Patterico's Pontifications

3/1/2010

Debunking Some Emerging ACORN Liberal Myths

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 11:36 pm



This post debunks several liberal myths about ACORN that have emerged in recent weeks — many from Eric Boehlert of Media Matters and Brad Friedman.

POSING AS PIMP AT ACORN

Liberal Myth: James O’Keefe did not pretend to be a pimp inside ACORN. Instead, he merely presented himself as Hannah Giles’s boyfriend, trying to help her escape from an abusive pimp.

Examples of the spreading of the myth:

Eric Boehlert:

O’Keefe pretended to be an aspiring pol, not pimp, in first ACORN vid.

Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon:

The video implies that the advice about the 13-year-olds was given with the intent of helping a pimp control them. This doesn’t fit the circumstances. In fact, it appears that what happened was that employees were responding to requests on how to get young girls out of sex work, not keep them in.

Brad Friedman:

After not hearing from New York Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt for nearly a week — during which I’d sent him more and more indisputable evidence that Andrew Breitbart employee James O’Keefe never played his infamous “pimp” character in the offices of ACORN — he responded with a couple of blistering charges.

Brad Friedman again:

Though he can, perhaps, be forgiven there, given that Harshbarger’s report had not yet come out confirming that O’Keefe neither dressed as a pimp, nor represented himself as such. Rather, O’Keefe told ACORN workers that he was a college student considering a run for Congress someday, and was hoping to help the prostitute actually escape from an abusive pimp.

(Bold is mine, italics are Friedman’s.)

Digby:

[O’Keefe] had dressed like a nice, young, preppie fellow, just trying to help this unfortunate young white girl caught in a bad situation in order to gain the ACORN workers’ trust and compassion. He used his stereotypical innocent, youthful, studiously upstanding looks to create a false impression with the ACORN workers and then turned around and filmed some bogus footage of him dressed in a ridiculous pimp costume to give a false impression to the mostly white audience. It was a very clever way to use racial stereotypes on both groups to get what he wanted.

Dave Johnson at the Huffington Post:

In fact, O’Keefe was NOT “dressed as a pimp.” He represented himself as a candidate for Congress who was trying to help women who were being exploited. He then doctored the resulting videotapes to make it appear that ACORN acted improperly.

Fact: James O’Keefe posed as a pimp. He repeatedly told ACORN employees that he was setting up a house where Giles and underage girls would turn tricks, and give the proceeds to O’Keefe, who planned to use them for a future Congressional campaign.

Let’s take the Baltimore transcript — which is the first ACORN video, and therefore the one where Boehlert denies that O’Keefe pretended to be a pimp. Among other things, we see this:

Tonja: so the type of business okay … the type of business of service you provide let me make sure there is a code for it okay

O’Keefe: A code for prostitution?

Tonja: Well, yeah I have to have a name and a code number.

and this:

Tonja: they under sixteen so you don’t worry about that, but on the other part of the form you can use them as a dependents because they live in your house they are under 16 and they are living in your house. Well you live in a boat but because you are taking care of them so you can use them as a dependent

O’Keefe: What if they are going to be making money because they are performing tricks too

Tonja: but if they making money and they are underage then you shouldn’t be letting anybody know anyway

and

O’Keefe: we want to use a lot of the money that we are getting

Shira: you don’t want to use all of it

O’Keefe: No I am saying we want to use a lot of the cash for my campaign

Similarly, at ACORN D.C., O’Keefe and Giles talk about setting up a house for Giles and several El Salvadorian girls who will be working for him. Giles says she will take the money and give it to O’Keefe, who says he is running for a local election. The ACORN worker tells O’Keefe to distance himself from the house of women of the night that Giles will be running because he is in political stuff and the revelation will be bad for him if people learn about the house of prostitution. Here are some quotes from the transcript which (like all ACORN transcripts) is supported by unedited audio:

James: So, I can be the one who ah, I have documentation right? So, I can, I can be the one basically put up the house for it and she can perform tricks in the house.

Acorn 3: Yep.

James: Okay, and well all those girls too? All those, there’s like 10 girls? There’s 10 El Salvadorians.

. . . .

Acorn 4: If you but the home, you have no knowledge of what’s goin on in that home. He’s just [garble] the landlord.
I. I t, say that again.

Acorn 3: You have no knowledge of whats goin on you just the landlord.

Acorn 4: You have no knowledge of what’s goin on, I’m just keeping it real – your just the landlord.

James: I’m just the landlord.

Acorn 4: You’re just the landlord.

James: But, but, but…

Acorn 3: We know she’s your girl friend, but we’re talking about your career. How far you trying to go?

James: I’m using the money that she’s getting, you know what I mean?

Acorn 3: Okay. But you don’t know where its coming from.

Hannah: It’s cash.

James: I, I, I personally know where its coming from.

Acorn 3: Right, but when the police ask you – you don’t know where its coming from – that’s what we’re trying to tell you

James: Alright.

Acorn 3: We’re looking out for you.

. . . .

Hannah: And I want him to be successful and why I’m working so hard and bringing these girls in so when he does run for office he has unlimited funds.

