MSNBC airs discredited allegation linking White House to ACORN
RedState contributor Brian Faughnan suggested on MSNBC that White House political affairs director Patrick Gaspard was formerly a "senior" official at ACORN -- a charge that was discredited minutes later by the Politico's Ben Smith. During the segment, MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan did not challenge Faughnan's statement and did not point out to the audience that MSNBC had not verified that the charge was true.
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Faughnan on MSNBC: "[I]f there are senior people from ACORN who hold positions of power in the White House like political director ... we need to know what they are doing"
From the 10 a.m. ET hour of the September 29 edition of MSNBC's Morning Meeting:
FAUGHNAN: Well, I don't think I'd couch this in terms of a conspiracy theory. What we have here, according to reports from the House government reform committee in July, is a criminal organization operating across state lines. ACORN has been involved in voter fraud and tax fraud, in hiding embezzlement in violations of the law prior to these recent sting videos. And I think that if there are senior people from ACORN who hold positions of power in the White House like political director, like chief of staffing, that we need to know what they are doing. [emphasis added]
Faughnan's claim echoes American Spectator report that "[e]vidence shows ... Gaspard was ACORN boss Bertha Lewis's political director in New York"
From Matthew Vadum's September 28 American Spectator post:
Newly discovered evidence shows the radical advocacy group ACORN has a man in the Obama White House.
This power behind the throne is longtime ACORN operative Patrick Gaspard. He holds the title of White House political affairs director, the same title Karl Rove held in President Bush's White House.
Evidence shows that years before he joined the Obama administration, Gaspard was ACORN boss Bertha Lewis's political director in New York.
[...]
Because Gaspard's employment with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now is acknowledged by no less an authority than ACORN founder Wade Rathke himself. Rathke writes at his blog:
Tell me that 1199's former political director, Patrick Gaspard (who was ACORN New York's political director before that) didn't reach out from the White House and help make that happen, and I'll tell you to take some remedial classes in "politics 101."
Politico's Ben Smith: "American Spectator report ... that White House political director Patrick Gaspard used to work for ACORN in New York just isn't true"
From Smith's September 29 blog post, which was posted at 10:42 a.m. ET:
ACORN attack misses mark
I hate to put a damper on the day's firestorm on the right over a White House staffer, but an American Spectator report making the rounds this morning that White House political director Patrick Gaspard used to work for ACORN in New York just isn't true.
The Spectator (accurately) quotes ACORN founder Wade Rathke claiming that Gaspard was political director at the group's New York chapter at some point before 2003.
I covered New York politics at the time, and that was news to me; the also White House denies it. But just to be sure, I checked checked just now with Gaspard's former boss, whom he ultimately replaced as the political director of the giant New York SEIU local, 1199, Jennifer Cunningham. Cunningham confirmed to me that he'd worked for her starting in 1999; that he'd worked for a City Council member before that; and before that, for the Dinkins Administration.
The fact that Rathke got this wrong does provide more evidence of how totally decentralized and disorganized -- contrary to the claims of both fans and detractors -- the group is, but that's all it says.
The Spectator piece is a model of the sort of guilt-by-association Google work in which partisans of both sides specialize. Gaspard is also allegedly linked -- gasp! -- to Rep. Jerry Nadler. Writes the Spectator:
As the old Washington saying goes, politics is personnel. Who knows how many administration officials were put in place by Gaspard with direct input from ACORN's Bertha Lewis. It boggles the mind.
Transcript
From the 10 a.m. ET hour of the September 29 edition of MSNBC's Morning Meeting:
RATIGAN: Brian Faughnan, contributor to RedState.com; we, of course, have the presence here in studio of Arianna Huffington, co-founder, editor in chief of The Huffington Post.
Brian, I want to begin with you. When you look at all the various conspiracies -- and we'll start with ACORN, which is where your attention is focused. What do you think the priorities should be for all of us, whether it's bloggers, people like myself hosting TV shows, Arianna, or anybody else, when it comes to asking questions of the relationship and conspiracies that are speculated in our government?
