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The Right's Bob Woodward?
biggovernment.com
A hidden-camera report showed ACORN staffers offering to help set up a brothel. Conor Friedersdorf applauds the right’s new investigative zeal—and makes the case for taping public servants.
Prior to this week, the idea that the community organizers at ACORN would willingly help a pimp and his hooker girlfriend establish a brothel staffed by underage El Salvadorans would have beggared belief. Could Bob Woodward himself have persuaded editors to back an undercover investigation premised on that possibility?
Yet staffers at three separate offices run by the national non-profit abetted what they believed to be that very scheme. Credit is due to 25-year-old independent filmmaker James O'Keefe and his accomplice Hannah Giles for dreaming up the over-the-top scenario, costuming themselves in attire so exaggerated as to suggest a "Pimp & Ho"-themed fraternity party, and capturing the whole thing on hidden video. The pair even baited their marks into offering advice on how a brothel might launder its profits into a future congressional campaign! Were these ACORN folks the same people who advised Rod Blagojevich?
The story, published on Andrew Breitbart's newly launched Web site Big Government, marks a new era in partisan journalism. As recently as 2004, the right counted as its greatest new media triumph a cooperative effort to debunk a CBS story on President Bush's National Guard service. How quickly the bar has been raised. The ACORN expose offered original reporting, broke on a movement blog, released updates in a way calculated to maximize the damage to its target, and produced immediate results: already the United Stated Census Bureau has informed the organization that its services are no longer wanted, and the United States Senate voted Monday to prevent it from receiving federal housing funds.
The independent filmmaker and his accomplice even baited their marks into offering advice on how a brothel might launder its profits into a future congressional campaign! Were these ACORN folks the same people who advised Rod Blagojevich?
All that's missing is appropriate recognition by the national press that a worthy, significant scoop has been produced. So far that hasn't happened, despite the fact that equivalent information garnered by a newspaper and displayed over three days in a multi-part series would contend for a Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps unaffiliated news organizations are hesitant to weigh in on a matter so fraught with political baggage until they've done their own reporting to verify the scoop. Delay on those grounds is forgivable.
But it would be folly for news organizations to ignore this story out of pettiness or snobbery. Though everyone involved in producing the ACORN expose had ideological ends, they used journalistic means to achieve them—in fact, hyperpartisan impulses that produce muckraking scoops are the rare variety that should be celebrated. Who cares whether a reporter or an activist happened to do the reporting? Everyone benefits when indefensible deeds are accurately exposed and the perpetrators made accountable.
"This isn’t your mother’s '60 Minutes'," Mr. Breitbart conceded. "But then again, why would a twenty five-year old even think straight journalism? His crowd doesn’t even know who Don Hewitt is. They need it quick cut, set to music and packaged to go viral on YouTube."
He added, "But I also know how my journalist friends are going to react. And so my advice to James is this: You can put this thing out your way, but you should also offer the full audio and full transcript so that people can hear and see them in their entirety – sans edits. So they can judge for themselves."
A wise approach—I'm writing this column only after having read the full transcripts. (ACORN has said that the videos were “doctored, edited and in no way the result of the fabricated story being portrayed by conservative activist ‘filmmaker’ James O’Keefe and his partner in crime”—and threatened to sue.)
Of course, traditional journalists and ideological activists are both needed if we're to maintain a healthy polity. And this ACORN expose suggests one area where the two groups can make common cause. Shortly after Big Government posted its initial scoop of hidden camera footage from the ACORN office in Baltimore, people began asking whether criminal charges would be brought against the organization or its employees. Here is how the State Attorney's office in Baltimore responded: "The audio portion could possibly have been obtained in violation of Maryland Law, which requires two party consent." The statement went on to say: "If it is determined that the audio portion now being heard on YouTube was illegally obtained, it is also illegal under Maryland Law to willfully use or willfully disclose the content of said audio." Put more simply, in some states there are laws against recording people without their knowledge, and Maryland is one of them -- thus it is possible that the filmmakers and anyone who spreads their work online would face criminal prosecution.
Journalists and activists alike can cry foul at that potential injustice.
