

Who would ever think that troubles for the Democrats could not get any worse in this 2010 election season?

The irony is for Democrats like Rep. Richardson who can't stop the noise within their own tent leaves the door open for a possible Republican pickup in this Long Beach area congressional seat.

Anger is brewing throughout the country including here in Los Angeles County and we might see an unprecedented voter revolt come this November!"

Star Parker's decision to run guarantees national attention on this so called “safe seat” which could lead to the type of national support that turned the Scott Brown race. Conversations with Parker over the weekend revealed a reluctant politician, someone who believed in public service and had spent most of her life dedicated to building a stronger America. Parker surveyed the political landscape and responded to America's need for new leaders by deciding to run, like Allen West and Chuck Devore. In her syndicated column, Parker explores her reasons for running:

"As I wrote a little over a year ago: 'I thought we were on the road to moving socialism out of poor black communities and replacing it with wealth producing American capitalism. But, incredibly, we are going in the opposite direction. Instead of poor America on socialism becoming more like rich America on capitalism, rich America on capitalism is becoming like poor America on socialism.'

...The government health care takeover which has just been forced on an unhappy America could not have happened without the cooperation of our large pharmaceutical firms and insurance companies. They should be ashamed of themselves...
I’m challenging a Black Caucus incumbent in a district that political pundits rate 'safe' for Democrats.

But this year no Democrat representing low income Americans should feel safe peddling the same plantation policies that already have produced our broken schools, broken families, and broken spirits. Now they’re bringing these bankrupt ideas to the whole country."

Richardson's ethics issues, support for heath care and her statements regarding "Comrade" Fidel Castro should be fresh in voters minds come November but according to Open Secrets, Richardson still is heavily union backed. The graphic below illustrates that unions have historically poured money into her campaign, big spenders like SEIU may be expected to step up the donations in order to retain the seat.

Tellingly, Parker does not appear to be concerned with appeasing big labor and explained her fundraising strategy. Parker stated that she needs:

“500 people to each get 50 friends to give $50 dollars.”

Her website Star Parker For Congress is currently accepting those donations and Parker's campaign is creating quite a stir on the right.

With November around the corner Democrats are gearing up to fight for their political lives as viable and courageous candidates attempt to reign in an out of control government.

Democracy Alliance and ACORN affiliated group wins Pulitzer Prize with the New York Times

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:55:00 +0000

ProPublica, the brainchild of Herb and Marion Sandler, received journalism's top honor this week in conjunction with the New York Times.

“ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative-journalism service, won one of two Pulitzers awarded for investigative reporting for a story on the life-and-death decisions made by doctors at a New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina. The story was a collaboration with The New York Times Magazine.”

I explained last year in a four part series titled ACORN and The Sandler's: A Four part Review of the Housing Crisis that:

"Ed Lasky's article in the American Thinker illustrates the role of Herb and Marion Sandler in the subprime meltdown.
'Herbert and Marion Sandler, a New York lawyer and Wall Street analyst respectively, bought a small California thrift in 1963 and built it into GDW -- one of the largest thrifts in the nation. The company's business was built on adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs. These were mortgages offered at low "teaser" rates that ratcheted upward as interest rates increased. They were often sold aggressively to unsophisticated home buyers who did not comprehend the vast financial risks they were taking, or who assumed that housing prices would rise high enough to provide a profit to them when they sold their houses. They were targets for lenders peddling mortgages that should have been stamped with a skull and crossbones, for these were among the most seductive and dangerous types of mortgage.'
"Lasky goes on to note that groups like ACORN “might also have played a role in the expansion of such mortgages to borrowers who may have lacked the ability to repay the loans.” According internal documents, ACORN Housing often used income that was considered “under the table” in order to qualify its applicants for loans. Lenders like World Savings and Bank of America were long time partners who seemed to also benefit (at the time) from these subprime loans."

An October 4, 2008 sketch on Saturday Night Live described the Sandlers as “people who should be shot."

The controversial sketch is available here.

The ever liberal New York Times describes Herb Sandler's ProPublica as: "a non-profit group dedicated to "a new kind of investigative journalism," and the Washington Post admits to freely accepting input from the organization regarding articles."

“Jeff Leen, who heads The Post’s investigative reporting unit, said of ProPublica: “They bring us ideas and we choose from their menu.”

Given obvious lack of interest or real investigation into the background and connections of ProPublica it is obvious why failing newspapers like the New York Times would turn to them for help. A lack of resources for investigative journalists on staff and the inherent desire to push a liberal agenda have led to a marriage of convenience whose very existence threatens the integrity of the field.

Herb and Marion Sandler were named among Time magazine’s list of “25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis.” for their risky and now toxic adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). However, in true ACORN fashion, ProPublica points the finger at Wall Street and the banks. In a rather odd original song entitled “Bet Against the American Dream” ProPublica takes a jab at Wall Street. The video can be watched here.

The Times and other newspapers have been complicit in the partisan agenda of ProPublica as s one journalist noted in a must read article on ProPublica (emphasis mine):

“In October 2007 Slate magazine’s Jack Shafer wrote a report on the Sandlers’ political contributions and theorized that the decision by the husband-wife team to fund ProPublica signaled an attempt to use their money and influence “to return us to the days of the partisan press.”
The duo has spent “millions on politics,” Shafer wrote “The Federal Election Commission database shows the two of them giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic Party campaigns. In 2004, Herbert Sandler gave the MoveOn.org Voter Fund $2.5 million …
As Slate’s Shafer posits in his expose of the Sandlers: 'If I were a newspaper editor considering ProPublica copy for a future issue, the first thing I’d want is proof of the firewall preventing the Sandlers and other funders from picking – or nixing – the targets of its probes' …”

It doesn't seem that there is much restraint at Sandler's ProPublica where they have attacked ACORN detractors and refused to investigate any story related to corruption in the Obama administration.
Interestingly, race-baiter and Obama friend Henry Louis Gates Jr. sits on the board of ProPublica while Sandler serves as the board's chairman. This article sums up the creation of this perfect storm:

“Question: What’s a liberal to do? With the burgeoning popularity of Fox News, the Drudge Report website, the dominance of conservatives on talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin et al) and the rising tide of conservative political bloggers, it’s no wonder old-line left-liberal journalists are growing anxious about promoting their message to the media. As daily newspaper circulation plummets and the audience of ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN ages and shrinks, liberals are watching their authority fade. They can no longer set the public agenda without being challenged by conservative media voices.
Answer: Create a media outlet that will produce left-wing 'investigative' hit pieces that can be given to cash-strapped newspapers at no cost. “

Here is my question: Could a cash strapped newspaper like the New York Times kill a story related to the ACORN/Obama connection? Leading up to the election Strom's editors at the Times put the kubash on several stories in relation to ACORN. In particular, despite receiving copies of the loan papers, Strom never printed the a story about its business partner Forest City Ratner. Bruce Ratner and FCR own 48% of the Times building in New York and gave ACORN a 1.5 million dollar loan after the embezzlement scandal of 2008. ACORN, a partner in Ratner's controversial Atlantic Yards deal, seemed to be protected within the Times.
In October of 2008, Strom left a voice mail informing me that her editors had told her to stand down and in a subsequent phone call revealed to me that the New York Times policy “was not to publish a game changing article for either side this close to the election ."
Congressional testimony by Heather Heidelbaugh, Esq. revealed this story to the public in March of 2009.

"The New York Times articles stopped when Ms. Moncrief, who is a Democrat and a supporter of the President, revealed that the Obama Presidential Campaign had sent its maxed out donor list to Karen Gillette of the Washington, DC ACORN office and asked Gillette and Ms. Moncrief to reach out to the maxed out donors and solicit donations from them for Get Out the Vote efforts to be run by ACORN. Upon learning this information and receiving the list of donors from the Obama Campaign, Ms. Strom reported to Ms. Moncrief that her editors at the New York Times wanted her to kill the story because, and I quote, 'it was a game changer.'"

Clark Hoyt, the ombudsman for the New York Times, has been working overtime apologizing for the paper's inability to fully cover the ACORN story. After cries from the right for ignoring the ACORN Primp and Pro sting they were besieged on the left for seemingly misreporting the story.
Could their alliances with ACORN businesses partners, funders and an organization with Obama's friend on the board have jeopardized their journalistic ethics? Did they deserve journalism's highest honor? Sadly the answers appear to be yes and no.

The media has consistently failed to cover the ACORN/Obama connection and give it the investigation it deserves. As writer Kevin Mooney noted:

“ACORN’s questionable financial transactions and political activity were explored by the New York Times in the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election. But this reporting was abruptly cut off. Now would be a good time to reactivate the investigation since the organization is supposedly disbanding…
The new affiliates operating without the ACORN name will persist in working for health care reform, immigration reform and affordable housing...
“The Times should activate the investigations that were underway in the months leading up the 2008 election and carefully examine how taxpayer funds were allocated between organizations that were precluded by law from participating in partisan policy activity.”

In a time when top awards like the Nobel Peace Prize and now the Pulitzer have been given for good intentions and agenda driven reasons, it appears that for now the Times will continue to coast along and ride out the ACORN/Obama storm.

Lawsuit against Anita MonCrief dismissed

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:24:00 +0000

The Center for Individual Rights issued the following press release this afternoon:

News release
For immediate release
Contact: Terry Pell (202) 833-8400
E-mail: <Pell@cir-usa.org>
April 6, 2010

Lawsuit against Anita MonCrief dismissed

Today an abrupt end came to a lawsuit that Project Vote, an affiliate of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), had launched against Anita MonCrief, a vocal critic of both groups. The federal judge hearing the case ordered all claims dismissed based on a stipulation by the parties. Project Vote had sued MonCrief and an unidentified "John Doe" for $5 million in damages.

MonCrief worked for Project Vote for two years but became disillusioned by what she experienced there. In various venues, including testimony in court and before a congressional panel, on national television, and in her own blog, she detailed what she regarded as the corruption of both Project Vote and ACORN.

Project Vote's lawsuit, filed last year in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, featured a slew of counts, including trademark infringement, tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, and trespass to chattels. Represented by the Kansas City law firm of Graves, Bartle, Marcus & Garrett and the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), MonCrief countersued both Project Vote and ACORN for abuse of process, alleging that ACORN was Project Vote's alter ego and that the two groups had brought the suit to punish her for exercising her right to free speech and to uncover her sources.

Late last year, the judge dismissed the trademark claims, among others, but the rest of Project Vote's suit and MonCrief's countersuit against it and ACORN continued into the pretrial discovery phase. Before that phase went very far, however, the parties agreed to a settlement. In return for MonCrief's dropping her countersuit for abuse of process, Project Vote agreed to dismiss its claims against her in their entirety.

"This is a stunning victory for Ms. MonCrief," said Terry Pell, CIR's president. "By dismissing all of its claims, Project Vote has canceled its arrogant attempt to silence a critic using the courts. Ms. MonCrief now is completely free to continue blogging and speaking about Project Vote and ACORN without fear of this action."