FAUGHNAN: Well, I don't think I'd couch this in terms of a conspiracy theory. What we have here, according to reports from the House government reform committee in July, is a criminal organization operating across state lines. ACORN has been involved in voter fraud and tax fraud, in hiding embezzlement in violations of the law prior to these recent sting videos. And I think that if there are senior people from ACORN who hold positions of power in the White House like political director, like chief of staffing, that we need to know what they are doing.
RATIGAN: I have a question for you, and again, I won't get into an ACORN debate one way or another. But I do wonder, when you see the corrupt nature or outdated nature of so many of our government systems, financial systems, obviously that we perpetuate a monopoly right now in health care for reasons I can't comprehend, why do you choose to devote your resources to this?
Not that it's not a valid concern, but it strikes me as maybe number 20 or 30 on the list of priorities in terms of outdated systems and problems in our government when you look at the few trillion that came out of the taxpayer last year, and a health care debate right now that refuses to address the elephant in the room, which is the health care monopoly and the employer-based health care system.
Reallly...? Name about five of them for starters.
You just like throwing around baseless talking points....oooh, skeletons in Obama's closet. LOL... You are indeed a fool...and an admitted frightened one at that.
Indicted / Convicted/ Pled Guilty* Eric G. Andell – deputy undersecretary in charge of newly created Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (previously senior adviser to Secretary of Education Rod Paige) – pleaded guilty to one count of conflict of interest for using government travel for personal causes and was sentenced to one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and fined $5,000.
* Claude Allen – Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy - resigned, pled guilty to shoplifting from Target stores.
* Lester Crawford – Commissioner, FDA – resigned in late September 2005 after only two months on the job. On October 17th, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts, making a false writing and conflict of interest. On February 27, 2007, Crawford was sentenced to to three years of probation and was fined $90,000.
* Brian Doyle – Deputy Press Secretary, Department of Homeland Security – Resigned in wake of child sex scandal. Doyle was arrested on April 4th, 2006 and pleaded no contest on September 19, 2006 to seven counts of use of a computer to seduce a child and sixteen counts of transmitting harmful material to a minor. On November 17th, 2006 Brian Doyle was sentenced to five years in state prison and ten years of probation. He will also need to register as a sex offender.
* Steven Griles – Deputy Secretary at the Interior Department – is the highest-ranked administration official yet convicted in the Jack Abramoff scandal. In March 2007, Griles pleaded guilty to lying about his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Sentenced to 10 months incarceration.
* John T. Korsmo – Chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board from 2002 to 2004 – pleaded guilty in 2005 to lying to the Senate and an inspector general. He swore he had no idea how a list of presidents for FHFB-regulated banks were invited to a fundraiser for his friend’s congressional campaign. On the invites, Korsmo was listed as the "Special Guest." Got 18 months of probation and a $5,000 fine.
* Scooter Libby – Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff – resigned after being indicted for lying to a grand jury and investigators in connection with the investigation stemming from the leak of Valerie Wilson's covert CIA operative’s identity. Convicted on four of five counts, making him the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a felony since the Iran-contra scandal. Sentenced to thirty months imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. On July 2nd, after a judge decided that Libby would remain in prison during the appeals process, President Bush commuted Libby’s sentence by removing the thirty months in prison.
* David Safavian – former head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of Management and Budget – convicted of lying to ethics officials and Senate investigators about his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. On October 27, 2006, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He is currently appealing the ruling.
* Robert Stein – former comptroller and funding officer for the now disbanded Coalition Provisional Authority, Southern Central Region in Al-Hillah, Iraq – pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, possession of a machine gun, and being a felon in possession of a fire arm. On January 30, 2007 Stein was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to forfeit $3.6 million.
* Roger Stillwell - desk officer, Interior Department – pleaded guilty to failing to report Redskins tickets and free dinners from Jack Abramoff.
Resigned Due to Investigation, Pending Investigation or Allegations of Impropriety
* Philip Cooney – chief of staff, White House Council on Environmental Quality – a former oil industry lawyer with no scientific expertise, Cooney resigned after it was revealed he had watered down reports on global warming.
* George Deutsch – press aide, NASA – resigned amid allegations he prevented the agency's top climate scientist from speaking publicly about global warming.
