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SEIU Divorces ACORN?

The Service Employees International Union's Anna Burger shocked political observers last week when she told a congressional hearing that her union "cut all ties to ACORN."

Burger's statement came days before Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell announced yesterday that former ACORN official Dale Rathke allegedly stole $5 million from ACORN, as opposed to the originally reported sum of close to $1 million. Current ACORN chief organizer Bertha Lewis denies the $5 million figure is correct, and other ACORN inside sources I trust also deny the figure is correct, but more on the embezzlement saga in a moment.

Surely the SEIU's claimed break from ACORN is the kind of earth-shattering news that a powerful, high-profile labor union like SEIU would want to get out there as ACORN becomes increasingly associated in the public mind with corruption and criminality.

Alas, it only came up when Burger, who is SEIU's international secretary-treasurer, was asked about ACORN by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) during a Sept. 30 hearing conducted by the House Financial Services Committee, as reported by BigGovernment.com.

The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, along with Time, Newsweek, the Nation, Mother Jones, and American Prospect were immediately all over the story -- oh wait, no they weren't. I guess I must have dozed there and started dreaming. Sorry about that, dear reader. I must be under-caffeinated.

At press time yesterday, a Nexis search for the keywords "ACORN SEIU Anna Burger" yielded exactly zip, except for an official transcript of the congressional testimony.

Moving along, at the hearing last week, McHenry said, "As of today the U.S. Census Bureau, the IRS, and even Bank of America have severed ties with ACORN and according to yesterday's, actually the day before yesterday's report from the Chicago Sun-Times the SEIU has given ACORN $4 million. Could you clarify to me the extent of your financial and programmatic ties to ACORN."

In reply, Burger said, "SEIU has also cut all ties to ACORN."

McHenry interrupted. "They have?"

Burger gave a rambling reply: "We have. In Illinois, I believe that I'm correct, that the ACORN institution, the consumer protection, the community organization in Illinois cut its ties to ACORN two years ago and so in Illinois there was [sic] no ties in the last two years between any SEIU work and ACORN."

"What was the extent of your financial ties with ACORN?" the congressman asked.

"I will get that information for you for the record," she said. Called the "queen of labor" by some, Burger is an officer of George Soros's Democracy Alliance, a left-wing billionaire donors' collaborative that has steered funds to ACORN. She also chairs the powerful labor federation known as Change to Win.

Yesterday, Burger did supply the requested information to McHenry. Her letter (available here) states that in 2008 SEIU paid $190,000 to ACORN for "Contributions (including General Support and ACORN Projects like Voter Registration)." The figure for 2009 was $25,000.

The letter states that SEIU paid ACORN $1.4 million in 2008 for "Contracted Services (including services such as the Organizing Apprenticeship Program and Childcare Worker Organizing Campaigns)." The figure for 2009 was $220,000.

I asked SEIU spokeswoman Michelle Ringuette in an interview what Burger meant when she said SEIU had cut all ties with ACORN.

Page: 1 2 3  

Letter to the Editor

Matthew Vadum is a senior editor at Capital Research Center, a Washington, D.C. think tank that studies the politics of philanthropy.

Comments

Son Of Sam| 10.6.09 @ 8:39AM

A "divorce"? Oh ho ho ho, don't make me laugh -- the phrase we're looking for is "thrown under the bus". The SEIU is a gang of criminals, as is ACORN, the "new" Black Panthers, and pitiful chorus of traitors and tax cheats who currently infest the White House. They have the thief mentality, and exactly the same level of loyalty.

stand strong until freedom dawns
Son Of Sam
http://www.samadamssos.bravehost.com

owyheewine| 10.6.09 @ 9:28AM

Can anyone say vast left wing conspiracy?

TAN| 10.6.09 @ 9:56AM

The American people have risen from their slumber, they have taken down ACORN.

The SEIU is just as corrupt and dirty . . . YOUR NEXT!!!!