Pell added, "And the utter failure of Project Vote's suit should encourage others who wish to speak out against corruption at ACORN or anywhere else."

More information related to this case

How ACORN Paved the Way for the Obama Regime and Socialized Health care

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:49:00 +0000

As patriots from across America prepare to descend on Washington, DC to protest the government takeover of health care, the Obama administration is touting the impending vote in the House of Representatives as “historic.” Progressive organizations have been preparing for the moment for decades and not even the outcry of millions of Americans will stop them from pushing their radical agenda through.

Ironically, the past week has been filled with numerous stories of how ACORN is disbanding across the country. News outlets from Politico to the New York Times run stories detailing the demise of ACORN. Of course, some are skeptical about whether ACORN is truly going away:

"In an age of lawlessness, rules for some out of government favor, and special privileges for special classes, racketeers and criminals need only change their suit and their hat and live another day to rob, steal, cheat, and engage in human trafficking... "

Conveniently for the Obama administration the “demise” of ACORN could not have come at a better time. As pictures of empty ACORN offices fill the news, Obama pushes forward with an ACORN planned and approved agenda.

In July of last year ACORN honored the work of Senator Charles Schumer, Rep. Luis Gutierrez and Rep. Maxine Waters at their 39^th Anniversary celebration. The invitation email stated:

"P.S. ACORN’s grassroots leadership believes we are experiencing a once-in-a-generation opportunity and must not squander this moment. Your generosity is needed now more than ever. Thanks."

ACORN's socialist agenda has always included some form of universal health care and like many of its “campaigns” this is not the first time ACORN has pushed for national change. The group, which was founded in Arkansas 40 years ago, maintained friendly relations with Bill Clinton when he was Governor of Arkansas and then President. The result of this relationship was HillaryCare. Americans fought back and ACORN was forced to back down. However, ACORN was not defeated and began to put a set of conditions in place that in the right political climate, would ensure victory. Michelle Malkin explains a 2008 ACORN memo on why Obamacare is so important:

“Why do they want Obamacare? An internal ACORN memo I obtained from August 2008 makes the motives clear. 'Over our 38 years, health care organizing has never been a major focus either nationally or locally for ACORN,' wrote ACORN Philadelphia region director Craig Robbins. 'But increasingly, ACORN offices around the country are doing work on health care.' The goal: 'Building ACORN Power.' The memo outlines the ACORN/HCAN partnership and strategy of opposing any programs that rely on “unregulated private insurance” – and then parlaying political victory on government-run health care 'to move our ACORN agenda (or at least part of it) with key electeds that we might otherwise not be able to pull off.'
The objective, in other words, is to piggyback and exploit Obamacare to improve and protect their political health.”

ACORN's famous liberal experiments were never outwardly dubbed as socialist action items but within the ranks of employees we knew that what made ACORN great was “fighting capitalism.” By never using certain words with members and outsiders, ACORN painted a picture of the poor rising out of poverty and demanding their fair share. In 2006 ACORN partnered with SEIU on several healthcare campaigns across the country

In California, home of Maxine Waters, ACORN's healthcare campaign in San Francisco mirrors the same tactics used by Obama to pass Obamacare.

“Health: Last year (’05) we saved health clinics. This year we provided the field experience to win a form of universal healthcare. David Sharples staffed the leadership on the campaign with leader Gisselle Quesada. Using the tax program to survey people on health needs, we were able to build a quick base, identify members who could put a face on the problem, and move numerous members on multiple fronts to move the key supervisor and win the campaign.”

According to the 2006 report, ACORN has been working with hospitals to introduce "universal healthcare" at the local levels and that success was the precursor to Obamacare.

The excerpts above are from a 2006 report available here.

The report goes on to state that even ACORN's non-profit affiliate Project Vote was somehow involved in healthcare

"Our issue-based GOTV program targeted some 686,796 people for an average of three contacts each. For example, Project Vote’s GOTV workers knocked on 396,273 doors in Ohio alone. Similar to our Voter Registration work, canvassers relate participation in the elections to salient issues in low- and moderate-income communities, such as healthcare..."

Critics on the left will state that it is a coincidence that ACORN and Obama's old employer Project Vote are both advocating for government run healthcare, but all of the evidence suggests that Obama and Congress are settling debts with their old friends.
Before the ACORN embezzlement scandal and the prostitution videos ACORN was more open about its influence on Capitol Hill. The aforementioned 2006 report has another tidbit about the ACORN political machine:

Immediately after the 2006 mid-term elections when the Democrats took control of Congress members were made aware of who put them there. ACORN used its organizing and voter registration arms to set the stage for Obamacare. Newbies like Democrats Sherrod Brown and Claire Mccaskill were just as beholden to ACORN as long standing members of Congress from ACORN districts. The excerpt and screen shot can also be found in the 2006 report:

"Furthermore, we are working to make sure that key leaders in Congress fully understand the role that ACORN played in the 2006 elections: we are working collaboratively with the political department to ensure that the impact of our political work is widely known and appreciated."

According to insiders, before the 2008 election ACORN and SEIU were so confident that Obama would win that a meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico had an agenda that included a session entitled: Emerging Strategies III: Healthcare – Regime Change Priority with Richard Kirsch, Executive Director HCAN: Health Care for America Now
Regime Change? A quick look at Wikipedia gives us an inkling as to what ACORN and SEIU are up to:

"In politics, a regime is the form of government: the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of government and its interactions with society. For instance, the United States has one of the oldest regimes still active in the world, dating to the ratification of its Constitution in 1789.
The term is also used to distinguish what is actually being enforced from what is considered legitimate. Enforcement of an unconstitutional statute would be a regime but not a law."

IIf one follows the money, one name (not surprisingly) emerges: George Soros. The Soros backed Democracy Alliance has pumped untold millions into groups that include ACORN and the architect of Obama's permanent campaign (Organizing for America), Harold Ickes's Catalist. The Democracy Alliance vision includes changing America through initiatives like health care.

With leftist billionaires lining up to ensure a permanent majority, the march towards socialism has been a well funded one.

"...George Soros and other wealthy liberals formed a loose-knit group to consider how to fund a political comeback. Their answer: Create a permanent political infrastructure of nonprofits, think tanks, media outlets, leadership schools, and activist groups—a kind of 'vast left-wing conspiracy' to compete with the conservative movement. The group they created –called the Democracy Alliance (DA)..."

Though the fall of ACORN was not anticipated, ACORN like the DA is a taxable nonprofit and its structure allows for such restructuring. Taxable nonprofit? Matthew Vadum explains:

"Rob Stein explained the group’s legal structure to the Hudson panel:
'It is a taxable nonprofit. Think of it as a corporation that does not make a profit and doesn’t aspire to make a profit. We’re an association of individuals....'
"In other words, the DA has no interest in asking the IRS to register it as tax-exempt or to allow contributions to it to be tax-deductible. Were the DA to request tax-exemption as a 501(c)(4) lobby group or as a 527 political group, it would have to abide by a dizzying array of legal constraints. Members of the Democracy Alliance may want to impose Big Government bureaucracy and red tape on Americans, but the friends of George Soros are too rich to be bothered."

Was ACORN willing to go underground to save Obamacare? Is the Pope Catholic? ACORN's own 5 Year Political Plan describes a structure that is local in nature and prides itself on being that way.

ACORN's temporary fall from grace will allow it to go underground with the tacit support of the White House and use Obamacare to rally its base for a 2012 victory unless the ACORN roots of Obama's socialist agenda are exposed.

Why the ACORN 8 Protect Obama and Lie to Conservatives

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:18:00 +0000

Last year ACORN alter ego Project Vote sued me for telling the people the ugly truth. Now the ACORN 8 are attacking me because I have acted on my belief that the people deserve truth, transparency and accountability. (The ACORN 8 slogan only calls for "truth, transparency and accountability within ACORN.") ACORN 8 spokesman Michael McCray recently noted in a hit piece on me that "others have waged a war of rhetoric and words against ACORN and President Obama" while the ACORN 8 "focused on criminality within the association" and described my allegation of "illegal coordination between Project Vote and Obama Campaign" as not having been "publicly verified."

Marcel Reid, as a former ACORN national board member and head of DC ACORN, understands the Obama/ACORN relationship AND the thuggish way ACORN pursues its goals.

Evidence exists that suggests that the ACORN 8's denial of illicit coordination between the Obama campaign and ACORN has more to do with the fact that unlike me, Reid and the ACORN 8 are still radical Obama supporters and that's why the ACORN 8 have avoided the subject of the Obama/ACORN relationship.
Fact: ACORN 8 leader Marcel Reid emailed me more than a year ago (before Heather Heidelbaugh, Esq.'s Congressional testimony based on my testimony in October 2008 in the Pennsylvania ACORN case, my appearances on Fox News and the sensational ACORN videos) that it is a "fact" that "ACORN isn't sure that it has it's fingers around Obama's throat quite as tightly as they would like" and "might do a little street theater" to "cower him into submission the way they have everyone else with few exceptions."

The Roots of Obama's Radical Agenda

Obama's poll numbers are sliding and his healthcare bill does not have public support, but he continues to push a radical agenda onto the American people. Could ACORN and its leftist allies like SEIU have Obama over a barrel? Someone like Reid, a former ACORN national board member, could have these answers.
Obama and Reid are both alums of the Marxist New Party, and Reid served as an officer of the party. The New Party is described this way:

"Co-founded in 1992 by Daniel Cantor (a former staffer for Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign) and Joel Rogers (a sociology and law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison), the New Party was a Marxist political coalition whose objective was to endorse and elect leftist public officials -- most often Democrats. The New Party's short-term objective was to move the Democratic Party leftward, thereby setting the stage for the eventual rise of new Marxist third party.
Most New Party members hailed from the Democratic Socialists of America and the militant organization ACORN."

If the ACORN 8 are misleading America about their knowledge of ACORN's political activities and its relationship with Obama, what else are they lying about? Grab a cup of coffee and get comfy, we are going to dig into the accusations by McCray and the facts the ACORN 8 want to avoid. Note: Click on the pictures below to enlarge.

Fact checking the ACORN 8

Lie #1 "Mailroom MonCrief"

My article titled "For CPAC and Glenn Beck: the Truth About the ACORN 8" predictably produced a pained response from the ACORN 8: Michael McCray's article titled "ACORN Whistleblower / Anita Mailroom MonCrief" posted days later by James Murtagh. Instead of addressing allegations of an internal ACORN power struggle, the ACORN 8 have decided to present a set of lies as fact. McCray's article is lacking in substance but high in rhetoric and misdirection, with even the title set up to misinform people and belittle the target, me.

Unsurprisingly, McCray was upset that I "refused [ACORN 8's] advice and pursued [my] own individual advocacy against ACORN and Project Vote" and he did not address on the merits the revelations about himself and the ACORN 8 in my article and instead tried to discredit me, as ACORN did. Contrary to what is stated in his article, I always knew that the ACORN 8 would cover for Obama and I declined to be a part of the group.

