ACORN to merge with Working Families Party

ACORN isn't going away. That much has become clear as local ACORN chapters reorganize and change their names to avoid stigma. Today the corrupt community organization got another big boost as City Hall News reports that ACORN New York -- now New York Communities for Change -- will most likely merge with the Working Families Party.

Without the restrictions tied to government funding, according to [former ACORN president Bertha] Lewis and others, ACORN’s successor organizations will likely be even more politically aggressive than ACORN was. Already, supporters and board members of New York Communities for Change have begun to discuss whether the organization should join the Working Families Organization, an association of labor unions and community organizing outfits tied to the Working Families Party, a significant force in local elections. Lewis was a co-chair of the Working Families Party and co-founder of the Organization, and ACORN was among the largest and most influential members.

“They were such an integral part of the organization and everything we did,” said Dorothy Siegel, the treasurer of both the WFP and the WFO. “If we needed troops on the ground, there were two ways to get them: through ACORN and through an affiliate.”

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Though WFP co-chair Bob Master and executive committee member Peter Colavito were on the host committee for the event, neither they nor other officials from the WFP attended, according to Siegel, and ACORN leaders were absent from a meeting of the WFP executive committee in Albany in March. But Siegel said there has already been preliminary discussion among WFP members about whether New York Communities for Change should join the coalition.

“I think they want to participate,” Siegel said of the new organization’s leaders. “These are people who are very, very involved in the work of the WFP.”

ACORN and the WFP had always been sister organizations. While ACORN organized and rallied in the streets, the WFP exerted political pressure on candidates and threw its weight around in Albany. WFP allies, incorporated under the WFO, include powerful labor unions like the SEIU. Now, with the collapse of ACORN and the coming merger between NYCC and the WFP, all these groups and organizers are about to be brought under the same umbrella.

The WFP is already one of the most powerful community organizations in the country, and its creep over what was once ACORN New York will only make it stronger. They already have sway over numerous councilmen in New York City Hall and several legislators at the state level. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who took Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, is gaga for the WFP and actively sought out their endorsement. Andrew Cuomo, attorney general of New York and White House favorite for governor, has repeatedly refused to investigate the WFP. And of course there's Patrick Gaspard, former SEIU lawyer, friend of Bertha Lewis', and strong WFP ally. Gaspard is the White House's elusive political director and wields substantial power over New York politics.

Again, ACORN isn't collapsing -- far from it. It's reorganizing, consolidating, and merging with other radical groups. Ultimately, the community organizer scene may become stronger in New York because of it.

Nina Gershon, another slippery ACORN ally

Yesterday, Brooklyn federal judge Nina Gershon delivered a ruling that must have ACORN members dancing in the streets.

In a written ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon made permanent her conclusion last year that the cutoff of funding was unconstitutional. She ordered all federal agencies to put the word out about it.

The Brooklyn judge said ACORN was punished by Congress without the enactment of administrative processes to decide if money had been handled inappropriately. She said the harm to ACORN's reputation continues because the government never rescinded its advice to withhold funding after it was distributed to "hundreds, if not thousands, of recipients."

Despite the fact that Congress has the power of the purse under the Constitution, Gershon ruled that ACORN was entitled to taxpayer money. The corrupt community organizer group has received more than $53 million in federal funds since 1994.

Gershon, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, is leftward even of Barack Obama on the ACORN issue. After Gershon's initial ruling in December, the Obama Administration stepped in and asked her to reconsider, which she refused in a statement yesterday. Gershon has a history of meddling with taxpayer money in this way. In 1999, she ruled that New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani couldn't cut funding to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The museum had introduced an exhibit displaying a picture of the Virgin Mary covered with pictures of vaginas and smeared with elephant dung.

Gershon was born in Chicago and later moved to New York City to practice law, rising to the position of federal judge in Brooklyn. ACORN was encouraged to sue the government by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat from Brooklyn. Nadler is an enthusiastic ACORN supporter and has run with the blessing of the Working Families Party, ACORN's kissing cousin.

Gillibrand and Van Jones: Together at last

They'd make quite the couple, you have to admit. They're both young and attractive. Jones is a communist radical trying to convince normal people that he's more sane than he lets on. Gillibrand is a normal person trying to convince communist radicals that she's more insane than she actually is. Very complementary.

Flanked by forced-out former green jobs czar Van Jones, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Monday that creating new jobs in green industries presents the "greatest market opportunity of our generation."

Comparing the call to create "green jobs" to former President John F. Kennedy's call for landing a man on the Moon, Gillibrand said at a forum that the nation needs to act in order to inspire the next generation of scientists.

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While the U.S. dithers, other countries are aggressively moving ahead. Gillibrand noted that China invested $440 billion last year in green technology such as solar panels."

Harold Ford was right when he pointed out that Gillibrand is just parroting what progressives tell her to say. The former tobacco lawyer is the newest tool of the Obama-inspired radical left. If she'd done her research, she might have noticed that the Spanish tried to implement a massive green jobs program and lost three jobs for every one they created. That must not have been in the Working Families Party talking points memo.