* Michael Elston – chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty – announced his resignation on June 15, 2007. Despite allegations that he’d threatened at least four of the eight fired US Attorneys, McNulty said Elston had served the Justice Department "with distinction for nearly eight years."
* Kyle Dustin "Dusty" Foggo – appointed executive director of the CIA, the agency's third-highest post, in October 2004 – resigned and was ultimately indicted on bribery charges related to the Duke Cunningham scandal.
* Alberto Gonzales – former Attorney General – resigned without explanation amidst investigations of the firings of U.S. Attorneys, the politicization of the Justice Department, warrantless surveillance, and the torture and mistreatment of detainees.
* Monica Goodling – former Justice Department liaison to the White House and senior counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales – resigned on April 7, 2007 amidst the investigation of the firings of U.S. Attorneys.
* Michelle Larson Korsmo – deputy chief of staff, Department of Labor – Helped her husband (see John Korsmo, above) with his donor scam. Quietly left her Labor plum job in February 2004, about two weeks before news broke that she and her husband were the targets of a criminal probe.
* Howard "Cookie" Krongard – former State Department inspector general — accused of not properly investigating State Department contractor fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan; of retaliating against whistleblowers in his own office; and of not telling the truth about his knowledge of his brother's ties with Blackwater, a State Department contractor. Faced with a possible perjury investigation, Howard Krongard resigned on December 7, 2007.
* Julie Macdonald – former deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks at the Interior Department – resigned in May 2007 after an "inspector general's report found she had improperly leaked information to private organizations, bullied staff scientists and broken federal rules." The Department of the Interior is investigating many of her decisions regarding endangered species; so far seven have been overturned.
* Paul McNulty – Deputy Attorney General for the Department of Justice – resigned, after questions about his involvement in the U.S. attorney firings and his testimony to Congress about the firings.
* Richard Perle – Chairman, Defense Policy Board – resigned from Pentagon advisory panel amid conflict-of-interest charges.
* Susan Ralston – assistant, White House – resigned amidst revelations that she had accepted thousands of dollars in gifts from Abramoff without compensating him, counter to White House ethics rules.
* Janet Rehnquist – inspector general, Department of Health and Human Services – resigned on June 1, 2003 in the face of an investigation into her alleged efforts to block a politically dangerous probe on behalf of the Bush family.
* James Roche – secretary, U.S. Air Force – resigned in the wake of the Boeing tanker lease scandal, after it was revealed he had rather crudely pushed for Boeing to win a $23 billion contract.
* Kyle Sampson -former chief of staff for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales – resigned amidst the investigation of the firings of U.S. Attorneys.
* Joseph Schmitz – Inspector General, Defense – Resigned amid charges he personally intervened to protect top political appointees.
* Bradley Schlozman – resigned from his third and final post with the Justice Department after accusations of actively politicizing the department. He's currently under investigation by the Department's inspector general.
* Thomas Scully – Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – shortly after Scully resigned in 2003, an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general found that Scully had pressured the agency's actuary to underestimate the full cost of the Medicare reform bill by approximately $100 billion until after Congress passed the bill into law. Scully was also hit with conflict of interest charges by the U.S. attorney's office for billing CMS for expenses incurred during a job search while he still headed the agency. He settled those charges by paying $9,782.
* David Smith – deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks, Interior Department – resigned on July 21, 2006 after shooting a buffalo and accepting its skeletal remains and meat as an illegal gratuity. He eventually paid over $3,000 for the dead buffalo, but only after the internal inquiry had commenced. The Department of Interior inspector general also noted in a May 16, 2006 report that Smith's involvement in the designation of Houston as a port of entry for imported wildlife in order to benefit a friend was inappropriate.
* John Tanner – Voting Rights Section Chief, Justice Department – resigned in December of 2007 and moved to the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices. Already under suspicion for aiding efforts to politicize the voting section, the bumbling proponent of voter identification laws angered lawmakers with his comments that such laws actually discriminate against white voters because "minorities die first". Even more impressive was his apology for the comment. The DoJ's Office of Professional Responsibility is currently investigating his travel habits and those of his deputy.
* Sara Taylor – Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Political Affairs at the White House, where she was Karl Rove's top aide – resigned amidst the U.S. attorneys investigation and other probes of Rove's alleged politicization of the government.
