Calif. Gov. Schwarzenegger seeks state probe of ACORN (Updated)

(UPDATE: 4:48 p.m. California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined a growing chorus of officials today and called on the state's attorney general to launch an investigation into ACORN due to the latest charges of illegal activity by the group, this time in San Bernardino, Calif.

His letter:

Over the past few days, I have seen a series of news stories regarding the ACORN organization that have concerned me greatly. As you may be aware, the most recent report has come out of San Bernardino. 

Given this, I believe it is appropriate that your office launch a full investigation into ACORN’s activities in California. My administration stands ready to assist in any way necessary.

No immediate response from the office of Jerry Brown, a Democrat who used to be governor and would like to return to that office in next year's elections.)

When Barack Obama entered the White House with the idea of moving politics from the nonfunctional, confrontational style that marks Washington to a different, bipartisan approach, he didn’t count on a resurgent conservative movement. After a summer of attacking Obama’s healthcare plans and forcing Obama appointee Van Jones to quit his post as an advisor on green jobs over crude remarks and 9/11 conspiracy beliefs, conservatives, their media allies and a vibrant community of bloggers have turned their attention to ACORN.

The Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now is a national group that....

... helps the poor get housing help from the government and has sponsored voter registration drives that have been seen by conservatives to benefit Democrats.

The latest attack on ACORN is an undercover video by James O’Keefe, who with friend Hannah Giles posed as a pimp and a prostitute seeking information on how to cheat the government in securing housing loans for a brothel and how to avoid tax laws for funneling sex money into a fictitious congressional campaign.

For those keeping track, O’Keefe was also part of another sting, this one directed at Planned Parenthood. As The Times reported, in that one a woman posed as an underage pregnant girl seeking an abortion.

Using a hidden camera, the filmmaker also met with workers at ACORN’s Baltimore and Washington offices. Four employees have been dismissed and ACORN, responding to the video from the San Bernardino office, has accused O’Keefe of “lies and manipulations” in the films’ editing. The group has threatened legal action, prompting O’Keefe to respond on Fox News: “Bring it on.”

The latest pimp-and-prostitute videos drew the expected response from the conservative media, including Glenn Beck, who stepped up their charges that corruption was flagrant and that the mainstream media was ignoring it because of a liberal bias. (See video below.)

But it also brought official response as well, threatening ACORN’s funding and standing with the government. The Senate voted this week to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN following a measure introduced by Republicans.

The Census Bureau recently severed its ties with ACORN as director Robert Groves sought avoid problems with the 2010 count.

Animosity to ACORN on the right is nothing new. GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain unsuccessfully tried to link opponent Obama to allegations of voter fraud. Obama, who has praised his time as a community organizer, represented ACORN in a 1995 lawsuit and worked briefly for Project Vote, a voter registration effort that partnered with ACORN.

If attacking ACORN has been staple of conservatives for a while, the context is new, part of the growing attacks on Obama for being too liberal. They see Obama pushing a corrupt agenda of big government and attacks on individual rights like carrying a gun.

ACORN has become another seed that they hope will grow into an oak that overshadows an administration they dislike.

– Michael Muskal

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Comments

[lc]

There is a laundry list of corruption and ethics issues involved with ACORN. They are under investigation in 15 states for voter fraud, which 11 ACORN employees were arrested for 2 weeks ago. These videos, which everyone should watch on you tube or biggovernment.com. The most telling point is the senate voted a couple days ago to block funding to the organization 83-7 (50 demomcrats, 33 republicans). This vote is indicative of known ethics and corruption issues and congress wants to separate itself from them.

[Rob]

You forgot to mention that ACORN is under investigation in several states for voter fraud among other things. Helping the poor is just a sick cover for a huge criminal orginization. Community organizing is the new organized crime. These ACORN workers all had the same basic responses which tells me they were trained on how to work with this type of activity. Shame on anyone involved with ACORN and the media for trying so hard to cover this up.

[stuart]

Yeah, poor ACORN, they did nothing wrong, and those awful reporters just tricked them. WHy don't you start a campaign to raise money for ACORN. AT least teh senators were wise enough to see it can't be trusted. Stay tuned: more ACORN revelations on video are on teh way!

