Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Turning Tea Party Patriots into Political Petitioners
Posted by Patrick Tuohey in Featured Story, News on October 3rd, 2009
As Americans rise up all across the country to challenge a political elite that many believe does not listen to them, it is important to consider the tools that people in many states have employed to directly affect change: the petition.
In Missouri, our Constitution includes the following passage:
The people reserve power to propose and enact or reject laws and amendments to the constitution by the initiative, independent of the general assembly, and also reserve power to approve or reject by referendum any act of the general assembly, except as hereinafter provided. (Article 3, Section 49)
The document clearly states that the people possess the right to initiate laws and constitutional amendments, even though they grant those same powers to their representatives in the legislature. This is an important since it permits the people to enact laws directly and without going through the standard legislative process.
Unfortunately, in Missouri and other states where the people enjoy this right, the initiative process is continually under assault from state legislatures—Republican and Democrat alike—even to the point of adopting unconstitutional limitations to them. Such efforts have included the following:
- A 1969 law in Oklahoma required that petition circulators be state residents. In December 2008, the Tenth Circuit Court unanimously struck down that law as unconstitutional. The Court did the same to a similar law in Colorado in 2002.
- A 2005 law in Ohio that restricted petition gatherers from being paid per signature was struck down by the Sixth Circuit Court struck in March 2008. Ohio appealed the decision but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear it. Similar pay-per-signature regulations have been overruled by federal district courts in Idaho, Maine, Mississippi and Washington.
- A Colorado law that required petitioners to wear badges with their name and whether they were a volunteer or paid circulator was struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999.
A common argument for limiting the petition process is that it puts too much money into politics or that it invites fraud. Yet courts have found this not to be the case. In the 2005 ruling against Ohio, the Court concluded that prohibiting payment per signature would increase the costs and the time necessary to obtain the required signatures. The Court also rejected the evidence that this particular form of payment resulted in fraud.
Other legislators worry that petition drives can be funded and operated by people living out-of-state. In a December interview with the Springfield News-Leader, Rep. Michael Parson (R-133) said, “What’s happening is a company or a special-interest group can come in from out of the state, basically unload the signature gathers (from a bus), do a marketing campaign and change the Constitution of the State of Missouri.” It is important to note that Parson’s concern about out-of-state money and campaign workers doesn’t extend to candidate elections, like his own. His legislative efforts would only regulate out of state activity on campaigns for ballot initiatives, not campaigns for politicians.
Organizations such as Citizens in Charge are dedicated to preserving petition rights and even expanding them into new states. This is the first place tea party organizers should turn when considering how to leverage their clout. Ballotpedia.org is a website offering information about various ballot initiatives in Missouri and elsewhere. This service is important, because often the keys to the petition process are held by the executive and legislative branches—the very groups that the petition process is intended to circumvent. Even if a petition makes it to the ballot, the language that appears on the ballot may be written to opponents to change.
The Missouri general assembly recently debated real and substantive improvements to the initiative process, but the legislation did not survive the frenzied final few hours of the session. Look for these efforts to continue in January, and to remain a battleground all over the country.
ACORN Plans Massive Layoffs
Posted by Matthew Vadum in ACORN, Featured Story, News, Wade Rathke on October 3rd, 2009
A credible source claims the embattled left-wing advocacy group ACORN is poised to announce massive staff layoffs but an ACORN spokesman denies this is the case.
A credible source close to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now revealed that the activist network intends to lay off all staff members operating out of its New Orleans headquarters. All information provided by the source to this reporter in the past has turned out to be correct.
However, ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson of the public relations firm The Advance Group in New York City said the source was incorrect.
In an interview Friday afternoon with Levenson said (referring to BigGovernment.com), “You guys just can’t get it right. You’re wrong again.”
When pressed to elaborate, Levenson declined to do so.
Levenson received media attention earlier this year when Fox News host Glenn Beck ejected the combative publicist from his studio during a commercial break. Beck said at the time that Levenson accused him of being a racist.