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 10:14AM

Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : SEIU Divorces ACORN? [spectator.org] links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Klein amspec American Spectator 112 Show more Shortened Links Linking to the spectator.org page http://bit.ly/PUn1L info http://is.gd/40eY8 http://bit.ly/45C0Y2 info   5 tweets Tweet The American Spectator : SEIU Divorces ACORN? spectator.org/archives/2009/10/06/seiu-divorces-acorn – view page – cached The Service Employees International Union's Anna Burger shocked political observers last week when…

Lullaby's, Legends and Lies| 10.6.09 @ 10:17AM

Anna Burger shocked political observers last week when she told a congressional hearing that her union "cut all ties to ACORN." Ha, Ha, she’s funny!!

How the hell would she know that? The connections between ACORN, SEIU, their affiliates, the Democratic Party, The White House, and the President are so deep, and tangled, that it would take a genius like Al Gore, to untangle them, and understand this web of fraud, to ever come to the truth.

I came across this article from last year, but holy crap, nothing’s changed since then, absolutely nothing, the mess just keeps on pouring out. Congress still isn’t investigating this, and the President continues on, like he has nothing to do with any of it. This whole criminal enterprise, has everything to do with the rise (and hopefully fall) of this unknown from Chicago, to the Presidency of the United States of America. Un-friggin’-believable!!

This article is from RealClearPolitics.

September 30, 2008
ACORN, Obama, and the Mortgage Mess
By Mona Charen
The financial markets were teetering on the edge of an abyss last week. The secretary of the Treasury was literally on his knees begging the speaker of the House not to sabotage the bailout bill. The crash of falling banks made the earth tremble. The Republican presidential candidate suspended his campaign to deal with the crisis. And amid all this, the Democrats in Congress managed to find time to slip language into the bailout legislation that would provide a dandy little slush fund for ACORN.
ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a busy hive of left-wing agitation and "direct action" that claims chapters in 50 cities and 100,000 dues-paying members. ACORN is where Sixties leftovers who couldn't get tenure at universities wound up. That the bill-writing Democrats remembered their pet clients during such an emergency speaks volumes. This attempted gift to ACORN (stripped out of the bill after outraged howls from Republicans) demonstrates how little Democrats understand about what caused the mess we're in.

ACORN does many things under the umbrella of "community organizing." They agitate for higher minimum wages, attempt to thwart school reform, try to unionize welfare workers (that is, those welfare recipients who are obliged to work in exchange for benefits) and organize voter registration efforts (always for Democrats, of course). Because they are on the side of righteousness and justice, they aren't especially fastidious about their methods. In 2006, for example, ACORN registered 1,800 new voters in Washington. The only trouble was, with the exception of six, all of the names submitted were fake. The secretary of state called it the "worst case of election fraud in our state's history." As Fox News reported:
"The ACORN workers told state investigators that they went to the Seattle public library, sat at a table and filled out the voter registration forms. They made up names, addresses, and Social Security numbers and in some cases plucked names from the phone book. One worker said it was a lot of hard work making up all those names and another said he would sit at home, smoke marijuana and fill out the forms."
ACORN explained that this was an "isolated" incident, yet similar stories have been reported in Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and Colorado -- all swing states, by the way. ACORN members have been prosecuted for voter fraud in a number of states. (See www.rottenacorn.com.) Their philosophy seems to be that everyone deserves the right to vote, whether legal or illegal, living or dead.
ACORN recognized very early the opportunity presented by the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977. As Stanley Kurtz has reported, ACORN proudly touted "affirmative action" lending and pressured banks to make subprime loans. Madeline Talbott, a Chicago ACORN leader, boasted of "dragging banks kicking and screaming" into dubious loans. And, as Sol Stern reported in City Journal, ACORN also found a remunerative niche as an "advisor" to banks seeking regulatory approval. "Thus we have J.P. Morgan & Co., the legatee of the man who once symbolized for many all that was supposedly evil about American capitalism, suddenly donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to ACORN." Is this a great country or what? As conservative community activist Robert Woodson put it, "The same corporations that pay ransom to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton pay ransom to ACORN."
ACORN attracted Barack Obama in his youthful community organizing days. Madeline Talbott hired him to train her staff -- the very people who would later descend on Chicago's banks as CRA shakedown artists. The Democratic nominee later funneled money to the group through the Woods Fund, on whose board he sat, and through the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, ditto. Obama was not just sympathetic -- he was an ACORN fellow traveler.
Now you could make the case that before 2008, well-intentioned people were simply unaware of what their agitation on behalf of non-credit-worthy borrowers could lead to. But now? With the whole financial world and possibly the world economy trembling and cracking like a cement building in an earthquake, Democrats continue to try to fund their friends at ACORN? And, unashamed, they then trot out to the TV cameras to declare "the party is over" for Wall Street (Nancy Pelosi)? The party should be over for the Democrats who brought us to this pass. If Obama wins, it means hiring an arsonist to fight a fire.
Copyright 2008, Creators Syndicate Inc.

