The American Spectator : ACORN at the White House

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ACORN at the White House

By Matthew Vadum on 11.2.09 @ 6:08AM

President Obama's claim he's been barely aware of ACORN's activities just got harder to sustain.

The newly released list of visitors to the Obama White House makes the president's claim he's clueless about his former employer ACORN -- and its election fraud trials and tribulations -- especially difficult to believe.

Of particular significance is the visit by ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson who met with White House political director Patrick Gaspard in March. The purpose of the meeting with Gaspard, a former ACORN employee himself, was not disclosed.

Levenson, who is also a registered lobbyist for New York ACORN, is the charming fellow whom Glenn Beck threw off his set May 6 for calling the TV host a racist. He's been helping to coordinate ACORN's public disinformation strategy which relies heavily on lies and misdirection.

It is worth noting that Levenson's visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue wouldn't in itself be untoward except that Obama claims -- unconvincingly -- to be out of the loop regarding ACORN.

After the undercover prostitution sting videos first surfaced in September the American public began to realize that ACORN is a vast criminal conspiracy whose reach extends to the highest levels of the U.S. government. Obama said at the time he was barely aware of ACORN's problems. "This is not the biggest issue facing the country. It's not something I'm paying a lot of attention to," he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

After the undercover prostitution sting videos surfaced in September, Levenson helped to spread ACORN's official lie that the videos had been dishonestly altered to make law-abiding ACORN employees seem willing to facilitate criminal behavior. Almost two weeks ago after the latest video from ACORN's Philadelphia office debuted, Levenson tried to change the subject by blaming Fox News for carrying on a vendetta against his poor, persecuted radical group.

"This is another example of Fox Entertainment treating concocted video as if it's actually news," Levenson said, echoing the Obama administration's current line that Fox News isn't real journalism.

Gaspard, who came to the White House after a stint as executive vice president of SEIU Local 1199, has ties to ACORN that go way back.

Years before he joined the Obama administration, Gaspard was ACORN boss Bertha Lewis's political director in New York. Current "chief organizer" or CEO of ACORN, Lewis was head of New York ACORN before she took over as national leader of ACORN. (Erick Erickson of the website RedState did an excellent job explaining the relationship of Gaspard to Lewis and President Obama.)

Gaspard also worked for New York's Working Families Party, which is an appendage of ACORN. Lewis is a co-founder of that party -- which endorsed Obama last year -- and has close ties to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) who has been most reluctant to have the House Judiciary subcommittee he chairs investigate ACORN.

Nadler is even providing advice to ACORN through its lawyer Arthur Z. Schwartz but he refuses to address this huge conflict of interest. The congressman's press office won't return my calls.

Now that ACORN is public relations poison, the White House and ACORN deny Gaspard ever worked for ACORN even though his employment was acknowledged by no less an authority than ACORN founder Wade Rathke himself. Pretending to be a senile old man, Rathke now says he was mistaken about Gaspard working for ACORN. Only some Democrats and a few gullible journalists believe him.

It's always been easy for ACORN to disavow ties to someone working for an affiliate within the ACORN network. ACORN has a confusing structure and its network of who-knows-how-many taxpayer-funded tax-exempt nonprofit affiliates. As I've written ad nauseam, this is deliberate. ACORN identifies its affiliates as ACORN affiliates when it is convenient and claims the same entities are not ACORN affiliates when it is not. This game of nonprofit musical chairs is standard operating procedure at ACORN whenever things get hot.

MEANWHILE, A PARADE of leftists, Big Government capitalists, and favor seekers were shown to have visited the White House, according to the data dump executed by the Obama administration on Friday.

All these luminaries dropped by the executive mansion between Jan. 20 and Sept. 15: Al Gore; Center for American Progress president John Podesta (17 times!); Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards; AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka (7 times); National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy (15 times!); Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton; Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein; and GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt. Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson visited card-carrying socialist climate change czarina Carol Browner at the White House on Feb. 12 for an undisclosed purpose.

