House GOP Drives Another Stake Through ACORN’s Heart
Always eager to live in the past, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have put a provision into a continuing budget resolution that would forbid federal funds from going to an organization that no longer exists and, even if it did, is already forbidden from receiving taxpayer dollars.
A new short-term budget bill introduced on Monday by House Republicans includes a bizarre provision banning federal funding to anti-poverty group ACORN, despite the fact that the group has already been stripped of federal funding — and has been defunct for nearly three years.
ACORN leaders announced that the group was disbanding in March 2010, after Congress cut off all federal funding to the organization. The provision in the current GOP budget bill [PDF], buried on page 221 of 269, would duplicate legislation that has already passed, to target an organization that does not exist.
In a sense, this is progress. Many of these people still think they’re fighting against the evil communist menace, which for all practical purposes hasn’t existed for two decades, and some of them even want to return to the 1850s. These legislators are only living a few years in the past.
Modusoperandi:
March 8th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
See? Laser-focused on the economy. Do you know how many jobs are created by defunding non-existent* organizations? Ones!
* And, note, innocent.
DaveL:
March 8th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Would this qualify as an illegal bill of attainder? Or rather would it qualify, if ACORN still existed and received federal funding?
fifthdentist:
March 8th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
I reckon next they’ll pass legislation defunding the German American Bund.
unbound:
March 8th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Classic GOP…living in a past that never really existed in the first place…
Katherine Lorraine, Tortue du Désert avec un Coupe-Boulon:
March 8th, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Whew. While they’re off trying to deny services to ACORN, maybe it’ll keep their paws off of the Federal Bigfoot Finding Bureau.
Abby Normal:
March 8th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Brilliant Bill-Fu by the Democrats here, “Fine, we’ll vote to defund ACORN if you vote to better fund education.”
(If only.)
Who Knows?:
March 8th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
On the bright side, I’ve read elsewhere that the fuck-head James O’Keefe is paying $100K and apologizing to Juan Carlos Vera, a former ACORN employee.
baal:
March 8th, 2013 at 2:55 pm
I’d like to attribute the repeat defunding of ACORN as a cut & paste error but we know they view ‘time’ and ‘causality’ (prior things cause later things but not the otherway ’round) as just scientific theories.
d.c.wilson:
March 8th, 2013 at 4:02 pm
This is like the dean putting Delta House under double secret probation.
Trebuchet:
March 8th, 2013 at 4:25 pm
They know dang well that ACORN was previously defunded and no longer exists. They’re just pandering to the base. And also hoping that the Dems will try to have the provision removed so they can point fingers.
Gvlgeologist, FCD:
March 8th, 2013 at 5:29 pm
test?
freemage:
March 8th, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Heh. Really, can you blame them? Killing ACORN was pretty much their high-point. After that, it’s been a long, slow slide to irrelevancy and impotence. Outside of the creeping abortion restrictions (which are probably the biggest problem at this point), the GOP has been losing fights all over the place. Even their Party of No tactics have finally soured with the public, and so they keep coming off looking like fools, as well as frequently losing. So the poor dears are obviously just trying to re-live the glory days.
Gvlgeologist, FCD:
March 8th, 2013 at 6:50 pm
What I like about this is that since ACORN is defunct, the members could easily just create a new organization (call themselves “Oak Seed” for instance”) and go about their business, even apply for any available federal funding. Kind of like that organizations run by Nathan Sproul that the Republicans used for voter registration that actually did have many “irregularities”. They repeatedly changed their name to avoid association with previous rule- and law-breaking. The difference, of course, is that the Republican organization actually WAS dishonest.
Note: I tried to include a link to Huffpro about this (after the huffingtonpro dot com, add: /2012/10/25/gop-voter-fraud_n_1990104.html) and twice I couldn’t get it posted. I’d appreciate any advice. Are links not allowed now?
Modusoperandi:
March 8th, 2013 at 7:14 pm
[a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/25/gop-voter-fraud_n_1990104.htmll"]Link[/a]
…
with the square brackets replaced with triangle ones becomes:
…
Link
F [nucular nyandrothol]:
March 8th, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Somebody help me dig up this decomposing, innocent horse what was murdered so as I can kick the shit out of it.
cheesynougats:
March 8th, 2013 at 11:15 pm
Breaking news! Generallissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!
anubisprime:
March 9th, 2013 at 7:56 am
Shows just how much attention they give matters, all is simple knee jerk…like frogs legs dangling and a current turned on!
Probably as Trebuchet @ 10 pointed out just a sop and pose in front of the base cretins.
Because knowing their fan base are not the cleverest of bunnies they think they can get away with pretending to fight the good fight in a battle already over, and are even moved to boast about it…again…, besides they are having little joy elsewhere so revamping old glories kindda is their go to default.
The south will rise again, the constitution is liberal conspiracy, a theist inspired society is not theist enough, burn witches, guns for budding ‘Billy the kid’s’ in schools, wimmins’ to the kitchen bare foot and always pregnant, and mobilize against England.
The average IQ of the rethug hierarchy must be the lowest ever recorded in any century you choose..
sailor1031:
March 9th, 2013 at 8:34 am
This is all very well but what are they going to do about Saul Alinsky? And Daniel Ellsberg?
wholething:
March 9th, 2013 at 5:49 pm
Nest on the agenda is to defund the Union Army for the War of Northern Aggression.