ACORN Corruption at the Local Level – Is Your Newspaper Covering It?

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We've all been witness to the deft handling of the MSM by Andrew Breitbart and the investigative reporters James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles.  Their work has uncovered a level of corruption being perpetrated by members of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), heretofore unknown; at least by those who derive their information solely from the likes of Big Media.   

However, as diligent members of the conservative community, it is crucial that one keeps an eye out for lower levels of corruption stained by the fingerprints of ACORN.  Will your local newspapers be able and willing to connect the dots?

One such scenario involves a massive voter fraud case in upstate New York.  The allegations, which were brought to light by the Albany Times Union, involve absentee ballots forged by people associated with the city's Democratic Party for those registered to vote on the Working Families Party (WFP) line in Troy, NY.  The ballots not only involve clearly forged signatures, but also, falsifying excuses for not being present on Election Day, and registering individuals who no longer live in the area.

Some interesting items not being covered in the investigative report are the links between the WFP and ACORN, and even certain names mentioned in the article which clearly show ties with the organization.

The WFP has been shown to be nothing more than a front for ACORN and its radical policies.  Why?  

• RedState has demonstrated that the WFP was founded by key members of ACORN, and shares many of its political strategies.
• The WFP lists ACORN as an affiliate program directly on their Web site.
• Roger Stone calls the New York Working Families Party "one of ACORN's most successful projects".
• The New York Post analyzes the many shady dealings of the WFP, and its affiliation with ACORN.

None of these ties were explored in the Times Union article.  In fact, when asked about how much investigation was put into this potential link, the only response received thus far has been:  "Nothing on Acorn in this as of yet that I'm aware".

Yet a simple review of the above material demonstrates that these fraudulent ballot allegations may have been orchestrated by a higher entity - namely, ACORN.  Seemingly just as strange, is that a quick look into the history of one of the key components in the story, Karen Scharff, shows a direct link to the organization itself. 

Scharff, according to the article, is co-chair of the Capital District WFP.  A little further digging reveals so much more...

• Scharff has been involved in health care meetings coordinated by her group, Citizen Action, and ACORN. A picture of one such event appears on the Times Union blog.
• Her name appears on a letter of support for ACORN, in which criticism of their work is labeled as ‘mainly partisan' attacks.
• An article regarding the power of fusion politics, a tactic used by the WFP, shows Scharff's activism in the election of Albany District Attorney, David Soares. The article covers the tandem work of the WFP and Citizen Action, along with the strong ties that the WFP has with ACORN. One key element here is the mention of Bertha Lewis who is described as ‘the executive director of ACORN's New York City chapter'. Lewis also serves as co-chair for the WFP.
• Another article celebrating the Soares victory appears in the Nation, in which Scharff's WFP work is mentioned alongside the work of Dan Cantor. Cantor also serves as Executive Director for the WFP, and was national organizer for the ‘New Party' in the ‘90s, a socialist group with strong ties to ACORN. In fact, the New Ground described the New Party's ‘biggest asset and biggest liability' as ACORN.
• Scharff serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Working Families, alongside Jon Kest, Director of the New York Association of Community Organization for Reform Now.

Further research shows that the aforementioned names are constantly intertwined amongst various resources. 

It is important to recognize that ACORN's corrupt little arms have branched out everywhere.  Examples of such aren't always as blatant as what we have seen recently in the media.  They control many other aspects, all the way down to the local level.  And it is just as important to hold the local media accountable for connecting the dots of corruption, rather than simply, as can be paraphrased from the Times Union response, ‘nothing that we're aware of yet'.

Make yourself aware - the media, as you know, simply won't do the work for you.

Photo Credit:  AP/Jae C. Hong