As a First Amendment extremist, I'd prefer that anyone doing journalism, of the citizen or professional variety, be exempted from wiretap laws. My guess is that the benefits of that approach would outweigh the costs, though I acknowledge the latter, and that reasonable people might disagree.
So here I propose a less sweeping piece of legislation: it ought to be legal for any citizen of the United States to record any elected official or employee whose salary is partly or wholly paid with taxpayer dollars, whether he or she is a police officer, an esteemed United States Senator, or a lowly community organizer. That rule would help undercover sleuths keep government and the enterprises it funds accountable, whether through ideologically motivated activism, journalistically motivated investigative reporting, or whatever mix arises in this new era of democratized media.
Conor Friedersdorf writes for The American Scene and The Atlantic Online's ideas blog.
For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.
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Conor, I so enjoyed your work at the Atlantic. The title of this piece annoys me. Why should we pidgeonhole a great journalist and investigator as "the left's Bob Woodward?" Great investigative journalism benefits everyone.
Thanks for following me over here, Scalito22! We're in agreement that great investigative journalism benefits everyone.
You raise an excellent point. I think I may have interpreted some of your remarks incorrectly. Would you personally prefer that any journalist or blogger would be able to wiretap anyone? I understand you proposed something different at the end and I may have misunderstood you, but I don't think some blogger should be able to tap into my phones because he has a tip that I may know something. Bloggers aren't held to the same standards as members of the Press, so I'm hesitant to find what I perceive to be your personal feelings as anything less than ridiculous.
Aren't you a bit of a twit?
WHAT?! No comments from the righties yet? Well, They should be coming in fast and furious at any time now. They could be posting right now as I am typing this - and their comments will have the usual bugaboo slant to them.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not a big fan of ACORN, and I have my quibbles about this organization, as I have stated before in my previous posts about them. But I think the righties have turned it into one of their big bugaboo groups, like they have done with the socialists for the last 50 years; and it has really has become quite tiresome and old.
what is tiresome and old about this story? acorn was defended during a campaign as a group concerned with helping the powerless. now we have them on tape giving advice to a pimp in front of his woman. the story seems pretty fresh to me. mainstream media outlets could learn a thing or two.
and the right is perfectly justified in being a little scared when a group as shady as this is involved in voter registration - as should anyone who believes in free and fair elections. the investigators had partisan motives but exposing this group now will help democrats in the long run... trust me.
One problem you Rethugs have with the whole Acorn mess -- no one even knew about them until you guys made them into martyrs -- also, they have only been charged with VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD - not election fraud. The difference is VAST.
Because a handful of individuals is evidence of institution-wide corruption. By that logic, all Republicans are pedophiles and sexual deviants because Mark Foley can't keep his dirty thoughts to himself, Larry Craig can't meet people by going to a gay bar, etc. I'd rather not go through the whole list, but you can find it with the aid of Google.
The problem is your way of thinking. ACORN has a former member....Barack Obama. Voter intimidation, fraud in mulitiple states I guess doesn't bother you. It is George Soros funded. The taxpayer, YOU have helped them receive $50 million. Now this. Don't you think we should know all about ACORN and what their up to?
gak001,
I think you're basing your supposed exposing of what, yes, would be a logical fallacy on a situation that is not the case here.
What people are saying is that evidence of widespread and corrupt, bordering on criminal behavior within this organization is indicative of widespread and corrupt, bordering on criminal behavior within this organization. That's all.
If they were saying Group A's Leader likes to throw rocks at squirrels so all of the members of Group A must like to throw rocks at squirrels, you would have a point. But this case is not like that hypothesized one, nor does it have anything to do with Larry Craig and his ilk.
That said, it's nice to see your writing here Mr. Friedersdorf, I always enjoyed your writing at the Atlantic.
Let's thank the folks who voted on Monday to prevent ACORN from recieving federal housing funds. A list that includes...
Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Christopher J. Dodd, Al Franken, Arlen Specter, John Kerry, and Charles E. Schumer.
Reads like a list of teabagger boogeymen, doesn't it?
It shouldn't be a surprise that John McCain didn't bother voting on this bill at all. He's still got one of the worst attendance records in the entire Senate.
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/111/senate/1/275
Partisanship merely blinds you to what's really going on. Now, righties, get back to bashing the people who helped save you from the dreaded ACORN.
