What Does Robin Carnahan Know About ACORN?

Robin Carnahan is running for Senate in Missouri, and her shock troops on the ground in GOTV and voter registration will be ACORN and ACORN-affiliated groups.  Troubling stories and even convictions of vote registration fraud don't touch this Secretary of State, who like Mark Ritchie in Minnesota and Jennifer Brunner in Ohio,  was partially funded by the far left Secretary of State project, intended to put state offices in friendly progressive hands to control the results of any election irregularities.  This is not conspiracy talk - these are once again the publicly stated aims of these groups.

ACORN is in a world of trouble across the country, with everything from embezzlement to fraud to subprime mortgage to foreclosure tricks to public demonstrations against any who dare to question them.

Carnahan is counting on ACORN to help elect her.  What does she know of them, and at what point will the state's major newspapers ask questions of this organization and her ties to them?

Why should they be asking?  How about ACORN's own internal memos stating their purpose was the partisan ousting of Republicans, and the building of a voter/donor database using taxpayer funds that could then be used to work for Democratic candidates?  How about a training center in Kansas City, MO, where ACORN political operatives are trained and funded to build a long-term political infrastructure to impact state and national elections?

In November of 2004, Zach Pollett forwarded a political strategy document to Interested Parties on how to oust Republicans from control of Congress and target state legislatures to control the 2010 redistricting process.  The memo is nakedly partisan, and lays out a strategy that includes using taxpayer funds to build databases of voters on ballot issues, then converting those databases into political GOTV machines for Democrats in key states.  The memo involves the funding and training of political organizers to keep them employed in-between election years, covers ballot issues to be addressed, and even discusses how to merge political operatives with "non-partisan" issues.

"The strategy here is to build the long-term, targeted organizing and electoral capacity needed if we are to have a Congress with a progressive majority.  The redistricting process is key, since it is unlikely that there are enough competitive House districts to end right-wing control of the House of Representative before 2012."

In the 2008 election, an ACORN affiliate received $800,000 in a payment originally listed as staging, sound and lighting from the Obama campaign, that later was revealed to be money for GOTV.  Senator Carnahan has staff heavily involved with ACORN legislative activities, and the question comes to mind - does she have staff trained specifically by the Kansas City ACORN Training Center?  Can we expect Senator Carnahan to forward a list of maxed out donors to ACORN as was done in 2008 by the Obama campaign?  And if this happens, will the Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star spike the story prior to the election (as the NY Times has admitted doing in 2008)? 

We're finally hearing so much about the 2008 election - about the number of large donors that actually funded the Obama campaign (and not the small donations trumpeted by the campaign and the media), the use of donor lists forwarded to ACORN affiliates, and the paying of ACORN affiliates to do the work of the campaigns.  Carnahan is closely, closely linked to these groups in Missouri, hiring their staffers, closely coordinating with them in fake grassroots campaigns on Voter ID and electric power, and working in tandem with progressive groups and bloggers to hide the truth.

We cannot wait until 2011 to find out the truth. If Secretary of State Carnahan plans to use the services of ACORN, responsible reporters need to begin digging into just exactly what they are doing in the state of Missouri.

A good start.

1) Do you currently have staff employed who have trained or worked with ACORN or ACORN affiliates?
2) What working relationship does the Secretary of State and her director of Communications, Laura Egerdal, have with ACORN in the state of Missouri.
3) Considering the number of fraudulent registrations for voters in Missouri, and the conviction of ACORN workers here and across the country, what guidlelines or restrictions will Carnahan issue?
4) Does the Secretary of State or the Carnahan for Senate campaign share information with ACORN or ACORN affiliates, and if so, what is the nature of that information?

Comments

[Patrick Tuohey]

Jim:

Assuming we cannot count on "responsible reporters" to take initiative, what do you suggest we rank-and-file do to either (1) investigate the issue ourselves or (2) demonstrate to reporters that there is a story (and readers) there.

[navyvet48]

Call the Secretary of State yourself. Become a citizen journalist. I am currently investigating the St Louis mayor's office because I was on a conference call that was sponsored by ACORN and the US Conference of Mayors. St Louis mayor Slay was overflowing with praise for ACORN. He claimed ACORN has actually been instrumental in stopping foreclosures in your state.

Interesting that Carnahan came out of the SOS project that was funded by George Soros. That is exactly how Brunner became SOS in Ohio.

One question: Where is the training center for ACORN in KC? Their phone has been d/c in the office that I called. Contact me

Check out St Louis, that office appears to be "open" for business.

[-Jim Durbin]

Patrick,

There are many ways to do this. Bloggers need to start tracking what comes out of her office, including press releases, press conferences, and statements from those in her office. We can also search the Mapyourtaxes site for expenditures and compare them to what they are saying and doing.

We need to monitor the sites and take records of names and events, comparing them to ACORN events, and then we start the process of FOIA requests. In addition, we need someone in Jeff City that can look up visitor sign-ins.

We can attend small protests where she speaks that we ask these questions.

And follow up on information like that provided of navyvet, who points out ACORN was on a call with the National Council of Mayors talking about foreclosure.