Tired of Republicans who compromise the farm away on domestic
policy? Frustrated with Republican presidents who allow far-left
Democrats to re-craft their legislation?
If so, now would be an opportune moment to revisit Rep. Michele
Bachmann’s (R-MN) unyielding efforts to halt federal funding for
ACORN.
Several months before the videotapes were released that showed
workers offering financial advice to undercover investigators,
Bachmann stepped to halt the flow of federal dollars into the ACORN
network.
Back in April of 2009, Bachmann offered an amendment to the
Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, which would prevent
any organization indicted for voter fraud registration or vote
fraud from receiving housing counseling grants and legal assistance
grants. The amendment passed the House Financial Services
Committee, then chaired by Barney Frank (D-MA), in a unanimous
voice vote.
Sometime later, it became apparent to Chairman Frank that he had
cut off ACORN and proceeded to reverse himself.
“I did not read it carefully, and it was in the last minute that
the amendment was accepted,” he said at the time. “It is a deeply
flawed amendment and I am opposed to it. Banning people from
possible participation in government programs based on an
indictment is a violation of the basic principles of due
process.”
A clever argument from an agile mind.
But Bachmann had the better argument. “Congress,” she reminded
colleagues, “has a fiduciary responsibility,” where groups
competing for federal dollars are concerned. Put another way, why
hold such low standards where the public’s money is concerned?
(Just to be clear, Bachmann’s amendment only applied to the
mortgage reform bill and did not impact ACORN’s ability to receive
funding from the stimulus package or the 2010 federal budget. But
the amendment did help generate a larger discussion about the
support ACORN was receiving on Capitol Hill.)
Later that year, the political terrain shifted against ACORN
(known in full as the Association of Community Organizations for
Reform Now) thanks to the efforts of investigative journalists
James O’Keefe and his partner Hannah Giles. Suddenly, Democrats who
felt they needed to distance themselves from ACORN joined with
Republicans to cut off funding; albeit temporarily.
But it is worth remembering that Rep. Bachmann was out in front
before it was politically fashionable to take on ACORN. Bachmann
scored points with the conservative faithful in the early stages of
her campaign because it was evident she was willing to elevate
taxpayer interests above polite, gentile bipartisan exercises that
typically translate into bigger government.
Unfortunately, even with the Republicans now control of the
House, it would seem that the federal sources for the renamed
ACORN have been restored, according
to a new report from Matthew Vadum, a senior editor with the
Capital Research Center (CRC).
“President Obama has given ACORN $729,849 so far this year and
billions more in federal cash may be in the pipeline,” Vadum
wrote.
“The president’s new economic stimulus package, the so-called
“jobs bill,”
contains as much as $15 billion for radical left-wing groups
such as ACORN (his former employer). Obama has been using his
presidential bully pulpit to demand that Republicans in Congress
“pass this bill,” even though there is no bill yet. Despite all the
rhetoric, the proposed “American Jobs Act of 2011” apparently
hasn’t even been introduced in Congress.”
Vadum is also the author of a new book on ACORN, its history and
its impact on the electoral process entitled: Subversion Inc.: How Obama’s ACORN
Red Shirts are Still Terrorizing and Ripping Off American
Taxpayers.
The renamed ACORN affiliates will likely be a force once again
in the 2012 races, especially where there are close, competitive
contests. But the self-described community activists should not be
permitted to swing election results with assistance of U.S.
taxpayers who have different political preferences.
Rep. Bachmann’s efforts to defund ACORN should be revisited
heading into the 2012 campaign.
