Let's review the events, shall we? First let me just say where it says "edited video" this is for obvious reasons. Anyone in the internet world knows that size does matter when it comes to video. Videos are edited for time purposes and to attempt to claim otherwise is a futile effort.
The articles that are linked to below are from a variety of news agencies such as ABC, CBS, CNN, the New York Times and Washington Post to name a few. I have deliberately looked for ACORN news in major media sites and not just conservative sites. Not surprisingly, that is sometimes a problem.
Feedback, suggestions and corrections are welcome in the comments.
1970
ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is founded.
1992
In Chicago, a virtually unknown man by the name of Barack Obama, serves as director of Project Vote. It is unclear exactly when Project Vote began providing support to ACORN's voter registration programs. However some claim it was in 1994.
What is certain however is that both Michael Slater and Ben Labolt give gray answers to a black and white question. Michael Slater (2008 PV Executive Director) says that ACORN "wasn't really" involved with Project Vote at the time and Ben Labolt (An Obama campaign spokesman) said that they were "not as intertwined" as they later come to be.
Either ACORN and PV do work together (in 1992), or they do not. There is no "not as" nor "not really" answers.
1995
Barack Obama represents ACORN in a lawsuit filed against Illinois over voter registration. While it is true that the DOJ is also involved, the point is that Obama is paid by ACORN.
21 February 2008
ACORN endorses Barack Obama. Yeah, I know. Big surprise.
29 May 2008
The National Review's Stanley Kurtz writes an exhaustive, yet stinging, editorial titled, "Inside Obama's Acorn," where he outlines ACORN's radical principles.
The New York Times reports that ACORN not only knew about embezzled funds, but chose to keep the embezzlement a secret.
9 July 2008
Reuters reports that ACORN has a long history in corruption. The article implies that there has been an eight year cover up of embezzled funds.
9 September 2008
The New York Times reports that ACORN can't get rid of former CEO Wade Rathke. They resort to a lawsuit in an attempt to distance themselves from his embezzlement connection.
7 October 2008
Nevada Secretary of State and Attorney General raids the Nevada ACORN office. The warrant cites ACORN for submitting over 300 fraudulent voter cards.
ACORN's Matthew Henderson's hackney response is laughable. He calls the raid, "... a stunt designed perhaps to make [the Attorney General's Office] look tough ..." In the same turn he further adds, "We don't think fraud is a rampant problem. This was a politically motivated stunt."
First off, evidently Mr. Henderson knows nothing about Nevada's politics because as the article points out, "The Secretary of State and Attorney General are Democrats."
Secondly, either it is a stunt to make the office tough or a political stunt. Which is it? Neither of course, as time has proved. Further he is dead wrong on the not being rampant part as well. Again, time has proved him otherwise.
3 November 2008
Brave whistleblower, Anita Moncrief, makes her first blog post, on election night, stating that "ACORN is better than the mob because they use the underlying fears of people used to fighting to be heard to make money and influence elections." Sadly, she will face a future lawsuit in retaliation for her right to freedom of speech.
4 May 2009
In a press release [pdf] Nevada's Attorney General, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Secretary of State, Ross Miller, jointly announce that thirty-nine counts of criminal charges were filed, in Clark County, NV, against ACORN for "compensation around a quota system." ACORN was requiring paid employees to register 20 voters per day. These actions are a felony because it motivates employees to fake registrations just to keep a job. It makes for voter registration fraud.
The press release further says that employees who did not meet the illegal quota, were fired. Nice, eh?
The implication here, though Masto and Miller were careful to deflect the theory, is obvious in that if there are fake voter registrants, then there could possibly be fake votes under those fraudulently registered names.
ACORN's Scott Levenson (a lame "spokesman" for ACORN, as his future comments will reveal) dutifully points the finger to other employees for ACORN's crimes.
Some examples of faked registered names are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Dallas Cowboys football players, etc.
7 May 2009
Stephen Zappala Jr., District Attorney for Allegheny Count, PA, files charges against ACORN employees for falsifying voter registration information and again, for registration quotas.
In one fell swoop, ACORN's Scott Levenson contradicts himself. He first denies the quote exists but then says workers were expected to register voters. Which is it Scott? He even goes so far as to say, "Obviously, we're entitled to have standards." What standards? Either ACORN's standards require quotas or it doesn't.