[Sean]

Do your job, press. Investigate this as lustily as you would if this was a conservative organization, or a republican lawmaker. The press is the enabler here. ACORN's corruption is well known and well documented. They are a partisan organization that launders federal money for partisan politics, but the press does not care, for the simple reason that they support their agenda.

How about this, just for starters:
Why did ACORN sue in California in 1995 so that it would not have to pay its workers minimum wage? (they lost their case.)
Why does ACORN bust all attempts of its own workers to unionize?

ACORN is about power, period. If they really cared about living wages and organized labor, they would not be such transparent hypocrites. But the average American doesn't know that. That's the way you like it, press.

Well done.

[Felix]

Joe the Plumber questioned whether the government should redistribute income. The left-wing media didn’t debate the point, but instead launched a personal attack on Joe the Plumber.

You would have thought that Joe the Plumber was running for office.

Rick Santelli questioned whether the government should bail out people who bigger houses than they could afford. The left-wing media didn’t debate the point, but instead launched a personal attack on Rick Santelli.

You would have thought that Rick Santelli was running for office.

Jim Cramer was worried that the administration economic policies were wrong-headed. The left-wing media didn’t debate the point, but instead launched a personal attack on Jim Cramer.

You would have thought that Jim Cramer was running for office.

Bill O’Reilly asked whether Democrats in congress didn’t contribute to the financial meltdown by prodding Fannie Mae to lower standards for lending. The left-wing media didn’t debate the point, but instead launched a personal attack on Bill O’Reilly.

You would have thought the Bill O’Reilly was running for office.

Glenn Beck reported on a litany of abusive practices by Acorn. The left-wing media didn’t debate the point, but instead launched a personal attack on Glenn Beck.

You would have thought that Glenn Beck was running for office.

Protesters at tea parties raised concerns about a government bureaucracy out of control and spending that will bankrupt the country. The left-wing media didn’t debate the point, but instead launched a personal attack on the tea party attendees.

You would have thought that these tea party attendees were running for office.

Visitors to town hall meetings didn’t want the government to take control of their healthcare. The left-wing media didn’t debate the point, but instead launched a personal attack on the town hall meeting attendees.

You would have thought that these citizens were running for office.

Watch out private citizens. If you express your concerns about the government’s spending of trillions of dollars of borrowed money, you will be attacked by the media. The media is intellectually bankrupt. They cannot defend their policies of out-of-control spending and government intrusion into all aspects of our lives. All they know is to launch character attacks against anyone who opposes their ideology and biased coverage.

[rmoltaban]

so, what I hear you saying is that there is nothing wrong with ACORN, the videos were politically motivated, the videos were distorted and the ACORN representatives didn't actually say what it looks and sounds like the said on the videos, and that this is just an attack by right wing conservatives on Obama. Sounds like everyone else is to blame for this.

4 different videos in 4 different states and the outcome is the same. I don't know, but I see a trend here. Is this an attack from conservatives? most likely yes. But do you actually believe that liberals would have gone in there with video cameras and policed this agency or any other liberal establishment. I think not.

[gorf]

An Acorn don't fall far from the tree!

[Scott W. Somerville]

You say, "Animosity to ACORN on the right is nothing new. " How do you feel about animosity to ACORN from moderate Americans who can't believe what they're seeing on these videos?

[Mountain Steps]

"Conservative" Target? Why didn't liberals catch this corruption? Child Sex Slavery and Trafficking shouldn't be a concern only for conservatives!

[PJ MAC]

Turning away or even offering advice when someone talks about having 12 year olds in a brothel is despicable, no doubt. Here is my problem with this ACORN kerfluffle...prostitution is a fact of American culture. There are a lot of women and men in this country who financially support themselves in this industry (and the drug industry) and there are a great deal more Americans who USE THE PROSTITUTION and drug industries. So...I do believe folks who have this as their regular income quite frankly must find a way to deal with their money, their taxes and getting loans. ACORN was truly providing a service to our society and those who refuse to see this want to pretend prostitution and drugs are something only a few dirty, terrible people do. News flash folks, the Easter Bunny does not exist and prostitution and drugs are quite prevalent in American Society. Sorry to burst your ivory tower.

