ACORN to Sue Fox News, Senate Blocks Funding, DA Investigates

What concerns me is that these people in Acorn may not really be stupid. The situation suggests that this was simply business as usual. When goverment funds programs, those programs must use all of their funding to qualify for the same amount of funding the following year. Perhaps, based on that there is a form of quota to be attained. It's possible they were just trying to protect their own jobs by making the funding fit.

this is a smear campaign.

if i walk into a bank and say i want to deposit this cash, and discuss bank robberies and the guy suggests i wear a mask, that doesnt exactly mean that ____ Bank actually helps bank robbers.

doing secret videos of STUPID people saying Stoopid things, who dont exactly look like management corporate level employees isnt a sting, its a smear campaign by the Right.

show some underage girls in tow, film then in the brothel helping them fill out paperwork ignoring the obvious illegal activity while hes laying down pimp slaps, THEN ILL BELIEVE IT...

BONUS:

ACORN denies "no child sex-slave left behind" motto!

"The right-wing smear campaign against community organizing group ACORN"

KMFA.

Acorn has been involved in election fraud for YEARS, they were a good part of the housing melt-down, and I have no doubt these videos are COMPLETELY REPRESENTATIVE of the criminal advice they give to people to scam the system.

Communist turds, backed up by their useful-idiot shills in the media.

I certainly hope that the filmmakers make the whole unedited tapes available, or that these tapes come out in the lawsuit. There's a LOT of editing going on there, and while I'm sure that the basic story isn't going to change much, the uncut footage might change the spin of this whole goofy mess.

As someone who a) worked for ACORN and b) went to Middlebury, I am glad to see Laurie Essig pointing out how cynical this it.

It seems like the only one doing any pimping is Fox.

To repeat a comment from last night, I have to wonder whether the ACORN people thought they were just getting Punk'd. I mean...some obviously non-hooker girl and some obviously fake pimp come in looking to buy a house and then run for Congress... Real pimps and hookers don't go around announcing it, and they certainly don't look or act like that. In that situation, I'm looking for the hidden camera and waiting for Ashton Kutcher to pop out.

Or, if not Punk'd, maybe they just thought the obvious non-hooker and non-pimp were like every other dime-store wannabe they see on a daily basis, talking about how they're gonna get them some fine-ass ladies from El Salvador and get rich, yo. The real bad guys don't talk about it. The people who talk about it...ain't never done shit.

So the workers humored them. Hell, it's probably not a bad approach -- why spend your time arguing with some lame dude about whether or not he's a "true pimp?" You wanna be a pimp? Ok, great, you're a pimp. Whatever floats your boat, pal -- talkin' out your ass ain't a crime.

There's nothing wrong with humoring two big-talking jokers -- it may even help you get your job done. Nothing wrong, that is, unless you're being set up by people who actually believe that they're realistic interpretations of a Brooklyn pimp and prostitute, and a group of political zealots who are glad to overlook the absurdity of the setup if it scores a political point.

(Michael Moore does it too? Yeah, and I think he's a two-bit Fatty McGasbag as well.)

Not buying this.

There were other people in the waiting room and the ACORN staff had nothing better to do? That's still a good reason to get fired.

I wonder what ACORN and govt assisted housing policy is in general when it comes to criminal behavior? If an admitted drug user comes into the office looking for help, there has to be a policy on how the organization helps that person. So, yeah, these employees seem a little stupid, but they also might be wandering into a grey area of "help criminals not be criminals by getting them off the streets" not necessarily covered by the training these folks received.

I'll also agree that the fake reporters are cartoonishly goofy, and would second the idea that maybe these ACORN employees didn't quite know what was going on.

Finally, like I say later, I bet if there was any "don't commit crimes, you can't set up a rape house on public assistance" talk from the employees, it was edited out.

Yeah, right.

Try that one at the trial, counselor.

Nice counter-point. Well done.

But seriously, you've never heard of the Punk'd defense? Geez, where'd you go to law school -- Cooley? It's the third most-often used defense, behind "Twinkie" and "Chewbacca," and right before "unclean hands."

Boy it would sure be nice of Replys actually attached themselves to the comment you clicked Reply on, wouldn't it? This was for Thespis [14]

You condemn yourself by standing up for these pimps who exploit the poor to build their own political power. But at least you have the honesty to admit forthrightly that it isn't about the truth or the law, it's about backing up your side.

suspenders on a young man are the sign of a full blown douche. the donald trump hairdo seals it.

not that i'm complaining, but why is that fake whore parading around in her whore outfit? i think she likes it.

I like suspenders! It worked for Mork from Ork.

As per the "ho" outfit, I agree. It's weird on the video how she basically cage/pole dances in the subway for the camera and then parades around in her high heels and leather skirt. What purpose does that serve in the video?

All they needed was one intro shot of the two of them to show how ridiculous they looked, and that would have been fine.

Purpose of the hot pants and high heels?

Ratings.

I am waiting for a right wing campaign to smear Charlie Rangel...

he's doing just fine smearing himself.

http://www.theodoresworld.net/pics/0908/rangelImage3.jpg

I hate FoxNews ans detest little right-wing wieners like these two d-bags, but I have to say that ACORN really screwed up and deserves to lose its gov't funding.

I also don't think this is really "gotcha" journalism in the worst way: these guys filmed an actual conversation, and while it may have been edited for maximum impact, what was said by several ACORN employees is disturbing. Plus, it's not as if they found one employee advocating criminal behavior - they found several, at each location!

Given ACORN's recent high-profile status in the political sphere, ACORN should have been doing this sort of undercover screening themselves. I'm sure there are a lot of decent employees there, but the level of incompetency and potential corruption appears endemic.

It really looks like ACORN should just be blown up and replaced by something much less partisan in appearance.

Far from a smear campaign, or unflattering - this group reeks of corruption, and our new Jr. Senator should be ashamed of herself.

On the contrary, Gillibrand was right and Schumer was wrong. The bad behavior of a few employees proves nothing about the organization as a whole, and in any case the evidence was cooked.

The video is highly edited and is very unclear about what is being asked and answered. While I'm not convinced ACORN is free of wrong doing, I certainly find the video questionable.

It's a bit disingenuous to call it a smear campaign. These are videos depicting actual situations that took place...not people simply attacking ACORN. If this was a right-leaning organization, rather than ACORN, and the film-makers were Liberals, this would be reported as a couple of "watchdogs uncovering the truth."

I've had the argument on here that we don't need the government in our business because we have charities and other people out there doing the work.

Then in the next breath, villifying this non-government angency....it's sad that because of a supposed "left leaning" agenda (getting minorities to vote, better housing, better workers rights, improving your community, GASP) makes them a target.

Yes there are probably changes that need to be made (as there are in most companies, groups, corps), but a non-profit with good intentions isn't evil.

They had to go to how many offices? 5 before they got someone to bite? To me that seems like Fox News was out to find someone to do something bad.

Yawn. OMG, a video of stupid employees of an organization we don't like. What a victory for the right. I mean seriously, if this video is anything close to reality, these ACORN employees have to be insanely stupid. Problem is, having stupid employees doesn't really prove anything.

not really a "yawn" moment. look at the fact that a story on fox news is fueling hyped-up misconceptions that are in turn being played out on the Senate floor. that is the bad news here.

I assume you'll have something similar to say about Michael Moore's latest "gotcha!" agit prop once it comes out.

Yes, pretty much. Believe it or not, some people who don't like the Republicans ALSO don't like the Democrats. In fact, I wasn't even aware that Michael Moore had a new movie coming out. What evil industry is he "documenting" this time?