My source said that one of the employees to be cashiered in the Crescent City is the daughter of disgraced ACORN founder Wade Rathke. Rathke’s wife, Beth Butler, also works for ACORN but it is unclear at this point if she too will be laid off. Rathke’s son also reportedly is employed by ACORN.
ACORN also plans to lay off two-thirds of its Washington, D.C., staffers as soon as Wednesday of next week, according to the source. Layoffs will also extend to ACORN’s affiliate the ACORN Institute.
The source also revealed that all or most of ACORN’s development staff in the group’s New York City office will soon be laid off if they haven’ been laid off already.
ACORN’s already tarnished image took a major hit last month when BigGovernment.com unveiled undercover sting videos in which ACORN staffers across America were shown advising a pair posing as a pimp and a prostitute on the finer points of avoiding prosecution for prostitution, importation of underage illegal aliens to serve as sex workers, obtaining government grants under false pretenses, and tax evasion.
The adverse publicity generated by the videos and the group’s never-ending scandals is slowly but surely drying up ACORN’s funding sources.
Olympics: Just a Reminder, Obama Wasn’t the Only One Who Lost Today
Posted by Doug O'Brien in Featured Story, News, Obama on October 2nd, 2009
It is easy to feel a little melancholy on a rainy fall day in Chicago. Summer is indisputably over and, while our autumn is lovely, we know too well what is right around the corner. But today is truly a sad day in my city. Despite the potential political fallout of losing the Olympics let’s all remember that America and one of its greatest cities was repudiated. And that should not make any of us happy.
Chicagoans admit that we are ethically challenged when it comes to our politics. It is important to point out that in our business and other dealings we try to espouse Midwestern values and deal fairly with others. We are not proud of the reputation that the Cook County Democratic machine has won for us. And many are still trying to do something about it. But by and large, our distaste for local political habits in no way diminishes our love for our city, our state and our communities.
To my fellow conservatives who are deconstructing the implications of Chicago’s embarrassment at the hands of the International Olympic Committee and the indisputable damage it has done to the president’s reputation and image, I simply ask that you remember that there are millions of people in the Chicago area who are ordinary working people who take great pride in their community. All of us, conservative, liberal and independent, bid supporters and even bid detractors, are hurting a little today. We got embarrassed on the world stage as well.
Most people will never see their community host something as huge as the Olympic Games. For all the warts growing on the IOC and the games as they become more politicized and commercial, it is a spectacle I would have liked my children to have experienced in their home town. I would have loved for millions of visitors from around the world to have the chance to see first-hand what makes us love this city.
It is very valid and, indeed, important, to analyze what the IOC decision says about our nation and the president’s role in Chicago’s pitch. It appears to epitomize the simple-mindedness of Obama’s entire foreign policy. The administration seems to think that a combination of personal charm and endless talk can break down any barriers to cooperation and win everyone over to our side.
Never mind all the work that thousands of very smart and devoted people did to promote Chicago’s bid, Barack Obama will come riding in at the eleventh hour and crystallize everything in a way that no recalcitrant IOC member could fail to appreciate. His sheer magnetism will win the day.
Did no one in the West Wing raise his or her hand and point out that this is what they tried with health care? While Pelosi and Reid were fumbling about, with muddled messages and tired liberal tropes the prospects for far-reaching left wing changes diminished. The president had to take the reins and explain to these members of Congress and American people who just weren’t getting it, that they needed this reform whether they understood it or not. And the public reacted the same way anyone does when they are scolded by a patronizing know-it-all.
But I digress. The point I just want to make is that there are still a whole lot of good and decent fellow Americans here in Chicago who are bummed out this afternoon and will be for a while. Just as we must regularly remind Barack Obama that it is not about him, we on the other side of the spectrum must remember that as well. In this instance, in the rush to critique the president’s actions and their results, many people give short shrift to the millions who are disappointed by today’s IOC decision.