[Tax Payer]

I do not understand why this is reported as a "conservative" issue. The issue is a lack of investigative journalism and oversight into the pending of federal tax dollars. These two amateurs so easily exposed issues at ACORN, surely well qualified professional journalists could have done much more and done so much more professionally.

The best case scenario for ACORN is they have the world’s worst hiring practices and foster a work environment conducive to this type of behavior. Worst case they endorse and encourage it.

In your entry you describe the organization as "a national group that helps the poor get housing help from the government". Is that their claim, or can that be independently verified? How do you know this is true? Using independent data can you verify how many people the group has helped? What was the income distribution of that group? Was that income earned legally and taxes paid on it?
What is the ratio of government funding to the number of people helped?

[Mahendra Goel]

President Obama got involved in many areas without any pre-
planning thus lacking "Vision To Lead". He stands exposed.
Each and every person takes full advantage of this situation to confuse issues thereby wasting the time of the Congress and the Senate. Yet no one is willing to review solid and practical options for self-sustainable initiatives.

At this rate we may hardly get any tangible results.
GOD HELP AMERICA!

[Jason]

Excellent article! I love it when the LA Times openly abandons principle and truth. It validates my opinion of it. ACORN got caught repeatedly doing corrupt actions. Response: use this opportunity to focus on conservative "hate". Also, loved the part about Van Jones being a victim of conservative. It has nothing to do with his continuous comments. Keep up the good work!

[cbk16]

Latest? Acorn has been on the conservative radar since for over a year, it is just the liberal (LATIMES and others) that are now paying attention. Basically main stream media has not been doing their job.

[LM]

Amazing...and yet it is not amazing at all that the LA Times would relegate an issue that the government cares about from their reporting. Instead of seizing the opportunity to prove Beck wrong, the LA Times proves him right by relegating this national story (yes, national because the House has recognized it by voting to withold Acorn's funding) to a mere few and very poorly researched paragraphs by a web reporter. Sorry Michael, but if the Times believed in responsible journalism (and had faith in your reporting) they would have spent precious dollars on the ink to put your reporting in print...three days ago.

This blurb was posted over two hours ago and not a single comment from the public has been posted. Are you holding these posts back because its too embarassing to allow another LA Times blunder to be exposed?

[Jose Rodriguez]

So much for non-biased reporting. This piece reeks of liberalism.

[discusted]

Wow Michael, no need to guess who you voted for is it! Will LA Times ever get some reporters that do just that, report, instead of shoving their electoral favorite down our throats!

[discusted]

Okay, I'll try again as I know the last won't be published. Michael, are you open to reporting views and opinions in favor of conservatives as well?

[Anusia]

Is this a story or op-ed piece? Is LA Times covering the actual facts of this amazing story? Or is LA Times threatened by a couple of "uneducated" journalists who actually DO journalistic activities, such as going undercover to uncover corruption. Maybe pushing op-ed pieces shouldn't be what journalism is about.. just a thought.

[Wayne Corey]

Yes, conservatives are going after ACORN. And, the video sting operation is pretty much like what the mainstream media periodically do as part of the evening news. Except they haven't targeted ACORN.

If ACORN is being subjected to a politically-motivated lying and smear campaign, why do they say they've fired the employees exposed in the videos?

Why is the Census Bureau terminating its arrangement with ACORN? Why is the Senate pulling back on funding for ACORN? Why is the White House disassociating itself from ACORN?

The Democrats control the White House and Congress. Are conservative Republicans THAT powerful?

ACORN has received a lot of money in government funding. Legitimate questions have been raised about its operations. The major media have tried to ignore the story and simply referred to it as a conservative hit campaign.

Even Jon Stewart on Comedy Central doesn't buy the liberal argument. Any government-funded operation should be exposed or at least investigated if there are good reasons to think it's involved in illegal behavior.

[Hollywood watcher]

What hypocrisy from the Times. Surprise.