The mafia could learn a thing or two from these criminals.

Bob K.| 10.7.09 @ 12:57AM

How the hell would she (Anna Burger-that is!) know?

Easy, she is Andy Sterns's ex-wife. The have been close since they helped form SEIU 668 PA Social Services Union in 1974 or there abouts. Later they went to the big time at SEIU HQ in Wash. DC at the invitation John Sweeney, no less, and worked on recruiting new members and unaffiliated Unions to the SEIU flag.

Don't worry, she knows!

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 10:41AM

Capital Research Center: links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…  Home       ACORN Divorces SEIU? October 6th, 2009 by Matthew Vadum I have a new article on ACORN and SEIU’s attempts to distance itself from the group. From today’s American Spectator , here’s the top of the article: The Service Employees International Union’s Anna Burger shocked political observers last week when she told a congressional hearing that her union…

Ken (Old Texican)| 10.6.09 @ 11:03AM

Holy jumping camels!

Everyone here...go immediately to the American Thinker and read "Afghanistan...Lose it All"

I have been saying these things in op eds but this guy buttons it up.
GO!

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 11:28AM

Opie & Andy « BUNKERVILLE | God, Guns and Guts Comrades! links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…million to help elect Obama - Brags he visits with the President Weekly ( oh yeah that General McChrystal, once…nice huh?) - Close ties with the Dems to get the Public Option into HealthCare SEIU Divorces ACORN? “We have suspended all contracts and active work with ACORN,” pending the results of a panel of inquiry looking into ACORN. SEIU boss Andy Stern sits on that supposedly independent panel.…

Yosemeti Sam| 10.6.09 @ 11:50AM

LOL.

Analogous to a Mexican divorce - with all its'
connotative quickie sliminess.

Yosemeti Sam| 10.6.09 @ 11:50AM

LOL.

Analogous to a Mexican divorce - with all its'
connotative quickie sliminess.

Oldefarte| 10.6.09 @ 12:46PM

The Federal Government should investigate Acorn, but since Obama was elected partially due to them [and since Holder is now partisanly investigating the CIA], the chances of that happening are SLIM & NONE!!!!

Oldefarte| 10.6.09 @ 12:53PM

PS----Isn't it also amazing the lack of MSM coverage of this Acorn scandal; not only do they brainwash their readers/viewers with their typical soap-operish, so-called "news stories" that cover up the real truth, but they conveiniently ignore the corruption of Acorn, the administration's hiring of czars to avoid congressional oversight, etc.

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 1:40PM

EMBEZZLEMENT: ACORN Founder Wade Rathke Embezzled $5 Million from Louisiana ACORN, S links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Abandoned By ACORN workers Don Loos, Big Government: Is SEIU’s Purple Brand Fading to Pink? Riehl World View: Is Franken ACORN’s Man In The Senate? Matthew Vadum, American Spectator: SEIU Divorces ACORN? Frugal Café Blog Zone: ACORN in Las Vegas: Voter Registration Fraud Charges, “Blackjack” Bonus Plan (video) and Yet Another ACORN Problem: Cease and Desist Orders in Pennsylvania… Order Dated…

Dustoff| 10.6.09 @ 2:41PM

SEUI & ACORN call it quits.

