By Raanan Geberer
Managing Editor
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
By now, Congress has de-funded ACORN. The scandals with ACORN representatives approving the “pimp” and “prostitute” (although ACORN has promised its own internal review) have been all over TV. For many casual viewers and readers, ACORN might indeed be consigned to the “dustbin of history.” But before we do so, let’s look at what ACORN is — and why people are attacking it.
First, let me make it clear that I am by no means a total fan of ACORN. I think that the Brooklyn ACORN chapter’s rah-rah, 100 percent support of Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project is at best unrealistic, at worst self-serving. And the record shows that indeed there was some fraud in the recent cases involving ACORN voter registrations in various parts of the country, although the fraud involved was basically on the part of some individual employees doing the registration and certainly had nothing to do with the organization’s policy.
Finally, too much of what ACORN does and says has the air of confrontation politics — the worst legacy of the radical movements of the ’60s and ’70s and something that actually set the tone for the tactics of the far right today.
But let’s look at ACORN’s positive accomplishments. ACORN has been very active in trying to educate people about predatory lending, has supported affordable housing, and has helped pass living-wage bills (which require city governments to pay a certain minimum amount to their workers) in several cities. ACORN was involved in relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and has helped poor under-educated people deal with government bureaucracy.
In Brooklyn, the organization sponsors ACORN Community High School, which receives fairly high ratings. Even in the recent undercover investigations, by a highly suspect group, the “pimp” and “prostitute” apparently went to several other ACORN offices and were shown the door before they finally hit upon some staff members who were willing to take them up on their offer. And I’m still not sure whether the audio was somehow “enhanced” to make it look even more incriminating.
What enrages the conservative right about ACORN is not its policies per se, nor the misconduct of some of its employees. It is, first, that ACORN, in their minds, is somehow tied to President Obama because he apparently worked with the organization (as well as hundreds of other organizations) during his days in Illinois. And they hate Obama.
Second — and here we get to the heart of the matter — many of those who vilify ACORN are those who, at bottom, hate poor people and/or minorities. The fact that ACORN is injecting itself into policy debates, has ties with political candidates, and is running a seemingly successful organization with ties to public officials enrages the ultra-conservative right. In reality, they would prefer that the poor be “seen and not heard.” They believe that if you’re not successful in America, it’s your own fault and you deserve to suffer.
Given these beliefs, the recent scandals involving ACORN were a godsend to the ultraconservatives. The attacks on ACORN are nothing more than an updated version of the “Willie Horton” attacks of 1988. Then-candidate George Bush Sr. kept attacking Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, his opponent in the election, over the fact that African-American murderer and armed robber Willie Horton had committed rape, assault and armed robbery during a weekend furlough program — as if Dukakis was responsible for every decision by the Massachusetts state prison system. The subliminal message was that every black man is a Willie Horton, and if Dukakis was to be elected, “they” would have a free pass.
The recent vilification of ACORN — whatever real criticisms one has of the organization — by the Republicans are nothing more than an updated version of this charade.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=10&id=30907
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