San Bernardino:

O’Keefe: . . . we wanna set up sort of like a business to do this type of thing and

Theresa (ACORN): A prostitution business?

O’Keefe: That’s right.

. . .

Hannah (Eden): um I’m kinda familiar with that in Miami, but I also the guy that I’m supposed to be working for here just got a shipment or 12 El Salvadorian girls.

Theresa (Acorn): Oh, really?

Hannah (Eden): They’re between the ages of 12 years old and 15, and if I can, which I think I because I do have some sort of relationship with them.

Theresa (Acorn): Mmm hmm

Hannah (Eden): in the brief time I’ve come in contact. Would like to take them away from him . . . and use them for me, for myself and also to keep so they don’t have to be subjected to a man . . . who is abusive

. . . .

James: So basically we want . . . a house to put them in and we have been trying to go through the other authorities but they have been unhelpful with us because of, you know . . . they just you know they don’t wanna deal with these sex sex girls coming in performing sex they think we don’t wanna have anything to do with that.

. . . .

O’Keefe: But, one of the things I was one of the things we also wanna do um one of my goals you asked you asked do you know how you wanna do this, I think one of the goals is not only can Eden protect some of these 13, 14, 15 year-old girls

Theresa (ACORN) Yeah.

O’Keefe: coming over from El Salvador. In addition to protecting them and getting their feet on the ground so that they can you know perform the tricks and you know learn the how LA prostitution scene is I was also wanting to um use some of the this is very lucrative and potentially we can use a lot of the money we’re getting from the underaged girls from El Salvador and use some of the money for campaign one day

. . . .

O’Keefe: We’re bringing these girls from overseas.

Hannah (Eden) Well, they’re here.

O’Keefe: But, we are gonna take a part of the profit and I intend to use the profit

Theresa (ACORN): Right.

O’Keefe: From the tricks the girls perform

Theresa (ACORN): Right.

O’Keefe: To fund my political campaign.

Theresa (ACORN): Right.

The videos go on and on like that.

Friedman, Boehlert, and others have glommed on to the fact that O’Keefe did not wear his pimp outfit inside ACORN. Pointing to various ambiguous statements or failures to correct others, they have argued that Breitbart and O’Keefe deliberately tried to suggest otherwise. Friedman and Boehlert have yet to explain how O’Keefe supposedly sought to advance this misdirection by showing himself walking into ACORN in a shirt and slacks — in the first few seconds of the very first video released to the public.

I have challenged Boehlert to say clearly whether O’Keefe ever posed as a pimp at ACORN. The offer stands at $200 simply to take a clear and unequivocal position, one way or another. It would take only 10 words and he could collect $200. Yet he won’t do it. Could it be that, if he admits O’Keefe posed as a pimp, he would no longer be able to insinuate that he didn’t by focusing on O’Keefe’s manner of dress?

“INDEPENDENT” REPORT EXONERATES ACORN AND ESTABLISHES MISLEADING OVERDUBBING

Liberal Myth: An “independent report” by a former Attorney General from Massachusetts establishes that the videos have been doctored in a misleading fashion. O’Keefe overdubbed voices to make it appear that ACORN employees were responding to one question, when in fact they were responding to a very different question.

Examples of the spreading of the myth:

Brad Friedman:

You may also not have known that while both independent reports, the other one by the Co micsngressional Research Service [PDF], found no criminal wrong doing by ACORN, they did find that O’Keefe likely the broke the law in at least two states by secretly recording the videos which had voice-overs deceptively edited into them later, “in some cases substantially,” according to Harshbarger’s report, so that it was “difficult to determine the questions to which ACORN employees are responding.”

Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon:

Boehlert and Brad Friedman have written exhaustively on how misleading the videos were, how they were heavily edited to make it look like employees were answering questions they weren’t actually asked (it seems that a lot of the “tax evasion” stuff was created in editing—employees seem to be talking about strategies to escape an abusive pimp).

Dave Johnson at the Huffington Post:

The investigation offered conclusive evidence that the videos were doctored and that voiceovers were used to make it appear people were saying things they did not say.

Eric Boehlert:

Harshbarger also shed light on the controversial videos, noting that portions had been “substantially” edited, including some voice overdubbing. And because O’Keefe and Breitbart refuse to let any outside observers — including journalists — view the full collection of unedited tapes, it’s impossible to tell just how significantly the tapes were manipulated prior to their release.

Fact: The report is by a paid ACORN consultant who did not allege misleading voiceovers, who did not interview the ACORN employees in the videos, who admits that his evidence is secondhand, and who never acknowledges the existence of unedited audio.

Harshbarger did not say the videos were doctored to make ACORN look bad. His report said there were edits and narrative voiceovers — just like in any documentary. It did not say those edits and narrative voiceovers were misleading. Here is the quote from paid ACORN consultant Harshbarger:

The unedited videos have never been made public. The videos that have been released appear to have been edited, in some cases substantially, including the insertion of a substitute voiceover for significant portions of Mr. O’Keefe’s and Ms. Giles’s comments, which makes it difficult to determine the questions to which ACORN employees are responding. A comparison of the publicly available transcripts to the released videos confirms that large portions of the original video have been omitted from the released versions.