What was surprising is that McCray tried to discredit me with a sexist strategy ("hell hath no fury," he wrote) and a bogus description of me as a former ACORN mailroom employee.

"...perhaps the most damning revelation comes from court filed pleading by Anita MonCrief herself in her answer to Project Vote's $5 Million lawsuit against her Case No. 09-cv-01109 (RWR).

ANSWER OF DEFENDANT ASHAWNITA MONCRIEF
Paragraph #22 which reads
'22. Defendant [Anita MonCrief] admits that a Pitney Bowes postage meter machine was installed at Project Vote's Washington, D.C. office...
This is an incredible admission because it means that Anita MonCrief admits she worked in the mailroom at Project Vote...."

The ACORN/Project Vote Washington, D.C. office did not have a mailroom and, although I certainly don't disparage mailroom employees, I have never been one. I am equally surprised that a lawyer such as McCray, who is affiliated with several legal non-profits and who appears to have helped draft the ACORN 8's "civil RICO" complaint, would make such a demonstrably false claim.

In December of 2009 I appeared at a House Government Oversight and Reform Committee's GOP Forum on ACORN and submitted the followed description of my duties at ACORN/Project Vote. A copy of the testimony is available here.

While at ACORN/Project Vote, I worked in the Strategic Writing and Research Department (SWORD) within ACORN’s Political Operations (POLOPS). As part of the SWORD staff my title was Writer/Researcher. My salary was paid by Project Vote, with which I held the title of Development Associate, but I had an ACORN email address.

In addition, to combat more revisionist history from the ACORN 8, here is an unmodified copy of ACORN's own 2006 Year End Year Beginning (YEYB) Report, the same one quoted recently at Andrew Breitbart's Big Government.

The ACORN 8 appear to be so comfortable with the fact that the lies they have told on national television about ACORN have largely gone unchallenged that McCray has decided to invent more.

Perhaps McCray did not check with other ACORN 8 people as to the access I had. And unfortunately for the ACORN 8 few of his outlandish accusations would pass muster at a middle school newspaper. Using tactics honed through years of ACORN campaigns and organizing strategies, the ACORN 8 exhibit exactly the type of mentality that founder Wade Rathke encouraged in his ACORN Community Organizing Manual.
McCray strove to discredit me because the ACORN 8 could not disprove any number of facts stated in my previous article, so they resorted to common Alinsky tactics of ridiculing, polarizing and attacking the enemy. It is worth noting that ACORN and its affiliate Project Vote have taken legal action against its real threats, Andrew Breitbart, Hannah Giles, James O'Keefe and myself. All of us are victims of multimillion dollar lawsuits.

As this leaked internal ACORN email posted by National Review shows, ACORN talked to the lawyers about an employee because "he knows too much. He can hurt us." Surprisingly, besides a cease and desist letter, ACORN has largely left the ACORN 8 to spread their revisionist history. A history that did not pose a threat to ACORN's survival.

The other explanation could be that the leader of the ACORN 8 had signed a joint defense agreement (JDA) with ACORN that none of the other members were aware of. Did that include the other members of the ACORN 8?

In sharp contrast to McCray, the Republican National Lawyers Association expressed a different opinion of me in a blog post after I spoke at CPAC 2010.

"leading figure in the fight for fair elections" and the "ACORN whistleblower ACORN [who] had the CPAC crowd on its feet" by describing her experiences working with ACORN and how the organization engaged in a concerted effort to learn the provisional and absentee ballot laws in each of the 50 states in an effort to see where they could get away with mischief" and "achieved their ultimate goal of the Presidency with the election of Barack Obama"

Lie #2 Muscle of the Money?

Another excerpt from McCray's poorly written diatribe states:

"Mailroom MonCrief made two powerful allegations which have never been publicly verified (1) illegal coordination between Project Vote and Obama Campaign / Donor List and (2) SEIU Muscle for Money program which are two of the rights favorite accusations."

The funny thing about lies is that it is often hard to keep track of them. In October of 2008, as the ACORN 8 were struggling to gain attention with their lawsuit against Wade Rathke, I testified under oath about the Muscle for Money Program was the first mention of the program. ACORN 8 leaders Marcel Reid and Karen Inman feigned surprise and then recounted stories of reluctant participation.

“Muscle for Money has generated significant opposition within ACORN.
"'I don’t mind being up on a soapbox to get someone’s attention but I would much rather talk an' negotiate, said Karen Inman, a Minnesota resident and former ACORN national board member. “But I just refuse to go someone’s home, that’s a privacy issue and I think this 'Muscle for Money' program really went too far.”

"Inman and Marcel Reid, a former board member based in Washington D.C., formed ACORN 8 in October 2008 …The lack of financial transparency and the continued use of Muscle for Money techniques remain top concerns for the whistleblower organization, which has about 30 dues paying members in multiple states, Inman said."

Reid also seems to have selective memory about her numerous press statements regarding Muscle for the Money and she apparently does not recognize the very evidence she provided. The following email provided by Reid, president of DC ACORN, is from Inga Skippings of the SEIU Equity Project regarding the Carlyle Group.

Reid also provided a similar email to CNN regarding SEIU/ACORN and bank bailouts.

The Fox News special titled "The Truth About ACORN" and broadcast on October 2, 2009 did not address the illegal coordination, but it certainly covered the second, with guest Marcel Reid claiming that she was shocked to learn what "Money for the Muscle" involved when she participated in it with National Paint and Coating as the target. The video can be accessed here and Marcel's statement begins around minute 16.

Lie #3 The ACORN 8 exposed a one million dollar embezzlement scandal

Further proof of the ACORN 8's self-serving revisionist history lies in the following statement from their “response article":

Marcel Reid a former ACORN Board member (DC) who blew the whistle following the $1 Million Embezzlement and co-founder of ACORN 8;
Karen Inman a former ACORN Board member (MN) who blew the whistle following the $1 Million Embezzlement and co-founder of ACORN 8;
Michael McCray a former ACORN Board delegate (GA) who blew the whistle following the $1 Million Embezzlement and ACORN 8 spokesperson;

Nonsense. There is a whistleblower to credit. Neither Marcel Reid, nor Karen Inman, nor Michael McCray was that whistleblower. While working as a confidential source for the New York Times, I found out that not only is the real anonymous whistleblower known to the ACORN 8 but also New York Times Reporter Stephanie Strom. The ACORN embezzlement story was made public by The New York Times on July 9, 2008:

"A whistle-blower forced Acorn to disclose the embezzlement, which involved the brother of the organization’s founder, Wade Rathke. 'We’ve told them that when the process is ended, we’ll have a look at it,' said Dave Beckwith, executive director of the Needmor Fund, which has given money to some of Acorn’s charity affiliates for at least 10 years and was contacted by the whistle-blower in May."

So here is the time-line:

May 2008- ACORN funder, the Needmor fund was contacted by a whistleblower in May.
July 2008- Bertha Lewis, Marcel Reid and Karen Innman all appointed to positions of power within ACORN. New York Times article appeared.
August 2008- After the proposed hand over to Kappa Alpha Psi Federal Credit Union was declined by ACORN and CCI, Marcel and Innman sued CCI and Rathke.

That time-line hints at the truth behind ACORN insider allegations that the plotters of a successful coup began to immediately fight amongst each for control. Court documents point to Reid's relationship with KAPFCU and the question of whether she was really acting on behalf of ACORN:

So far it has been established that the ACORN 8 have a serious problem with the truth if it does not suit their needs and/or financial goals and we have learned that they are hesitant to debate the facts of my argument.

Over a once Mighty Oak, Tiny Nuts Fight for Control

ACORN insiders paint a tale of internal strife and power struggles that date back to at least 2006. On page 37 of the aforementioned ACORN YEYB report, ACORN Wade Rathke hinted at this struggle:

“Leadership Maude Hurd, as President, and her team continue to be somewhat embattled but opposition has become more specific and marginalized on many issues. It is easiest to understand the national board though these days as having two parties: the ruling party and the opposition party. Some progress was made in some ways in the October meeting in moving the opposition party to being more of a 'loyal' opposition, and that is a hopeful sign, if it continues to trend.”

Evidence exists to suggest the departure of Wade Rathke as a result of a whistleblower disclosing the embezzlement scandal permitted the opposition party to use the embezzlement to gain control. ACORN board meeting notes seem to suggest at the alliance between Marcel Reid, Karen Inman and Bertha Lewis that was exposed in my prior article
Bertha takes control:

Lie #4 KAPFCU

In addition, Michael McCray appears to be very upset that his connection to KAPFCU has been exposed and so he tried to rewrite history.

"KAPFCU was contracted by an ACORN management committee to investigate and perform due diligence following the $1 Million embezzlement...."

I told the real story in "For CPAC and Glenn Beck, The Truth About the ACORN 8," backed with citations and screen shots but I do have additional research.

Apparently, Reid's unsolicited proposal from Michael McCray's Kappa Alpha Psi Federal Credit Union (KAPFCU) could be considered part of the opposition party of the ACORN board strategy to control ACORN for their own gain.

The proposed agreement between ACORN and KAPFCU was an attempt to wrestle control of CCI's ACORN business for the benefit of KAPFCU without disclosing a potential conflict of interest.. As a member of the associate board, McCray had significant financial interest in this deal. Fourth quarter reports show a net worth of just over $831,083.41 for KAPFCU, so one can assume that millions of dollars a year and control of ACORN's vast financial network may have been incentive for the ACORN 8's next actions.

When the proposal was not immediately accepted, Inman and Reid descended on New Orleans with an attorney ACORN insiders claim was hired and paid for by the KAPFCU. The ACORN 8 hired James Gray, the former law partner of William “Cold Cash” Jefferson.

What followed can only be described as misleading press pieces and self-serving statements such as the ones below. The ACORN 8's lawsuit filed in Louisiana District Court (ACORN vs. Rathke, et al., case no. 08-8342,) was dismissed, but a number of misleading articles and statements made their way into the press.

ACORN insiders state that Reid manipulated the situation. When their deception was revealed to the board, a number of members voted to withdraw the lawsuit and then to remove Reid and Inman. According to ACORN Association board meeting notes dated June 20, 2008, Bertha Lewis and Steve Kest were tasked with hiring professional consultants, not Reid. Inman and Reid's positions were temporary and the committee reported to the entire board. Reid was expected to step down at the next board meeting in October of 2008.

The ACORN 8 paint a scenario of ACORN leadership throwing them out, but their peers voted for each action including one of their own ACORN 8 members. Coya Mobley initially voted to withdraw the lawsuit, but changed her mind three days later in a rambling email to the board:

“He is beating us down as if he was our Slave Master with a whip and still creeping into our homes to take what ever he can get. And, all we are going to do is say Master please don't whip me any more, don't rape me any more, don't master don't!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP PEOPLE..........SLAVERY IS OVER..........STOP THIS MADNESS AND GET OFF OF WADE RATHKE'S TRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!. “

Mobley repeated the same sentiment on the 6/22/2009 episode Glenn Beck show in a video that has been yanked from the web.

