Breaking News
Becker Lied to McCain
Evidence abounds that President Obama’s radical union-backed nominee to the National Labor Relations Board is ACORN tainted.
President Obama’s radical union-backed nominee to the National Labor Relations Board lied to a Senate confirmation panel earlier this week about his ties to the embattled leftist advocacy group ACORN.
The nominee is Craig Becker, who, at least until recently, was longtime associate general counsel to SEIU. Becker is considered radical in part because he believes that “employers should have no role in the unionization process,” according to Brian Johnson, executive director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom.
During a hearing Tuesday by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked Becker this question: “Do you perform work for and provide advice to ACORN or ACORN-affiliated groups while employed by your current employers or on a volunteer basis?”
Becker responded, “Senator McCain, I have never done so.”
But that answer — that Becker “never” provided advice “to ACORN or ACORN-affiliated groups” — is demonstrably false. Evidence abounds that he gave advice to SEIU Local 880, which, as I will show below, was part and parcel of ACORN before it merged with another SEIU bargaining unit.
As the Wall Street Journal noted, Becker acknowledged previously that he had “worked with and provided advice” to Local 880.
And in a blog post last April, ACORN founder Wade Rathke couldn’t help bragging about Becker’s NLRB nomination, calling it “a big win no matter how you shake and bake it.”
Rathke, who is also founder and chief organizer of SEIU Local 100 in New Orleans, reminisced about the good old days. “I can still remember Keith Kelleher negotiating the subsidy for SEIU Local 880 in Chicago and always making sure that there was the money for the organizers, but that SEIU was also still willing to allow access to Craig.”
Local 880 no longer exists. According to “terminal” LM-2 disclosure report (file number 515-963) filed by 880 official Keith Kelleher with the Department of Labor on April 30, the local wound up its affairs on March 31 of last year. It merged with SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana (also known as SEIU HCII).
On the form, Local 880 gave its address as 209 W. Jackson Ave., Suite 200, Chicago, Ill., which just so happens to be in the same building as the national headquarters of ACORN Housing.
Back in the day, SEIU Local 880 was such an important member of the ACORN family of affiliated groups that ACORN listed the local on the “allied organizations” page of its website. The local was included in a list with a select group of major ACORN affiliates such as ACORN Housing and President Obama’s former employer, Project Vote.
Then last spring ACORN abruptly scrubbed the “allied organizations” page and removed all references to the two ACORN-controlled SEIU units, Local 880 and Rathke’s Local 100.
This attempt to rewrite history did not go unnoticed. Kevin Mooney, then a reporter for the Washington Examiner, wrote about the event at the time and I posted a snapshot online of what the web page looked like before it was altered.
Ever since hidden camera videos surfaced in the fall showing ACORN employees acting badly, SEIU has been trying to publicly distance itself from ACORN.
But it is far from clear if SEIU really has severed its ties to ACORN.
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 (121) | Leave a comment
Related Articles
More Articles by Matthew Vadum
More Articles From Breaking News
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/02/04/becker-lied-to-mccain
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
S.L. Toddard| 2.4.10 @ 7:20AM
mon⋅o⋅ma⋅ni⋅a
–noun
1. (no longer in technical use) a psychosis characterized by thoughts confined to one idea or group of ideas.
2. an inordinate or obsessive zeal for or interest in a single thing, idea, subject, or the like.
Alan Brooks| 2.4.10 @ 8:19AM
As long as AS doesn't tar Obama with ACORN's brush-- that is guilt by association.
ZerObama| 2.4.10 @ 4:06PM
Obama taught union organizing for ACORN--that is guilt of his association.
Good work, Vadum--keep the heat on!
Alan Brooks| 2.4.10 @ 10:51PM
ACORN and Obama are not synonymous.
Iran-Contra and Reagan are not synonymous.
Robert Byrd and the KKK are not synonymous.
tailgunner| 2.5.10 @ 2:15PM
Wrong. Obama did legal work for ACORN over 'affordable housing'. He brags about being involved with ACORN and promises they will help 'shape' his legislative agenda. Obama IS synonymous with ACORN.
Reagan took responsibility for Iran-Contra, even though dogged Democratic political hacks failed to prove he was aware of it. So it would be fair to say they were synonymous.
Robert Byrd was an OFFICER and RECRUITER for the KKK. He recruited scores, maybe hundreds of racists that went on to terrorize and murder blacks during Jim Crow. Yet he is a past Democratic Majority Leader of ten years and still an honored senior member of the Democrat Party.
Damn right Byrd is synonymous with the KKK. And Democrats therefore are also synonymous with racism and oppression.
