Behold right-wing "journalism." Or, ACORN mania continues
November 03, 2009 12:50 pm ET by Eric Boehlert
From Anita Moncrief at Hot Air, with a breathless exclusive that I doubt would pass the smell test at a high school newspaper:
Multiple sources on the ground in New York’s 23rd Congressional district confirm that ACORN is expected to be actively protesting the election results in Clinton County, New York tomorrow. This move comes on the heels of a legal win for the Hoffman camp today as it was ruled that all poll watchers would have to be registered voters of NY 23.
"Is expected"? Ugh, massive red flag since right-wing bloggers have zero credibility when it comes to straight reporting. The idea that this scoop "is expected" to unfold makes me highly dubious. But we'll soldier on.
"Actively protesting the election results"? What does that even mean? The item was typed up Monday, which means "tomorrow" refers to today. According to this blind item with no sourcing from a site that has zero sources within ACORN or progressive politics (although the site does dutifully type up whatever conservative politicians ask them to), the urban community organizing group, which is not exactly synonymous with rural, Adirondack districts like N.Y.-23, is going to be "actively protesting the elections results."
But again, what does that mean? A) How does anybody actively protest election results during Election Day? Results, of course, only come in at the end of the day, which means there are no results to protest during the day. B) How would ACORN "protest" results? Does Hot Air mean they're going to picket outside polling districts or something? Is ACORN going to legally challenge the results? Readers have no idea, because Hot Air has no idea.
And lastly, C) so what if ACORN is somehow is "actively protesting the election results"? There's a legal process for that and if ACORN has some sort of legitimate challenge, post-election, they'll take it to the courts, as has occurred in countless other elections around the country.
But keep in mind, Hot Air provides zero proof ACORN is going to be "actively protesting the election results" today, because it's not even clear Hot Air knows that that phrase means. I think Hot Air just likes the sound of it, which of course, is what passes today for right-wing "journalism."
UPDATED: In case, readers had any doubt, it appears Hot Air's "sources" were officials with the campaign of conservative Doug Hoffman; officials who held a conference with mostly right-wing bloggers yesterday to push the dubious ACORN line.
Again, so much for right-wing "journalism."
UPDATED: According to a New York Daily News report, it's right-wing supporters who are causing Election Day chaos in N.Y. 23.
UPDATED: More bogus Election Day "journalism." Funny, if it were't so sad.
Favorite reader comment:
i am a staunch conservative, but this is a little too convenient… worried about election fraud and then this shows up on election day?? NO sources? with holding cops name?? since when is a cop afraid to go on record? where is the smoking gun of a police report? this makes no sense and I am not buying it...You need more facts and it is ridiculous that a journalist like Breitbart would attach his name to something so tenuous. I could be completely wrong, but you need to back some of this up with something other than anonymous quotes. Democrats rely on deception, conservatives are supposed to be better than that.
The other right-wing media mogul you should worry about
Palin's book and Obama's bow: a media week to forget
Media Matters: The Palin chronicles
I mean, you all subscribe to this site - which is sponsored by a man who is proud of his past Nazi collaborations. How much more validation do I need to show the ignorance of the National Socialist LEFT.
And keep dreaming that the National Socialist Party, also known as Nazis, were actually liberal.
I mean, it's not too hard to tell where you received your information from, and it's not a place most people call reality.
Incidentally, nobody needs to make up Nazi connections about Republican politicians; there are plenty who have real, documented connections to the John Birch Society, anti-immigrant groups, and even the KKK.
The most cursory or superficial investigation into the beliefs of the Birch Society establishes that there is no possibility whatsoever of any genuine "nazi connection" to the JBS.
Your malicious insinuation is equivalent to those on the extreme right (including Birchers) who, in previous decades, attempted to link "communists" to liberal organizations as well as reform movements such as civil rights.
All authoritarian and totalitarian systems (including nazism, fascism, communism) believe in massive government intervention into all aspects of society. By contrast, the Birch Society's position is precisely opposite. The JBS wants as little government involvement and intervention into society as possible. In fact, the JBS supports radical proposals to end all sorts of government programs and it wants wholesale dismantling of government bureaucracies--including cabinet agencies.
In addition, actual neo-nazis despise the Birch Society. See for example the writings or speeches of prominent neo-nazis such as William Pierce and George Lincoln Rockwell.
It is factually accurate, however, to mention that some people later associated with the neo-nazi movement in the U.S. got their initial introduction to modern U.S. history by reading JBS publications and, sometimes, through joining the Birch Society for short periods of time. Without exception, however, these folks either left the JBS or they were expelled once their views became known to JBS officials.
I don't believe ACORN has any offices in any of those cities.
And, as mentioned above, if there are legit concerns about election problems, it shouldn't matter to a patriotic American who it was who brought up those problems.