Good news: ACORN cleared in New York by ACORN-supported district attorney

Well that was fast. After only four months, Brooklyn's DA has declared ACORN to be squeaky clean.

"Brooklyn prosecutors on Monday cleared ACORN of criminal wrongdoing after a four-month probe that began when undercover conservative activists filmed workers giving what appeared to be illegal advice on how to hide money.

While the video by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles seemed to show three ACORN workers advising a prostitute how to hide ill-gotten gains, the unedited version was not as clear, according to a law enforcement source.

'They edited the tape to meet their agenda,' said the source."

You know Brooklyn's crack DA really did a bang-up job when his office is claiming O'Keefe and Giles edited their tapes. It took us about fifteen seconds to find the full audio and transcript on Andrew Breitbart's web site BigGovernment.com. Apparently Brooklyn's finest haven't figured out how to plug in a modem yet.

There's definitely something fishy going on here. Brooklyn's DA Charles J. Hynes was endorsed for reelection by the Working Families Party, ACORN's kissing cousin in the Big Apple. The WFP wields substantial power and isn't afraid to lean on politicians for favors, as we've seen repeatedly with Kirsten Gillibrand and Patrick Gaspard. Hynes is a Democrat who believes, among other things, that drug users should be rehabilitated rather than imprisoned. Just the kind of man that the WFP is looking for.

This is the second time ACORN has gotten off the hook thanks to a sham investigation. The last one was courtesy of ACORN ally and former Massachusetts attorney general Scott Harshbarger.

On the trail of the Glue Man in New York

Patrick Gaspard, aka the Glue Man and the president's ACORN-linked political director, just won another battle in New York. Harold Ford, the very bright moderate Democrat who was considering challenging White House fembot Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the Democratic primary, has dropped out.

"Many in the Democratic establishment backing Gillibrand, including the White House and New York Sen. Charles Schumer, sought to discourage Ford from running. In Ford's op-ed, he complained of the party's 'campaign to bully me out of the race,' claiming it showed Democrats are nervous.

Gillibrand, who was appointed to her seat last year when Hillary Rodham Clinton became U.S. secretary of state, ignored Ford when he first declared he was testing the waters. But after Ford began regularly challenging her, the race that was not yet a race quickly turned ugly.

Ford called Gillibrand various names, including a hypocrite, a liar, an unelected senator and a parakeet who takes positions based on whatever party leaders tell her to do."

Ford is right of course. Gillibrand is a lawyer who worked for tobacco companies who suddenly transformed into a strident leftist in the Senate at the behest of Obama.

The Glue Man's sticky fingerprints are all over this one. As a senator, Gillibrand has courted many of Gaspard's old community organizer allies, including the radical Working Families Party. She was also one of a small handful of votes against cutting off congressional funding to ACORN. Ford, who is pro-life and supports the Iraq war, wouldn't be nearly as compliant with Gaspard and his cronies. The final blow to Ford likely came last week when White House campaign czar David Plouffe was asked about the primary challenge. Plouffe refused to comment on Ford but praised Gillibrand profusely. Point taken. No doubt Ford got a couple calls from Gaspard himself, often called the "air traffic controller" of New York politics.

Meanwhile Gov. David Paterson, another politician who crossed the Working Families Party, continues to watch his career crash and burn thanks to more mysterious leaks. Wonder where those could have possibly come from.

Gaspard gets what he wants in New York

There's something strange going on in New York. Governor David Paterson announced that he won't be running for reelection today, besieged by scandals. This isn't bad news. Paterson was a staunch left-winger and a terrible governor. But celebrations aside, there may be something more twisted going on here, and it involves a head honcho at the White House.

Patrick Gaspard, Obama's ACORN-linked political director, is no fan of Paterson's. Last year Gaspard tried to convince Paterson not to run for reelection, supposedly because the governor was so unpopular. Paterson refused and hit back hard, telling the White House to stay out of the race. That wasn't going to happen -- Gaspard has deep roots in New York. He used to work for the SEIU, as well as the Working Families Party, a political arm of ACORN based in the Big Apple. During the contentious special election in New York's 23rd District last year, Gaspard was described as the "air traffic controller," maneuvering to make sure that Democrat Bill Owens won the race. Gaspard is no stranger to these assignments. He has been nicknamed the Glue Man for his ability to hold disparate leftist crackpots together.

Ever since Paterson refused Gaspard, he's faced one scandal after another. The most recent involves a New York Times report alleging that he covered up the abuse of a woman on his staff. Barely two weeks ago, Paterson was also under attack over rumors that he shacked up with women and did drugs in the governor's mansion. Paterson adamantly denied the rumors to the Associated Press.

"Paterson attributed the rumors to news outlets and blogs other than the Times. He said that three sources contacted reporters at the start of Sunday's Super Bowl to leak word that he was about to resign, which he said he never contemplated.

'It seems to be somewhat orchestrated,' Paterson said Tuesday of the rumors, on whose source he has declined to publicly speculate.

