ACORN going out of business

BetterThanEver · Mar 22, 2010

I am glad they are gone. No more ACORN Basso threads.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6925249.html

CHICAGO — The once mighty community activist group ACORN announced Monday it is folding amid falling revenues — six months after video footage emerged showing some of its workers giving tax tips to conservative activists posing as a pimp and prostitute.

“It’s really declining revenue in the face of a series of attacks from partisan operatives and right-wing activist that have taken away our ability to raise the resources we need,” ACORN spokesman Kevin Whelan said.

There was no sign of activity at ACORN's Houston office on Fannin late this afternoon. A sign at the entrance says the office is open until 6:30 p.m. The office is still furnished and there's a sign-in sheet on the receptionist's desk.

Several of its largest affiliates, including ACORN New York and ACORN California, broke away this year and changed their names in a bid to ditch the tarnished image of their parent organization and restore revenue that ran dry in the wake of the video scandal.

ACORN’s financial situation and reputation went into free fall within days of the videos’ release in September. Congress reacted by yanking ACORN’s federal funding, private donors held back cash and scores of ACORN offices closed.

Earlier this month, a U.S. judge reiterated an earlier ruling that the federal law blacklisting ACORN and groups allied with it was unconstitutional because it singled them out. But that didn’t mean any money would be automatically be restored.

Bertha Lewis, the CEO of ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, alluded to financial hardships in a weekend statement as the group’s board prepared to deliberate by phone.

“ACORN has faced a series of well-orchestrated, relentless, well-funded right wing attacks that are unprecedented since the McCarthy era,” she said. “The videos were a manufactured, sensational story that led to rush to judgment and an unconstitutional act by Congress.”

ACORN’s board decided to close remaining state affiliates and field offices by April 1 because of falling revenues, with some national operations will continue operating for at least several weeks before shutting for good, Whelan said Monday.

For years, ACORN could draw on 400,000 members to lobby for liberal causes, such as raising the minimum wage or adopting universal health care. ACORN was arguably most successful at registering hundreds of thousands of low-income voters, though that mission was dogged by fraud allegations, including that some workers submitted forms signed by ‘Mickey Mouse’ or other cartoon characters.
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B-Bob · Mar 22, 2010

"once mighty?" WTF? According to whom, aside from Beck and basso?

Dave_78 · Mar 22, 2010

ACORN was solely responsible for Obama getting elected. He's certainly done in 2012 without ACORN to cheat for him.[/Mojoman, Basso, OddsOn, random jackasses]

RocketRaccoon · Mar 23, 2010

Dave_78 said:

ACORN was solely responsible for Obama getting elected. He's certainly done in 2012 without ACORN to cheat for him.[/Mojoman, Basso, OddsOn, random jackasses]
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Way to start a conversation bud. You bet, I'm just so excited about joining in.

This forum is the only place where "hate" actually gains power.

B-Bob · Mar 23, 2010

Sorry RocketRaccoon, and I hear you, but it has been so, so hard for some of us (who don't give two flying ones for AKORN!1!!) but have had to see countless waves of misinformation, hate, and angst focused on them.

They have had less federal money at their disposal than one mid-sized science department at a school like UT Austin. They are ineffectual. If there was ever a single case of actual voter fraud, it was just that: singular in a sea of millions.

Of all the poorly organized political non-profits in the world, and there are hundreds of them, why did we spend SO much time on this one organization? There aren't many savory answers, but to many of us it looked like a very, very convenient and emotion-worthy boogeyman to certain media outlets and TV personalities.

So: good riddance. I was never a fan.

I hope we can now focus a lot of such frustration on similar non-profits that have worked tirelessly to suppress the votes of people of color. But I'm not holding my breath for Mr. Beck, et al. "Call me crazy," but I just don't see him following up on that particularly story.

PS -- but it's a serious question I asked earlier. How does any reporter write "once mighty" with a straight face. My local junior high soccer team is more mighty, if you ask me. Better organized anyway.

PPS -- This is from the 2nd paragraph of their own website on "About ACORN":
Each of the 1,200 local ACORN neighborhood chapters in about 75 and 40 states brings neighbors together to work for stronger, safer and more just communities.

Yeah, 75 and 40. 115? Wait, what? So the thought that this is the mastermind of a conspiracy to rob conservative candidates of office is, to some of us at least, pretty absurd. They did help over a million people (allegedly) apply to register to vote. And then there were dozens of cases of fake people being registered to vote so that the volunteer could get paid more (pay per application is not a very good idea for this reason.)

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ACORN going out of business

BetterThanEver Contributing Member

B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

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B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

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