FBI investigates ACORN for voter fraud

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now

Even the name sounds like a scam.

Thats community organizing for you. The "experience" that counts.

Here's a prediction that the FBI will find absolutely no systemic wrongdoing on the part of ACORN, but rather, as the claim is made, some isolated instances covering less than one percent of registrations by some unscrupulous individuals looking to pad their pay.

Furthermore, once a registration is even partially completed, ACORN is bound by law to submit it to local election authorities. What ACORN supervisors do is to divide the registrations into three groups, after attempting to call the registered voter to verify his or her information: the first group contains those registrations where the voter could be contacted and the information verified; the second group contains those forms where the voter could not be contacted; and the final group contains those which appear to be frauds -- names like Mickey Mouse, Dudley Doright, etc.

As has proven with other conspiracies concocted by the far right wing -- "wingnuts" as they are called by many -- this one, too, will be shown to be vastly overblown and nothing but a shallow attempt to inject poison into the well of public faith in elections.

Leave it to yabits to defend a criminal organization that supports Obama.

There's been no evidence that the ACORN employees who submitted fraudulent forms have been paving the way for illegal voting. Rather, they're trying to get paid for doing no work.

Dan Satterberg, the Republican prosecuting attorney in King County, Wash., where the first ACORN case was prosecuted, said:

Satterberg: [A] joint federal and state investigation has determined that this scheme was not intended to permit illegal voting. Instead, the defendants cheated their employer. ... It was hardly a sophisticated plan: The defendants simply realized that making up names was easier than actually canvassing the streets looking for unregistered voters. ... [It] appears that the employees of ACORN were not performing the work that they were being paid for, and to some extent, ACORN is a victim of employee theft.

The $8-an-hour employees were charged with providing false information on a voter registration, and in one case with making a false statement to a public official. ACORN was fined for showing insufficient oversight, but it was not charged with masterminding any kind of fraud.

from factcheck.org

Hey who gave that text permission to go beyond the boundaries!!!!!

There's been no evidence that the ACORN employees who submitted fraudulent forms have been paving the way for illegal voting. Rather, they're trying to get paid for doing no work.

Dan Satterberg, the Republican prosecuting attorney in King County, Wash., where the first ACORN case was prosecuted, said:

Satterberg: [A] joint federal and state investigation has determined that this scheme was not intended to permit illegal voting. Instead, the defendants cheated their employer. ... It was hardly a sophisticated plan:

The defendants simply realized that making up names was easier than actually canvassing the streets looking for unregistered voters. ...

[It] appears that the employees of ACORN were not performing the work that

they were being paid for, and to some extent, ACORN is a victim of employee theft.

The $8-an-hour employees were charged with providing false information on a voter registration, and in one case with making a false statement to a public official. ACORN was fined for showing insufficient oversight, but it was not charged with masterminding any kind of fraud.

from factcheck.org

sarge said:

Leave it to yabits to defend a criminal organization that supports Obama.

I missed the criminal conviction part sarge; can you post that for me. No person or entity, like an organization in this case, can be criminal without a conviction.

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck should be allowed to vote once each. -And what about Snow White?-With seven dwarves she must be Republican for sure or else how could she afford the wages and health premiums, 401k, etc. Or were the 7 dwarves illegals?

Rove' fingerprints are all over this for sure - just like the Don Siegelman case.

A senior law enforcement official confirmed the investigation to The Associated Press on Thursday.

/

A second senior law enforcement official says the FBI was looking at results of recent raids on ACORN offices in several states for any evidence of a coordinated national scam.

/

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Justice Department regulations forbid discussing ongoing investigations particularly so close to an election.

Ah yes the patriots, above their own Justice Department regulations. The rules don't apply to them because they are preventing liberals from "destroying the fabric of democracy." Their is no proof that ACORN endorsed the actions of their employees but these "officials" wanted to make sure the story got out. Sarge and others would have you believe that ACORN colluded with the employees that sign up Mickey Mouse. Of course ACORN having been affiliated with the Democrats several times must be so stupid to not realize that Mickey Mouse would not be allowed to vote. ACORN thought they could get someone to pose as Mickey and provide transportation to the polls and that the impostor voter, Mickey Mouse, would get away with it. But the Feds stopped Mickey in his tracks didn't they.

According to McCain, "ACORN, who is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy." Wow with something that huge their should be a mountain of evidence, Let's see the proof. Like I said in another thread I want to see the numbers on this voter fraud.

Leave it to goodDonkey to defend a criminal organization that supports Obama.