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topics:
ACORN, Scott Levenson

About the Author

Matthew Vadum is an award-winning investigative journalist at a conservative watchdog group in Washington, D.C. Vadum is also author of Subversion Inc: How Obama's ACORN Red Shirts are Still Terrorizing and Ripping Off American Taxpayers.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (30) | Leave a comment

drudge ette obama| 11.2.09 @ 7:14AM

Someone ask Obama why Weather Undergrounder William Ayres' and preacher Jeremiak Wright's names were on the visitors' list, then ask why that scum was allowed to even use the White House bathrooms?

Big J| 11.2.09 @ 7:32AM

The names you mention (along with Michael Jordan and others) are coincidental. They appeared in the general ledger for tours.

Periwinkel| 11.2.09 @ 1:34PM

Yeah, right!!!

S.L. Toddard| 11.2.09 @ 7:22AM

mon·o·ma·ni·a (mŏn'ə-mā'nē-ə, -mān'yə)
n.

1. Pathological obsession with one idea or subject.
2. Intent concentration on or exaggerated enthusiasm for a single subject or idea.

drudge ette obama| 11.2.09 @ 8:19AM

So some doctor finally found out
what ails you.

What's your prognosis? And can't you please keep your mental problems to yourself. We are not interested. Go check yourself in (again) at the rehab center.

Add #3 to your definition: Uncontrollable desire to align and mingle around intelligent conservatives only to then feel an uncontrollable urge to defectate, either physically or via words when physical proximity is not possible, such as when contact is through the internet only.

Oooooooo... that's gross, S.L. Toddard. Or should we say, Turdard.

Everly Waverly| 11.2.09 @ 1:36PM

To anybody listening---

The S. L. are the initials for "Slippery Liberal". No one but a government worker would have the time to reply to the posts here in the manner of the aforementioned Slippery Liberal.

Curtis Rasmussen| 11.2.09 @ 3:42PM

Student or unemployed is more likely.

In another post his sock puppet Lib Screeder complains that the Government should guarantee him a decent paying middle class job, meaning he does not have one and can't get one thru his own devices.

Lullaby's, Legends and Lies| 11.2.09 @ 8:34AM

Once again Toddard is referring to the writer’s (& AmerSpec’s) obsession with this “unimportant” ACORN story. He doesn’t think it’s worthy of talking about anymore, and wishes it would just go away. We’ve got bigger fish to fry, isn’t that right Toddard? But personnaly, I can’t get enough of these ACORN stories, so keep them coming, despite any objections to the contrary. But seriously, the word really does describe the Toad to a tee now, doesn’t it? One game away now, so, Let’s Go Yankees!!

Eric Cartman| 11.2.09 @ 9:49AM

bor⋅ing
–adjective
1. Causing or marked by boredom
-noun
1. S.L. Toddard

stephanie| 11.2.09 @ 7:44AM

what do you expect this liar to say? Yeah, they helped me get elected with their corupt practices?
God, does Bill Clinton look good now.

Freddy| 11.2.09 @ 9:31AM

Isn't that the truth? I would gladly take 4 more years of Bill Clinton instead of this guy.

Jim O'Brien| 11.2.09 @ 8:02AM

Not only are Obama and ACORN on the same page, Obama is the spiritual leader of ACORN - ACORN's hero in the White House.

Bud| 11.2.09 @ 6:36PM

Perhaps referring to the current crew in charge as the "ACORN Administration" would be apt - h.t. Neal Boortz.

Jim O'Brien| 11.3.09 @ 1:49PM

Good idea! "The ACORN Administration announced today ....."

And, Fraudulent Voting = ACORN = Obama.

Mattled| 11.2.09 @ 8:11AM

http://drudgereport.com/flashbb.htm

I've been speculating for some time that his health is not great.

Many things pointing to his frailty.

Can't wish ill health on opponents without a pox falling on yours.

Deborah D| 11.2.09 @ 8:54AM

Goodness, I hadn't seen those pictures. He doesn't look all that well.

CopyKatnj| 11.2.09 @ 11:30AM

Apparently, one size doesn't fit all. He is now proving to be an empty suit, literally.

Tom| 11.2.09 @ 1:35PM

ACORN needs a little RICO

COnservative Bob| 11.2.09 @ 3:10PM

Amen to using the Rico Laws on ACORN.
The laws originally designed as a tool against the Mafia and organized crime, in recent years have been most notably used to limit the activities or anti- abortion groups.
Acorn and all of its sub groups and affiliates seem to be a perfect target.

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