Except there isn't widespread corruption and behavior bordering on criminal activity. So far we've heard that a couple of people were giving advice on how to commit crimes (they were all fired) and they have a lot of temporary workers who don't know how to collect voter registrations properly. Their own internal auditing flags registration forms that are incomplete, duplicates, or suspicious, but they'd be breaking the law if they *didn't* turn those in.
Their vilification is over the top. They still provide a net benefit to society.
The righties are too busy over the Obama-Kanye remark and the Joe Wilson will not apologize and there were 5 MILLION people at 9/12 BS.
You leftist Zorches are missing the main point in this story: These ACORN characters are ALSO leftists! They're on YOUR side. They're your peeps.
How does that make you feel? At night, when you're sitting around the kitchen table, how do you answer your children when they ask, "Mommy, why do you vote the same as those ACORN creeps? Why are you on their side, Mommy?"
WOOO HOOO!!
Yeah, kinda like you folks sitting around the table explaining to your kids why you vote the same as the Klan and the rest of the Skinheads.
I have to go with WatchTower on this one. I'd rather explain that a few people in any large organization are going to be corrupt or bad people rather than explain that I have an entire subset that includes hateful bigots.
gak, if it really was just a few bad apples, I'd be inclined to agree with you. On the other hand, if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.
The entire ACORN organization, from top to bottom, are corrupt in every way shape and form. When are you guys going to realize that that's our money they're in the path of. Why should those groups get one dime? The whole Democrat philosophy all about getting their hands on OPM. It's so bad right now, that even this level of corrupt govt programs is getting oodles of money. Now, you don't believe that they're getting the money, but their bosses aren't, do you? Their bosses have so much money, they can't spend it all.
ALLAlong - when you say "explaining to your kids why you vote the same as the Klan" is NOT correct. The Klan is a democrat thing. Read up on your history.
Your top democrat in the Senate is a former KKK member. ACORN is under federal investigation for quite a few things....and look at it's former member - Obama. Isn't that why Obama was SO qualified to be POTUS?
Like the right wing apologists owning the e voting machines and the easy ability to access with minor tweaking wasn't a little on the corrupt side
Reardongalt - I love the aunt/uncle bit; I've never heard that one before, but it sounds like an instant classic to me.
First off, ACORN is non-profit with an operating budget of around a $100 million per year and it only ever got around 1-2% of its operating budget from the Federal Gov't. They don't apply for Federal grants anymore and the Senate recently decided they won't be getting anymore money from the gov't. They are advocates for the poor; among other things, they help poor people get food stamps, housing, and register to vote. The vilification is ridiculous, but it's been there since ACORN opened its doors in the 70s. There may be some corruption, but that's to be found in any industry - it should be dealt with swiftly and appropriately, but that doesn't mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater.
It all comes down to the fact that poor people are overwhelmingly more likely to vote Democrat, so an organization that registers poor people to vote is not going to be popular with Republicans.
We'll get to it soon, but we are all still on the floor laughing at today's latest installment.
What is really bad is that our current President worked for ACORN and taught them how to protest. Since it's inception, ACORN has taken our taxpayer money of $50 million. And NO news outlet has bothered to report on this story.
There's a report in the NYTimes this morning.
If it's true, NAIL them. If they aren't doing the job they are supposed to be doing and are a harm to the political sphere they have no reason to exist.
I want it verified naturally. But if it is true, there should be criminal charges.
In order to have criminal charges you have to have a REAL
crime. There is no crime. Two republicans "create" a story
by pretending to be a prostitute and a pimp and fool some
office workers into believing them. Fool on them.
But being a fool is not a crime. You don't get a Pulitzer for
busting up a non-existence crime. Just like you don't get
real cookies from your fake Barbie oven full of play dough.
Actually providing advice to facilitate a crime can be considered conspiracy. They(acorn) were also working without the proper licensing which is also a "crime" although more of the civil penalty sort rather than a criminal kind unless they were repeat offenders.
So you're saying that it's legal to advise someone on how to get away with crime? It sounds like they were aiding the would be senator on how to launder money... that's legal?
Apparently, the only crime at the Maryland office was a bunch of Republicans illegally recording a conversation.