Could that orchestrated attack have come from the air traffic controller, the sinister Glue Man himself? All politicians have skeletons in their closets. But Paterson is the only one who watched all his dirty laundry aired in the New York press over the course of two weeks. It's just too much to be a coincidence.

But why is Paterson attacked? He may be unpopular, but he's still a slimy leftist like all of Obama's friends. The answer may lie in this article from the New York Daily News.

"As Gov. Paterson attempts a political comeback, there's one key constituency he so far isn't wooing: the Working Families Party.

Paterson hasn't met with the lefty, labor-backed party's leaders since he replaced Gov. Eliot Spitzer last year, a WFP source confirmed."

It looks like Gaspard is still using his influence on New York politics to play political puppeteer for the Working Families Party. Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general supported by the White House to replace Paterson, has refused to investigate the WFP's ethical problems. Kirsten Gillibrand, who replaced Hillary Clinton as New York's junior senator, is constantly sucking up to the WFP. One WFP hack even whined, "Kirsten Gillibrand is being more solicitous of us than the governor is."

Spurning WFP is unacceptable to the power-hungry Gaspard, who wants personal control over every political race in the Empire State. The White House has supported Cuomo and Gillibrand adamantly, but not Paterson. Did it orchestrate this vicious campaign against Paterson to destroy his political career?

Gillibrand calls in a favor from Obama

ObamaWatchNews has been carefully following Kirsten Gillibrand, Democratic senator from New York. As we've reported, she's transformed from a moderate Democrat to a progressive liberal in the mold of Obama. Gillibrand recently spoke on a panel with Van Jones, was one of a few votes against defunding ACORN, and sought out the endorsement of New York City's radical ACORN affiliate the Working Families Party. She's worked out a pretty sweet deal for herself. She defends the interests of the radical left to the hilt, and the radical left supports her with money and endorsements. This includes the ultimate radical ACORN leftist, Barack Obama.

Gillibrand is facing a potential primary threat from moderate Democrat Harold Ford this year. Enter Obama's political hack David Plouffe.

"Asked if there is a danger of a primary, especially with Ford, David Plouffe told NY1's Josh Robin, 'Well, we'll see. He'll let us know what he's gonna do. What we need to focus on is Sen. Gillibrand's, I think, record of accomplishment and her vision.'

Reverting back to elements of her political pedigree that were cited last year in why Paterson chose her, Plouffe added, 'I also happen to think she's a very, very strong candidate. She's run, and won, in a very very tough part of New York for Democrats.'

'I think she'd be a terrific candidate for us in the fall. So for two reasons. I think she is the best person to represent New York and help us build the strong economy we need for the future, and secondly, I think she'll be our strongest candidate.'"

Presidents usually stand above primary elections. But with an ACORN ally and Van Jones defender on the line, it looks like Obama has made his first political endorsement for 2010.

Welcome to Barack Obama's latest retread: Yet another sinister, liberal, ACORN-defending old crony.

The man who took an unheard of senator and catapulted him into the Oval Office has himself been summonsed to the White House. After Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts last week, the powerful and dangerous David Plouffe, who managed Obama's presidential campaign from soup to nuts (at the exclusion of traditional Democrat groups) was just called to Washington to help Obama and the Dems prepare for the upcoming midterm elections.

Plouffe cut his teeth campaigning for Democrats, including New Jersey Senator Robert Torricelli who dropped out of his next campaign because he was found to have accepted illegal gifts, making him too corrupt even for the Senate.

Plouffe will come to Washington not just with dirty hands, but also with a powerful weapon: a list of 13 million email addresses of the grassroots followers of Obama's 2008 campaign. Ominously, after Obama moved into the White House, Plouffe kept the list. It will no doubt return to Washington with him -- and doubtless will be called into action as Plouffe mails out his syrupy exhortations to come to the aid of the party. Obama may be unpopular right now thanks to his radical policies, but a granular database of 13 million people will be a galvanizing tool for even the most lacklustre campaign. And Plouffe has pulled it off before. The Obama campaign started in one room and succeeded because Plouffe never, ever took his eye off the prize.

Who the hell is Plouffe?

Plouffe is a lot like White House Political Director Patrick Gaspard. He's very shy and avoids press interviews whenever possible, despite the fact that he'll be joining the self-proclaimed "most transparent administration in American history". He doesn't brag or flaunt his intelligence. But he's powerful, ruthless and should never be underestimated. "Elections are nothing about doing well," he said. "You win or lose, and I love to win, and it feels absolutely terrible when you lose." Barack Obama has said of Plouffe, "There is nobody I trust more."

Since he bailed on college in the final semester, Plouffe has been entangled in the same mess of radical community organizing groups as the other cronies, crooks and creeps in the Obama White House. The political consulting firm where he works, AKPD Message and Media (founded by David Axelrod), has worked with the Working Families Party, ACORN's political front in New York City. Plouffe even defended ACORN directly, calling the outrage over the group's voter fraud crimes a "smokescreen." AKPD has also advised left-wing unions like the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. And to add insult to injury, their clients include those bloodsucking liberal fans at the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.