McCain alleged that ACORN “is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy."
That allegation got a big boost last week when the Associated Press reported that the FBI is investigating whether “ACORN helped foster voter registration fraud around the nation before the presidential election.”
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Good background story on the ACORN fraud allegations and its parallel in the 1992 election, rumor that Bill Clinton had tried to renounce citizenship. Consortium I find does these kinds of stories well. They clearly lack the reporters on the ground to do a lot of hard-nosed interviewing, so they turn to clip files and public records for these special reports. This one lays out an interesting narrative with decent sourcing.
This investigative report presents significant information on the strategic underpinnings of questionable political tactics at this late point in the campaign. But Parry also shows that this sad story is a present-day iteration of similar techniques used in earlier presidential campaigns. The combined effect is a chilling look at the ease with which the highest echelons of the US legal system can be--and have been--misused for purposes of electoral propaganda. This isn't as much a partisan concern as it is an alarming call for public scrutiny and critical analysis of campaign rhetoric, and a demand for accuracy in reporting.
I fear that we have become a nation divided through rhetoric into squabbling partisan red and blue tribes with warring loyalties. When did "party" become more important than policy? Have we lose sight of the beliefs outlined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? It's time to rethink blind partisanship and focus on the values that bring us together.
However, the citation of an FBI investigation as a way of instilling doubt and spreading suspicions has been used before. Indeed, it’s becoming ... More »
Perry provides some history of using allegations of an FBI investigation to legitimize bogus personal attacks. If we do not remember history, we may let corrupt journalists a politicians repeat it.
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