Full disclosure: I'm a big fan of investigative journalism.
Actually, ACORN Housing Corporation, Inc had their license revoked in November 2008 in Maryland. So they may also be operating with a proper business license.
The Acorn workers for idiots for falling for this. That guy looks like a preppy law student, not a pimp. He posing as a pimp is like Vanilla Ice posing as a rapper. C'mon.
And who in their right mind would have believed that this Hannah girl was actually a prostitute, err...."lady of the night" either? If it were true she'd be one of the best looking prostitutes ever.
"And who in their right mind would have believed that this Hannah girl was actually a prostitute"
A Democrat, the very flower of humanity.
Really, we will take your word for it, since you seem to
know a lot about prostitutes. I guess we should have
arrested everyone who fell for the "candid camera" skits
too!
I'm a Democrat and I know enough about poverty to know that most street prostitutes are poor, desperate women, often with addictions or mental illness. Little girls don't dream of turning tricks at $20 a pop when they grow up.
Then why did this happen at 4 different ACORN offices across the country? They, then are pretty stupid and one needs to look at the people who they hire.
check out the hotties they netted in a craigslist prostitution sting. The first one is what I would consider attractive....even with the crazy eye thing...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0915091hotdate1.html
Glenda,
I think that's right -- as I mentioned in the piece, he dressed less like a pimp than like a college guy going to a pimp themed frat party.
FoxNews aired this tape, last week. There's your initial recognition. It is a little bit provincial at this point to even care whether a "national press" or "news organizations" make acknowledgement of this sting operation, since those outlets are gasping for air in the shunned swamp of their own pulpy Last Days. Continuing to depend upon this declining method of conveying information to people might be one of the many problems The Right has to remedy. It continues to add to the impression everyone else has that The Right is out of touch with "modern times".
When Faux first aired this tape, Faux CLAIMED it was Oreilly's producers who did it -- has that been debunked or even mentioned again? It needs to be checked out.
Link to these facts please.
Nonsense. This broke on Beck's show, and they've been identifying O'Keefe and Giles from the beginning.
I'll say these guys played their cards right. The first video came out from Baltimore and it was labeled a fluke. Then they came out with one from DC, but it was labeled a conincidence.
But then, surprise surprise, they came out with the third video from yet another separate location in NYC. And even then they said there's a fourth video from yet another location they said they have yet to release.
Whether ACORN did anything illegal or not is besides the point. ACORN thought it was bad enough to fire these people. It's the negative publicity the organization appears under that is the most damning. It's one thing to encourage (and help) someone cheat on their taxes, but from a publicity standpoint, if it looks like your group turns a blind eye to, or even assists anything related to potential human trafficking the groups credibility is almost irreparably destroyed.
This is why the Census had to ditch ACORN and also why there's growing bipartisan support in Congress to stop providing money to the group.
I want the same kind of investigation into this as Watergate got. Check the video and sound for voice patterns, give it a through analysis, and let us know how many offices they did this in and the results.
ACORN does too much good in actual voter registration to be dumped, but it may be time for a complete overhaul.
I am sorry but the census is way too important to leave with them right now, that next census must be seen as valid. Remember Bauchman said to not answer their questions, well this will just give her followers more ammunition to refuse.
Every organization on the so called left, needs to make all their workers aware that they are targets. Always act as if everything you do in recorded. Always.
Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.
A little bit of sunshine (or a camera) is the best medicine to keeping people honest.
O'Keefe and Giles are calling plays from the Alinsky playbook.
ACORN never obtained any criminal charges against Citibank when they hired Barack Obama as their counsel. They merely obtained a political resolution.
It appears O'Keefe and Giles are well on their way without hiring a lawyer. Two missions accomplished!
When Sasha Cohen (Borat, Bruno) taped
genuine far right whack jobs, it was so hilarious.
If James O'Keefe and his "accomplice" Hannah Giles
tapes far lefties, is it NOT so funny anymore ?
sophia5 -- Of course!! Now you're catching on. Their standards are so high, they had to double them!
No sophia5, most of us on the left were (and still are) deeply offended by Cohen's antics; the one's who get off on him have insecurity issues, not political or social beliefs.