23 June 2009
WorldNetDaily reports that whistleblower, Anita MonCrief, faces a 5 million dollar lawsuit for her actions, or more specifically, her exercising her right to free speech.
30 June 2009
During a hearing, Pennsylvania Senior District Judge, Richard H. Zoller, urges detectives to go after ACORN. The implication is that the judge feels ACORN is at the head of all illegal activities.
22 July 2009
In an outrageous attempt to discredit charges filed against ACORN in Pennsylvania, ACORN and the ACLU collectively file lawsuits to overturn the Pennsylvania law on registering voters. Obviously this is an admission of guilt on ACORN's part. Why fight the law if ACORN was within the limits of the law to begin with?
9 September 2009
Arrest warrants are issued by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office for eleven ACORN employees accused of "falsifying hundreds of voter registration cards," in connection with the 2008 race. Evidently of 1,400 cards, 888 were fraudulent.
ACORN pats itself on the back this time because they were the ones who alerted authorities, not the other way around. Sounds like ACORN started getting worried about more charges and thought it best to do an internal review before board members, the CEO and CFO found themselves charged. Evidently ACORN follows the "it's better to always make scape goat for a defense" philosophy.
10 September 2009
James O'Keefe explodes into the headlines after publishing the what is coming to be known as video #1 or the Baltimore video; the first of several ACORN scandalous videos. In the video, Baltimore ACORN employees advise two potential ACORN applicants how to lie on their taxes and in particular, how to hide child prostitution. [full transcripts] [full audio] [edited video]
Scott Levenson lamely attempts to diffuse the revealing bomb by calling the tape "false" and "fabricated." He even hints that other O'keefe attempts of filming at "other offices failed," however future videos will prove his accusation otherwise.
Despite Levenson's blustering, ACORN fires the two employees seen in the video citing, that the employees "did not meet ACORN's standard of professionalism."
Because all else has failed, a despondent ACORN board member, Margaret Williams, releases an official ACORN statement [pdf] where she plays the race card claiming the acts of releasing the videos divide racial lines.
Never mind that ACORN is firing their own employees. Either the videos are truth or they are a lie. Surely they're not firing people for a lie, right? That must mean that the videos are truth and are neither racial nor a smear campaign.
11 September 2009
The Washington D.C. video is released by O'Keefe. The ACORN advice given to the two applicants is similar to the advice given in Baltimore, which is alarming. It almost sounds like ACORN has an, albeit unwritten, policy where employees must help applicants commit tax fraud and hide illegal activities. [full transcripts] [full audio] [edited video]
ACORN responds to Washington D.C. video by firing two more employees, while still adding how all of this is part of a so-called "smear campaign."
House Representative Charles W. Boustany, Jr., calls for an investigation into ACORN [full letter]. It is interesting to note that ABC buried the house call for an investigation in the bottom of the article (in the link there). Perhaps it was unintentional, but interesting none-the-less.
The US Census Bureau severs ties with ACORN over growing public concern.
U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann boldly demands an investigation into ACORN activities as well as suspension of their tax funding. She goes so far as to request the IRS to revoke ACORN's tax exempt status.
12 September 2009
Controversy continues to swell as Foxnews reports "The Department of Housing and Urban Development Grants has given $8.2 million to ACORN in the years between 2003 and 2006, as well as $1.6million to ACORN affiliates."
13 September 2009
O'Keefe brazenly responds to ACORN's attempts of forcing him into submission by intimidation saying simply, "Bring it on!" He warns ACORN that their threats worry him not and he demands an apology, which he naturally does not get.
14 September 2009
O'Keefe releases NYC video which reveals NY ACORN employees doing pretty much the same thing as Pittsburgh and DC employees. Amusingly, O'Keefe adds a quote at the top of the page by Bertha Lewis who said that his attempt in NY had failed. He ends the post with his new cultural signature, "Bring it on." [full transcripts] [full audio] [edited video]
The United States Senate, which is at the time a Democratic majority, overwhelmingly votes 83-7 to block all Housing and Urban Development funding to ACORN.
15 September 2009
House Representative John Boehner publishes a letter written to Obama, "asking him to use his authority to end all funding to and break all government ties with ACORN."
ABC's Charles Gibson embarrassingly proves himself clueless over the whole ACORN scandal.