As this is the only video of the ACORN 8 on Glenn Beck that has disappeared, one has to wonder if the removal of the video may have something to do with the embarrassing admission of active participation in the Muscle for Money program.

The Root of All Evil

Michael McCray's KAPFCU is the nation's first "virtual credit union” and as a small credit union, KAPFCU is constantly looking for opportunities to grow:

“In 2008, KAPFCU has applied for $100k in financial assistance and $500k in technical assistance.

...Vic also announced that there’s a $1.2B credit union in Baton Rouge that is designated as a low-income institution. This allows them to take in secondary capital, and not affect their net income ratio. KAPFCU is currently at 3.18%. The NCUA would like us to be at 7%. So, the low-income designation is one of the vehicles that KAPFCU plans to utilize to increase its net income ratio."

In what appears to be a closely knit network of affiliated organizations with the same board members and suspect motives the ACORN 8 are really similar to ACORN. PRWeb searches show press releases where the related organizations laud each other (here, and here) and in some cases bestow newly created awards on members of the group. My prior article touched on this network, but research has uncovered additional affiliates of the ACORN 8. The new list is as follows:

The Congress Against Racism and Corruption in Law Enforcement (CARCLE)
Power Over Poverty Under Laws of America Restored (POPULAR)
The ACORN 8
The International Association of Whistle-blowers (IAW)
National Judicial Conduct and Disability Law Project
The 3.5.7 Commission (appears to be inactive)
The E-Accountability Project
Focus on Indiana
National Forum On Judicial Accountability (NFOJA), the official network of Community Forums on Judicial Accountability (CFOJA)

As the KAPFCU Administrator of Community Development Financial Initiatives, McCray seems well placed to coordinate the activities of the organizations, including lending the KAPFCU name to rival ACORN projects:

By starting an organization in direct competition with ACORN and then “Whistle-blowing” on ACORN, the ACORN 8 appears to have deceived America into believing that their intentions were noble.

The biggest PR move involved the so-called Department of Justice complaint. The complaint to the DOJ addressed the embezzlement scandal and used a number of examples to support their "civil RICO" complaint. No disputing the facts here, ACORN is corrupt. However, what is missing from the complaint is intriguing and ties the ACORN 8 back to Obama. Reid appeared eager to file the complaint and was even ready to send it to the press without some exhibits being prepared by the lawyers (screenshot below).

At the last minute the complaint was amended to protect Obama’s mentor, former ACORN leader, Madeline Talbott and her husband, Keith Kelleher. Talbott, is also a fellow New Party alum of Reid and Obama. National Review Online provides the background:

"ACORN’s leading role in the New Party as the result of a conscious decision by the organization to move into electoral politics in a more substantial way than they had been able to solely through their political action committee. In addition to [Wade] Rathke and [Zach] Polett, a key early supporter of the New Party was Obama’s closest ACORN contact, Madeline Talbott."

The startling fact about the "Department of Justice Complaint" is that when filed in District Court by an ACORN 8 member, it was dismissed. Despite the presence of lawyers McCray, and Zena Crenshaw Logal in the ACORN 8, the complaint was found to lack the basic requirement of a cause of action.

"In the law, a cause of action (sometimes called a claim) is a set of facts sufficient to justify a right to sue."

The judge dismissed on the grounds that the complaint lacked standing and a cause of action, but it did generate the desired media attention the ACORN 8 needed after the Rathke case was dismissed. Click here to read the entire decision.

Dissecting McCray's Final Lies

Lie #5 Disparaging other ACORN Whistleblowers

McCray, a co-chair of the International Association of Whistleblowers, used the "MGM" acronym for myself, Michael Gaynor and Michelle Malkin without crediting the originator, blogger Michael Volpe. McCray seems to adopt the same faulty logic as Volpe, who assumes that if someone I know writes a piece about a person or even mentions their names, that is disparagement. For the record, I have never attacked Greg Hall, Hannah James, James O'Keefe or any of the others named in McCray's rant. Mentioning someone or pointing out facts in regards to the ACORN 8 is not meant to disparage (unless the truth is damaging for that individual).

"Mailroom MonCrief, offered one piece of information purporting to link Project Vote and the Obama campaign which has yet to be publicly proved. She studied the ACORN 8 website and presented our arguments and information as her own until the ACORN 8 cut her off. She became frustrated and resentful having no other contacts or access to inside information, and so she began to attack Marcel Reid, the ACORN 8 and any other noteworthy ACORN critic."

Two quick things here; first, besides some puff pieces about the embezzlement and a failed lawsuit against ACORN, the bulk of the ACORN 8's accusations only involved actions related to the board and their financial rival in the KAPFCU deal, CCI. It was only after my October 2008 testimony, that the ACORN 8 started to acknowledge real ACORN criminality.

Second, if one were to apply McCray's logic, then HE would be accused of attacking James Murtagh, the other co-chair of the International Association of Whistleblowers, or these statements by Volpe, who wrote at length about Murtagh,

"Dr. Murtagh was paid off to the tune of 1.6 million dollars and silenced at the exact same time that the NIH was investigating Grady Hospital..."

Volpe continued:

"Former Grady trustee Bill Loughrey tells me that the settlement with Dr. Murtagh was never approved or even accurately described to Grady’s board of trustees. He says that he was stunned to learn that tax dollars were paid to Dr. Murtagh, conditioned on his silence. He thinks the agreement is invalid and that the judicial process has been misused."

Volpe is a minor character in the ACORN 8 story, but he offers an opening to explore a pattern of behavior by Marcel Reid of lying and manipulating bloggers and some media persons.

Volpe's reward for writing hit pieces on Reid's enemies was a recommendation of his Wade Rathke interview to Breitbart's Big Government. Reid helped a so-so writer with a very small following gain access and attention he could not have gotten on his own . As the screen shot of a misdirected email below illustrates, Reid is quite content to pull the strings and let others do her dirty work. While she "lols", her fingerprints are covered by so-called bloggers like Volpe.

Bloggers and journalists who have written favorable pieces on the ACORN 8 have been granted appearances on "Beck". Including the late blogger Nancy Armstrong (MsPlaced Democrat).

Print journalists Kevin Mooney and his friend Matthew Vadum, associates of both myself and the ACORN 8, both made appearances during “ACORN 8 week.” Marcel and I worked on a number of pieces with both Vadum and Mooney, who have been responsible for a number of breaking pieces on ACORN. Vadum and I have also appeared on the G. Gordon Liddy Show.

Lie #5 "Rage Against the Beck"

In yet another ridiculous error-filled and sexist claim McCray states that:

“On March 13, 2009 [This should be May 13, 2009] U.S. Representative Michelle Bauchman [It's Michele Bachmann] (R-MN) appeared on the Glenn Beck show and announced a press conference she was having on Capital [This should be Capitol] Hill. Rep. Michelle Bauchman [Michele Bachmann] disclosed the topic was ACORN and she invited both Marcel Reid and Anita MonCrief to participate in the event. In response, Glenn Beck encouraged Michelle Bauchman [Michele Bachmann] to continue to put pressure on ACORN but he advised her to be careful with Anita MonCrief considering her checkered past. From that day forward Anita MonCrief has engaged in a personal vendetta against Beck, Reid and ACORN 8 for the slight she believes she received from Glenn Beck on March 13, 2009 [May 13, 2009] - hell hath no fury. “

What McCray does not state is that Marcel Reid had promised Beck's producers that she would deliver me as she had promised other whistleblowers and ACORN experts to Beck. On May 10, 2009 while reviewing the Elizabeth Kingsley report with Marcel, I took a call from Susan Wertheim of the Beck show on Marcel's phone. Here is the follow up email Susan sent.

I had begun working with a Eric Shawn of Fox's America's News Headquarters. I trusted Shawn's work on ACORN and finally decided to go on TV and tell my story. On Mother's Day, I appeared with Shawn and the Nevada Secretary of State.

This appearance had been in the works for sometime and Marcel was aware of this, so when I got the following email from Beck's Producers, I assumed that Marcel had arranged it and gave her the back story.

Megyn Kelly interviewed me the next day, and Beck wanted me for that evening. Things went a little haywire because, as a novice, I did not know that by accepting Megyn's invitation that I would upset Beck's producer Susan, and what followed is a clear indication of how alliances can compromise the integrity of a story. Susan lectured me on the competition for guests at Fox and indicated that I had committed some type of faux paus by appearing on anything but Beck first.

Just two short months after the March show with the RNLA's Cleta Mitchell, on which I declined to be interviewed, but for which I provided important background on the AIG bus tour, Beck began warning others, including Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, to stay away from me in favor of the ACORN 8.
Michael McCray appeared in my place in what became "ACORN 8 Day."

Despite Beck's slight, even he can not deny that I have provided much evidence connecting ACORN/Project Vote and Obama. The problem with me seemed to lie in the fact that Reid could not control me and make me appear on "Beck" at her command, and it apparently became easier to spread lies than to deal with someone who would not compromise herself for Reid's power grab. Just a month later, Beck did not mind relying on my blog for information that would serve as the background for at least two of his shows.

Realizing that we can not let the Left silence us, I put my feelings about Beck's comments to Bachmann aside, and supported Beck during a summer boycott of his advertisers by the Van Jones affiliated Color of Change.

McCray insinuated that I attacked Beck in my first piece, but instead I pointed out the same inconsistencies in his approach that many other conservatives like Mark Levin have pointed out. Did the ACORN 8 fool Beck? After all, McCray portrays himself and his ACORN 8 allies as friends of the conservative movement.

"MonCrief is featured favorably in the OGR committee report along with Karen Inman, Michael McCray, the ACORN 8 and Marcel Reid who also attended the conservative convention."

Marcel Reid is about as conservative as Max Blumenthal, who also showed up for his own purposes at CPAC 2010.

Lie #6 The ACORN 8 are allies of the conservative movement

The ACORN 8 use conservatives for their own purposes and those conservatives either do not know the reality of the ACORN 8 or accept the ACORN 8 as an enemy of their enemy.
McCray went on to state:

"We have never professed to be anti-ACORN or anti-Obama. Although many other conservative activists want us to be; which brings us back to Anita MonCrief."
"While others have waged a war of rhetoric and words against ACORN and President Obama we have focused on criminality within the association.... We have not criticized others for their activism and collaborate with those whom we share common interests; and we respectfully disengage from those who do not share our goals or approach."

As one blogger put it at Hot Air in a post about Beck, "Its not conservative"

Lie #7 Anita MonCrief is a thief

Beck's CPAC speech mentioned 'redemption' a number of times and like it or not, he did make some powerful points. By admitting that he is not perfect, he opens a door to himself and let's people in. People love him for his boldness and the way he interacts. Redemption means acknowledging fault and being vulnerable in a public way. I'm not perfect, as I've explained repeatedly (here, here, here, and here ) but I admitted that I was on the wrong path.