And this thing video is too staged/framed/set up to take it anywhere. It was really just one or two poorly trained employess of ACORN, (who ever they are!)
Is this libelous advice that they were given? Sure, it's stupid, but illegal? A couple dopey ladies at ACORN got PUNK'D - where's the headline? This is a lot closer to Baron Cohen than Bob Woodward, folks - you got that right.
Note the constant wry smile on Ms. Albert's face - you think she's taking this Preppy's set-up seriously? She looks like she's waiting for Allen Funt to pop in.
"As a First Amendment extremist, I'd prefer that anyone doing journalism, of the citizen or professional variety, be exempted from wiretap laws." That's an incredibly ignorant statement condoning a fast erosion of freedoms.
Real reporting doesn't need a soundtrack and a ridiculous outfit - way to reverse, and therefore reinforce, racial stereotypes. Jackasses.
Sophia, Borat and Bruno were FUNNY. Candid camera
was funny. This is slightly amusing but lacked comedic
timing. I suggest they get real comedians to work with
the G.O.P. Just like they should get real journalists to teach
these two Republicans the difference between REAL news
and fake news. It's lame when you can't fine real crime
to report on an organization so you make up one using
actors. LAME, LAME, LAME.
sophia5, well there is nothing funny about these ACORN videos, although I have no sound card to they are still a mystery to me.
This needs a complete investigation, just as the Watergate incident had. Everyone in ACORN needs a wake up call. Shape up, you are adults in positions of trust to help people. Do not blow this ever again.
I would hate to see the entire organization fall because of this. But I suspect that would answer a lot of Republicans prayers.
The difference is that Borat's marks were aware that they were being recorded and consented.
But Borat's marks were mostly private citizens behaving in a private capacity, and exposing them served no greater good -- whereas these people were doing their taxpayer subsidized jobs, and exposing them has led to fewer people in that organization who are willing to abet fraud and underage prostitution.
This is by no means investigative journalism. These videos are about trying to get ACORN employees into doing things they wouldn't normally do. Did the employees exercise bad judgment? Yes. Does any reasonable person think that one of ACORN's goals is to "help a pimp and his hooker girlfriend establish a brothel staffed by underage El Salvadorans?" No! Investigative journalism is about exposing what's going on and not about creating something that wasn't there in the first place. I think it unconscionable that you think it worthy to try and impugn an entire organization by the fact that some of their employees acted inappropriately in a situation which was set up to make them look bad. Also, how is "Low Level Employees of Large National Organization Have Bad Judgment" national news? Before writing another inane column try to understand the difference between investigative journalism - exposing what's currently going on -- and trying to create the news by acting in a way to make something happen that wasn't going on in the first place . I've long been a fan of the daily beast but this is by far the most ridiculous and deceitful thing I've read so far.
"Also, how is "Low Level Employees of Large National Organization Have Bad Judgment" national news?"
It is when they're Republicans, employed by a Republican Administration, or belong to the military.
You're trying to hard to justify this by claiming entrapment. The stated goals of ACORN may not be "help a pimp and his hooker girlfriend establish a brothel staffed by underage El Salvadorans?" but if people have a reasonable belief that illegal activities are being propogated by an organization and they present an opportunity for that organization to engage in said activity(even if it's outlandish) how is that not investigative journalism? You seem more mad that they(ACORN) took these people up on the offer instead of doing the honorable, the lawful, and the right thing to do.
Two ACORN workers from Baltimore in an isolate incident (three other ACORN offices where this guy tried his stunt booted him straightway) and all of a sudden this guy is Bob Woodward? Please!
The screwed up part is that this isolated incident provokes immediate action from the US Senate. When thousands of home loan underwriters schemed to put tens of thousands of Americans in homes they couldn't afford, thousands of bankers packaged those bad loans with good ones to falsely inflate their values and ratings, the originating bank then borrows even more money from investment banks to start the cycle over in plain sight for nearly 5 years THOSE COMPANIES GET A BAILOUT! Anything wrong with this picture?
ACORN was, and still is deeply involved in home loan underwriting schemes - at least in NY. They had a leading role in the mortgage industry collapse by helping folks get into balloon loans they couldn't afford. They merit an investigation.