Several questions leap to mind. Isn’t a “substitute voiceover” a standard documentary tactic? The narrator narrates while subjects are shown speaking.

Read Harshbarger’s quote again. Even though he is a shill, he is not claiming that O’Keefe substituted voiceovers in a deceptive manner to make it appear that people are saying things they didn’t say. That is just made up by the liberal bloggers.

In addition, in every case where I have seen a voiceover by O’Keefe, the unedited audio backs up what he claims is being said.

It is not “impossible” to tell what questions ACORN workers are responding to, as Boehlert claims. (Or “difficult” as shill Harshbarger claims.) The full unedited audio is available at biggovernment.com/acorn. You can listen to the unedited audio, compare it to the videos, and hear for yourself that O’Keefe did not overdub voices in a deceptive or misleading way.

For some odd reason, Harshbarger declines to mention the fact that unedited audio is available as to each ACORN visit as to which there is a transcript. Listening to the unedited audio would make it VERY EASY to determine whether there was any misleading editing or overdubbing.

You know: if you actually cared. As opposed to being out to make cheap political points.

Indeed, they used two separate microphones, as this video reveals:

(Watch beginning at around 4:40). How did they match up two separate strands of audio, if they were doing clever edits?

Friedman has flatly lied about this. In a letter to Clark Hoyt, he says: “While we can’t know if the text transcripts O’Keefe released were accurate, since he refuses to release the audio tape . . .” Friedman knows the full audio is available, as I told him this on a radio show and we discussed it at length — before he wrote Hoyt.

Eric Boehlert has linked Friedman’s post but did not lift a finger to correct Friedman. Remember: Boehlert has repeatedly claimed that O’Keefe “lied” or committed a “hoax” because he did not correct Steve Doocy’s claim about his manner of dress at ACORN. By Boehlert’s logic, Boehlert has himself engaged in a hoax, by endorsing Friedman’s post but failing to correct Friedman’s falsehood.

What’s more, Harshbarger was hardly conducting an independent investigation. He was a consultant paid by ACORN — as independent as a researcher paid by a tobacco company who finds no link between cigarettes and lung cancer.

According to the New York Times, Harshbarger “comes from the liberal, Democratic side of the political divide.”

And he didn’t interview any of the ACORN employees that appeared in the tapes.

We did not interview the employees captured on video, since we were satisfied there was no question that the visits occurred and the comments were made. . . . Hence, all our knowledge about the videos is largely circumstantial and secondhand.

Oh, well, then. You’re paid by ACORN and you didn’t interview the primary people. You want to raise questions about possibly deceptive editing — yet justify your failure to interview the principals by saying you are “satisfied there was no question that the visits occurred and the comments were made.”

Yup, no credibility issue there!

ACORN ADVICE ABOUT AVOIDING PAYING TAXES

Liberal Myth: ACORN employees never advised O’Keefe and Giles to avoid paying taxes. They simply tried to help the two pay their taxes.

Examples of the spreading of the myth:

Brad Friedman:

None of the workers they spoke with who had tried to help them had advised “evading taxes” as the wingnut crew would have you believe .. .

Friedman, in a letter to Clark Hoyt:

Your contentions are clearly (and understandably) biased by the videos which offer a very different picture from what actually happened in those offices, according to the transcripts. I’ll not continue this already long email by detailing specifics of how, except to say that, contrary to what I read as your impressions, in every office the workers advised the pair that they must legally pay their taxes (not hide the income as you suggest), no matter where it comes from.

Friedman:

In fact, in every ACORN office seen in the Breitbart/O’Keefe vidoes [sic] — as understood only by reviewing the text transcripts, since the videos are so purposely misleading on this point — ACORN employees advised that Giles must pay taxes, even if the income was gained through illegal prostitution. No ACORN employee ever advised the pair to “avoid paying taxes” as so many who fell for the hoax have described.

Boehlert:

*Correction: I originally wrote that ACORN workers provided advice on how a prostitute could avoid paying her taxes. That’s incorrect, and I regret the error.

Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon:

Boehlert and Brad Friedman have written exhaustively on how misleading the videos were, how they were heavily edited to make it look like employees were answering questions they weren’t actually asked (it seems that a lot of the “tax evasion” stuff was created in editing—employees seem to be talking about strategies to escape an abusive pimp).

Fact: ACORN employees advised Giles and O’Keefe on strategies to evade taxes.

Let’s go to the Baltimore transcript again:

Tonja: No you have to pay taxes on the money you make

O’Keefe: Is there any way around that though

Tonja: Yeah don’t file them and you continue doing cash

Or San Bernardino:

James: What about the money situation like the eh if I wanna use some of this money for my political campaign. How can, how can I start thinking about this long term so that I don’t get caught with the Feds or something like that?

Theresa (ACORN): Okay. I think- in my business it it was mostly cash.

James: Okay.