Despite the way Beck speaks of redemption, he still used the fact that I put personal expenses on a Project Vote credit card to warn Bachmann away, a tactic used repeatedly by the ACORN 8. The ACORN 8 have joined ACORN in trying to discredit me now that I am exposing them. I testified under oath regarding the credit card matter and discussed it on "The Laura Ingraham Show" in October 2008. Contrary to what McCray would like you to believe, I did not try to pass my expenses off as company expenses and was paying the balance. I wrote about it extensively here.

Conclusions

I have addressed the allegations made by McCray in his piece without alliteration, slogans or lies. On the other hand, the ACORN 8 have done everything to paint themselves in a favorable light while bullying and marginalizing anyone who dares to speak the truth about them

The irony is that as America fights back against Obama's dictator-like attitude towards passing healthcare, we are continuing to make the same mistakes of the past. ACORN was funded during Republican administrations because we did not have our own infrastructures in the minority and low-income areas. Unfortunately for Republicans and conservatives is that what was most expedient was also most harmful. ACORN invaded our schools, toyed with our banks, wrecked havoc on the electoral system, and laid the groundwork for a permanent leftist majority. By aligning ourselves with radicals to solve one problem, we create others. The ACORN 8 have been conning conservatives and protecting Obama and his dangerous agenda.

My article titled "For CPAC and Glenn Beck: the Truth About the ACORN 8" predictably produced a pained response from the ACORN 8: ACORN 8 spokesman Michael McCray's article titled "ACORN Whistleblower / Anita Mailroom MonCrief" posted days later by James Murtagh. Lacking in substance but high in rhetoric and lies, even the title set up to misinform people and belittle the target, me.Unsurprisingly, McCray was upset that I "refused [ACORN 8's] advice and pursued [my] own individual advocacy against ACORN and Project Vote" and he did not address on the merits the revelations about himself and the ACORN 8 in my article and instead tried to discredit me, as ACORN did.What was surprising is that McCray tried to discredit me with a sexist strategy (hell hath no fury," he wrote) and a bogus description of me as a former ACORN mailroom employee.

"...perhaps the most damning revelation comes from court filed pleading by Anita MonCrief herself in her answer to Project Vote's $5 Million lawsuit against her Case No. 09-cv-01109 (RWR).

ANSWER OF DEFENDANT ASHAWNITA MONCRIEF
Paragraph #22 which reads
'22. Defendant [Anita MonCrief] admits that a Pitney Bowes postage meter machine was installed at Project Vote's Washington, D.C. office. Defendant affirmatively states that she [Anita MonCrief] was named by Project Vote as the registered user of the machine and therefore subsequent mailings from Pitney Bowes were addressed to her. Defendant denies each and every remaining or inconsistent allegation contained in paragraph 22.'
This is an incredible admission because it means that Anita MonCrief admits she worked in the mailroom at Project Vote...."

The ACORN/Project Vote Washington, D.C. office did not have a mailroom and, although I certainly don't disparage mailroom employees, I have never been one. I am equally surprised that a lawyer such as McCray, who is affiliated with several legal non-profits and who appears to have helped draft the ACORN 8's "civil RICO" complaint; would make such erroneous legal conclusions. Especially considering that there is demonstrable evidence to the contrary.
In December of 2009 I appeared at a GOP ACORN Forum and submitted the followed description of my duties at ACORN/Project Vote. A copy of the testimony is available here.

While at ACORN/Project Vote, I worked in the Strategic Writing and Research Department (SWORD) within ACORN’s Political Operations (POLOPS). As part of the SWORD staff my title was Writer/Researcher. My salary was paid by Project Vote, with which I held the title of Development Associate, but I had an ACORN email address.

Of course, to combat more revisionist history from the ACORN 8, here is an unmodified copy of ACORN's own 2006 Year End Year Beginning (YEYB) Report, the same one quoted recently at Andrew Breitbart's Big Government.

The ACORN 8 appear to be so comfortable with the fact that the lies they have told on national television about ACORN have largely gone unchallenged so McCray has decided to invent more:

"Anita MonCrief is not a high-level associate she worked in the mailroom;
"Anita MonCrief did not have access to boardroom minutes or financial information she worked in the mailroom
"Anita MonCrief has no way of knowing the inner workings of SEIU whether official or unofficial she worked in the mailroom;
"Anita MonCrief couldn't know how much the embezzlement really was she worked in the mailroom...."

Apparently McCray did not check with other ACORN 8 people as to the access I had. And unfortunately for the ACORN 8 few of his outlandish accusations would pass muster at a middle school newspaper. Using tactics honed through years of ACORN campaigns and organizing strategies, the ACORN 8 exhibit exactly the type of mentality that Wade encouraged in his ACORN Community Organizing Manual.
McCray strove to discredit me because the ACORN 8 could not directly address any number of facts stated in the previous article and they resorted to common Alinsky tactics of ridiculing, polarizing and attacking the enemy.
In sharp contrast to McCray, the Republican National Lawyers Association identified me as a

"leading figure in the fight for fair elections" and the "ACORN whistleblower ACORN [who] had the CPAC crowd on its feet" by describing my "experiences working with ACORN and how the organization engaged in a concerted effort to learn the provisional and absentee ballot laws in each of the 50 states in an effort to see where they could get away with mischief" and "achieved their ultimate goal of the Presidency with the election of Barack Obama"

when I spoke at CPAC 2010 last February 2010. Similarly, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform staff report titled "Follow the Money: ACORN, SEIU and Their Political Allies" described me as

"a former political operations staff member for ACORN and Project Vote" (p. 8), reported that "information obtained by our committee confirms MonCrief's allegations" (p. 46).

Another excerpt from McCray's poorly written diatribe states:

"Mailroom MonCrief made two powerful allegations which have never been publicly verified (1) illegal coordination between Project Vote and Obama Campaign / Donor List and (2) SEIU Muscle for Money program which are two of the rights favorite accusations."

The funny thing about lies is that it is often hard to keep track of them. In October of 2008, as the ACORN 8 were struggling to gain attention with their lawsuit against Wade Rathke, I testified under oath about the Muscle for Money Program which was the first mention of the program. ACORN 8 leaders Marcel Reid and Karen Innman feigned surprise and then recounted stories of reluctant participation.

“Muscle for Money has generated significant opposition within ACORN.
'I don’t mind being up on a soapbox to get someone’s attention but I would much rather talk an' negotiate, said Karen Inman, a Minnesota resident and former ACORN national board member. “But I just refuse to go someone’s home, that’s a privacy issue and I think this “Muscle for Money” program really went too far.”
Inman and Marcel Reid, a former board member based in Washington D.C., formed ACORN 8 in October 2008 …
The lack of financial transparency and the continued use of Muscle for Money techniques remain top concerns for the whistleblower organization, which has about 30 dues paying members in multiple states, Inman said.

Reid also provided a similar email to CNN regarding SEIU/ACORN and bank bailouts.
The Fox News special titled "The Truth About ACORN" and broadcast on October 2, 2009 did not address the illegal coordination, but it certainly covered the second, with guest Marcel Reid claiming that she was shocked to learn what "Money for the Muscle" involved when she participated in it with National Paint and Coating as the target. The video can be accessed here and Marcel's statement begins around minute 16.
Further proof of the ACORN 8's self serving revisionist history lies in the following statement from their “response article:”

Marcel Reid a former ACORN Board member (DC) who blew the whistle following the $1 Million Embezzlement and co-founder of ACORN 8;
Karen Inman a former ACORN Board member (MN) who blew the whistle following the $1 Million Embezzlement and co-founder of ACORN 8;
Michael McCray a former ACORN Board delegate (GA) who blew the whistle following the $1 Million Embezzlement and ACORN 8 spokesperson;

Nonsense. There is a whistleblower to credit. Neither Marcel Reid, nor Karen Inman, nor Michael McCray was that whistleblower. While working as a confidential source for the New York Times I found out that not only is the real anonymous whistleblower known to the ACORN 8 but also New York Times Reporter Stephanie Strom. The ACORN embezzlement story was made public by The New York Times on July 9, 2008:

"A whistle-blower forced Acorn to disclose the embezzlement, which involved the brother of the organization’s founder, Wade Rathke.
"We’ve told them that when the process is ended, we’ll have a look at it,' said Dave Beckwith, executive director of the Needmor Fund, which has given money to some of Acorn’s charity affiliates for at least 10 years and was contacted by the whistle-blower in May."

May? Lets stay here for a second because the ACORN 8's heroic story is starting to unravel. According to court documents filed in Louisiana in August of this year, the scandal was discovered in April of 2008 by the full board of ACORN. So here is the timeline:

April- ACORN board discovers embezzlement
May- ACORN funder, the Needmor fund was contacted by a whistleblower in May.
July- Bertha Lewis, Marcel Reid and Karen Innman all appointed to positions of power within ACORN
August - After the proposed hand over to Kappa Alpha Psi Federal Credit Union is declined by ACORN and CCI, Marcel and Innman sue CCI and Rathke with KAPFCU as co-plaintiffs.

So far it has been established that the ACORN 8 has a serious problem with the truth, if it does not suit their needs and/or financial goals and we have learned that they are somewhat hesitant to debate the facts of my argument. Grab a cup of coffee and get comfy, we are going to dig into the accusations by McCray and the facts the ACORN want to avoid.

Over a once Mighty Oak, Tiny Nuts Fight for Control

ACORN insiders paint a tale of internal strife and power struggles that date back to at least 2006. On page 37 of the aforementioned ACORN YEYB report ACORN Wade Rathke hints at this struggle:

“Leadership Maude Hurd, as President, and her team continue to be somewhat embattled but opposition has become more specific and marginalized on many issues. It is easiest to understand the national board though these days as having two parties: the ruling party and the opposition party. Some progress was made in some ways in the October meeting in moving the opposition party to being more of a 'loyal' opposition, and that is a hopeful sign, if it continues to trend.”

Evidence exists to suggest the departure of Wade Rathke as a result of a whistleblower disclosing the embezzlement scandal permitted the opposition party to use the embezzlement scandal to gain control. ACORN board meeting notes seem to suggest at the alliance between Marcel Reid, Karen Innman and Bertha Lewis that was exposed in my prior article
Bertha takes control:

McCray appears to be very upset that his connection to KAPFCU has been exposed and so he tried to rewrite history.

"KAPFCU was contracted by an ACORN management committee to investigate and perform due diligence following the $1 Million embezzlement...."