I agree this was real journalism. Nothing from the MSM on Acorn has ever been done to my knowledge, WHY? Now deeper real journalism can take place if someone would devote the time and resources to Acorn and at minimum the loans they helped get that helped lead to our foreclosure issues.
"Real Journalism" only in fantasy Republican world.
Real journalist report on real stories. They don't "create"
stories and report on them. They find REAL prostitutes
when they want to do a story on prostitution.
This is why Hannah Giles turned down a chance to be
interviewed by CNN about her "story".
"Two ACORN workers from Baltimore in an isolate incident " um wrong koolaid drinker. How about videos of the same thing happening in Baltimore, DC & NY. Not only did they offer tax help, they told them how to hide 13 year olds being shipped up from El Salvador for child prostitution.
Maybe you approve of child prostitution or maybe if you got your news somewhere other than CNN, MSNBC or here on the Daily Koolaid, you'd know what was actually going on in the world.
If there was truly a legacy of Bob Woodward he'd be following the story of how the Rathke's, two white brothers, one convicted of embezzling from Acorn, have been making a fortune off of taxpayer dollars using blacks as pawns in this scheme to defraud America.... But hey, if 0bama was so happy to work them, why should the state run media or you liberal lap dogs care. However the rest of America is starting to care how their tax money is wasted.... hear that democrats. Anyone defending Acorn is nuts.....
Hey smarty pants,
there is no prostitution. It's called a stunt. It worked and the
office workers looked stupid. If being stupid was a crime,
99% of the G.O.P. would be in jail. But it's not a crime.
Why don't you go and do some REAL investigation on REAL
prostitutes like the ones Eliot Spitzer and David Vitter were
seeing. That would of course require dealing with the Real
world, something Republicans are allergic to.
Not to mention that ACORN has not been licensed to operate in the State of Maryland since 2006. It's a good thing they did get video footage, bc had they not, nobody would have beleived this story. And because they did get the footage, people are now forced to close their eyes and pretend they don't see it.
What's awesome about this story is how it feeds into the idea that ACORN somehow stole the election for Obama.
Now that they are out of the picture, what boogey man is the right going to come up with next to blame for their next election disaster?
Nothing makes me happier than seeing the party of no all giddy about their electoral prospects when their party approval is in the teens. And after weeks of promotion on a major news network, all you can muster is about 60,000 people in DC to protest nothing. Like the country, after a couple of months, is about to turn the reigns over to the party that had everything for 6 years and never questioned their leader for 8 years of expanded government, loss if individual freedoms, an fiscal irresponsibility the likes of which we've never seen. What delusions!
EdinNJ,
You have the Dem talking points down. 60,000 try over a million.
Glenda:
Try reading the official count - not the Fox count!
The crowd barely reached to 3rd Street. Based on past experience, that's about 60,000.
EdinNJ,
This story doesn't feed into the absurd notion that ACORN stole the 2008 election. My goodness.
If you don't think the purpose of bringing down ACORN is to delegitimize Obama's presidency, you are quite naive. ACORN is a racial bell whistle, and you know it. Whether you will admit it or not is another issue.
Bottom line is that the entire strategy of the right is to delegitimize the Obama presidency since the Republicans know that they aren't on the right side of the issues. Cutting taxes, offshore drilling, deregulation and fighting to protect the insurance companies and Wall Street aren't exactly what's driving people to teabag, now, is it?
Since they couldn't get ACORN on committing REAL crimes
they set-up a fake one and accused them of committing a real
one. It's pretty lame is all I have to say. Pretty lame.
EdinNJ, I must co - sign your post, I see this whole situation as just that this organization is being targeted because of President Obama's past affiliation. The fact that Black Water and the many other organizations that operate out there ARE guilty of actual crimes yet no push to de - fund them is a smoking gun.
Try viewing through this lens.
Obama critics are removing his clothes in the order in which he put them on.
The long war...
Is there more to the video? Other ones? This clip shows NO wrong doing what so ever. Some supposed ACORN woman talking about burying money. The answer was given relating to what question? It is not shown in this clip?
I am thinking this is bs.
Boy are you gullible!
