Republicans focus on ACORN theme in new Web site
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Republicans continued to push one of their top 2010 campaign themes today, releasing a new Web site and YouTube ad tying Secretary of State — and U.S. Senate candidate — Robin Carnahan to ACORN.
Carnahan, a Democrat, is running against Republican Congressman Roy Blunt, the likely nominee, and Chuck Purgason, a state senator.
ACORN, a liberal group which aims its political work at helping low-income neighborhoods, has been getting hit hard by the right lately over damaging videos showing ACORN employees at various locations offering illegal advice on prostitution rings and tax avoidance. None of the videos were shot in Missouri.
Carnahan, the GOP says, is “cozy” with ACORN and it cites e-mails obtained in a Sunshine Law request showing ACORN officials and Carnahan staff members talking about two issues: a photo ID law that both Carnahan and ACORN opposed, and a lawsuit against the state filed by ACORN over violations of the “motor voter” law.
ACORN won the lawsuit and a judgment of nearly half-a-million dollars and praised Carnahan for being helpful on the issue. Indeed, Carnahan had lobbied the state to do a better job of enforcing the federal law which requires social service agencies to make voter registration forms eligible for clients.
None of the allegations by the GOP are particularly new; but with ACORN’s recent infamy, the Republicans are hoping Carnahan’s connections to ACORN put the Democrat in a tough spot.
“Despite more than a dozen convictions in Missouri, the submission of tens of thousands of questionable or false voter registration forms, and shocking videos that show the group promoting criminal activities, Robin Carnahan has had ample opportunity to distance herself from ACORN. But during her five years as the state’s highest ranking elections official, Carnahan has never condemned the embattled liberal group,” said GOP executive director Lloyd Smith, in a news release.
Carnahan’s campaign responded by calling the allegations “false” and “hypocritical” since Blunt has voted for funding for ACORN during his time in Congress.
Asked what, specifically, was false about the GOP allegations, Carnahan spokesman Linden Zakula said that it’s untrue to say that Carnahan has said nothing about the various voter fraud allegations in the past. While she might not have mentioned ACORN by name, she said that any allegations of voter fraud should be investigated and prosecuted. Further, Zakula said that Carnahan’s relationship with ACORN should be put in context, suggesting it’s no different than other relationships she has with chambers of commerce, for instance, or other organizations that do business with the Secretary of State.
Each candidate has now followed a similar political script in criticizing the other for its relationships with special interests. When Democrats accused Blunt of being close to the insurance lobby, Blunt’s campaign responded with nearly identical language, calling the attacks “false” and “hypocritical.”
In both cases, the crux of the allegations are true. Blunt has taken a lot of donations from folks connected to the insurance lobby, and Carnahan has ties to ACORN.
See the GOP ad on ACORN below.
And it’s also true that ACORN is part of US Action, which has been running attack ads to the tune of millions of dollars on Roy Blunt in Southwest Missouri while Carnahan sits on the sidelines.
And it’s also true that Robin Carnahan, as well as Jay Nixon have their own insurance money donations that make the attack a bit foolish.
Carnahan does realize that there is an election, and not a coronation?
As someone who would have been disenfranchised by the voter ID bill, I did work with Carnahan and found her very professional. I also know many workers in the Department of Social Services who admit that the agency was not following the Motor Voter law that ACORN did sue DSS over. So it seems like the GOP is bringing up examples in which Carnahan handled her job professionally. If that is the best they can do they are going to have a hard time defeating her. She is just a class act and deserves to be our next senator.
It never ceases to amaze me how petty and small minded the Republican personality really is. Acorn is, at best, a small and nearly powerless organization that helps poor people. The pathetic Republicans have so little to offer the country they are instead spending extraordinary amounts of time and energy in puffin Acorn up to be some sort of allegedly scary and nefarious bogey man. This sort of juvenile idiocy only serves to bring in to sharp focus how out of touch and isolated Republicans and Republican thinking are in today’s world. How pitiful the Republicans are!
You have to have ID to cash a check. Why not to vote? You say it’s because voting is a constitutional right? Ok, so is owning a firearm. You can’t just walk into a gun store, and say “Hi, I’m Joe Smith, I want to buy a 9 mm.” Why is that, Richard?
Oh no…Not the voter ID argument again.
Well, Nick…maybe because voter registration cards haven’t killed over one million Americans since 1968. Do ya think?
Every republican candidate in the country will try to use ACORN against their Democratic opponents. It will get extremely old and useless by Valentines Day.
Try to concentrate on republican bankers giving out 160 billion in bonuses this year as American wages continue to get slashed….How much did Bush/Paulson give the banks last October….$800 billion?
Do you remember teabaggers?
That’s acceptable. But that single ACORN worker in Oakland, California.
Well! I never! Bunch of greedy socialists!
The facts are the supposed incident was fabricated by a hate group. They set up a sting operation to entrap the Acorn employee. Remember Acorn fought for debtors in many urban areas to the detriment of banks. The reason Acorn fought for the debtors is because they were out of work due to Republican support of Communism. See since Nixons’ trip to China and before Republicans have been supporting Communism illegally. The trading with the enemy act forbids trade with Communists. The GOP is up to its ears in trade with Communists. Why should anyone pay a hate group that seeks to put them out of work in order to enjoy Communist slavery. We should stiff the Republican party as a whole for supporting Communism and putting 50 million Americans below the poverty line.
Help, help! Who will save us from the indomitable menace of ACORN?
You hit the target Mike.
I accused the republican taliban of the same tactics. It’s another ABSCAM.
Let’s get a hidden camarea in some obscure gun-shop in Oakland and see if we can get the gun dealer to break the law. Even if we have to go to 1000 gun-shops.
Then we can condemn accuse every gun dealer in America of prostitution.
Then we can run negative ads of Republican NRA pimps.
It never surprises me how Democrats are so against people having to show a valid form of ID to vote. It is required to cash a check (even a welfare one), buy a gun, drive a car and purchase booze and cigarettes. So why not for voting. Much of the fraud seen in elections can be stopped with the simple presentation of an ID card with photo. But I guess that is how they make sure all the illegal aliens, dead people, and multiple voters can cast their ballots.
Yes every Republican will try to use ACORN in the next election just as every Democrat will try to paint Republicans as racist. The only problem is ACORN is a dishonest and corrupt organization that breaks the law and Republicans are not racist.
“The facts are the supposed incident was fabricated by a hate group.”
Yes, ACORN is a hate group. Glad we could agree on that.
“They set up a sting operation to entrap the Acorn employee.”
That should be “employees”, and it worked every time.
“Remember Acorn fought for debtors in many urban areas to the detriment of banks.”
Yes, they promoted squatting. Illegally occupying a house that had been foreclosed on.
“The reason Acorn fought for the debtors is because they were out of work due to Republican support of Communism.”
Couldnt be that the banks were forced into making loans to people that simply wouldnt qualify for.