Sarge, still not stepping up to the plate. I put a million yen on the FBI finding ACORN not guilty of knowingly helping foster voter registration fraud around the nation before the presidential election. The bet for McCain and Palin not being elected as President and Vice President elect this November still sits waiting for a man to pick it up too. Oh, Sarge, Ohhhhh Sarge... where are you?

Leave it to sarge to deny "due process" as afforded by 5th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. What's a matter sarge don't you believe in innocent before proven guilty? I am still waiting on that conviction you are saying ACORN has by calling them "a criminal organization." Do you realize they can sue you for defamation of character for not using the word alleged? If they are not found guilty of a criminal offense you have defamed them legally.

Yang - Well, of course, there's not going to be any conviction of ACORN BEFORE the election. That would not help the Messiah.

By the way, I think you have a gambling problem.

sarge ≠ truth

goodDonkey - You're right. ACORN is completely innocent. The FBI is barking up the wrong tree.

I can't remember now. How did that FBI investigation of 2004 voting machine fraud turn out?

sarge

Don't put words in my mouth. I will wait to see the results of the FBI investigation and any ensuing trial or plea agreement that follows. I don't know whether they are guilty or not. I am asking those of you who are providing the accusations to please come up with some proof before asking people to believe that ACORN has disobeyed the law. I have provided an explanation that a Republican prosecuting attorney has provided.

Sarge: It isn't as profound as your conviction problem. I didn't include the condition of them being found guilty before or after the election that, like your belief in McCain, was all of your own making.

...and how you skip by the bet any man worth his salt would pick up in feverish hands of real belief. You have none. Exposed before your peers?

Or were the 7 dwarves illegals?

Underground workers?

Zzzzzz Zzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzz...Huh why did you guys wake me up? Did someone say that this was a story? Man this is nothing, just a song and dance that the Right is trying to spin......

I wonder how many election official would allow a guy dressed like Micky to vote.....Honestly, say yeah if you believe that that would happen?

Give me a break, this is just spin that is going to sputter like the rest of the right come Nov......LOL

Now will you guys let me get back to sleep!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hiya Joe!

troopergate- You remember that one, Dont'cha.

Have a nice snooze

Ahh Troopergate! Thank you Sailwind for clarifying why the McCain's so eager to pursue this matter. He hopes to keep people from thinking about how his running 'play-mate' has been found guilty by a bipartisan committee of abusing her power.

So McCain will do anything to keep people from seeing Palin's problems, his own misfortunes with the economy bill and his own skeletons...

More negative adds, more ho hum, no solutions. That's McCain for you.

How many perfectly legal citizens entitled to vote will be denied their right this election by this present Republican technique?

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/16/america/vote.php

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iyCjg56QEYy3r8Gz2X09TnpaWOMwD93R7BP80

Ahh Troopergate! Thank you Sailwind for clarifying why the McCain's so eager to pursue this matter

Ummm... Headline say's FBI is investigating not MCCain unless your suggesting that the FBI does Mccain's bidding, I'd suggest you might want to reconsider your first sentence.

..a criminal organization that supports Obama.

It seems to me that bearing false witness is mentioned somewhere as a serious violation of one of the basic laws of human beings. Calling ACORN a "criminal organization" when there is not a shred of evidence that the management of that organization has broken any laws, is certainly bearing false witness.

As the article says for those who know how to read: "ACORN says laws in a number of states require it to submit all registration cards it collects even dubious ones, so its workers segregate applications with missing, suspicious or false information and flag them so state election officials can quickly check them further."

So ACORN is being accused by right-wingers for following the law when they have to turn in dubious cards, and it does ACORN no good to flag the cards they think are dubious.

Frankly, I would rather be among those who are working with the poor and trying to help them exercise their rights as citizens, than among the self-righteous liars, false accusers and hypocrites who are supporting John McCain.

Wake me up when the FBI files criminal charges agaisnt the Governor.

This is fine example of a lack of integrity on the part of the supporters of Palin: anyone who hasn't had formal FBI charges filed against them is pure, no matter how many ethics laws they were found to have violated.

Sailwind said;

Wake me up when the FBI files criminal charges agaisnt the Governor.......ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I guess you overslept on the part where the FBI directly investigated McCain for his role in the Keating Five. Yes, McCain was allowed to continue working despite having been close to the convicted and sentenced Charles Keating. And, of the five senators, only McCain had a close and personal relationship with Keating, accepting $112,000 dollars from Keating, and used Keating's private jet for 9 trips abroad to the Bahamas at Keating's expense.