Theresa (ACORN): Alright. It’s a cash business

Hannah (Eden): That’s what we’re doing

Theresa (ACORN): So you only claim enough to you you can’t

. . . .

Theresa (ACORN): do you? Yea yea well and and we at that time I made 15 grand and they made ten and thats a lot of money for a week, well for six days,

Hannah (Eden): no kidding

Theresa (ACORN): and that was paid up front in cash

James: did you declare it all?

Theresa (ACORN): I didn’t declare a dime no—It’s cash

THE PHILADELPHIA VISIT

Liberal Myth: Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe did not represent Giles as a prostitute in Philadelphia.

Examples of the spreading of the myth:

Brad Friedman:

In the video (seen at right), Russell explains what happened when O’Keefe and his partner Hannah Giles — seen dressed similarly to a prostitute in the edited videos from other cities where O’Keefe carried out his campaign — came in for an interview in her office. “They never said that she [Giles] was a prostitute, and he was not dressed in any usually flashy manner,” Russell explains.

Fact: A video shows that Giles was identified as a prostitute.

Indeed, the released video shows that ACORN worker Katherine Conway Russell went on TV and lied about a) whether prostitution had been mentioned; b) whether Giles and O’Keefe were kicked out; and c) whether she gave any help to Giles and O’Keefe.

Friedman is aware of this. I told him about it on a radio show hosted by Larry O’Connor. He has failed to correct the falsehood.

These are just some of the myths, and just some of the evidence. I spend the time compiling it because I am sick of seeing history rewritten.

UPDATE: More here.

79 Responses to “Debunking Some Emerging ACORN Liberal Myths”

  1. such a through fisking of leftist idiocy is certainly unanticipated, and, quite possibly, unprecedented…..

    cue moonbat derangement episodes in 5….4….3….

    redc1c4 (fb8750)

  2. I dont know why these guys keep defending Acorn – in the election – they sucked – they were a non entity for decades – why oh why are they defending people caught on tape giving eager advice

    EricPWJohnson (542fec)

  3. A comprehensive rebuttal of the Liberal lies. A tour de force worthy of the great Vincent Bugliosi himself. Many thanks.

    (Note to self: make a keyboard shortcut for “Liberal lies”.)

    liamascorcaigh (bbe15c)

  4. This post is TEH RACIST!@1!$!

    Good Lt. (51111a)

  5. Well I think this was an excellent fisking of the libtard world view as it concerns the corrupt ACORN scum…

    juandos (47a2bd)

  6. That would be the Scott Harshberger who launched his career by prosecuting the Amirault family for fake child abuse in 1986. That article focuses on Coakley but Harshberger was the original prosecutor. The case is so old that it is hard to find articles about it but I remember and would never believe anything Harshberger said.

    Mike K (2cf494)

  7. Very sad that people go to such great lengths trying to defend the indefensible. A nation with a substantial portion of people like this will find it hard to survive. Hopefully the percentage is not that high.

    MD in Philly (e347b2)

  8. Pat, great job. Maybe Big Journalism should link to this?

    But if the usual liberal troll come through lying, maybe give them one chance to apologize and retract their lies before banning their IP and their IDs. Actually, I think people like them should be beaten daily as a minimum for such blood libel.

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  9. Aren’t these claims subject to libel and/or slander rules? They are making overtly false claims which disparage and/or accuse of overtly fraudulent acts the individuals in question.

    I know that’s tricky to win, but it seems it’s happening on a scale that would make it worth pursuing anyway. As it is, the viewer/listener would have to actually pursue the originals (unlikely) to hear any alternative side. With a suit, they might, nominally, get curious enough to investigate after hearing there is a lie being told.

    That’s not going to work with everyone, but I think more people are distrustful of the media these days and more likely to be open to the idea that they are lying.

    Even a (likely) loss won’t be bad, if it’s properly played — emphasize over and over that “a loss only means we can’t prove they are lying. It doesn’t mean they aren’t lying”. Combine that with the constant mantra “Look, here’s the video, here are the transcripts, here’s the unedited audio. Listen for yourself.” and “here’s the transcripts we consider important in showing they are dishonest in such claims about Giles and O’Keefe showed ACORN doing. Here is the unedited audio for those transcripts, so you know what is being said and done for yourself.”

    This is about media manipulation, and it’s not wrong to use it to counter the lies they pass off which take advantage of people’s inertia, esp. as long as you’re making the reality available in addition if one chooses to decide for themselves after investigating.

    They need to do the same smart thing they’ve been doing so far, which is to get inside the libtard’s OODA Loop and get them responding on the fly to honest charges.

    Get them so busy responding to —the truth— they don’t have time to set up their lies like this and then spam the media with them.

    One thing The Right does all too often is to stop beating them. They can beat them every time, because they’re smarter, wiser, craftier, but the Left wins on motivation.

    They’re like friggin’ Terminators, they don’t stop, they don’t give up, they don’t stay down…. and you know they can’t be reasoned with.

    You have to get the advantage and then keep hammering at them with it.

    It’s an eternal fight.

    We can’t let up.