ZerObama| 2.6.10 @ 9:08PM
Thanks, tailgunner--great post!
C'mon, Alan; let's see what you've got now.
Ret. Marine| 2.4.10 @ 7:26AM
A obama affiliate lying to CONgress, no you don't say. What else is expected from this pretender-n-thief, an honest to goodness American Patriots? This whole admin. is nothing but the cream of the liberal rot. The real question is, does this progressive lite repukeagain McNasty have the support of any of his comrades to do anything about it?
Benzopf| 2.4.10 @ 4:20PM
There's an even chance that I might be in agreement with you, but since you are using some Alternate English Language, it's impossible for me to say. Do mind writing in Actual English so those of us without a handy secret decoder ring can understand what your attack is and who it's directed against?
Throw me a bone here.
Jason B. Kane| 2.4.10 @ 8:05AM
I guess I wonder why this topic even merits 5 words, much less 500. Does a union leader lie? Only when he or she is speaking. If McCain didn't know this Marxist was lying then Ol' John is to senile to go out by himself.
Alan Brooks| 2.4.10 @ 8:24AM
"If McCain didn't know this Marxist was lying then Ol' John is to senile to go out by himself."
Question is, re McCain, why didn't the GOP run Palin at the top of the ticket? And BTW, why on earth -- though this is ancient history-- did the GOP run Dole at the top of the ticket rather than Kemp in '96?
loulou| 2.4.10 @ 10:17AM
McCain is a doddering loser. He won the nomination thanks to the brain dead RNC and Democrat voters.
WE didn't want him.
Can't he, at long last, please just disappear from the national stage?
Margie| 2.4.10 @ 11:34AM
Yes, thanks to the "open Primaries", in some states, the Democrats are allowed to vote for the Republican nominee.
Is that something that we can change?
yves Bauer| 2.4.10 @ 1:29PM
Hahaha Palin at the top of the ticket. Democrats won because of her and she was only VP. If she would have been a candidate for president, democrats would have WON every state. I wish Palin would go away she is useless.
ZerObama| 2.4.10 @ 4:03PM
Uselessness is something you know a great deal about, loser.
John Navratil| 2.4.10 @ 9:25AM
I'm certainly no fan of Obama or the left-wingers who support him, but let's not get carried away.
The quoted statements on which this article relies are:
"Do you perform work for and provide advice to ACORN or ACORN-affiliated groups while employed by your current employers or on a volunteer basis?"
"Senator McCain, I have never done so."
It doesn't take much of a leap to read the response as "Senator McCain, I have never performed work for or provided advice to ACORN or ACORN-affiliated groups while employed by my current employers or on a volunteer basis?"
Has Becker worked for SEUI? Obviously so! Did he lie to McCain. Not clear to me at all. And I don't think we have to rely of the definition of "is".
A Nony Moose| 2.4.10 @ 10:34AM
Perhaps you should make an effort to read the whole article. The relationship between SEIU 880 (Becker said he gave them advice) & ACORN is well documented.
John Navratil| 2.5.10 @ 8:50AM
I did read the entire article.
I did not state Becker was not tied to SEIU and ACORN. I focused on the fact the he was called a liar because of his answer.
This article does NOT establish anywhere that Becker provided any of this assistance WHILE EMPLOYED BY (HIS) CURRENT EMPLOYERS.
If McCain wanted to know whether or not Becker had EVER provided assistance he could have asked that question. He did not. He asked "while employed by ... current employers."
I you want to call someone a liar, please document the lie. This article never once mentions a timeline or, if it does so, it eludes me.
Dienekes | 2.4.10 @ 11:04AM
Perhaps a better question would be if, in his roll as AGC at SEIU, did Becker provide advice to any SEIU persons with regard to ACORN, or was any of his advice used to benefit (or shared with) ACORN or any of its officers or affiliates.
A Nony Moose| 2.4.10 @ 12:28PM
SEIU 880 is, or was, ACORN. If 880 got a benefit, then by definition ACORN did too.
carolinem| 2.4.10 @ 1:37PM
No one cares about this nonsense. A better question would have been, "Why should the National Labor Relations Board continue as an entity, instead of being dismantled as another overblown, overintrusive government bureaucracy?" Unfortunately, Republicans have lost the nerve to ask such questions.
Kris| 2.4.10 @ 4:04PM
BREAKING NEWS: ACORN and SEIU are two separate organizations. You people are insane.
ZerObama| 2.4.10 @ 4:07PM
Yeah, WE'RE insane. Liberalism is a mental illness.
Marc Jeric| 2.4.10 @ 4:10PM
ACORN brownshirts, SEIU thugs, and teacher unions constitute a nation-wide web of local soviets headed by Abu Hussein from Kenya, our Community Organizer-in-Chief.