This is an organization that employed the President as it's lawyer, one that has been charged over and over with fraud, but keeps feeding at the public trough, unexamined by most of the media.

When activists go after it with something outrageous, how does the media that has been slumbering respond? By blaming the messenger, instead of examining the message of outright fraud using your and my tax money.

The LA Times is politically irrelevant. Stick to fires and murders, where your opinion doesn't really matter.

[JD]

>>The latest pimp-and-prostitute videos drew the expected response from the conservative media, including Glenn Beck, who stepped up their charges that corruption was flagrant and that the mainstream media was ignoring it because of a liberal bias. (See video below.)<<

So why isn't the mainstream media covering this, Michael? Why isn't this a "media target" instead of just a "conservative target?" Here it's only on a blog, instead of front page news, just like Van Jones.

No bias here, please move along...

[Philip Avon St. Cyr]

If you want to believe that a 30+ year old organization that itself is comprised of a large, diverse group of organizations is a.) without fault, b.) perfect in hiring practices, c.) omniscient about the ethics of the poor and uneducated, d.) in the support-the-pimp practice on a routine basis, e.) so closely connected still to Obama after 30 years (since he worked for a group associated with ACORN) or even 14 years (since he represented them) that whatever stupidity or corruption ACORN has is somehow directly associated with corruption involving Obama...

Well, if you believe all that, then it doesn't matter what anyone says to you, does it? Right up there with believe a.) Obama would put his own mother-in-law in front of a death panel, b.) Obama would happily leave his own kids paying off crushing debt, and c.) Obama the softy with the pretty family and great smile is somehow a hidden meanie out to destroy the country.

IMO, anyone who believes the individual person who is our president is out to intentionally harm others, I'm sorry, but that person has to be a racist because they refuse to acknowledge the individual in front of their eyes, but instead just see black, black, black. That's not saying Obama is always right about everything. But to think the man means harm? Yup, that's not policy disagreements. That's prejudging based on no facts--and the willful willingness to do that can only be explained by one thing: having a problem with a black guy in power.

[Tim Jones]

Common sense will tell you these Acorn workers shouldn't be counseling people. They were fired, appropriately. That's not the real issue. Beck is. He follows the same Fox formula. Find an injustice. Label it liberal. Get mad. Make a couple idiot individuals the poster children for an entire organization and then become patriotic over the demonization of that organization. Distort. Lie. It's as plain and simple as the idiotic people caught on tape. Beck belongs with them. They look the other way at the truth and call it practical morality.

[Truth]

ACORN thought 13 years old was old enough to put to 'work', if you know what I mean, but a 13 year old can't even post comments on this board.

Do they have no shame?

[Jimmie]

"ACORN has become another seed that they hope will grow into an oak that overshadows an administration they dislike."

Or, it could be that conservatives simply oppose a group that's been involved in widespread criminal activity yet receives billions of taxpayer dollars.

You know -- tomato, tomahto.

[Uncle Bernie]

I am pleased that the left wing toadies of the Times finally decided to report on this far left scandal. Amusing that the above toadies feel this is a right wing outrage, rather than an American outrage. Obama and ACORN are joined at the far left hip.

[carla123]

ACORN has also been linked to voter fraud and is under investigation in Nevada. How about the founder has also been accused of embezzling?
Why won't liberals condemn this organization?
To dear to their heart and ACORN represents the true Democrat party.
Attacks on ACORN... next we will be hearing it is all about race.

[PrinceOfSnides]

I don't get it. Liberals indignant over the unproven but oft repeated charges of corruption on Wall St. seem to be defending ARCON an organization that was clearly behind electoral corruption in a dozen states as well as the corruption we now see on video tape in multiple states.

What more proof do we need that ACORN does not deserve another dime of taxpayer money. Regardless of what their charter says they do, they have a corruption problem and no taxpayer should be forced to pay one cent of his own income to support them.

[Robert Farner]

Acorn haas been out of line for a long time. I'm a democratic but the justice department should be all over this organization. They make democrats look bad.

[Patrick]

Interestingly you don't mention that at each acorn office they duo claimed they wanted to bring in girls as young as thirteen to use in the prostitution business. Then I get to your comment section and you will not let 13 year olds participate in the discussion. Rather odd, no?

