Reform is one of the words that make up the acronym ACORN. That’s insulting to anyone who thinks things through. If I played a word association game on ACORN, the last word I’d think is reform. It’d be great if ACORN underwent a series of reforms but that isn’t likely to happen. CNN is reporting that ACORN is being investigated in Indiana:

More than 2,000 voter registration forms filed in northern Indiana’s Lake County by a liberal activist group this week have turned out to be bogus, election officials said Thursday.

The group, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, already faces allegations of filing fraudulent voter registrations in Nevada and faces investigations in other states.

And in Lake County, home to the long-depressed steel town of Gary, the bipartisan Elections Board has stopped processing a stack of about 5,000 applications delivered just before the October 6 registration deadline after the first 2,100 turned out to be phony. (continue reading post »)

If this report doesn’t stun thoughtful people everywhere, then it’s safe to say that outrage has died. Here’s what the Las Vegas Journal Review is reporting:

State Department of Corrections officials say the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (or ACORN) was using convicted criminals to conduct registration drives.

Corrections officials say they were work release inmates and was brought to their attention at the end of July. At that time corrections officials told organizers to immediately stop using the inmates.

What guarantee is there that these convicted criminals won’t attempt to vote using some of the phoney names that they ‘registered’? I certainly won’t trust them to do the right thing. Here’s the article’s closing paragraph:

State investigators are looking into whether names on ACORN’s voter rolls are fake. The group claimed to have signed up around 80,000 low income Nevada residents.

All summer and fall, we’ve heard that the registration numbers for Democrats have jumped dramatically. With convicted criminals working on voter registration drives, why shouldn’t we think that these registration numbers aren’t up dramatically in part because of ACORN’s activities? (continue reading post »)

The first thing that popped into my head after seeing the latest McCain-Palin video, appropriately titled “Ayers”, goes straight to the point. What type of America do you want to live in? Here’s the video:

Though the video is a relatively length 1:40, it barely scratches the surface in terms of the questions that Sen. Obama should be asked. A standard Obama defense is that he was only 8 when Ayers committed these acts of terrorism. That’s true but it’s an artful dodge. Sen. Obama wasn’t 8 when he started working with Ayers on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Sen. Obama wasn’t 8 when Ayers hosted a kickoff fundraiser for Obama in 1995.

We know that Ayers’ ‘reforms’ weren’t reforms; they were plans for indoctrinating Chicago’s youth. Here’s a list of questions I have for that subject:

1. What specific projects did Sen. Obama work with Ayers on?
2. What was the budget for each of these projects?
3. What was the stated goal of these projects?

That’s just a partial list of questions regarding the Ayers/Obama relationship but it’s a list that the Agenda Media refuse to ask him. That’s before we start poking around in the emerging ACORN/Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac/Franklin Raines scandal. (continue reading post »)

Following Monday’s vote on the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailout, two things should be clear to the American people: Barack Obama is a sideline watcher and Nancy Pelosi cares more about playing hyperpartisan politics than she cares about doing what’s right for the American people.

When John McCain jumped into the mess last week, 4 House Republican were on board with the bailout. When the final tally was counted yesterday, 65 Republicans voted for the bill. John McCain’s jumping into the fray meant another thing: House Republicans got a seat at the table, allowing them to negotiate into the bill some meaningful provisions that would’ve protected taxpayers to a certain extent. John Boehner worked hard to get Republicans on board. That’s the picture of leadership.

By comparison, Barack Obama wanted to stay away in the worst way. He only returned to Washington because President Bush invited him. That isn’t the picture of leadership. The minute the meeting ended, his jet was winging him away from Washington. He didn’t lift a finger over the weekend. Yes, he stayed in touch with Secretary Paulson but he didn’t call House Democrats urging them to vote for this bill.

He essentially voted present again. That’s unacceptable, especially considering the fact that this was supposedly the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. In my opinion, there’s two reasons why he isn’t interjecting himself into this crisis. (continue reading post »)

Last Thursday, Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit reported that St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch were forming an Obama truth squad:

St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch are threatening to bring libel charges against those who speak out falsely against Barack Obama.

KMOV aired a story last night, that stated that St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, both Obama supporters, are threatening to bring criminal libel charges against anyone who levels what turns out to be false criticisms of their chosen candidate for President.

Now, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is running this quote from Jennifer Joyce about the OTS:

As a citizen, I believe that elections should be about issues. I also have enormous respect for our First Amendment and freedom of speech. My sole purpose in participating in this initiative is about getting truthful information to the voters. This has never been or never will be about prosecuting people.

Clearly there are those who are attempting to twist the purpose of this initiative for their own benefit. This attack is a great example of how the truth is distorted in campaigns and what we’re trying to stand up against.

Ms. Joyce’s line that she has “enormous respect for our First Amendment” is downright laughable. (continue reading post »)

I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t said something that he’s later reversed course on. Often, people are called hypocrites for doing that. That’s actually misusing the word. Here’s Dictionary.com’s definition of hypocrite:

a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

The reason I mention this is to preface this McCain video about Sen. Obama’s hypocrisy:

Here’s the transcript of the video:

ANNCR: What Obama says…
BARACK OBAMA: It would be unacceptable for executives of these institutions to earn a windfall.
ANNCR: …Is not what he does.
Meet Jim Johnson, former Fannie Mae CEO. Fannie cooked the books and Johnson made millions.
Then Obama asked him to pick his VP. And raise thousands for his campaign.
Barack Obama. More empty words.