I told the real story in "For CPAC and Glenn Beck: the Truth About the ACORN 8," backed with citations and screen shots but I do have additional research.
Apparently, Reid's unsolicited proposal from Michael McCray's Kappa Alpha Psi Federal Credit Union (KAPFCU) could be considered part of the opposition party of the ACORN board strategy to control ACORN for their own gain.
The proposed agreement between ACORN and KAPFCU was an attempt to wrestle control of CCI and turn all asset and decision making over to an organization that none of the ACORN 8 disclosed was a potential conflict of interest. As a member of the advisory board, McCray had significant financial interest in this deal. Fourth quarter reports show a net worth of just over $831,000 so one can assume that millions of dollars a year and control of ACORN's vast financial network may have been incentive for the ACORN 8's next actions.

When the proposal was not immediately accepted, Innman and Reid descended on New Orleans with an attorney hired and paid for by the KAPFCU. The ACORN 8 hired James Gray, the former law partner of William “Cold Cash” Jefferson.
What followed can only be described as misleading press pieces and self serving statements such as the ones below.

ACORN insiders state that Reid manipulated the situation and made demands outside of her power. When their deception was revealed to the board, a number of members voted to withdraw the lawsuit and then to remove Reid and Innman. According to ACORN Association board meeting notes dated July 13, 2008, Bertha Lewis and Steve Kest were tasked with hiring professional consultants, not Reid. Innman and Reid's positions were temporary and the committee reported to the entire board. Reid was expected to step down at the next board meeting in October of 2008.

The ACORN 8 paint a scenario of ACORN leadership throwing them out, but their peers voted for each action including one of their own ACORN 8 members. Coya Mobley initially voted to withdraw the lawsuit, but changed her, mind three days later in a rambling email to the board:

“ He is beating us down as if he was our Slave Master with a whip and still creeping into our homes to take what ever he can get. And, all we are going to do is say Master please don't whip me any more, don't rape me any more, don't master don't!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP PEOPLE..........SLAVERY IS OVER..........STOP THIS MADNESS AND GET OFF OF WADE RATHKE'S TRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!. “

Mobley repeated the same sentiment on the 6/22/2009 episode Glenn Beck show in a video that has been yanked from the web.

The Root of All Evil

Michael McCray's KAPFCU is the nation's first "virtual credit union” and as a small credit union, KAPFCU is constantly looking for opportunities to grow:

“In 2008, KAPFCU has applied for $100k in financial assistance and $500k in technical assistance.

...Vic also announced that there’s a $1.2B credit union in Baton Rouge that is designated as a low-income institution. This allows them to take in secondary capital, and not affect their net income ratio. KAPFCU is currently at 3.18%. The NCUA would like us to be at 7%. So, the low-income designation is one of the vehicles that KAPFCU plans to utilize to increase its net income ratio."

In what appears to be a vast network of affiliated organizations with the same board members and suspicious motives the ACORN 8 is really similar to ACORN. My prior article touched on this network, but research has uncovered additional affiliates of the ACORN 8. The new list is a follows:

The Congress Against Racism and Corruption in Law Enforcement (CARCLE)
Power Over Poverty Under Laws of America Restored (POPULAR)
The ACORN 8
The International Association of Whistle-blowers (IAW)
National Judicial Conduct and Disability Law Project
The 3.5.7 Commission (appears to be inactive)
The E-Accountability Project
Focus on Indiana
National Forum On Judicial Accountability (NFOJA), the official network of Community Forums on Judicial Accountability (CFOJA)

By starting an organization in direct competition with ACORN and then “Whistle-blowing” on ACORN, the ACORN 8 appears to have deceived America into believe their intentions were noble.

Dissecting McCray's Final Lies

McCray, a co-chair of the International Association of Whistleblowers, used the "MGM" acronym for myself, Michael Gaynor and Michelle Malkin without crediting the originator, blogger Michael Volpe. McCray seems to adopt to came faulty logic as Volpe who assumes that if someone I know writes a piece about a person or even mentions their names, that is it disparagement. For the record, I have never attacked Greg Hall, Hannah James, James O'Keefe or any of the others named in McCray's rant. Mentioning someone or pointing out facts in regards to the ACORN 8 is not meant to disparage (unless the truth is damaging for that individual).

"Mailroom MonCrief, offered one piece of information purporting to link Project Vote and the Obama campaign which has yet to be publicly proved. She studied the ACORN 8 website and presented our arguments and information as her own until the ACORN 8 cut her off. She became frustrated and resentful having no other contacts or access to inside information, and so she began to attack Marcel Reid, the ACORN 8 and any other noteworthy ACORN critic."

Two quick things here, first besides some puff pieces about the embezzlement and a failed lawsuit against ACORN, the bulk of their accusations from bIf one were to apply McCray's logic, then HE would be accused of attacking James Murtagh, the other co-chair of the International Association of Whistleblowers, for these statements by Volpe's, who wrote at length about Murtagh,

"Dr. Murtagh was paid off to the tune of 1.6 million dollars and silenced at the exact same time that the NIH was investigating Grady Hospital..."

Volpe continues:

"Former Grady trustee Bill Loughrey tells me that the settlement with Dr. Murtagh was never approved or even accurately described to Grady’s board of trustees. He says that he was stunned to learn that tax dollars were paid to Dr. Murtagh, conditioned on his silence. He thinks the agreement is invalid and that the judicial process has been misused."

Volpe is a minor character in the ACORN 8 story, but he offers an opening to explore a pattern of behavior by Marcel Reid of lying and manipulating bloggers and some media persons.
Volpe's reward for writing hit pieces on Reid's enemies was a recommendation of his Wade Rathke interview to Breitbart's Big Government. As a so-so writer with a very small following, Reid helped Volpe gain access he could not have gotten on his own. As the screen shot of a misdirected email below illustrates, Reid is quite content to pull the strings and let others do her dirty work. While she sits back and laughs, her fingerprints are covered by so called bloggers like Volpe.

Bloggers and journalists who have written favorable pieces on the ACORN 8 have been granted appearances on "Beck". Including the late blogger Nancy Armstrong (MsPlaced Democrat).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUE7tWigD8A
Print journalists Kevin Mooney and his friend Matthew Vadum associates of both myself and the ACORN 8 both made appearances during “ACORN 8 week.”

In yet another ridiculous error- filledand sexist claim McCray states that:

“On March 13, 2009 [This should be May 13, 2009] U.S. Representative Michelle Bauchman [It's Michele Bachmann] (R-MN) appeared on the Glenn Beck show and announced a press conference she was having on Capital [This should be Capitol] Hill. Rep. Michelle Bauchman [Michele Bachmann] disclosed the topic was ACORN and she invited both Marcel Reid and Anita MonCrief to participate in the event. In response, Glenn Beck encouraged Michelle Bauchman [Michele Bachmann] to continue to put pressure on ACORN but he advised her to be careful with Anita MonCrief considering her checkered past. From that day forward Anita MonCrief has engaged in a personal vendetta against Beck, Reid and ACORN 8 for the slight she believes she received from Glenn Beck on March 13, 2009 [May 13, 2009] - hell hath no fury. “

What McCray does not state is that Marcel Reid had promised Beck's producers that she would deliver me as she had promised other whistleblowers to Beck. On May 10, 2009 while reviewing the Elizabeth Kingsley report with Marcel, I took a call from Susan Wertheim of the Beck show on Marcel's phone. Here is the follow up email Susan sent.

I had begun working with a Eric Shawn of Fox's America's News Headquarters. I trusted Shawn's work on ACORN and finally decided to go on TV and tell my story. This appearance had been in the works for sometime and Marcel was aware of this, so when I got the following email from Beck's Producers, I assumed that Marcel had arranged it and gave her the back story.

Megyn Kelly interviewed me the next day, and Beck wanted me for that evening. Things went a little haywire because, as a novice, I did not know that by accepting Megyn's invitation that I would upset Beck's producer Susan, and what followed is a clear indication of how alliances can compromise the integrity of a story. Just two short months after the March show with Cleta Mitchell, where I declined to be interviewed, but provided important background on the AIG bus tour, Beck began warning others to stay away from me in favor of the ACORN 8, including Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg7eQK64Ymw
Despite Beck's slight, even he can not deny that I have provided much evidence connecting ACORN/Project Vote and Obama. The problem with me seemed to lie in the fact that Reid could not control me and make me appear on Beck at her command, and it apparently became easier to spread lies than to deal with someone who would not compromise herself for Reid's power grab. Just a month later, Beck did not mind relying on my blog for information that would serve as the background for at least two of his shows.

SCREENSHOT
Despite the invitation being lifted from my blog and the comments to Bachmann, I managed to put my hurt feelings behind me and support Beck during a summer boycott of his advertisers by the Van Jones affiliated Color of Change.

Finally, McCray portrays himself and his ACORN 8 allies as friends of the conservative movement.

"MonCrief is featured favorably in the OGR committee report along with Karen Inman, Michael McCray, the ACORN 8 and Marcel Reid who also attended the conservative convention."

Marcel Reid is about as conservative as Max Blumenthal, who also showed up for his own purposes at CPAC 2010.
The ACORN 8 use conservatives for their own purposes and those conservatives either do not know the reality of the ACORN 8 or accept the ACORN 8 as an enemy of their enemy.
McCray goes on to state:

"We have never professed to be anti-ACORN or anti-Obama. Although many other conservative activists want us to be; which brings us back to Anita MonCrief."
"While others have waged a war of rhetoric and words against ACORN and President Obama we have focused on criminality within the association.... We have not criticized others for their activism and collaborate with those whom we share common interests; and we respectfully disengage from those who do not share our goals or approach."

@@@Add something like "That doesn't sound conservative to me."
@@@How about closing with something like: "I'm not perfect, as I've explained repeatedly [insert link to
Click here: Anita MonCrief: How This Ex-Liberal Found Fortitude and Her Way Home], but the ACORN 8's problem with me is that I do tell the truth and I rejected them last year [insert link to
Friday, October 30, 2009
How I Overcame Fear and Rejected the ACORN 8 Alternative ].

'The People United Will Never be Defeated': Inside ACORN's Community Organizing Model

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:52:00 +0000

As ACORN pretends to “dissolve” around the country, internally, there appears to be a mad dash to get out ahead of prosecution. Not surprisingly, ACORN has a history of shutting offices down when an investigation gets too close. For example, in 2004 ACORN's affiliate Project Vote abruptly closed its national office in Ohio and shipped boxes stuffed with un-cashed checks and paperwork to Washington, DC.

ACORN appears to have honed these tricks and has now decided to re-brand on a national scale. However, given its history, many are skeptical:

"If you want to see whether ACORN is really changing its ways, check to see whether the signatories to those local ACORN bank accounts are changing. When it comes to ACORN, the money is the organization, and the name is just the name."

In order to operate effectively, ACORN requires little public scrutiny and a lot of lore and misdirection (think registering Mickey Mouse to vote). For 40 years ACORN's organizing model has survived social revolutions and political upheavals and to understand ACORN a review of the 1970's “manifesto” of ACORN founder Wade Rathke is essential.
ACORN Community Organizing Model

Acorn Organizing Model

Keeping up with the little nuts that have fallen off Rathke's tree has begun and one has to wonder how long before another mighty “oak” is formed.

