4. An ACORN in Every Bill
ACORN, the advocacy group for low-income people, has long been a favorite bogeyman of the right, and this year conservatives tried to convince America that
Jul 31, 202024.4K Shares499K Views
ACORN, the advocacy group for low-income people, has long been a favorite bogeyman of the right, and this year conservatives tried to convince America that ACORN was not only stealing votes and corrupting the census, but also receiving massive kickbacks from the Democratic Party. Conservatives succeeded in muddying the debate over almost every major Democratic initiative of 2009 — from TARP funding to the stimulus to health care reform — by claiming that the legislation contained, in the words of the NRCC, “billions of dollars in ACORN-stuffed pork.” In fact, none of these bills even mentioned ACORN by name; instead, they merely authorized grants that ACORN may or may not have been eligible to apply for. The ACORN hysteria reached a fever pitch this October when Republicans held up desperately needed unemployment insurance legislation with unrelated amendments concerning ACORN funding. While the scandal-prone group has lately lost the bulk of whatever political power it once had, shouting “ACORN!” has proven an appealing conservative scare tactic, and it is unlikely that we have seen the last of this form of fearmongering.
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
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