* Ken Tomlinson – Board Chairman, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; member, Broadcasting Board of Governors – resigned at the release of an inspector general report concluding he had broken laws in spending CPB money to hire politically connected consultants to search for "bias" without consulting the board. At BBG, a separate investigation found he was running a "horse racing operation" out of his office, and continuing to hire politically-wired individuals to do "consulting" work for him. After being nominated and serving another term, he finally stepped down from that spot earlier this year.
* Carl Truscott – Director, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau – resigned. A report by the Justice Department’s inspector general found that Truscott wasted tens of thousands of dollars on luxuries, wasted millions on whimsical management decisions and violated ethics rules by ordering employees to help his nephew with a high school video project.
* Paul Wolfowitz – World Bank President – resigned in May 2007 after a committee report found that he broke ethics rules by giving his girlfriend a substantial raise.
Nomination Failed Due to Scandal
* Linda Chavez – nominated, Secretary of Labor – withdrew her nomination in January 2001 amidst revelations that an illegal immigrant lived in her home and worked for her in the early 1990s. Chavez blamed what she said were the "search-and-destroy" politics of Washington.
* Timothy Flanigan – nominated, Deputy Attorney General (also Alberto Gonzales' top deputy at the White House) – withdrew his nomination in October 2005 amidst revelations that he'd worked closely with lobbyist Jack Abramoff when he was General Counsel for Corporate and International Law at Tyco, which was a client of Abramoff's.
* Bernard Kerik – nominated, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security – withdrew his nomination amidst a host of corruption allegations. Eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor relating to improper gifts totaling tens of thousands of dollars while he was a New York City official in the late 1990's. Subsequently, on November 8, 2007, Kerik was indicted on sixteen counts for bribery, tax fraud, and false statements with a maximum sentence of 142 years and more than $5 million in fines. Kerik has pleaded not guilty. For a rundown of Kerik's myriad indiscretions, check out TPM's Ultimate Kerik Scandal List!.
* William Mercer – the former associate deputy attorney general and US Attorney for Montana – withdrew his nomination to be the permanent number three official at the Department of Justice on June 22, 2007 due to his role in the U.S. attorney firings.
* Hans von Spakovsky – Commissioner, FEC – nomination to another term after his recess appointment failed due to allegations that he'd worked at the Justice Department to suppress minority voter turnout.
Under Investigation But Still in Office
* Stuart Bowen – Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) – was once admired for his successes while investigating allegations of waste and fraud in Iraq, but now employee allegations have prompted four government investigations into the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).
* Lurita Doan – Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration – still in office, despite investigations by both the Office of Special Counsel and the House oversight committee that found that Doan had "crossed the line" by suggesting that the GSA use its resources to help Republicans get elected.
* Alfonso Jackson – Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – following reports that Jackson told a business group in April 2006 that he once canceled a contract after the contractor criticized President Bush, an investigation by the HUD inspector general found that while Jackson told his deputies to favor Bush supporters, there was "no direct proof that a contract was actually awarded or rescinded because of political affiliation." A second, criminal investigation was triggered in part by Jackson's claim before Congress in May 2007 that "I don’t touch contracts." That probe, now before a federal grand jury, has turned up evidence that Jackson may indeed have touched contracts – and steered them towards friends.
Secondly, you can easily go on Youtube or other video websites and see all kinds of Rev. Wright sermons. In nice long cuts. This was not an isolated sermon. He sais stuff like this frequently. And just because Obama did not happen to be at one particular sermon, where Rev. Wright said some particularly viles things, does not mean he wasn't at other sermons. He went there for 20 years. You are gonna try to convince anyone with any common sense at all that Wright never said anything else controversial. That boat don't float.
FAIL>
RACISTS: Rush Limbaugh and half the Republican Party.
TERRORISTS: Every member of the Saudi royal family who has contributed to terrorist causes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fZd0mENw3I
But lets try again, would you like to name five REAL ones - ones that haven't been thoroughly debunked. And I'll spot you one, I'll give you Rev Wright, Obama should have seen through him years earlier.
It's typical wingnut, but not typical American.