Perhaps a close parsing of Sen. Obama’s words is needed. After all, Sen. Obama only said it would be “unacceptable for executives of these institutions to earn a windfall.” He didn’t say it would “unacceptable for executives of these institutions to help him pick his vice president.”

The most important point of this sarcastic bit is that Sen. Obama isn’t about whether he’s a hypocrite. It’s that he isn’t who he says he is. It’s thar he fits the true definition of hypocrite.

Technorati Tags: Hypocrite, Jim Johnson, Fannie Mae, Washington Insider, Obama, John McCAin, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Last week, Speaker Pelosi sent Steny Hoyer out to wave the white flag of defeat on energy. Or so we thought. This is what Hoyer said then:

“[Republicans] will have the opportunity to offer their alternative, yes,” Hoyer said in response to a question about how the energy bill will be introduced. “We understand that their motion to recommit will be their Republican alternative.”

Rep. Hoyer’s words no longer apply. Ms. Pelosi has reverted back to her tyrannical behavior. The Democrats’ new ‘Drilling Bill’ is being brought up under a closed rule again:

Late last night, the Democrat Rules Committee decided to allow debate on ZERO amendments to the Democrats’ new energy gimmick bill. It is a closed bill, so no amendments can be offered, and no compromise can be reached. They made this decision over Republican objections, in the dead of night, and less than 12 hours before the House would begin consideration of the bill.

That’s a complete turnaround from their original promise. Democrats have just just told America that their word is worthless. Their credibility, which was already circling the drain, just dropped lower. It’s almost vanished.

Here are 3 definitions of corruption:

• perversion of integrity.
• corrupt or dishonest proceedings.
• debasement or alteration, as of language or a text

I’d say each definition fits what the House Democratic leadership promised a week earlier. Minority Leader John Boehner isn’t taking this lightly: (continue reading post »)

Based on this press release, thinking people wonder if Charlie Rangel and Al Franken are birds of a feather. Charlie Rangel and Al Franken have had tax troubles. Now there’s another connection:

Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey today called on DFL U.S. Senate Al Franken to immediately return the $10,000 in campaign contributions he has accepted from fellow New York tax cheat Charlie Rangel after it was revealed that Rangel never declared $75,000 in taxes on rental property.

Why would Charlie Rangel’s PAC contribute to Al Franken’s floundering campaign? Here’s more details of Rangel’s contribution:

Al Franken Has Taken $10,000 From New York Congressman Charlie Rangel’s PAC. On June 27, 2008, Al Franken took $10,000 from New York Congressman Charlie Rangel’s National Leadership PAC. (Itemized Receipts, Al Franken For Senate, July 2008 FEC Quarterly Report, June 27, 2008)

That money connection is likely why Mr. Franken hasn’t called for Chairman Rangel’s resignation from the House Ways and Means Committee until the investigation is completed. (continue reading post »)

Al Franken must feel like he’s got big red bullseyes painted on his back and chest. Just when he was hoping his troubles were over, the Minnesota Republican Party is asking for an explanation of his role in the Gloria Wise scandal:

At a State Capitol press conference today, Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Ron Carey called on Al Franken to provide more detailed answers to his role in the cover-up involving nearly $900,000 that was stolen from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club by Franken’s Air America company.

“Al Franken did nothing to help return nearly $900,000 to the New York Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club while his employer, Air America, continued to use the money to possibly pay Franken’s salary and benefits,” said Carey. “At a time when Franken’s temper tantrums and bad behavior could have been put to good use by publicly demanding and threatening to expose his employer’s role in this massive fraud, Franken remained silent. But, while he negotiated for a multi-million contract, he was well aware that his nearly bankrupt Air America employer had stolen money from the Boys and Girls Club and he did nothing and said nothing to get the money returned.”

I remember this scandal because it was so despicable in nature. I remember thinking that it was pretty repulsive that Franken would negotiate a big contract when Air America was financially strapped and likely appropriating funds from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club. I remember thinking that Mr. Franken didn’t have a shred of integrity.

To re-inforce Chairman Carey’s statement that “Al Franken did nothing to help return nearly $900,000 to the New York Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club while his employer, Air America, continued to use the money to possibly pay Franken’s salary and benefits”, I refer you to Brian Maloney’s initial post breaking this scandal. Of the many questions Brian Maloney asks in his article, this one stands out the most: (continue reading post »)

While it’s doubtful that Charlie Rangel has served his last day as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, it’s entirely possible that he’ll soon be the subject of an ethics investigation. Here’s why:

Representative Charles B. Rangel paid no interest for more than a decade on a mortgage extended to him to buy a villa at a beachfront resort in the Dominican Republic, according to Mr. Rangel’s lawyer and records from the resort.

The loan was given to him by the resort development company, in which Theodore Kheel, a prominent New York labor lawyer, was a principal investor. Mr. Kheel, who has given tens of thousands of dollars to Mr. Rangel’s campaigns over the past decade, had encouraged the congressman to be one of the initial investors in the project.

The loan, which was extended to Mr. Rangel in 1988, was originally to be paid back over seven years at a rate of 10.5 percent. But within two years, interest on the loan was waived for Mr. Rangel and six other early investors because the resort was generating less income than projected, according to a statement released on Friday by Jose Oliva, director of the resort.

(continue reading post »)