    IgotBupkis (79d71d)

  10. They are in full-retreat mode and have moved on to their next subterfuge.

    GeneralMalaise (c58b20)

  11. […] I document in this thorough post below, O’Keefe repeatedly told ACORN employees that he was setting up a house where Giles and […]

    Patterico's Pontifications » Boehlert Lies Again (e4ab32)

  12. You’re definitely doing yeoman’s work here, and it’s much appreciated. It would be interesting if someone (not me, I don’t have the patience or stamina for it) eventually constructs a timeline of when the vids were released and when the lies started coming fast and furious. Perhaps we’re at the turning point where the canard about repeating lies often enough runs smack dab into the “fact checking your ass” that only this medium can provide in such a timely manner. At any rate, thank you for your stalwart attention to these satanic offspring of Soros.

    Dmac (799abd)

  13. Nice post. That must have taken dedication.

    one note, since Harshbarger’s a liar because he’s a Democrat does the same thing hold true for the Congressional Research Service.

    “Didn’t break any Federal regulations” is a pretty strange conclusion to reach if the ACORN people were suggesting tax evasion, et. al. I mean, geez, I get not breaking Federal law, ’cause that would require a high level of proof, but not even a Federal regulation!

    Wow, they must have watched different videos

    timb (449046)

  14. one note, since Harshbarger’s a liar because he’s a Democrat

    I don’t recall anyone saying Harshbarger’s a liar because he’s a Democrat. But nice strawman, timmy.

    “Didn’t break any Federal regulations” is a pretty strange conclusion to reach if the ACORN people were suggesting tax evasion

    You’ve seen the transcripts: did ACORN employees suggest tax evasion? (It’s pretty clear that they did.) If they did, then “Didn’t break any Federal regulations” would be incorrect.

    Some chump (050674)

  15. one note, since Harshbarger’s a liar because he’s a Democrat does the same thing hold true for the Congressional Research Service.

    Since the CRS was led by John Conyers, color me unimpressed with their conclusions. It’s legal hair-splitting, in any case. We have a clout-heavy political organization with direct connection to the White House advising two people how to evade taxes and commit prostitution to fund a political campaign. That they are so casual in giving advice, doesn’t it raise the question about what other illegal activities they are used to advising on? It appears that this is de rigeur for ACORN. And once again, our unbiased news media is asleep at the wheel.

    the wolf (0dce92)

  16. Again, timb, should be consigned to the bit bucket. His “Faked, but accurate” rebuttal should be punished and punished harshly.

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  17. “And once again, our unbiased news media is asleep at the wheel.”

    Or in full collusion.

    GeneralMalaise (c58b20)

  18. Wow, they must have watched different videos

    You didn’t watch any of the videos.

    Good Lt. (51111a)

  19. “A Congressional Research Service report commissioned by the House Judiciary Committee says ACORN hasn’t violated any federal regulations the past five years.”

    Oh?

    The report contains, among other things, page after page detailing ACORN’s various criminal activities.

    Example:

    “Last summer, King County prosecutors charged seven ACORN employees with submitting false information on voter-registration cards.”

    “Five of the seven have since pleaded guilty. Two
    ACORN employees admitted falsifying registrations in Pierce County.”

    Another Example:

    “The Committee staff has been investigating the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now’s (“ACORN”) lack of compliance with various federal laws. The ACORN Report found ACORN conspired to defraud the United States by using taxpayer funds for partisan political activities. ACORN submitted false filings to the IRS, in addition to failing to report and pay excise taxes on Dale Rathke’s excess benefit transactions. Additionally, ACORN falsified and
    concealed facts concerning an illegal transaction between related parties in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). I am concerned ACORN has
    failed to comply with §§ 501(c), 527(f) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and other Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regulations.”

    http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/CRS-ACORN091222.pdf

    Makes for interesting reading, but I’d block out a few hours to read it all, because ACORN has a long history of criminal activity.

    Dave Surls (ac03e3)

  20. If Leftists couldn’t lie about the things which make them uncomfortable, they wouldn’t have anything to talk about.

    AD - RtR/OS! (ad40ca)

  21. “Unedited Audio”

    Why not some unedited video? Of course, deep down down in your fevered little brains, you already know the answer to that.

    GoneGalt (a34e14)

  22. Why not some unedited video? Of course, deep down down in your fevered little brains, you already know the answer to that.

    Uh, ever heard of Google? The unedited video is available. Maybe your brain is the fevered little one, genius.

    LibsSuck (cc4f21)

  23. You have a funny definition of “unedited” By funny I mean “idiotic”.

    GoneGalt (a34e14)

  24. This whole “unedited video” is a ginormous red herring, but the likes of Galt will march forward with same. It was correct in noting that the unedited video is not available.

    JD (410197)

  25. So now, per our friend Galt, presence of audio evidence is insufficient to know what was said, because a better recording technology exists that was not used. Is it really more proof of a thing that it is seen instead of heard?

    alwaysfiredup (46730c)

  26. BTW Harshbarger was the Massachusetts DA who prosecuted the Fells Acres sex abuse case and convicted the Amerault family in spite of overwhelming evidence that they were innocent.