For CPAC and Beck, The Truth About the ACORN 8

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:22:00 +0000

What began in 2009 as a quiet rumble of discontent blossomed into a movement over health care and rocked the nation with the election of Scott Brown. Now fired up Conservatives are bringing that energy to DC for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Thursday CPAC began with an abundance of Conservative leaders coming together from across the country. Republicans, Conservatives and Libertarians will mingle with the tea partiers, now recognized as a force even by The New York Times that buried an ACORN/Obama expose before the 2008 presidential election. The perceived and much hyped divides that exist within the movement have many taking sides and others looking to assume control and dictate how President Obama and his radical Administration should be contested.

In a message to supporters, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich quoted Ronald Reagan in unveiling the new Contract From America

“In a message that resonates to this day, President Reagan proclaimed, 'Our people look for a cause to believe in,' and then asked: 'Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors, which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?"

The 2010 CPAC promises to be exciting, invigorating and, most importantly, a journey for many Conservatives. Glenn Beck will deliver the closing speech on Saturday. The choice of Beck is an interesting one for CPAC, but as the rising star of the movement, Beck will pull large crowds and attract media attention.

CPAC's invitation to Beck is interesting because he is a polarizing figure, but after his move from CNN to Fox in January 2009, pundits on the left and right appear to hang on his every word. Beck drew anger and derision from the left after focusing on the then emerging ACORN Scandal in early 2009. In March of 2009 an ACORN affiliated bus tour terrorized the families of AIG executives and Cleta Mitchell of the Republican National Lawyers Association appeared on Beck's television program to discuss ACORN.

However, it wasn't until a showdown with ACORN spokesperson Scott Levenson that ended with Beck directing Levenson to leave after Levenson had told him, off air, that he was "afraid of black people" that Beck's ACORN hunt began in earnest.

After that, Beck recruited guests (black and white) to appear with him and expose ACORN. Chief among them was Marcel Reid, former National Board member of ACORN and president of the ACORN 8. Interestingly, many of the guests were in some way affiliated with Reid and her quest for “truth and transparency" within ACORN. More on that in a later post, but for now let's examine how this star of the new conservation movement becomes tied to the very radicals that are exposed on the famous Glenn Beck chalkboard.

Can The ACORN 8 Pass Beck's Chalkboard Test?

Whistleblowers rarely come forward without enduring much agonizing and trepidation, and usually there is not a ready support network for them. But what happens when conditions are set in such a way as to “create a whistleblower” for personal and financial gain?

The top leaders of the ACORN 8 are Marcel Reid, Karen Innman, Michael McCray, and Zena Crenshaw Logal. In 2007 all four ACORN 8 leaders became actively involved in a number of organizations that would set the stage for an internal power struggle within ACORN that would eventually spill into courts and onto television screens across America. Among the ACORN-life affiliates controlled by these four are:

The Congress Against Racism and Corruption in Law Enforcement (CARCLE),

Power Over Poverty Under Laws of America Restored (POPULAR)

The ACORN 8

The International Association of Whistle-blowers (IAW)

National Judicial Conduct and Disability Law Project

The 3.5.7 Commission (appears to be inactive)

National Forum On Judicial Accountability (NFOJA), the official network of Community Forums on Judicial Accountability (CFOJA)

A number of the above ACORN 8 affiliates operate out of a modest apartment building at 3870 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Washington, DC. While it is not a funeral home, let's take it to Beck's Chalkboard to compare the two ACORN-related front buildings:

An Internet search of one of the progressive ACORN 8 organizations reveals that the The International Association of Whistle-blowers (IAW) was established in 2007, and was founded by Michael McCray, Esq, Dr. James J. Murtagh MD and Zena Crenshaw, Esq. Amazingly, the initial meeting of the IAW was held the week of May 11-18 2008, just as the ACORN embezzlement scandal broke.

Back at Glenn Beck's chalkboard. It appears that a group of friends may have established a network in direct competition with ACORN while serving as board members and used this same network to, among other things, boost their credibility with awards and sham conferences while using the ACORN scandal as a spring board into the national spotlight.

One of the ACORN 8 affiliates, Power Over Poverty Under Laws of America Restored (POPULAR) has even started an “Obama Lights the Way” campaign in order to push their agenda on Capitol Hill.

The ACORN 8 and the Making of a Whistleblower

Conveniently for America, at the very moment that ACORN was imploding, a group materialized and offered a solution to “save America.” The group appeared non-threatening and often exclaimed shock at the very mob protest activities that ACORN had engaged in for decades. With the help of several well placed Republicans and Conservatives whom they used for credibility, the ACORN 8, offered a revisionist history of ACORN while peppering stories with innuendos of danger. In a op-ed piece published in 2009, the co-founder of McCray's IAW posted this prepackaged ACORN 8 statement (emphasis mine).

"The ACORN 8 is America’s last, best chance to empower low and moderate income members of society through Integrity in Community Organizing.
"If you love ACORN and its original mission; you should support the ACORN 8. If you hate ACORN and its corrupt practices; you should support the ACORN 8. If you are an ACORN member and tired of being ignored; you should support the ACORN 8. If you are an ACORN employee and tired of being sacrificed for senior management; you should support the ACORN 8. If you are an ACORN donor and want to be sure you were not a victim of funder fraud and that your contributions are not being used for illegal political activities; you MUST support the ACORN 8. If you are a taxpayer and want to be sure your tax dollars are not funding a corrupt organization; you MUST support the ACORN 8."

The situation is almost too convenient and according to ACORN insiders with knowledge of the events that led to the formation of the ACORN 8, it is. Insiders paint a tale that began with an alliance among Marcel Reid, Karen Innman, Carol Hemingway and most importantly, Bertha Lewis. According to reliable evidence,

Reid, Innman and Hemingway provided Lewis with the crucial votes to elect her as interim Chief Organizer of ACORN after founder Wade Rathke was removed from the organization. Apparently Lewis agreed to help elect the trio to the ACORN interim management committee, with substantial perks like trips, computers and hotel stays.

The ACORN 8's claim that they were denied access to the financial records of ACORN has also been debunked by inside information and research. Every December ACORN held the Year End, Year Beginning or YEYB conference in New Orleans and staff from around the country submitted reports on the status of their local operations. Immediately following YEYB in January, the ACORN executive committee met and they are given financial reports and all of the YEYB local reports. Some within ACORN have concluded that this information was used to make an outlandish power grab in 2008.

After being elected to the interim management committee, Marcel Reid submitted a proposal from the Kappa Alpha Psi Federal Credit Union (KAPFCU) to take over ACORN accounting operations from Citizens Consulting Inc. (CCI). Insiders at ACORN claim the proposal was for $3 million a year. A look at the 4th Quarter report of the KAPFCU show that this deal would have been a major coup for the "country’s first virtual credit union."

Oddly, none of the ACORN 8 members ever mentioned that the lawsuit they filed against Rathke, ACORN and CCI was the result of their refusal to turn operations over to a credit union of which Michael McCray is an associate board member.

“KAPFCU’s Administrator of Community Development Financial Initiatives Michael McCray says of his CU:

'As a virtual institution, we’ve been an ugly duckling for nearly four years. Our balance sheet and profit/loss profile differs from most community based credit unions.
We don’t have a physical office, we operate through a 20 member advisory board and management team. KAPFCU provides service to the entire country - instead of a local geographic market. We just don’t look like the typical low income or community development credit union. Consequently, it has been very difficult for us to successfully receive financial support from credit union or philanthropic communities'

Independent columnist Michael Gaynor has done the legwork on this one:

"...McCray had opportunistically responded to the ACORN embezzlement scandal by pushing for Kappa Alpha Psi Federal Credit Union (KAPFCU) to replace Citizens Consulting, Inc. (CCI) as ACORN's accountant and ACORN 8 leaders and former ACORN national board members Marcel Reid and Karen Inman quietly helped him.
The truth is that the ACORN embezzlement scandal presented a golden opportunity to take control and make lots of money and McCray recognized it and acted, with the assistance of ACORN 8 leaders and without disclosing McCray's interest in KAPFCU (http://www.kapfcu.org).
KAPFCU's bid to replace CCI and do ACORN's accounting work failed, despite the best efforts of McCray, Ms. Reid and Ms. Innman.
As reported in ACORN's Submission in Support of Its Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto in the now dismissed ACORN v. Rathke case filed in a Louisiana state court (available at http://www.capitalresearch.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/acorn-v-rathke1.pdf):
..."These two Board members, and their attorney, further attempted to coerce the Board by reporting that the Temporary Restraining Order had been granted, attaching a copy, instructing the Board, IMC, Senior Staff, and the Executive Committee to comply with its terms, and warning the Board that it may otherwise be participating in concealment of evidence and violations of federal law. In fact, at the time Mr. Gray wrote the Board, IMC, Senior Staff, Executive Committee and Corporate Counsel, he and his clients knew that the bond had not and would not be paid and that the TRO was not in effect. This pesky fact was not reported to the members of the ACORN Board, all of whom are non-lawyers or to ACORN's Corporate Counsel."
Even more significantly, the Submission continued: "ACORN is also concerned about the relationship between the two Board members who filed the suit, their attorney, and KAPFCU, an organization that the two Board member promoted to take over the financial responsibilities of ACORN from CCI, one of the named defendants in the Petition. Mr. Gray holds himself out as representing both ACORN and KAPFCU in this matter, which appears to present a conflict of interest. ACORN has not hired KAPFCU, the KAPFCU proposal is not responsive to the Board's resolution for financial review, and KAPFCU has no legal interest in the litigation. KAPFCU's only interest in this litigation is in taking over ACORN's business from CCI. Mr. Gray has ignored ACORN's request to explain the relationship, and ACORN specifically refuses to waive the conflict."

Screen shots of the proposed agreement illustrate the complete control that KAPFCU wanted over ACORN in what had become a full power struggle complete with press releases and leaking articles to New York Times reporter Stephanie Strom.

The ACORN 8 began to paint themselves as whistleblowers and use the specter of ACORN to drive the story on the right. By claiming ignorance, the ACORN 8 have always stopped short of blasting Obama to the Conservative Press and this has allowed these radical Democrats to effectively hoodwink conservatives into supporting their cause. ACORN 8 affiliates are already setting up a network across the country in anticipation of absorbing ACORN offices and continuing its radical progressive agenda. Below is a comparison of the ACORN 8 affiliate National Forum On Judicial Accountability (NFOJA) and a 2006 ACORN office expansion map.

Besides a penchant for card check, government health care, and cap and trade; the ACORN 8 have on a number of occasions taken deliberate steps to protect Obama from the ACORN scandal. As previously reported in another blog, the ACORN 8 concealed a copy of the Elizabeth Kingsley ACORN report and it was deliberately leaked to Strom to stop an expose on ACORN and Obama.

