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Wade Rathke: I "dropped a stitch," Gaspard "was never on the staff of ACORN"

September 29, 2009 5:37 pm ET by Media Matters staff

From Rathke's September 29 post to his personal blog:

My "friends" on the right seem to be using me as a source for an attack at yet another new target:  Patrick Gaspard, political director at the White House.

I have huge admiration for Patrick and have enjoyed my dealings with him over the years.  In almost 1400 blogs I've done, sometimes I don't get it right, call it a senior moment or whatever it might be, but reading the blogsphere with me as a source took me back searching for whether or not I could be causing a problem here inadvertently.  Patrick was never on the staff of ACORN.  I double checked with people I still know there, and it appears that I dropped a stitch there.  Hopefully my misstatement won't lead to the White House throwing him in front of the bus in this rush to neo-McCarthyism that has become so prominent. In this case, my memory tricked me.  I'm glad to carry the weight and simply say I made a mistake, and damned if I'm not sorry and hope no damage is done to a good man doing a hard job.

Previously:

MSNBC airs discredited allegation linking White House to ACORN

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    • Author by The_Cat (September 29, 2009 5:47 pm ET)
      4  
      Well, Mr. Rathke, you gain respect by being willing to admit you were in error. Always nice to meet someone capable of owning up to a mistake.

      Now my only question is will anyone who ran with this error, trumpeting it to the heavens with glee, be able to admit they were wrong as well? I, too, hope no damage was done to a good man, but I am not sanguine about the likelihood of corrections or retractions. Time will tell.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (September 29, 2009 5:50 pm ET)
      5  
      At least the right wingers are being more direct about trying to destroy ACORN. I got a Human Events email today, John Boner is asking angry taxpayers to send him $25, $50 or $100 to help his Defund ACORN Bill.

      The email includes this line;
      The Defund ACORN Act is just one step in multi-layered effort to stop taxpayer financing of leftwing groups and causes.


      Refreshingly honest of Boner, but the math is good for a laugh. Assuming we have a couple hundred million taxpayers , ACORN's 50 million a year comes to about a quarter per person.

      Send John Boner a hundred bucks to get your quarter back!

      heh heh. Suckers.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by pointofview (September 29, 2009 5:55 pm ET)
          11
        $100.00 is a small price to pay, if he indeed can stop the tax payer funding of other left wing groups and causes. I will even send him a hundred in your name Col.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by vhw28672478 (September 29, 2009 6:03 pm ET)
          1  
          you are wrong prove it
          Report Abuse
        • Author by bintx (September 29, 2009 6:12 pm ET)
          4  
          You are so ridiculous. Let go of the team think . . . the only team you should be on is this country's. ACORN is the target of Republicans simply because ACORN has been successful in getting minorities to register to vote. Minorities aren't really known for voting for folks who despise them. Therefore, ACORN has to be stopped, in the Republican Party's mind . . . fewer voters means a better shot at being elected.

          Me, personally, I want ALL Americans to vote, stupid political club membership notwithstanding.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by The_Cat (September 29, 2009 9:24 pm ET)
            3  
            I'd just be happy if more Americans voted for President than voted for American Idol...
            Report Abuse
          • Author by IRONY 101 (September 29, 2009 9:57 pm ET)
            2  
            But minorities aren't real Americans are they? At least in right wing wacko world they're not.
            Report Abuse
        • Author by bilbo_dies (September 29, 2009 7:32 pm ET)
          3  
          Hey, POV. I think we already know that you have auto-deduct set up to funnel money into ANY right wing cause, no matter what.
          Report Abuse
        • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (September 29, 2009 8:39 pm ET)
          4  
          Geez, POinty, I wrote "suckers" right there at the end of the post, and you're still falling for it?

          I'll double Boners offer. Send me a Benjamin, and I'll send you 50 cents.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by all your eyes (September 29, 2009 8:50 pm ET)
            3  
            By the way, that $53 million was over a ten-year period, or longer, if I recall. It definitely is not an annual number.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (September 29, 2009 9:08 pm ET)
              3  
              Oops, good catch, allyoureyes, I goofed, in fact I think it may be 15 years. Can I cover by saying I assume most of the suckers sending a hundred dollars to save 25 cents are probably cheapskate wingnuts who would only donate once every decade or two?

              On a related note, I wonder how it would go over with the media if Dem politicians were begging for donations to stop taxes from going to any (real or perceived) right wing groups.
              Report Abuse
        • Author by SAR (September 29, 2009 8:54 pm ET)
          5  
          It's not like there are defense-related companies involved in prostitution, murder and misconduct against American personal.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (September 29, 2009 9:10 pm ET)
            5  
            Don't worry, SAR, these have been pointed out to all of the right wing posters here many times. Unfortunately, the man on the tv is talking about ACORN, so they think that must be the bigger story.

            Now stop getting in the way of their phony misdirected outrage !
            Report Abuse
        • Author by slowtyper (September 29, 2009 11:47 pm ET)
          1  
          go ahead send him your $100..we'd like to see blackwater and haliburton "defunded" among others
          Report Abuse
    • Author by MickD (September 29, 2009 5:52 pm ET)
      3  
      The commentary about the WH "throwing him in front of the bus" was somewhat disingenuous, considering he was the source for the error. And wow, 1400 blogs, aren't you the model of a modern major general </snark>.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by juliajayne1 (September 29, 2009 6:50 pm ET)
        3  
        He might make it up to Ass Admiral with those numbers. ;-)

        Seriously? It's nice he came clean this time. It's not so nice that he didn't come clean at another juncture that put ACORN in jeopardy. That being his brother's embezzling. Or am I having a senior moment and not getting that fact correct?

        Anyway, kudos for the correction and kudos to ACORN for throwing his butt out when his secret was discovered.

        And bintx? I also want everybody eligible to vote as well. That's what all true patriots and defenders of a democracy want. Thanks.
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