My answer "bull"

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 5:06PM

Big Government » Blog Archive » ACORN and SEIU Have Been Going Steady a Long Time: Di links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…the strong ties between ACORN and SEIU over the years. It’s gotten to the point that ACORN and SEIU overlap so much that they are virtually indistinguishable.  The full article is available at American Spectator . Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this | Tags: ACORN, American Spectator, Andrew Stern, Andy Stern, Anna Burger, Michelle Ringuette, SEIU Posted Oct 6th 2009 at 2:05 pm in…

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 5:30PM

Scary Denial: ACORN’s CEO Bertha Lewis Thumbs Her Nose at Congress, Rep. Darrell Iss links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…SEIU has “Jumped The Shark” Don Loos, Big Government: Is SEIU’s Purple Brand Fading to Pink? Riehl World View: Is Franken ACORN’s Man In The Senate? Matthew Vadum, American Spectator: SEIU Divorces ACORN? Frugal Café Blog Zone: EMBEZZLEMENT: ACORN Founder Wade Rathke Embezzled $5 Million from Louisiana ACORN, Subpoena Issued and ACORN in Las Vegas: Voter Registration Fraud Charges, “Blackjack”…

Marc Jeric| 10.6.09 @ 6:15PM

Imagine the news from the USSR, circa 1970's: "Communist Party of the USSR splits from the KGB". Now compare this: "Obama disclaims any knowledge of ACORN", or this: "SEIU divorces ACORN". How likely!

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 6:24PM

ACORN and SEIU Have Been Going Steady a Long Time: Did They Break Up? | Prayer And Ac links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…up given the strong ties between ACORN and SEIU over the years. It’s gotten to the point that ACORN and SEIU overlap so much that they are virtually indistinguishable. The full article is available at American Spectator . View article… Written by admin October 6th, 2009 at 3:23 pm Posted in ACORN Founder, Acorn, SEIU « Dementia At The NIH Leave a Reply Name (required) Mail (will not be published)…

Pingback| 10.6.09 @ 7:12PM

“Our Republic is Being Stolen By Our Politicians,” Glenn Beck Says of Washington D.C. links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…This Poll polls BREAKING NEWS  UPDATES:REPORT; Did Gulf States (Frienemies) Secretly Meet With Our Enemies to Strategies a Plan to Dump the Dollar? ACORN Ties Put Pressure on Democrats, Unions Is SEIU Really Divorsing ACORN? Progressives Back Obama Push for GLOBAL TAX! Obamacare is a “ Giant Sham ” According to Richard Epstein (explaines in detail who getting what and why) Possibly related posts:…

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Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 1:33PM

Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs Exposes MORE ACORN Voter Fraud Corruption… Prepare to links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Tax Problems Goodtimepolitics: ACORN Plot Recovered From Computers Abandoned By ACORN workers Don Loos, Big Government: Is SEIU’s Purple Brand Fading to Pink? Matthew Vadum, American Spectator: SEIU Divorces ACORN? Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Big Government: FEMA Grant to ACORN is Offensive Ztower: Vitter’s quick jump on ACORN reminds the CREW that the Senator also has some old laundry to wash. Kyle Olson, Big…

Pingback| 10.8.09 @ 3:50PM

Criminal Transexual Male Escort in ACORN Voter Fraud: Ohio Investigating, Prosecutin links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

Criminal Transexual Male Escort in ACORN Voter Fraud: Ohio Investigating, Prosecuting ACORN Voter Registration Fraud (video) « Frugal Café Blog Zone   Frugal Café Blog Zone Where it’s chic to be cheap… Conservative social…

Pingback| 10.9.09 @ 11:05AM

McHenry Hunting ACORN – Civitas Review Online links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…the blogs of the right while the mainstream media refuses to run any story connected to ACORN until the Congress symbolically votes to cut their federal funds. Read the whole sorted affair at the American Spectator Blog. This entry was written by Jeff Mixon , posted on October 9, 2009 at 11:03, filed under Elections & Campaigns, Politicians & Politicking and tagged ACORN, McHenry, SEIU. Bookmark the…

Pingback| 10.13.09 @ 10:11PM

Capital Research Center: links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Vadum Talking Points Memo points out that Republicans –and not just Democrats– have taken money from the radical union SEIU. SEIU is virtually indistinguishable from ACORN but the union now claims to have severed ties with ACORN, whatever that means. BlinkList |  del.icio.us  |  Digg it  |  Furl |  ma.gnolia  |  Yahoo |  Google | …

