New Fronts in the ACORN Wars

Daniel Tencer reports that ACORN is encouraging supporters to write letters to attorneys general demanding investigations of James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles — a campaign they’ve dubbed “sting the stinger.”

Meanwhile, as O’Keefe and his allies push back on Max Blumenthal’s story about the 2006 “race and conservatism” debate that he (and I, as a reporter) attended, it’s interesting to read this attack on National Labor Relations Board member Craig Becker from Matthew Vadum of the Capital Research Center.

The sensational headline: “Becker Lied to McCain.” The context: McCain asked Becker if he “perform[ed] work for and provide[ed] advice to ACORN or ACORN-affiliated groups while employed by your current employers or on a volunteer basis,” and Becker said he had “never done so.” Not true, says Vadum!

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.

The evidence:

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.

Leaving aside the convoluted logic here, it’s fairly absurd that McCain would justify his months-long hold on Becker by tying him to advising one union affiliated with ACORN at one time. You know who else advised ACORN?