    So…upright trustworthy guy, huh?

    (Then Martha Coakley, as DA of Mass later, successfully lobbied the governor to keep them in prison when they were up for parole. One of her many unsavory acts.)

    Yehudit (777ca1)

  27. Comment by Dave Surls — 3/2/2010

    Surly, we’ve been over this ground before. Voter registration fraud is not the same as voter fraud. Ask the nine USDA’s Karl Rove fired because they find voter fraud.

    The people convicted by various DA’s around the country for voter fraud, you tool, were turned into those DA’s by ACORN, which is bound to a) submit voter registration cards they receive from stringers and b) advise local election boards where fraud is suspected.

    For a guy who loves him some crazy right wingers, you sure don’t realize if ACORN is guilty of their employees’ crimes then Andy Breitbart is guilty as O’Keefe’s. See how consistency works.

    Still, at least ACORN tries to do good work. Breitbart just tries to enrich himself…and make lame Footloose references…..and scream into David Weigel’s crotch….and just appear relentlessly angry.

    Still, as always, nice playing with you. Man, the stuff you don’t know about the world could fill an ocean…

    timb (449046)

  28. Patterico, your diligence in this matter is both very appreciated and very effective. I can’t imagine how tedious it must be to repeatedly have to re-cover the same well-trod ground to meticulously refute the casual, bald-faced misrepresentations and lies of the ACORN defenders. Unfortunately in the blogosphere, “truth” is apparently 10% investigation and 90% repetition.

    cns (02c1ca)

  29. Obviously, the references to Salvadoran girls “performing tricks” only meant they were going to do neighborhood magic shows.

    malclave (4f3ec1)

  30. Keep up the good work … Kudoes you and Retracto!

    SteveCan (72a7f6)

  31. What do you think of Brooklyn DA Hynes’ announcement that his investigation had turned up nothing actionable?

    chsw (4d7e47)

  32. Patterico Breaks Down Some Liberal ACORN Myths…

    Debunking Some Emerging ACORN Liberal Myths
    This
    post debunks several liberal myths about ACORN that have emerged in
    recent weeks — many from Eric Boehlert of Media Matters and Brad
    Friedman.
    POSING AS PIM* AT ACORN
    Liberal Myth: James……

    Defend America (347d54)

  33. chsw – What do you think about that “unexpected” occurrence?

    JD (0f9c01)

  34. What do you think of Brooklyn DA Hynes’ announcement that his investigation had turned up nothing actionable?

    We’ve just learned that the Brooklyn DA amazingly happens to be a member of ACORN.

    http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/2009/08/wfp-announces-nyc-endorsements/

    So what do you think of that shocking revelation?

    Dmac (799abd)

  35. BTW, the tax evasion allegations should also encompass the advice rendered to Giles to ramp up her expenses for grooming and such to reduce the net shown to Uncle Sam.

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  36. Harshbarger’s contention that ACORN and ACORN Housing are legally separate organizations, with completely different boards, etc. is also somewhat clouded by Bertha Lewis speaking on behalf of both organizations as the videos were released and talking about terminating employees.

    Since Harshbarger did not investigate anything related to ACORN Housing, or so he contends, presumably we will see an “independent” investigation of that organization very shortly.

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  37. “Surly, we’ve been over this ground before.”

    No we haven’t. You linked to a Politco story that claimed in its headline “CRS report: ACORN didn’t break law”.

    And, of course, what Politico says is a bald faced lie. The actual report, which I linked to (and which Politico didn’t…for obvious reasons), contains page after page detailing the illegal activities of ACORN.

    We have not been over thus ground before.

    Dave Surls (ac03e3)

  38. well done, man, well done!! I admit I didn’t read the entire thing, basically because I know the truth, but I can tell you went to a lot of work to debunk their lies! So, great work!

    sarainitaly (fbf5a5)

  39. “Still, as always, nice playing with you. Man, the stuff you don’t know about the world could fill an ocean…”

    Another self-proclaimed enlightened lefty! Color me shocked… not.

    GeneralMalaise (c58b20)

  40. I hate to be crude but sometimes you just have to say. Lying bastards.

    Watney (6d0d9b)

  41. Brad Friedman is the scum of the Earth. I have dealt with him more than once. He is a rabid leftist who simply does not care about the facts.

    One must understand something when dealing with hard-core leftists. Facts DO NOT MATTER to them. A lie told to advance their cause is perfectly justified in their minds. They do not lose a minute of sleep over it. Hell, they probably brag about it.

    Reggie (a1c5d1)

  42. They don’t lose a minute of sleep worrying about the way that things actually were.

    GeneralMalaise (c58b20)

  43. I posted a clip at the Brad Blog. I can’t bring myself to post at MMFA. They just aren’t worth the electrons to send the message.

    Ben Froland (341d6d)

  44. Reggie – Gleeen Gleeeenwald stated as much during Bush.

    JD (0f9c01)

  45. timb,

    one note, since Harshbarger’s a liar because he’s a Democrat does the same thing hold true for the Congressional Research Service.