And, why don't you get your Underoos in a twist at the several Republicans who were appointed to the same board that Obama and Ayers were? Why aren't those GOP members "palling around with terrorists?" Clear the beam out of your eye before railing against the speck in others'.
link
The only ones doing any polluting here are the ones saying that there is something wrong with Obama's involvement with groups trying to improve the educational opportunities for city children, because one member of that group, who is widely respected in the field of education, was a radical in the 60's. On that count you are certainly polluted.
And if you don't want my "weak" replies, stop making such stupid arguments.
Not only has every revelation regarding him been studied and dissected under a microscope for over a year, the public isn't interested anymore. It's old news. The fact that a few of you cling to it in hopes of resuscitating it for the current news cycle is futile, I am sorry to report.
Find another smearing arrow, Wright just doesn't cut anymore.
I feel sorry for you.
But ya know what? Obama won anyway! Get over it ...
To "get over it" sounds like good advice, it's time to move on. There are issues that need discussing.
So because Bush W had 30% approval ratings, we're supposed to let conservatives lie, mislead and create false staatements just because your poor little feelings were hurt?
LOL!
but I sure love "states' rights" stooges applauding federal interference in a state's election process.
hypocrite.
It's ridiculous that people do just want he wants them to do - go off topic to avoid discussing the real issues.
and only four were mentioned.
b... e... s... u... r... e... t... o... d... r... i... n... k... y... o... u... r... b... i... g... o... t... i... n... e...
From now on, Starkers, your name here will be "Puffer Fish," because you think you're much larger than you are, but you have no substance to back up your claims at all.
thing to another. How old are you? Are you really this simple,or do you just like to irritate? Posters have given you proof on everything you've ask (especially Snoopy) so,if
you've got some juice on Obama lets hear it,along with some facts
p.s. i think libs just like saying the word 'debunked' without knowing the meaning , it is a cool word to say lol
Maybe they're signing their posts, and "LOL" is an abbreviation for "Lying, Obnoxious Loser."
I'll go with that one!
False...IRONY said "Name about five of them for starters." not "ABOUT FOUR"
and the fact that everyone knows about makes it better? Interesting.
IRONY already addressed this:
"Those are closeted skeletons? All of the names you cite have been PUBLICLY raised and addressed at one time or another."
ya ass
Oh, I know, transparency. 300 pages of amendments on cap and trade at 3am the nigh before the vote. Transparent. I'm sure you'll want me to list all the examples and then you'll still disagress so I'm not gonna bother.
Oh, how bout no lobbyists. Ever heard of William J. Lynn? How bout Andrew McLaughlin?
Taxes, I'm sure he'll keep that promise. Well during the campaign the number was $250K. The last speech he was talking about $97K. Waffle waffle. Internal white house memos say cap and trade will cost me $1700 a year. I know not, "technically" a tax. You honestly think if healthcare reform passes in it's current form, that taxes aren't gonna have to be raised. Well see, but I'm pretty sure that's promise number three down the tubes.
Cap and trade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/16/AR2009091603524.html
Here's the actual memo.
http://www.openmarket.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/FOIA-Cap-andTrade-2009-09-11.PDF
Here's a link about William Lynn.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/01/15/nominee-is-questioned-about-pentagons-revolving-door/
I'm sure that's not enough for you so I'll look for more.
Good Day Sir!
False.
You have conceding to the fact that what you (and kydem09) post is indeed dribble.
Please explain
Guess what they want? You to give them attention like this. Guess why they want that? So that they don't have us discuss the real topic here.
The MSNBC host should have already known that this talking point had been debunked, and so should have called for proof, and when proof wasn't forthcoming, should have pointed it out. He didn't.
But I'm already 3/4 of the way through this thread, and not a single person has talked about this point!!!!!!
That intent is not present in other's behavior. In yours, it is. In your partner in crime's behavior, it is.
You did your job. Go collect your paycheck for today and be gone.
Except he did leak her name. It doesn't matter if he wasn't the first one to do it.
And it doesn't matter, using my definition, that you didn't begin the thread.
"Going off topic with the intent to derail a thread and prevent/forestall conversations about the topic is troll behavior."
You did this.
Wow...how do you know all these things? You must listen to Rudh Limbaugh and Sean Hannity...