[Bradley J. Fikes]

"When Barack Obama entered the White House with the idea of moving politics from the nonfunctional, confrontational style that marks Washington to a different, bipartisan approach, he didn’t count on a resurgent conservative movement."

Obama must be grateful for your faithful support.

[jch]

ACORN: Helping blacks and illegals to vote Democrat at 115% of registration.

[Rob]

What a shill for the far left! If this was 60 Minutes doing an expose on a conservative group, you would fall all over yourself trying to congratulate them. ACORN has had widespread allegations of voter registration fraud (remember Mickey Mouse), and several convictions for the same. Now they have been videotaped trying to aid and abet in violating anti-prostitution, child prostitution and tax evasion laws. Any sane person would call for a Justice Department investion for RICO violations. These a$$holes need to be put out of business permanently.

[Travis]

Question Mr. Michael Muskal, I note you reserve your attacks only for the young couple who did this expose and Fox News who dared to carry it.

But you appear to find nothing wrong with the ACORN employees more than wiling to aid and abet child prostitution of underage illegal immigrant females age 13-15.

You seem to find it OK for ACORN employees giving advice how to lie when applying for a home loan, hide income, cheat on taxes and avoid any law enforcement action.

These two young kids did the work that you in the MSM long ago forego in investigating criminality, so long as the criminals were liberal and like minded with your political bent.

Your snarky article only exposes you for what you are. a &*@## %^+&@!.

Even Jon Stewart of Comedy Central is highly urinated at you in the MSM, and he hilariously vents that angst here in a very funny video. Michael, you should beware when you MSM types become fodder for ridicule on the late night shows like Comedy Central.

http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2009/09/video-jon-stewart-on-acorn-undercover.html

[sb]

The LA Times can learn something from the vitriolic, divorced-from-reality posts above. No matter how a story is reported, wingnuts will always find something to whine about.

Then again, maybe that's the point. An article--any article--that doesn't sufficiently kowtow to wingnut mythology will drive up the internet traffic. Perhaps its time for another post on Obama's birth certificate.

[John Connolly]

This unbelievable scandal reminds me of the feelings i had when I was sitting in Iraq during my deployment and hearing the news about Abu Grave. There are some stupid people among us, but what I'm really hearing with this story is a desperate attempt to sabitash any effort for progress for Political reasons. I'm growing very sick of the rights unpatriotic antics.

[Stephen Carmona]

The real story is a couple of improbable amatures were able to out investigate the left wing media. Obviously there was no desire to uncover the corruption that everyone knew existed. What happened to reporters that investigate rater than repeat what they are told?

[Diana]

As is typical for your newspaper, Democratic protest patriotic, but Republican protest is an attack.

I don't expect much from your newspaper. Most of us know that yours news is never an unbiased reporting of the facts, so I am not surprised that you are trying to demonize the Republican party for trying to stop this government funded corruption.

I can see that you are already trying to skillfully distance the White House from this group of criminals. I had given up hope that the truth would not surface until long after Obama destroyed freedom and democracy in this country, but this have given me a ray of hope that the investigation will lead to a recount and the real President will take office.

[tarheelchief]

It's simple.
Take away the tax exempt status,have the IRS and State Franchise Board audit the officers,and clear up the mess.
Let Acorn follow the same legal constraints the Churches and synagogues follow in the state.

[E. G.]

I am very proud of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for standing up against corruption by demanding an investigation of ACORN.

Doesn't the National Education Association (NEA) also fund ACORN to the tune of 1.5 million. They may want to rethink their connection to ACORN after seeing an ACORN employee suggest using his family in Mexico to smuggle underage girls into America for prostitution. Bad stuff going on here.........

[steve rodriguez]

ACORN now there's credible organization, let's let them run everything they want and have all the money they need ! (tongue in cheek sarcasm ).

[steve rodriguez]

Thank God for Fox News for reporting and exposing ACORN!
The LA Times, NY Times, MSNBC, CNN and other main stream media dropped the ball on the way to the gaol line exposing their own agenda!