    “Didn’t break any Federal regulations” is a pretty strange conclusion to reach if the ACORN people were suggesting tax evasion, et. al. I mean, geez, I get not breaking Federal law, ’cause that would require a high level of proof, but not even a Federal regulation!

    Wow, they must have watched different videos

    The CRS report linked earlier doesn’t even discuss the issue of whether or not any activity in the videos represented violation of federal regulations by ACORN, only whether or not the acts of videotaping and release by O’Keefe/Giles/Briebart violated federal or state laws. Politico apparently pulled the first sentence (A Congressional Research Service report commissioned by the House Judiciary Committee says ACORN hasn’t violated any federal regulations the past five years.) out of thin air. On political issues you should never ever trust anyone (including me) who says a report says something, too often they take one small section out of context or just flat out lie. Read the CRS report yourself and see if you can find out where the heck Jake Sherman got his lead sentence in the Politico article.

    One might almost say that the “CRS report cleared ACORN of wrongdoing” is an emerging liberal ACORN myth except that it already emergent.

    max (383bf5)

  46. Typical of timb’s competence and honesty, frankly.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  47. I cannot really fault timb for thinking that a reputable news source like Politico wouldn’t flat out lie. It took me a long time to accept that most reporters have no idea what they are reporting on, never read the underlying documents, often only bother with part of the story, allow themselves to be mislead by mediocre liars, and scramble facts so much that they might as well tell bold faced lies.

    max (383bf5)

  48. max, timb has a long history of posting links that don’t say what he claims for them or that he has obviously not read.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  49. Nice job, Patterico.

    You really are exposing Boehlert, Friedman and their fellow travelers as a bunch of lying freaks.

    ACORN is a lost cause, defended by psychotic losers.

    Apogee (e2dc9b)

  50. One must understand something when dealing with hard-core leftists. Facts DO NOT MATTER to them. A lie told to advance their cause is perfectly justified in their minds. They do not lose a minute of sleep over it. Hell, they probably brag about it.

    secular taqyyia…. and just as poisonous to freedom.

    redc1c4 (fb8750)

  51. […] to find articles about it but I remember and would never believe anything Harshberger said. — Comment by Mike K — 3/2/2010 @ 5:40 […]

    ACORN & LEFTWING MEDIA WHO NURTURE THEM: PARASITIC INFESTATION ON THE SOUL OF THE U.S.A. – suzyrice.com (47121e)

  52. […] Debunking several liberal myths about ACORN, Patterico, Patterico’s Pontifications. […]

    Breakfast Scramble (2af0e7)

  53. Voter registration fraud is not the same as voter fraud.

    Voter registration fraud is used to enable vote fraud. That the left routinely ignores this shows their dependence on vote fraud.

    Rob Crawford (04f50f)

  54. […] are the coin of the realm. In my comments, I set forth some of the facts I included in my post debunking liberal ACORN myths. One of the commenters wanted to discuss New York — possibly because the Brooklyn D.A. […]

    Patterico's Pontifications » More Debunking of Liberal Myths on ACORN (e4ab32)

  55. If “Fact #1” is correct… then why did Hannah Giles say that he was not dressed as a pimp at CPAC? Why did they claim on talkshows he was dressed as a pimp, and then later claim he wasn’t? I don’t care what the liberal bloggers say, I’m referring to the statements from O’Keefe and Giles.

    The ACORN employees have stated he wasn’t dressed that way, and that the questions he asked weren’t posed that way and were dubbed over. Now, we have admissions from the filmmakers, that they misconstrued and embellished what they did.

    I’m sure that ACORN employees have done some very shady things, and by no means feel that they are off the hook. But the credibility of O’Keefe is in serious question on this matter, and completely taints the evidence they have uncovered, because they quite obviously have not been entirely truthful.

    Do you really wonder why the left wing blogs are having a field day with it? Everyone was all excited to have these kids make this incredible video, but now the other shoe is dropping, revealing that they are in fact still kids, and were not being entirely honest.

    Jim (52e921)

  56. Jim, troll elsewhere. No one is buying your wholesale lies.

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  57. Jim, amusing that you refer to honesty when your comment shows none.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  58. I’m not trolling. I’m no fan of ACORN, and think several of their employees should be locked up.

    BUT, I do believe in the rule of law, and don’t think we should lock them up based on faked video evidence. What, because a lie is coming from our side, that makes it ok?

    Jim (52e921)

  59. Jim, your claims have already been debunked. The unedited videos exist.

    So Moby, when is your next album coming out?

    SPQR (26be8b)

  60. Scott Harshbarger is a piece of work. He was the guy behind the Fells Acres frame job in Massachusetts, which sent people to prison for crimes that never occurred; he’s secure in sovereign immunity, and he’s never even had the decency to apologize.

    Meanwhile, his office would drop the prosecution on anyone connected however loosely to the ruling party in his one-party state.

    He was so transparent a phony that he lost to a Republican in Massachusetts, something rather hard to do, and he’s been scamming these kinds of gigs, selling his former title for money, ever since. They told him what his report should say, and he wrote it that way — he’s one of the 96% of attorneys who give the good ones a bad name.