It is B.S. it's a fake news story created by 2 Republican
actors. They were unable to find REAL crimes committed
by ACORN so they staged a stunt and the office workers
feel for the stunt. At the end of the day, it's still not a
crime to be fooled by actors. But don't tell that to the
Republicans, wait until the police kick them out of their
office for wasting their time.
It's about taxpayers dollars and how powerful ACORN is in our govt......
Huh. The Democrat controlled Senate and Obama's Census Bureau sure are gullible then, aren't they?
The law in Maryland makes it illegal to record a PHONE CONVERSATION without all participants' knowledge.
It does ask Linda Tripp.
Really difficult to put lipstick on the ACORN pig. What I would like to know is how an organization as corrupt and morally bankrupt as they was able to garner so many Fed dollars? You could justify the Tea Parties on outrage over ACORN alone.
Were is the corruption? How are they more morally bankrupt
than the G.O.P. who doesn't believe in providing healthcare for
children?
I am appalled at the koolaid drinking Dems posting here. We have 3 films in which African-Americans, who have ancestors who suffered through slavery, aiding and abetting two people who would like to bring into America underage girls for the purpose of prostitution. This is human trafficking - slavery. The lefties here see nothing wrong with it. Is there no behavior so base that it would give you pause?
ACORN should no longer receive federal funds. Period. For people to even defend them is unbelievable. They told the pimp he could claim El Salvadoran child sex workers (under 16 of course) as dependents on his tax returns! It is on tape. It happened in several locations. What else do you need?
Let me see, we have 2 Republicans walking into an
ACORN office and punking the workers into believing
they are prostitutes setting up a brothel. And this is
journalism deserving of a Pulitzer? For a fake story,
with fake people and fake prostitutes?
Only the Republican party would think actions that are supposed to end up on "candid camera" is considered
REAL news. I hate to break it to the writer but you
don't get credit for busting up a non-existent prostitution
ring. Just like you don't get credit for catching a non-
existent Santa Clause for eating your cookies when
it's your grandfather dressed in a fat suit!
The other news media ignored it because it's not
a REAL story, it's a created story. Additionally,
CNN tried to interview Hannah Giles but she chickened
out at the last minute and canceled. I guess she
couldn't deal with being asked REAL questions. Better
to stick to FAUX news when reporting FAKE stories.
The workers were fired or did you not get to that part?
Are they Republicans? Evidence please.
Great article, Connor! James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles will be in for a rough ride with the Maryland AG. ACORN will sue. Let them. ACORN was caught with their pants down - again. They can try and obfuscate as much as they want, but it's not going to play in the court of public opinion. What is the press doing to support O'Keefe and Giles? Are they going to let them flap in the breeze? MSM's lack of coverage of this story at this point is an embarrassment.
The mere fact that ACORN fired these workers means that ACORN concedes that these were in fact ACORN workers caught on tape and that they perceived their own employees at the time of some type of wrongdoing. If everything was fine and dandy, these people would still be working at ACORN and ACORN saying the whole thing was a hoax and they we have no idea who those ACORN 'employees' are.
They had to get it on video, or nobody would have believed them. Now that it's documented on video, some people still refuse to see and hear what there eyes and ears are telling them. Denial, I believe, is the operable word.
CNN invited Hannah Giles to do an interview on her "story". She
canceled at the last minute. So far the only "journalists" they have
talked to is Fake news. I wonder why??
Is the only real news covering the story. The MSM is absence from the story , kneeing in reverence to their bosses, Plus if you go to the real network you get 3 times the audience of all the combined MSM.
ACORN cannot sue. Not in Maryland. They have no standing. Their license to operate have already been revoked.
The ACORN employees would have to sue.
Ummm. i know that a catchy title brings you more attention, but let's be honest with ourselves and admit the plain fact that tricking a bunch of powerless morons into incriminating themselves using a shoddy costume from Ricky's NYC is a far far far far cry from bringing down the most secretive, combative, and corrupt administration in the country's history
Now we need Bob Woodward to tell us how such a vial organization was able to obtain so much money from the Government? Who are their big supporters? Why are they not dis-barred from the Government Grant Program? How did they get in to begin with? Have they been audited? Have there been any phone calls from Congressmen?
In the "real world" you have to ACTUALLY do something
wrong to be "dis-barred". Falling for a fake story and a
stunt is not a crime. It makes you look silly, but it's not a
crime. Real journalism involves breaking a real story, not
creating one so you can cover it.