If you want to talk about close and personal relationships with criminals, look no further than McCain.

USAkuma - The Keating Five didn't blow up NYC police headquarters, the Capitol and the Pentagon, like Obama's former associate.

The FBI should be investigating the other terrorist organization, the Republican Party of the USA. We can document all their crimes against humanity.

goodDonkey

Mickey Mouse would not be allowed to vote.

Seems a bit racist. Has the NAACR been notified? (National Association for the Advancement of Celluloid Rodents)

Justices Rule Against Ohio G.O.P. in Voting Case

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/washington/18scotus.html?em

The Republicans were trying to get 200,000 voters put into limbo, treating mismatched voter registration cards as fraud. Here is an accurate account of what often happens:

In one audit of match failures in 2004 by New York City election officials, more than 80 percent of the failures were found to have resulted from errors by government officials; most of the remaining failures were because of immaterial discrepancies between the two records. Most non-matches are the result of typographical errors by government officials, computer errors, use of nicknames or middle initials, not voter ineligibility, they said.

Don't try that provisional ballot stuff that the Republicans are selling.

Provisional ballots in Ohio are held for 10 days before being counted while workers check eligibility, and they are often subject to partisan wrangling and legal fights. ...requiring so many voters to cast provisional ballots would raise tensions at the polls and worsen lines and confusion on Election Day in a year when she is expecting unprecedented turnout.

This was a case where the Republicans were trying to "Purge" the list of voters (more like Stalin purges if you as me), but the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in. Score 1 for freedom and justice in America; the patriotic side one. Why does the GOP hate patriots so much?

ACORN, Joe the Plumber, and William Ayers, from the party that once brought you Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Monica Lewinsky, and Willie Horton. The drop off in quality of scandal and muckraking is amazing. Add to that a candidate who choses Mrs. Moose as a running mate and thinks taxes and spending are what he should talk about (sorry to say this American friends, but your country is already bankrupt and you're going to be paying the tax one or another, so it is a little late to be talking about it now). I have no dog in the race, but from the outside it sure looks like a political party imploding, and it will take many years for the Repubs to recover from 2008.

In other news....

Voters say they were duped into registering as Republicans

"SACRAMENTO -- Dozens of newly minted Republican voters say they were duped into joining the party by a GOP contractor with a trail of fraud complaints stretching across the country.

Voters contacted by The Times said they were tricked into switching parties while signing what they believed were petitions for tougher penalties against child molesters. Some said they were told that they had to become Republicans to sign the petition, contrary to California initiative law. Others had no idea their registration was being changed."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-fraud18-2008oct18,0,3505611.story

Sarge,

Bill Ayers did not "blow up" NYC police headquarters, the Pentagon or the Capitol. The Weathermen/Weather Underground "bombed" those things (police station, not headquarters) and caused minimal damage. Ayers was a part of the group at that time. Obama was 8 years old and not connected in any way with any of that.

Unlike Obama's casual relationship with Ayers, McCain actually did "pal around with Keating". And McCain actually was connected, albeit marginally, with Keating's wrong-doing. Keating didn't blow anything up, but he was responsible for issuing worthless bonds to over 20,000 people and this resulted in the destruction of life savings to many of them, mostly retirees. He also cost the US government over $3B.

If I had to choose the greater error in judgment, I would have to say it would be choosing to associate with (and to accept gifts from) an individual that wanted me to promote legislation that was favorable to him or block legislation that was unfavorable to him. Beside that, it seems rather pale--and not even potentially criminal--to have an acquaintance with (and share some of the goals of) a University of Chicago professor who once was a member of a domestic terrorist group.

As a matter of fact, I wouldn't call the latter one an error in judgment at all.

From non-partisan Factcheck about Acorn:

The McCain-Palin campaign accuses ACORN, a community activist group that operates nationwide, of perpetrating "massive voter fraud." It says Obama has “long and deep” ties to the group. We find both claims to be exaggerated. But we also find Obama has understated the extent of his work with the group.

Neither ACORN nor its employees have been found guilty of, or even charged with, casting fraudulent votes. What a McCain-Palin Web ad calls "voter fraud" is actually voter registration fraud. Several ACORN canvassers have been found guilty of faking registration forms and others are being investigated. But the evidence that has surfaced so far shows they faked forms to get paid for work they didn't do, not to stuff ballot boxes.

Obama's path has intersected with ACORN on several occasions – more often than he allowed in the final debate.