    Kevin R.C. O'Brien (b01720)

  61. “I’m sure that ACORN employees have done some very shady things, and by no means feel that they are off the hook.”

    Jim – I’m more troubled by the shady things the ACORN employees did in the videos, aren’t you, Jim? After all, they caused ACORN to voluntarily shut down for a period of time, caused the Census Bureau and Senate to cut ACORN off before any of the “misleading” appearances you reference, and the Harshbarger report does not deny the damaging comments were made by the ACORN employees.

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  62. I have read your quotes and I see nothing but hogwash here. This is your defense of a lying, cheating creepo? You’re as sad as O’Keefe.

    louee (ef9c3d)

  63. So I found the CPAC video, and Hannah clearly and emphatically says, twice, that he was not dressed as a pimp in their ACORN office visits.

    Yet, in the Fox video, they both claim he was.

    So, which time was she lying? And why does this blog page not mention this discrepancy at all, which is what started the liberal blog frenzy? How can you claim you are debunking a myth when you are completely ignoring the entire basis on which it started?

    Thats a serious question, and I hope people don’t think I’m implying that ACORN isn’t guilty and filled with criminals. Lying about your costume on national news is pretty minor compared to actively helping someone keep child sex slaves.

    Daveco (52e921)

  64. louee – I have read your comment and I see nothing but hogwash there.

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  65. Oh, pardon me. I’m not familiar with this site, as I linked over from another site. I didn’t realize I was horning in on the psychotic conversations of fringe losers. I’ll leave now.

    louee (ef9c3d)

  66. I didn’t realize I was horning in on the psychotic conversations of fringe losers. I’ll leave now.
    Comment by louee — 3/3/2010 @ 1:38 pm

    DLTDHYITAOTWO. Enjoy the rest of your day.

    Stashiu3 (44da70)

  67. Stashiu3 – Was that a declaration of victory by louee on the way out or just the normal moron liberal snark?

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  68. “DLTDHYITAOTWO. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

    Stashiu3 – I think it’s already hit him in the head so many times the damage is permanent.

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  69. I wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time around psychotic conversations either. Wait… 😉

    Stashiu3 (44da70)

  70. […] Patterico does yeoman’s work in debunking liberal myths about ACORN and their willingness to engage in criminal activity. […]

    Today’s Special: Conservatism, with a side of Capitalism at Haemet (3bcabb)

  71. Politico apparently pulled the first sentence (A Congressional Research Service report commissioned by the House Judiciary Committee says ACORN hasn’t violated any federal regulations the past five years.) out of thin air.

    Or maybe they just found it there: http://judiciary.house.gov/news/091222.html

    Triumph (b66fe4)

  72. This thread has turned into flypaper for mental midgets.

    JD (123e8b)

  73. “Or maybe they just found it there: http://judiciary.house.gov/news/091222.html

    Triumph – You might have a point if the language was actually there.

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  74. for the Democrat trolls: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=922118

    If we had an honest, not politicized DOJ, Various ACORN workers would be facing Federal Charges.

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  75. It will surprise no one that Triumph’s link is to a press release, the CRS report does not actually state what he claims.

    And amusingly, from the CRS report itself: “Finally, please note that CRS did not independently verify the information contained within the articles cited.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  76. If we had an honest, not politicized DOJ, Various ACORN workers would be facing Federal Charges.

    Funny how you complain about politics influencing justice, while simultaneously demanding ACORN employees be prosecuted using evidence that was illegally collected by O’Keefe because of his political motivations.

    If you want to prosecute ACORN for suggesting tax evasion, then you should also demand O’Keefe be prosecuted for breaking the state wiretapping laws, which he very obviously did.

    Gee, why would a DA not want to get involved in a very partisan case that is based off illegally collected evidence? You guys are not lawyers, and are not very smart.

    [Liblawyer/Daveco/Jim: Please pick a name and stay with it, especially within the same thread. –Stashiu]

    LibLawyer (52e921)

  77. […] by golly, is the absolute truth, as I have demonstrated here time and time […]

    » Brad Friedman’s Lies Fail to Save ACORN - Big Journalism (d59464)

  78. […] Using their own lies posted on Twitter, as compared with the audio transcripts of O’Keefe and Giles’ visits to various ACORN offices. The audio itself is available at Breitbart. Each audio file consists in two uncut versions, because Giles and O’Keefe each wore a microphone, so comparison of the tracks would reveal editing, had it occurred. Among the questions addressed: whether O’Keefe represented himself as a pimp and Giles as a prostitute who intended to continue to practice prostitution during interviews with ACORN regarding prospective housing loans to set up a brothel employing Salvadoran teens; whether ACORN employees ever counselled O’Keefe and Giles how to avoid paying taxes on their prostitution income; whether the Harshberger investigation, paid for by ACORN, was independent or comprehensive in any sense. […]

    Patterico Forensically Demolishes Boehlert & Co. Over O’Keefe & Giles | POWIP (d65a4c)


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