Charles Pierce: The Long Reach of Dead ACORN

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/20320-the-long-reach-of-dead-acorn

One of the underappreciated sellouts of your modern Democratic party - and they are many and varied - occurred in 2009 when, armed with a freshly elected president and majorities in both houses of the Congress, and acting in the face of artificial outrage ginned up on the right through the use of manufactured evidence produced by a vicious little ratfker, the Democrats boldly used their legislative majorities to cut off congressional funding for ACORN, a longstanding network of neighborhood groups that, among other things, was indispensible in getting people to register to vote. (Did the courtier press, which generally prefers its politics to occur only in nice white marble buildings with pretty statues of famous people, go along for the ride? Why even ask the question?) The White House, of course, bought the selectively edited tapes entirely and scrambled to assuage the injured fee-fees of the people who want to burn the president in effigy in Lafayette Park.

<snip>

The bill passed the Senate - which had, as it does today, a Democratic majority - 83-7. It effectively killed ACORN as an entity. This, of course, was another slap by the Democratic party - like the General "Betrayus" controversy regarding MoveOn - against some of its more effective outside activist groups and it was supposed to immunize the party against charges of "extremism" and lay the issue to rest. All it proved was that the congressional leaders of the Democratic party didn't watch anywhere near enough Roadrunner cartoons as children.

<snip>

Please explain to me now, slowly, and in small words that I can understand, what the Democratic party gained by kicking ACORN in the teeth so hard that it died? Did it prevent what happened in 2010, when the country elected the worst Congress in the history of the Republic? No. Did it kill off ACORN? Well, yes, as an effective way to empower poor people to vote, but not as an effective spur to the fevered imaginations of the lunatic right. (Here's a two-rail shot of paranoia that combines ACORN with Scary Moooozlims!) In the long run this seems to me to have been a bit of a bad deal for Democrats. But, then again, my gifts at eleventy-dimensional chess are notoriously limited.

[Scuba]

1. Kick for the sad truth.

[dougolat]

2. Seems like sometimes they just want the Billionaire's Bullhorn to shut up!

And of course, it just changes the subject.

[Demeter]

3. And in despair, I will say that President Clinton would have done the same

Either one of them.

There is no support in the halls of power for the 99%.

There's only lip service for the Middle Class, which is disappearing like ice in the desert. The Poor should just curse God and die, to quote JB's wife (J.B. is a 1958 play written in free verse by American playwright and poet Archibald MacLeish and is a modern retelling of the story of the biblical figure Job).

We have to take our country back from the rich and abusive.

[Enthusiast]

4. What the Democratic party gain?

The Democratic Party might not have to deal with a majority in the house and senate. That way they do not have to chose between the interests of their corporate benefactors and their human constituents. It makes life much easier.

[eomer]

5. +eleventy brazilian

[Bortman33]

6. I've beem calling Schumer's office for years

and asking him, well his staff anyway, when he was going to apologize for voting for that bill of attainder to defund ACORN. I've also asked when he is going to take some or that millions of Wall Street cash he rakes in and reconstitute a new and improved ACORN.

If he would have given that American organization, that supported so many needy Americans, 1/10th the support that he gives Israel, ACORN would still be a thriving operation. Thank god we in NY have Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to make up for Schumer's sorry ass record on this because so far. .

. . I've only heard the crickets from him and his office!

[smokey nj]

7. I can't believe they fell for the ACORN bullshit. It was so obviously FAKE!!!

If they'd put up more of a fight, and demanded to see the unedited video, it may have been James O'Keefe who was finished, not ACORN.