' The Issa Report- ACORN "a criminal enterprise..."'--Click the picture:
Posted on 09/22/2009 11:18:25 PM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
From: Linebaugh, Andy [NEA] [mailto:ALinebaugh@nea.org]
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:51 PM
To: State-Affiliate-Communicators-Plus-NEA [NEA]
Subject: ACORN TPs and more
The following talking points were sent this afternoon to state affiliate executives and presidents from President Van Roekel
As you may know, ACORN has been in the media lately and this has generated questions from members and leaders concerning NEA donations to ACORN. In the event that you receive inquiries, I would like to provide you with the following talking points:
· NEA was stunned and appalled, just like many of you, by the actions of some ACORN employees, which clearly violated the ethical standards set by the organization. It should be noted that ACORN acknowledged the inexcusable actions of the staff people involved and immediately terminated them. ACORN also reported the names to authorities of those staff who committed voter fraud by turning in falsified voter registration forms.
Contrary to what is being reported, NEA has not given $1.2 million to ACORN—this is a gross exaggeration. NEA has had a collaborative working relationship with ACORN since 2002, and over the past eight years we have contributed approximately $400,000 to ACORN.
These funds were provided to support issue advocacy and state-based coalition building assistance involving Salary/Living Wage and Tax, Economic Development and Funding (TEF) campaigns. Working with ACORN in these areas has been helpful to NEA in achieving our goals toward improving pay for educators and fixing the tax structure as it affects education.
Because of ACORN’s extensive grassroots network and track record for mobilizing community involvement, NEA has been able to expand support for the Association’s strategic goals through building state-wide or local coalitions of community based organizations, businesses, and faith-based and civic organizations. These broad coalitions have been effective in pushing back against attacks on working families and NEA members at the state level and mobilizing support for public education.
As part of our longstanding relationship with ACORN, we have also worked together to support efforts to fight voter disenfranchisement. And ACORN distributed NEA’s flyer, “Why Invest in Public Education,” throughout the community during the past election year to encourage voters to consider candidates who support public education.
We are not currently providing funding to, nor do we have any active contracts with, ACORN. I hope this information is helpful in clarifying the relationship between NEA and ACORN and explaining the relationship to NEA members. Thank you.
Below is the press release issued this morning by ACORN.
®
PRESS RELEASE
www.acorn.org
For Immediate Release:
September 16, 2009
Contact:
Brian Kettenring, (727) 692-7215
ACORN Announces Major Steps to Address Issues Raised by Videos
In response to recently released videos of frontline ACORN staff, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis made the following announcement Wednesday morning:
“As a result of the indefensible action of a handful of our employees, I am, in consultation with ACORN’s Executive Committee[1], immediately ordering a halt to any new intakes into ACORN’s service programs until completion of an independent review. I have also communicated with ACORN’s independent Advisory Council, and they will assist ACORN in naming an independent auditor and investigator to conduct a thorough review of all of the organizations relevant systems and processes. That reviewer, to be named within 48 hours, will make recommendations directly to me and to the full ACORN Board. We enter this process with a commitment that all recommendations will be implemented.”
Ms. Lewis is specifically ordering the following steps be taken effective noon eastern on September 16, 2009:
No new intakes will be accepted into ACORN’s offices for service programs, effective immediately; An immediate in-service training for all frontline staff has been ordered within 48 hours; ACORN’s independent Advisory Council will help select an independent auditor/reviewer no later than September 18th to review all of the systems and processes called into question by the videos.
In early 2009, ACORN set up an independent Advisory Council to help facilitate a transition to a new management team under the leadership of CEO Bertha Lewis. Lewis was appointed to the job in the fall of 2008 after disclosure of a set of improper management decisions by the founder of the organization, who had led ACORN for 38 years. ACORN’s Advisory Council includes:
John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Board Member, RFK Foundation, former MD Lt. Governor
Andrew Stern, International President, Service Employees International Union
Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, Cityview
John Banks, Vice President of Government Relations Con Ed
Eric Eve, Senior VP of Global Consumer Group, Community Relations, Citigroup
Harvey Hirschfeld, President, Lawcash
Dave Beckwith, Executive Director, Needmor Fund
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Advisory Council said: “Our nation needs ACORN to succeed in its mission of helping low- and moderate-income communities advance. The Advisory Council has become concerned that these videos demonstrate a breakdown in some of ACORN’s systems. We have agreed to assist ACORN in establishing a process for an independent review of these procedures that will result in recommendations to the ACORN board and CEO, and we are confident they will adopt whatever changes are deemed necessary.”
Since the fall of 2008, ACORN’s new management team has instituted a set of changes, including:
The establishment of a new senior management team of the organization; Revamping of ACORN’s board structure, including the establishment of new oversight committees with new resourcing to those committees; Establishment of the independent Advisory Council Processes to hire a new auditor, CFO, and other key management positions.
Said Ms. Lewis: “We have all been deeply disturbed by what we’ve seen in some of these videos. I must say, on behalf of ACORN’s Board and our Advisory Council, that we will go to whatever lengths necessary to reestablish the public trust. For nearly forty years, ACORN has given voice to communities, and gotten results. Right now, our nearly 500,000 member are working their hearts for quality, affordable healthcare for every American and to help stop the foreclosure crisis. We must get this process right, so the good work can go forward.”
-###-
ACORN is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 500,000 member families organized into neighborhood chapters in over 75 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. ACORN is an acronym, and each letter should be capitalized. ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.
Only $400,000 does not really cut it with the public. The NEA has in fact given tax payer funds to ACORN he admits in this e-mail.
I’m sure we’ll here this garbage being recited verbatim on MSNBC and Saturda Night Live. The robots have their marching orders.
Sounds like NEA has been engaged in illegal political activity for quite a while. Another slush fund of the Left.
AAAaaahhh...but will the MSM investigate/report it?
Yes it is amazing how the 'issued/directed' talking points spread throughout the vast MSM. One can measure it within nanoseconds I believe.
I’m sure we’ll here this garbage being recited verbatim on MSNBC and Saturda Night Live. The robots have their marching orders.
As I recall, the first time I experienced 'wildfire' talking points was in the 2000 presidential campaign, wherein Tom Brokaw questioned if Gov Bush lacked 'gravitas' in his presidential bid. Now I'm a channel surfer, and within seconds the word 'gravitas' was sprewed out by every anchor, on EVERY channel. Now gravitas is not a common word, not readily utilized...but there it was.
“These funds were provided to support issue advocacy and state-based coalition building assistance involving Salary/Living Wage and Tax, Economic Development and Funding (TEF) campaigns. Working with ACORN in these areas has been helpful to NEA in achieving our goals toward improving pay for educators and fixing the tax structure as it affects education.”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And if you can..Please point out to me where in the NEA mission statement or mandate does it mention that these issues are germaine to the NEA purview?
Actually, I am thinking now that was NEA the Union giving ACORN money not NEA the government agency? But I don’t know the names of the leaders of either.
Yes this is the National Education Association (the union), not the National Endowment for the Arts.
How can you tell the difference?
The email mentions "Van Roekel", who is the union president.
That girl’s a cutie, even with all that pinko flair on her computer!
It means they’re going to retrain their employees to hide their criminality better.
I apologize...believe it or not, I was the first to use the word grivitas right here on FR talking about Fred Thompson for VP.
It’s all of them together. When Rush plays clips of all the talking heads using the same exact words, it’d be truly comical if it wasn’t such a serious game.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.