Daily Gut: Letterman’s Jokebag Has Gotten Smaller
Posted by Greg Gutfeld in Entertainment, News on October 2nd, 2009
So David Letterman just admitted on his Thursday show that someone had been blackmailing him for $2 million. That someone apparently claimed he had information on the comic doing “creepy things.” Instead of paying up, however, Letterman set him up – and the blackmailer, a CBS producer, was promptly arrested.
Now, a lot of people are laughing at the sweet irony of it all: a comedian who makes millions poking fun at the predilections of politicians gets nailed for a few of his own (I`m dying to know why he won`t dismiss the adjective “creepy;” whatever he was doing must make Marv Albert blush).
But I`m not one of those people.
And before I defend him, let me say that I find Letterman especially dour. I worshipped him in the 1980`s – back when he truly was a gifted, experimental talent. But over time, he`s morphed into a grumpy, partisan ogre.
Here`s my defense: he could have afforded to pay the guy off, and no one would have known. Two million is but a small fraction of his wealth – a marginal price for a rich man to pay to protect oneself from humiliation. But despite knowing that that he`d be called a hypocrite for all those jokes about Clinton, Sanford and everyone else he`s mocked – he went public. He did what every person should do: he followed the law.
For all of you taking special glee in this, ask yourself: what would you have wanted him to do? Pay the guy off, and continue life as a veiled hypocrite – screwing around with staffers while insulting politicians for doing the same thing? No – nailing the extortionist immediately and publicly makes Letterman the butt of his own jokes, and makes it especially difficult for him to make jokes about perversion and infidelity in the future.
That`s fine by me.
Especially when those photos from my vacation in Cabo come to light (I believe I was drugged).
Chicago Drops From ‘Second City’ to Fourth City
So, not only did Chicago lose out in its bid for the Olympics, it lost in the FIRST ROUND. It is kind of like the world community saying to President Obama, “Not only no, but Hell No.”
Breaking story here. Consider this an open thread.
ACORN To Stand Trial in Nevada
Posted by Kyle Olson in ACORN, News, Politics on October 2nd, 2009
Apparently the partisan witch hunt that ACORN has been alleging has now spread to the Democratic Party, as the Democratic Attorney General of Nevada has successfully brought charges against ACORN, after an investigation by the Democratic Secretary of State.
ACORN’s explanation? A regional representative told the New York Times that the two are just trying to make a name for themselves. Has ACORN no shame?
Matthew Henderson, the regional representative, said this is the first time the organization has faced criminal prosecution.
From the Mercury News:
[Former ACORN employee Christopher Howell] Edwards told Las Vegas Justice of the Peace William Jansen on Tuesday that while he never sought written permission, his ACORN supervisors knew canvassers making $8 per hour were paid bonuses of $5 per shift for exceeding a quota of 20 voter registration cards last August and September.
His regional supervisor, Amy Busefink, initially wanted him to set the bonus mark at 26, he said, but agreed to his idea of 21.
“Hey, it’s Las Vegas. It’s blackjack,” Edwards said.
And according to Justice of the Peace Jansen, according to the Times:
“It appears to me,” he said, “that Amy approved this 21 blackjack program as an incentive to get more people registered so they can be in good standing to meet the national quota of Acorn.”
The case now will go to a jury and according to the Associated Press, ACORN and a former employee also standing trial, Amy Busefink, will plead not guilty upon arraignment October 14.
This case will likely have a dramatic effect on ACORN’s/Project Vote’s voter registration program as it could lead to discontinuing incentives for registrations alltogether.
But, even more critical than that, by having ACORN as an entity on trial, it stands to lose its non-profit status in the state, according to a more complete AP story on Breitbart.com and face other penalties.
And ACORN’s attorney, as well as the one for Busefink, are attempting all sorts of legal gymnastics. The Mercury News article:
“There’s no hard and fast evidence that people were fired for not reaching that mark,” [ACORN attorney Lisa] Rasmussen said, adding that bonuses were awarded to people “for a job well done.”