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.4.10 @ 6:39PM
Of course Becker lied to McCain.....
The question is..did McCain ever figure it out?
McCain is one of those authentic heroes, but it is time to hang up his cleats in honor.
Yosemeti Sam| 2.5.10 @ 12:56AM
" ... Titles change, people move around, money is transferred, and outsiders often give up investigating ACORN out of sheer frustration...."
Commission General Honoré of Katrina fame to
look into political hurricane ACORN!
Honoré - as in Honor.
Pingback| 2.5.10 @ 3:27AM
The American Spectator : Becker Lied to McCain Terms links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
James Dodd| 2.5.10 @ 10:34AM
You lie, sir!
Pingback| 2.5.10 @ 2:57PM
Liberal Think Tanks are a Lie links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.5.10 @ 7:36PM
Capital Research Center: links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.5.10 @ 10:53PM
Craig Becker Utilizes Alinsky Rules for Radicals and Gives False Testimony at Congres links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Hydraulic Cylinder | 2.8.10 @ 4:12AM
Fivestar Tools,a professional china Hydraulic Cylinder manufacturer,we can offer hydraulic cylinders,hydraulic jack and double acting hydraulic cylinders.
L Tod Schlosser | 11.4.11 @ 11:38AM
I have recently been seeking for info about this subject matter for ages and yours is the best I have located so far.I found this post while surfing the web for Thanks for sharing this article.Always was interested in this theme.
L Tod Schlosser
Pingback| 2.8.10 @ 6:38PM
Purple People Beaters – Senate Committee Approves Radical Obama Nominee to NLRB links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 3.29.10 @ 8:41AM
Giving The Finger To Congress, Obama Recess-Appoints Forced Unionism ACORN Radical | links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
explosion proof light | 11.15.10 @ 8:58AM
Obama's stage props, the guys with the white jackets, are here to take you away, to the funny farm, where everything will be alright.
sex | 12.14.10 @ 10:16PM
great web site..thank you editor
Converse | 8.12.11 @ 3:53AM
is good
malibu real estate | 10.11.11 @ 1:26AM
Wow! I must say, your site will have to be one of the greatest written blogs which have viewed in a very long time.A few things i wouldn't acquire for be capable of create posts that happen to be as fascinating| as yours. Maybe I'm going to read on yours and pray that some day Allow me to write at a subject with the maximum amount knowledge because you have! Bravo!
wow| 10.17.11 @ 11:34AM
It is not just a mere education, things that you have experience is the real education perse.
actos lawsuit
yanyan| 10.11.11 @ 12:54PM
this is for sure will you share it to us if you get more education?thanksmas200
yanyan| 10.11.11 @ 2:23PM
I had really loved this info in this blog that to wonderful info is visible in this blog. This is very much enjoyed for providing the great technology in this blog.zoloft lawsuit
balcuizar62| 10.12.11 @ 8:34PM
I really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to understand.
Yaz lawyer
Rinah| 10.17.11 @ 5:28AM
I sometimes get stunned when customers would approach me and tell me that they got the info on how to get to my shop from the internet. So I assume they did a pretty good job.
spot price of silver
ruth| 10.17.11 @ 9:02AM
i love this blog i hope there is something more topic comes,thanks for sharing...
silver spot price
fiance visa| 10.17.11 @ 8:46PM
Wow,Fantastic article,it’s so helpful to me,and your blog is very good,I’ve learned a lot from your blog here,Keep on going,my friend,I will keep an eye on it,One more thing,thanks for your post!
fiance visa
creamer| 10.19.11 @ 8:14PM
It is suggested this blog to my pals so it could be useful & informative for the children also.
actos lawsuit
love| 10.20.11 @ 5:30AM
thanks for postingRock it up and keep rocking.. Keep up the good work..
Actos Cancer
accident attorney dallas| 10.20.11 @ 1:40PM
Your website came up in my search and I'm taken by what you have composed on this topic.Welcome to say something about my recent shopping experience
accident attorney dallas
devourment| 11.4.11 @ 12:50PM
instead of waiting for this blog i will search for interesting topic thanks..
L Tod Schlosser
PIERCE| 11.8.11 @ 2:42AM
It's quite hard to find a good site. And I think I am lucky enough to have come here for my personal statement.
filipina girls
chester| 11.11.11 @ 1:16AM
You made some good points there.I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.Thanks
zoloft lawsuit
Perfect !!!| 11.14.11 @ 3:44AM
Blogs are good in which we get lots of information and convert that information to knowledge.
mesothelioma lawyer