Like a t.v. channel who created the "9/12 movement" so they
can cover it and call it news. I guess it's easier than reporting
on REAL stories.
A real story would be if a real journalist was able to expose company policies and procedures that suggest the everyday stance of the company was to aid pimps and hoe's. Until then it's what? 20 people out of how many that work for ACORN that have been involved in illegal/idiotic behaviour.
ACORN's employee's actions say much more about that organization than anyone else, including the journalists. Try as you might, this is not a left or right issue ... though as usual, the left seems to want to categorize everyone and everything on the planet. So I will comply ... this is an issue of right and wrong. ACORN was wrong (big time). It's plainly obvious ... and investigative journalism tactics which include outright lying about who they are is wrong as well.
Obviously, personal responsibility has been lost. It's about time that changed.
LOL this is journalism. This is a hack job by some whack jobs. Love the pimp in the fur coat. Sure I think sickos should be able to wire tap in the name of freedom. Feeling so safe in this nation of whackos!
This was very simple. Fox didn't want to cover the health care speech so they staged this ridiculous thing and covered it as a major breaking news story all the next morning so they wouldn't have to show Joe Wilson.
Acorn is an easy Republican target and taps into the primal sensibilities of the lowest of the wingnut right. It primarily helps poor people- who must be lazy and shiftless - and minorities- which the right can't stand. All the right dogwhistles for the crazies who tune into Fox News.
The office workers deserved to be fired for being Stupid but the "expose" revealed nothing beyond unqualified, and probably very low paid, workers doing a job that most Republicans don't want done in the first place. The fewer voters at the polls, the better the Republican chances in the next election.
Yeah that's it. (rolling my eyes)
Ridin Spinnaz!
Lowest of the wingnut right is capable of building the 86 seat Senate Caucus.
Right.
Bob Woodward illegally wiretapped Nixon administration thugs to get to the bottom of another wiretapping scheme.
That's pretty damn funny.
Sure, journalism is an ass sometimes -- but these clowns are the acne on it.
This is the journalism I learned about in school. What are they teaching in journalism schools today? No matter the subject matter--this explains why the fishwrap of todays newspapers are going down the tubes--and why the MSM are being replaced by blogs and the internet. The American people are being deliberatly mislead, and it appears that the MSM is in danger of becoming nothing more than the arm of the government...this if PRAVDA in the making...
These young reporters are doing what REAL reporting used to be....what I learned in a classroom so long ago--and having been mourning the demise this last year....
Finally an honest Democrat. I knew you had to be out there the whole party couldn't be completely corrupt.
The corruption in ACORN is systemic. It was not one office in one city. So far it is four. Four separate offices. And the experience was not so bizarre to them that they compared notes with other offices.
No red flags to bring to the attention of higher ups? These people are willing to give advice on starting a young Latina sex slavery ring! Who lives like that? Who condons such a thing?
Just another day in the life of ACORN. In four cities.
This is such huge systemic corruption in a quasi-government agency that I don't think we have ever seen the likes of this before.
Join with us in stopping taxmoney going to people so exploitative and down right evil! I mean you do care about young women even if they are illegal Latinas right?
And this is just the tip. What about drug lords? How many of them have they helped avoid detection? Can't you see that we can't have this as part of the American dream?
Why wouldn't you want to be part of getting rid of this kind of thing? It is down right disgusting!!!!
The are many honest and patriot democrats, so far we have being silent and the lefty fringe of the party took control and is ruining the country and is setting the stage for the biggest defeat ever in the elections to come. Just exactly what Carter did, just after we had Nixon on the ropes (and Ford) he blew it with his communist and socialist policies that gave us 12 years of Reaganomics.
Great article. I agree with your points.
1. The Mainstream media is a dinosaur sold to the highest bidder with only political aim. Lost the journalism title log ago.
2. Any public employee, or organization that is funded by the people should be under scrutiny, from community organizers to presidents. If not we can in the no so far future all this country Mexico.
I love watching the Liberals on this site defending Child Whore Pimp Assistance by ACORN. It show you the very low caliber of Obama Supporters.
Thank you.
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