Apparently witness testimony isn’t sufficient. And this:
Busefink’s lawyer, Kevin Stolworthy, said Busefink was actually employed at the time by the advocacy group Project Vote, a nonprofit voting rights organization that is not named as a party in the criminal case.
ACORN can’t have it both ways: it can’t pretend to be under one umbrella, ACORN, then when questions are raised, attempt to explain there is a division of labor.
For example, when we caught “campaigns” for political candidates on a board in the background of the Brooklyn video, we alerted the New York Post reporter, who followed up with a story. In it, ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson said:
ACORN insists it is not doing anything wrong because the primary endorsements and campaigning are being done by the group’s political action committee, spokesman Scott Levenson said.
ACORN’s sloppiness is slowing catching up with it and its attempt to have it both ways won’t work forever.
Pork Report: October 1, 2009
Posted by The Pork Report in News, Politics on October 1st, 2009
Keep on Truckin’:
Grateful Dead archive receives $615,175 federal grant; “The ultimate goal… is that everyone will have a Grateful Dead experience”
Renovation project at the Bill Clinton presidential center will receive $2.5 million of federal stimulus funds
North Carolina Department of Transportation spending $1.2 million of federal stimulus funds to renovate a lighthouse and another $3 million to paint a bridge
Congress approves $250 million increase in its own budget
Alabama governor seeks to award a no bid contract to monitor the use of federal stimulus funds to a sketchy company with no Web site, no listed phone number, and no e-mail address
ACORN ‘Advisory’ Committee Has Huge Stake in Success of Group
Posted by Kyle Olson in ACORN, News, Politics on October 1st, 2009
As ACORN’s faux independent review gets under way, ACORN’s advisory committee, made of up key liberal allies, is watching it closely, as seen in a fresh media advisory issued by David Redlener of The Advance Group and obtained by ACORNcracked.com. That’s because ACORN is a critical component to the Left’s agenda for America.
Remember during the bank bailouts the justification was because they were “too big to fail.” Well, to the liberal Left, ACORN is too big to fail. It has its hands in too many things and runs an effective ground operation through registering voters, turning them out on Election Day, as well as managing ballot initiative campaigns as a tool to boost Democratic turn-out.
Consider Professor Peter Dreier’s analysis of ACORN’s use of ballot initiatives, from a 2005 article he wrote:
ACORN’s strategy to inject this issue into state ballot measures is another important step. In early 2004, ACORN initiated a statewide ballot initiative in Florida to raise the state minimum wage, registered thousands of residents, mostly in low-income, minority neighborhoods in cities, to increase turnout on election day, and won a decisive victory the following November. On its own, this is an impressive accomplishment. Since its victory in Florida, ACORN and its labor allies have begun talking about grassroots minimum-wage initiatives in other states in 2006, particularly where Democrats have a chance to expand, or hold on to, key offices. Campaigns are already underway in Ohio, Michigan, and Arizona, and ACORN is exploring possibilities in six other states and several cities. The strategy is designed to increase voter turnout and to provide candidates with a clear economic-justice issue.
Dreier, for the record, has a long history with ACORN and just last week appeared on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show to decry the media’s treatment of the group during its latest scandal.
Consider for now just two of ACORN’s advisory committee members: John Podesta and Andy Stern.
Podesta, a chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton, is president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, and organization providing and intellectual ammunition and personnel for the Obama Administration and Congress. He received “special recognition” from ACORN at a recent event hosted by the National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers’ union.
Stern is president of the SEIU. His organization, according to its own numbers, spent over $60 million getting Obama elected and has been a leader in Healthcare for America Now, the organization, along with ACORN, that has been providing the ground troops in the fight for the proposed government takeover of health care.
It’s no mistake that government bureaucrats overseeing a proposed “government option” would be unionized, according to the legislation. Stern’s SEIU would likely be at the front of the line, given his union’s work to elect this Administration and Congress. Health care reform as it’s been progressing would likely mean a huge influx of members for the SEIU.
A hobbled ACORN would be a detriment to the Left and its agenda that’s still unfolding.