Foxnews reporter, Christina Corbin, reports that Wade Rathke (ACORN founder) says Obama is "open to a cave-in" based on "fake issues" in response to ACORN's trouble. If I didn't know better I'd say that Rathke just called Obama a push over or one without a back bone.
O'Keefe releases part one of the San Bernardino video where an ACORN employee not only claims she shot and killed her husband but that she also runs her own brothel. The employee appears to show neither shock nor surprise when she is told by O'Keefe that he wants to endeavor in underage child prostitution. [full transcripts] [full audio]
Mike Roman, a blogger with Big Government (the blog which proudly hosts O'Keefe's videos), points out that according to documents, ACORN is operating illegally in Baltimore. This claim is later aired on Sean Hannity's program the next day.
ACORN's Christina Spach unbelievably says that the lies her employee told in the video were because of her "fear for her safety." After all, doesn't everyone claim themselves both a hooker and murderer when they're afraid for their safety? I don't know about you, but naturally that's the first thing that pops into my mind. When someone walks in and tells me they're a hooker, or anyone who frightens me, I know to be safe that I should say I'm a hooker and that I killed my ex-husband. Yep, that will protect me.
Glenn Beck discusses citizens dismay of how the city of Baltimore is more concerned with wiretapping than the legality of the acts by ACORN.
16 September 2009
Part II of the San Bernardino video is released, followed by Part III. [full transcripts] [full audio]
In a desperate attempt at projection, Bertha Lewis, points the finger at O'Keefe and Foxnews, claiming that they are the law breakers. Interestingly enough, the so-called "statement" that ACORN officially released has been removed. The original location was here, but is a broken URL now. Lewis very clearly does not apologize for the offensive behavior her employees have exhibited.
In a surprising move, ACORN announces suspension of new intakes. However true to her form, Bertha Lewis resorts to finger pointing on why this action is necessary, rather than accepting blame as most companies inevitably do.
Sean Hannity profiles the video on his show. Additionally while on the same show Andrew Breitbart, of Big Government, says that ACORN's Baltimore charter expired in 2008. If true, then ACORN is presently operating illegally at this time.
17 September 2009
O'Keefe releases the San Diego video quipping that "If you’re looking for trendy boutique hotels, an exploding culinary scene, or visiting the local ACORN to get your underage prostitutes smuggled across the Mexican border, you’re in the right place." [full transcripts 1] [full transcripts 2] [full audio 1] [full audio 2]
The United States House of Representatives, which is at the time a Democratic majority, overwhelmingly votes 345-75 (the 75 dissenting votes are all Democrats) to suspend all federal funding for ACORN.
Both Big Government and News Max report that Louisiana issued "wide-ranging subpoenas" last month in response to questions remaining on the ACORN embezzlement scandal.
Prosecutors in NYC announce plans to speak to O'Keefe about his tapes to see if any charges can be filed against ACORN. Additionally 20 other states are now investigating ACORN activities.
Writing for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Annette Meeks delivers a blistering blast to the New York Times for its bias in ACORN reporting.
18 September 2009
My favorite sheriff, Joe Arpaio, issues subpoenas against ACORN. He cites the recent scandal as enough evidence to believe that ACORN may be funneling public taxpayer funds for private lawsuits.
Chicago proudly boasts that ACORN doesn't operate in Illinois because local activists figured out they were "bad people" and saw this scandal coming.
20 September 2009
In a laughable statement, Bertha Lewis says she was outraged by employee behaviors exhibited in the O'Keefe videos. This after time and again Lewis has blamed others for ACORN's actions.
21 September 2009
Obama is forced to admit that an investigation is needed into ACORN's practices.
United States House of Representative, Darrell Issa, called on Bertha Lewis to "provide full disclosure on the 'firewalls' in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not going toward political activities." Not surprisingly, Lewis refused.
"'There is no God-given right for any organization to receive a grant from the American people. The fact is there are organizations standing in line that wish they won instead of you, and they're giving us the transparency so we can have the confidence the money is spent only for the purpose of the grant,' Issa said."
This seems revealing to me. I'm willing to bet that ACORN's taxpayer funds are definitely going toward political purposes and not where they say they're going. I further suspect that Democrats know this and are petrified that it will soon come out.
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