It's obvious to me that today's Republican party is devoid of ideas and constructive criticisms if all they have are these guilt by association red herrings to throw at Obama.
I find it sad and pathetic that a once vibrant party with ideas, not all of them I ever agreed with but ideas nonetheless, is now reduced to Limbaugh and Beck style smears at anything they can drum up to attack Obama on. And offer nothing in the way of substance along the way.
If they are out to destroy their party, fine. I just wish they leave the country alone.
Don't you know by now that they post at the very tops of threads to disrupt and derail, and when you all feed the trolls, you give them exactly what they want, so that we forget the topic being covered?
I used to fight troll posts on threads when I was first getting into computers back in the mid 90's, and have been here at MMFA since I started posting here after I returned to the states a couple of months ago after a stint with a US company at a call center in India.
It's always been a pet peeve of mine, and it's undeniable that it was an issue on this particular thread, and what you want to do is attack me for pointing it out? Could you lose any more credibility?
Furthermore, Mr. Mouse and Mr. Potter didn't vote. But Ann Coulter DID vote twice. Any outrage over that?
And...any outrage over voter caging and the purging of eligible voters for partisal political purposes?
ACORN themselves turned them in.
There were no FRAUDULANT votes because these people do not actually EXIST.
I have a feeling all we'll hear from you is crickets, because the most famous case of voter fraud committed in the 2008 election was Ann Coulter, who admitted voting twice in two different precincts.
So you lose yet again, Puffer Fish. It's time for you to insult me instead of countering the actual facts presented, in other words, your usual M.O.
So what is George W. Bush guily of then seeing that Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff helped secure votes for him as well?
link
He didn't commit a crime, and neither did Ms. Palin.
Please rent a clue.
The embezzlement was discovered by ACORN and they decided to handle it in house. This is how such things have been handled by businesses many times on large and small scales. A theft by employee is discovered and the company will accept the return of the stolen product and fire the employee in return for not prosecuting. This could be to avoid publicity, because of affection for the person, to get the stolen property back faster or just to avoid the hassles of prosecuting. It indicates dishonesty only by the employee and means nothing relative to the organization or business.
These are the kind of normal problems encountered by many organizations and businesses simply because of human nature. There is no indication of organizational corruption.
Perhaps you could tell me how this indicates organizational corruption. They chose to fix things instead of covering them up. The organization gained nothing from the episode. All of the evidence shows it was the actions of a single individual. It had nothing to do with the way ACORN operates as an organization because there is absolutely no indication of a pattern.
The League of Women Voters do the same thing.
I really don't see how you can miss the hyperventilation that's going on here about this organization. It's ginned up and crazy. You'd think they were running bootleg whiskey or something. Or selling arms for hostages.
Maybe they'll find that President Obama was born in Kenya. Ohhhh...I know the scandal is that he actually had his grandmother silenced just days before the election because she was going to expose him as being born in Kenya, and ACORN provided the hitman and William Ayers and Rev. Wright put up the money. Yea, Yea,thats it...thats the ticket.
"Like so many conservative attacks, the crusade against ACORN has been highly exaggerated and even falsified to create a demonic image that bears little resemblance to the real organization.
Working in the nation's poorest places, and hiring the people who live there, ACORN is not immune to the pathologies that can afflict institutions in those communities. As a large nonprofit handling many millions of dollars, it has suffered from mismanagement at the top as well -- although there is nothing unique in that, either..."
..."To claim that the stupid behavior of a half-dozen employees should discredit a national group with offices in more than 75 cities staffed by many thousands of employees and volunteers is like saying that Mark Sanford or John Ensign have discredited every Republican governor or senator.
Indeed, the indignation of the congressional Republicans screaming about ACORN and the phony streetwalker is diluted by the presence of at least two confirmed prostitution clients -- Rep. Ken Calvert and Sen. David Vitter -- in their midst. Neither of those right-wing johns has been even mildly chastised by their moralistic peers. Nobody is cutting off their federal funding..."
Frankly, it's just your imagination that something would be seriously wrong with that, even if true (which I doubt)
SEIU and ACORN are both organizations that work to help lower income people and ordinary working people. Naturally, you'd be against them.