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ACORN Does More to Elect Obama Than Anyone; Obama Shuns ACORN in Obedience to Media
Obama: We don't need ACORN's help
(CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama responded Tuesday to the McCain campaign's efforts to link him to embattled community organizing group ACORN.
"We've got the best voter registration, turnout, and volunteer operation in politics right and we don't need ACORN's help," Obama said Tuesday in Ohio.
The Illinois senator added that ACORN was not advising his campaign, and echoed campaign advisors who have increasingly accused the GOP of trying to suppress voter turnout as Election Day nears. "What I want to make sure of, though, is that this is not used as an excuse for the kind of voter suppression tactics that we've seen in the past. Let's make sure everybody is voting, everybody is registered, everybody is doing this is a lawful way," he said.
The Democratic nominee's comments came the same day that his campaign held a conference call with reporters about the McCain campaign's recent focus on voter fraud. Obama campaign manager David Plouffe and general counsel Bob Bauer accused Republicans of trying to intimidate voters and sow the seeds of confusion as the historic presidential election approaches.
"They seem to be setting up a strategy here to make it harder to vote," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters on a conference call. "To create a situation where voters don't have confidence in the system."
"They are going to try to raise questions. You know, cry out and raise questions about fraud and try and create a smokescreen out there to confuse voters and perhaps to give cover to some of the activities they're going to be undertaking over the next three weeks."
The Obama campaign also took issue with the McCain camp's recent efforts to link Obama to ACORN, whose voter registration efforts have come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks. "We have our own registration effort," the Obama campaign's general counsel Bob Bauer said on the call. "We register our own voters under our own standards and we do so successfully."
Bauer also denied that the campaign ever paid Citizens Services, Inc., an entity affiliated with ACORN, to register voters. "We have never paid ACORN a penny for registration purposes," said Bauer. The campaign's payments to Citizens Services, Inc. "were for canvassing in some of the larger primary states back in the spring - Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania," Plouffe said. "It was to augment our grassroots organization."
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ACORN
ACORN is what they are. They are out to drum up votes at whatever cost and will stop at nothing. I have never had a problem voting and I do not need such an organization. Also great amounts of money is poured into an organization that is totally useless in my opinion.
You Don't Know Anything About ACORN
ACORN does much more than register people to vote - they represent the interests of poor communities in many different areas. For example, they have fought predatory lending and have supported living wage campaigns.
Their voter registration campaigns are very important, too. The Republican party is always dreaming up new ways to restrict voting on the part of the poor and minorities, because these constituencies vote overwhelmingly democratic. Some of the ways they do this are:
- Targeted “caging” operations and voting roll purges, such as the one Jeb Bush used to put the 2000 election within stealing distance for his kid brother;
- Voter-ID laws that disproportionately hinder low-income voters;
- Draconian laws that prevent ex-felons from voting;
- Limiting the number of voting machines in low-income precincts;
- Phone bank operations that falsely tell people that there polling location has changed, or (if they’re ex-felons in states where they should be eligible) that they’ll be arrested if they show up to vote.
- Intimidating minority voters on election day with a heavy police presence and "challengers" at polling locations.
ACORN helps poor communities get educated about, and protect, their voting rights.
What ACORN's been accused of is not voter fraud, but turning in fraudulent registration forms. They are required by law to turn in any signed forms, even if they are obviously fraudulent. However, these bogus voters don't make it through the auditing process and don't show up on the rolls. This doesn't affect elections, it just wastes people's time and money. Anyhow, who's going to risk a felony conviction by trying to vote twice, especially when an extra vote is extremely unlikely to affect the outcome of an election?
Anyhow, the concern about "voter fraud" is misplaced. A meticulous national study was performed on voter fraud, and it found that there were 5 confirmed cases, nationally, per year.
ACORN is a very worthy organization.
ACORN is Crap
I know enough that I will not fall prey to their idiotic ways! You give them your money and believe what you want but the rest of us know the truth. I have never had any problems voting and know of many that have never had a problem. I will never donate and if our politicians give them any kind of Pork Dollars then they should be ran out of office. And if there are felons that try to vaote and are felons at large then they should be picked up. Get real I would rather that happen than let them go to vote and turn a cheeck.
Your Ignorance and Lack of Empathy are Amazing
You and your friends may not have had trouble voting, but many others have. Go to StealBackYourVote.com and learn something.
BTW, ex-felons are entitled to vote, as they should be, in the vast majority of states. Once somebody has repaid their debt to society, there is no reason to deprive them of their vote.
You do know this is a progressive website.
Are there no poor houses are thre no prisons. Maybe you should take that type of attitude back to the GOP website where you obviously originated from.
wrightw /ACORN / Anyone that can read knows this
Are all republicans stupid or what? Neo-cons have stolen the last two elections by stopping the counts in Fl and rigging the elections in Ohio. Everyone that can read knows that and some repugs from Ohio are in jail for rigging the results. Then your party lies about WMD's and the about killing for democracy in Iraq. How two faced are you people? Read ACORNS reply to John McCain in the latest Democrat.com. Did you know that Phil Gramm, McCains best friend and economic mentor until a few weeks ago (do you remember "Americans are whiners) eliminated the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act and replaced it with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999. This eliminated the separation of banks from investment banking firms going back to Roosevelt. McCain's buddy set up the current economic crisis by allowing investment banking companies to become commercial banks. (Look at JP Morgan, who helped create the Great Depression and the investment banking executives running the other banks today). Gramm wrote an amendment to his Act that prohibited regulation of derivatives and credit default swaps. Your Henry Paulson, Sec of Stealing, argued for higher ratios of 40-1 to the SEC and the anti-socialist repugs have now stolen more money to socialize the rich. You guys are very good at it! Remember the $9 Billion missing in Iraq? Have you ever heard of the Bohemian Club? They don't worship GOD!! Either educate yourself to the facts or get a brain. Maybe you are like W and don't watch TV or read a paper. No wonder it was such a surprise to W that the economy wasn't doing well. In a real democracy we sure don't want anyone going around helping people vote. Perhaps you are proud of the stealing and lies of your God fearing Bohemian Club member's party. If you know how, Google these facts and make sure you don't let hate blind you to the facts.