“...'Moncrief finally agreed to go on the record' and Strom had scheduled a meeting with her. It was when she called Moncrief to cancel the meeting that Strom allegedly told her that her bosses had killed the investigation to protect Obama. Obviously, if Strom was about to hit pay-dirt with an on-the-record witness, Daley's assertion that she killed the story because Strom 'had come up empty-handed' is false.
Hoyt interviewed Strom, of course, but--rather remarkably--he does not reveal what Strom told him about her conversation with Daley in which Daley killed Strom's ongoing investigation. That's a rather significant omission, isn't it? Instead, Hoyt merely quotes Strom's observation that she did write a story on ACORN that appeared on October 22:
Before they were to meet, Strom said, another source gave her an internal report detailing concerns about impermissible political activity by Acorn and its tax-exempt affiliates. The resulting article was published on Oct. 22.”

After halting The Times Obama/ACORN investigation, Reid's loyalty to the progressive cause may have led her to befriend a reluctant whistleblower who had the goods on Obama and ACORN. As noted in the recently released report by the the House Oversight Committee, Reid and I began as allies exposing ACORN wrongdoing. We were both radical Obama supporters and she urged me not to hurt Obama's election prospects by accepting an invitation to do Fox News on the days before the election.

Beck's "Rosa Parks": Pay No Attention to the Radical on the Conservative Bus

Before Election day 2008 Fox News was the only major media outlet willing to take on the Obama Campaign machine, but as a frightened radical, I listened to Marcel Reid, a women who was mentored by the radical Ron Karenga and she discouraged me from working with Fox by citing racism, bias and a hatred for Obama. Documents show that Reid, who was still negotiating with ACORN to retain her position on the board, agreed to signed a joint defense agreement with ACORN and, it was decided to not "go after Wade" until AFTER the last presidential election:

"IF the idea for ACORN to go after Wade is decided upon--the recommendation is to wait until after December--elections, ACORN needs to get their corporation in order, clean house in terms of getting paperwork in order, etc."

The ACORN 8's habit of ignoring or hiding evidence to protect Obama was evident last year when a so-called Department of Justice complaint was amended at the last minute to protect Obama's mentor, former ACORN leader, Madeline Talbott and her husband, Keith Kelleher.

."ACORN is a Democrat scandal and it is hard to separate one from the other. Corruption is the overriding theme and it comes mostly from the left. Another particularly odd pairing continues to be the radical reformers of ACORN and top Conservatives and Republicans. The ACORN 8, a group of former ACORN board members, have formed a [Dede] Scozzafava-like partnership with the Republicans. In attempting to expose ACORN, some appear to have ignored key facts and overlooked a pattern of withholding key information to coincide with opportunistic timing aimed at aiding Democrats.
An example of this is the complete removal of two longtime Obama ACORN cronies from a complaint filed with the United States Justice Department last January by the ACORN 8. Madeline Talbott is described by Stanley Kurtz of the National Review Online as 'the woman who first drew Obama into an alliance with ACORN.' And Keith Kelleher is Talbott’s husband, the Chief Organizer of SEIU Local 880 in Chicago.”

Using the Glenn Beck Show as a launching pad, the ACORN 8 continued to conceal their radical roots and desire to protect Obama. In fact, ACORN 8 leader, Marcel Reid began her career with ACORN as a member of the Marxist New Party:

"The fact that Obama received the New Party’s endorsement in his first run for office cannot be dismissed as insignificant. On the contrary, Obama’s ties to the New Party and the New Party’s backers at ACORN and the SEIU are long-standing, substantial, and reveal a great deal about his personal political allegiances.
The New Party’s biggest wins in the country were in Chicago, including Obama’s victory in his 1996 run for the Illinois Senate. Chicago’s New Party was formed around two core elements, ACORN and the SEIU’s local 880. SEIU 880 was itself an ACORN offshoot."

Beck's appearance at CPAC will send a message to the thousands of conservatives who have traveled to DC. As Conservative meet and network many are realizing that we did not need liberal grassroots organizations to reach into communities of color. Conservatives are door knocking and creating real grassroots movements. Conservatives do not need the ACORN 8 to defeat ACORN. Beck has exposed much about the radicalness of Obama, his administration and his supporters, particularly ACORN and SEIU, but he needs to research the ACORN 8.

ACORN's Sting the Stinger Campaign Targets ACORN Pimp

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:34:00 +0000

Emboldened by the apparent legal trouble surrounding James O'Keefe, the investigative journalist and filmmaker.who exposed ACORN in a number of videos last fall, ACORN is on the attack.

Following O'Keefe's arrest in Louisiana, ACORN has proceeded to do a number of victory laps, claiming vindication. A glowing Bertha Lewis appeared on the Ed Show to crow about this latest development, and today ACORN is pushing for prosecution in Maryland and California. Raw Story has the full story here.

The link within the email lands here.

Will ACORN's Leftist Agenda be Thwarted by Scott Brown?

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:35:00 +0000

In a move that is oddly fitting for a President who failed to interrupt his Hawaiian vacation to respond to a terrorist attack, Barack Obama is heading to Massachusetts to assist his base of union and community organizers.

"Obama is headed to Massachusetts Sunday to campaign for Democrat Martha Coakley, whose race against Republican Scott Brown has narrowed to a toss-up as voters zero in on the cost of a massive health insurance bill in Congress."

As the left struggles to maintain “Ted Kennedy's Seat” the cracks are beginning to show in a radical agenda many believe was crafted by leaders at groups like the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. As Brown supporters eye the state warily, ACORN has largely gone underground in Massachusetts. Beginning in the 1970's ACORN has operated silently in states across the country conducting "progressive experiments" in liberal states like Massachusetts through the use of organizing around ballot initiatives.

Allamon of The Allamon Cartoon Blog

Lisa Ranghelli, a Massachusetts native, authored a report entitled ACORN Wins: The Monetary Impact of ACORN Campaigns, A Ten Year Retrospective, 1995-2004. Ranghelli's report listed several ACORN legislative agenda items like predatory lending laws and minimum wage increases “tested” in Massachusetts shortly before a nationwide campaign:

“Categorized by issue area, these totals encompass the estimated monetary benefits of some of ACORN’s major campaigns between 1995 and 2004, including:
Passage of 11 living wage ordinances, and minimum wage increases in Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, New York, and the City of San Francisco.
Legislation limiting predatory lending in Massachusetts, New Mexico, California, New York and New Jersey, and improvements in federal regulations.
…STATE EITC INCREASES

Finally, ACORN has successfully increased the earnings of low-wage workers by allowing them to keep more of what they make. In Massachusetts, ACORN led a coalition that won an increase in the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 1999, from 10 percent of the federal credit to 15 percent, or a 50 percent increase. According to the State Department of Revenue, close to $21 million additional dollars went into the pockets of low-income taxpayers annually after the increase was implemented.”

After the disastrous defeat of HillaryCare in the 1990's, liberals began to operate under the idea that “all politics are local” and both before and after Ted Kennedy facilitated ACORN's leftist agendas that were precursors to ObamaCare. In a 2006 report ACORN details its next steps after assisting Democrats with “taking back Congress:

ACORN Legislative Agenda for 2007
Working Families Agenda
Minimum Wage – Soon after the new Congress gets to work in January, both the House and the Senate are expected to move bills to increase the minimum wage to $7.25 an hours in three steps by 2009. While almost everyone believes this will pass (and Bush has indicated he will sign an increase), the fight will be over getting a clean bill – without poison pill amendments such as small business tax breaks or “protection” of small business from health insurance costs (read: higher premiums and insurance cut offs for our members). ACORN will take a leadership role in both raising the profile of the issue with our friends in Congress in select Congressional Districts in Dec and Jan – AND targeting some moderate Republicans and weak Dems who are more likely to go along with the poison pills.

Soon after we get the $7.25, Sen. Kennedy will introduce a more ambitious bill to restore the value of the minimum wage to its historic levels (more like $9.00/hr.) AND index it to inflation. We’ll likely have to fight for this bill for many years, and it is not likely to be a very big priority in year one, 2007.

Paid Sick Days – ACORN intends to make the fight for paid sick day a big one in 2007. To supplement our city and state campaigns on this issue, we will push for the Healthy Families Act (introduced by Sen. Kennedy and Rep. DeLauro), which would require employers to provide 7 paid sick days a year.

Kennedy's unequivocal support led to ACORN attempting to establish its now embattled Working Families Party in Massachusetts:

“The Working Families Party in New York and Connecticut continued to establish themselves shrewdly as political forces. The ballot project in Massachusetts to advance election opportunities (read fusion) made it to the ballot, which was never easy, but unfortunately could not overcome some of its negatives, so lost decidedly by a woeful margin, even in the trenches of liberalism. This will be something that we will have to answer in the future.”

As speculations of desperation regarding ObamaCare swarm around the Internet, see Hot Air, for example, ACORN has continued working silently through partners like Emily's List and America Votes. The ACORN agenda became the cornerstone of the Obama campaign and then presidency, with Obama and Democrats fiercely protecting ACORN along the way.

“In 2007, for the first time in 12 years, we will be working with a Democratic controlled Congress. Without being overly optimistic (after all, it takes 60 votes to pass anything controversial in the Senate, and Bush is still President), we are developing an ambitious agenda of programs and priorities that we will be pushing for. In particular, we will be paying attention to how our allies in Congress can assist us in our campaign work by holding hearings and otherwise shining a spotlight on our issues and targets – something that only the majority party can do.

Furthermore, we are working to make sure that key leaders in Congress fully understand the role that ACORN played in the 2006 elections: we are working collaboratively with the political department to ensure that the impact of our political work is widely known and appreciated.

Legislative priorities will include:

ACORN Working Families Agenda, including an increase in the minimum wage, paid sick days, expanded EITC, and Childcare assistance.

Immigration reform, which may actually move early next year.

Legislation outlawing predatory lending practices (as opposed to just stopping bad pre-emptive legislation).

Additional funding for housing counseling, and a separate pool of funding for delinquency/foreclosure counseling and outreach.

A housing trust fund – which will make funding available for our development program.

Possible legislation on RALs, payday lending, and other predatory financial practices, as well as support for our VITA and benefit access centers.

Election reform, on voting machines, voter registration issues, etc...

As Coakley continues to make mistakes that would cripple anyone on the right, her status as an empty suit for the “Kennedy Seat” has almost reached satirical proportions. What ACORN and the Democrats did not count on was the same qualities that first made Kennedy appealing to voters are being exhibited by Brown. Brown's supporters see him as a wild card, someone who is going to shake things up and listen to the people. Hopefully Ted Kennedy would be proud.

What do Fred Eychaner and ACORN have in common? Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:49:00 +0000

What do Fred Eychaner and ACORN have in common? Obama

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One "compelling story" about health care Obama doesn't want you to hear

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:06:00 +0000

One "compelling story" about health care Obama doesn't want you to hear

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An unlikely Palinista

noreply@blogger.com (Anita MonCrief) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:02:00 +0000

An unlikely Palinista

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