Pingback| 10.17.09 @ 1:24PM

The Reality Check » Blog Archive » Even SEIU Says ACORN is Toxic links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…organization in Illinois cut its ties to ACORN two years ago and so in Illinois there was [sic] no ties in the last two years between any SEIU work and ACORN.” SEIU records show that the union paid ACORN $1.4 million in 2008 for “Contracted Services (including services such as the Organizing Apprenticeship Program and Childcare Worker Organizing Campaigns).” Representative McHenry was surprised by…

Pingback| 10.17.09 @ 1:25PM

Even SEIU Says ACORN is Toxic : Stop The ACLU links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…organization in Illinois cut its ties to ACORN two years ago and so in Illinois there was [sic] no ties in the last two years between any SEIU work and ACORN.” SEIU records show that the union paid ACORN $1.4 million in 2008 for “Contracted Services (including services such as the Organizing Apprenticeship Program and Childcare Worker Organizing Campaigns).” Representative McHenry was surprised by…

Pingback| 10.17.09 @ 1:28PM

Even SEIU Says ACORN is Toxic | Right Wing News links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…organization in Illinois cut its ties to ACORN two years ago and so in Illinois there was [sic] no ties in the last two years between any SEIU work and ACORN.” SEIU records show that the union paid ACORN $1.4 million in 2008 for “Contracted Services (including services such as the Organizing Apprenticeship Program and Childcare Worker Organizing Campaigns).” Representative McHenry was surprised by…

Pingback| 10.18.09 @ 7:53PM

ACORN-SEIU Divorce, Bombing Iran: DBKP Morning Intell | DBKP – Death By 1000 Papercu links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…are upset that he hasn’t kept his campaign promises to them. However, the gay rights group says all will be forgiven if Obama makes the speech shirtless.” WHO GETS THE SOFA and PENSION FUND?: SEIU Divorces ACORN?. “The Service Employees International Union’s Anna Burger shocked political observers last week when she told a congressional hearing that her union “cut all ties to ACORN.”"…

Pingback| 11.2.09 @ 6:48PM

Does SEIU Boss Andy Stern Run America? « NewsReal Blog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…was founded to teach left-wing community organizers how to promote social change and infiltrate the labor movement. The 2 million member SEIU has strong, longstanding ties to ACORN but has recently tried to distance itself from the group. SEIU international secretary-treasurer Anna Burger shocked political observers Sept. 30 when she told a congressional hearing that her union “cut all ties to ACORN.”…

Pingback| 11.5.09 @ 8:02PM

Big Government » Blog Archive » Citigroup Executive Pulls Out of Sham ACORN Audit Und links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…is equal. That’s social justice. SEIU is intimately connected to ACORN but since the undercover sting videos surfaced showing ACORN employees giving advice on how to break the law, it’s trying to distance itself from the group. Good luck with that, SEIU. Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this | Tags: ACORN, ACORN 8, American Institute for Social Justice, Andrew Stern, Andy Stern, Aspen…

Pingback| 11.5.09 @ 9:54PM

Random Thoughts » Citigroup Executive Pulls Out of Sham ACORN Audit Under Pressure links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…is equal. That’s social justice. SEIU is intimately connected to ACORN but since the undercover sting videos surfaced showing ACORN employees giving advice on how to break the law, it’s trying to distance itself from the group. Good luck with that, SEIU. November 5th, 2009 | Tags: Acorn, Big Government, Citigroup | Category: Acorn | Leave a comment Leave a Reply Cancel   Name (required)   Mail (will…

Pingback| 11.10.09 @ 1:17PM

Capital Research Center: links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…is equal. That’s social justice. SEIU is intimately connected to ACORN but since the undercover sting videos surfaced showing ACORN employees giving advice on how to break the law, it’s trying to distance itself from the group. Good luck with that, SEIU. BlinkList |  del.icio.us  |  Digg it  |  Furl |  ma.gnolia  |  Yahoo |  Google | …

Pingback| 11.13.09 @ 8:01PM

SEIU’s Andy Stern Denies He’s A Radical! « NewsReal Blog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Stern also tried to distance SEIU from the embattled radical group ACORN while at the same time arguing the group’s corruption and criminal propensities are not such a big deal. This is part  a PR push that the union has been working on for some time. Here’s what Stern said about ACORN: My sense is ACORN made a series of mistakes unfortunately. They paid a price which is what happens sometimes when…

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