Michelle Malkin » ObamACORN corruptocrats squabble amongst themselves

ObamACORN corruptocrats squabble amongst themselves

By Michelle Malkin • October 13, 2009 11:58 AM

Photoshop credit: Leo Alberti

Grab your popcorn: The dysfunctional ObamACORN family is feuding.

Beth Butler, the longtime executive director of Lousiana ACORN, was terminated by the organization’s national leadership Monday amid a power struggle at the embattled advocacy group.

Butler’s sacking came two days after local ACORN leaders criticized President Barack Obama’s planned itinerary for a trip to New Orleans this week — comments that drew an immediate rebuke from ACORN’s national leaders.

On Sunday, ACORN Chief Executive Bertha Lewis said the remarks, which were not uttered by Butler, were “without authority and do not reflect the position of the national leadership.” Lewis said she would “be personally going to New Orleans to deal with the individual involved.”

Less than 24 hours later, Butler was fired. An angry Butler said Monday that the real reason for her firing was not the flap over Obama’s visit, but a simmering tussle over assets that ACORN’s Louisiana affiliate controls and that the national group covets.

In particular, Butler said headquarters has its eye on a land trust set up by the Louisiana branch. The trust owns five relatively modest houses, she said, and has a bank account of perhaps $60,000 intended for rehabilitation work — nothing to sneeze at, she said, “in the nonprofit world.”

As the worms turn, we get a nice, juicy glimpse of the power plays and money grabs that made ObamACORN the racketeering organization we all know and love:

Butler, who has worked for ACORN for 37 years, said her real sin in the eyes of the national organization’s leaders was a failure to concede to their demands. In particular, she said, she had led resistance to a demand to turn over the land trust, called the ACORN Community Land Association of Louisiana, to the national group.

“We were told by national ACORN that we had to give it up to them, ” she said. “We got e-mails threatening our jobs because we didn’t push the land trust people to hand over property and money to the New York people who took over ACORN.”

Butler passed along an e-mail message from Lewis calling Butler’s behavior regarding the land trust “unacceptable.”

The national entity is also making a play for roughly $90,000 in hurricane relief money controlled by the local group, Butler said.

“It’s hardball here, ” she said. “Our local resources are being spirited to New York. ACORN Louisiana is the most lucrative chapter in the country, and we knew they were aiming to take us over. There’s a major meltdown in ACORN. They’re trying to scramble all of us who would fight them.”

ACORN’s criticism of Obama’s original itinerary — essentially, that it was too short and did not include a stop in the Lower 9th Ward — was voiced by Vanessa Gueringer, an unpaid volunteer who heads the group’s Lower 9th Ward chapter.

“I’m thrilled that he’s coming, ” Gueringer said of the president on Saturday. “But, ” she added, “we want to see that change that you ran your platform on. We want to see the hope that symbolized your campaign in our neighborhood.”

The day after Gueringer’s remarks, the Obama administration announced it was adding a stop in the Lower 9th, at Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School.

Gueringer said Monday that she has not received a phone call or an e-mail message from the White House expressing any vexation with her comments.

She said the episode simply provided a convenient smokescreen for ACORN leaders to fire Butler.

Steve Gilbert sums it up:

To review, Bertha Lewis, is trying to make it seem that Ms. Butler was fired for allowing someone under her at ACORN’s Louisiana offices to speak out against Mr. Obama.

And Ms. Butler, in turn, is claiming that ACORN’s national leadership just want to get their mitts on Louisiana ACORN’s assets.

And they want to stress that Ms. Butler is not being punished for her involvement with the Rathkes, who embezzled as much as $5 million dollars of ACORN’s (ill-gotten) swag.

Who says there is no honor among thieves?

Posted in: ACORN Watch

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#822596

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:00 pm, RedDog said:

When is this monster going to be permanently defunded?
#822602

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:08 pm, tim zank said:

Uh, Does the phrase “They are too big to fail” ring a bell?
#822603

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:09 pm, flmom said:

This is why the original Acorn 8 were ‘relieved’ of their duties. They wanted to see the books as they suspected that the assets of the regional offices were being siphoned off by the national leadership. Acorn’s national leadership are using their regional offices as a slush fund for their power play in Washington.
#822605

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:12 pm, Dimsdale said:

When they can’t suck the teat of government anymore, they begin to feed on themselves.

Eventually, some really ticked off, newly fired employee will blow the whistle.

Unfortunately, the mainstream media is deaf to whistleblowing on liberals. I think they consider it cannibalism.
#822609

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:15 pm, Truesoldier said:

Butler’s sacking came two days after local ACORN leaders criticized President Barack Obama’s planned itinerary for a trip to New Orleans this week

And why did they not want Obama coming to New Orleans?

O/T, but the Nobel Peace Committee is out defending their decision to give away an award to Obama:

“We simply disagree that he has done nothing,” committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told the AP on Tuesday. “He got the prize for what he has done.”

Jagland singled out Obama’s efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world and scale down a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe.

“All these things have contributed to — I wouldn’t say a safer world — but a world with less tension,” Jagland said by phone from Strasbourg, where he was attending meetings in his other role as secretary-general of the Council of Europe.

With this statement you would think that Iran has given up Nukes, Russia is no longer threatening Georgia, The Israelis and Palestinians are singing Kumbya together…..
#822625

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:32 pm, plymouthacclaim said:

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:15 pm, Truesoldier said:

“All these things have contributed to — I wouldn’t say a safer world — but a world with less tension,” Jagland said

The world may or may not have less tension, but America sure has a lot more, both foreign and domestic.
#822629

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:40 pm, max said:

the bad news is that the New Orleans Chinese food industry will see a precipitous downturn no wthat Ms. Butler can’t eat her fill on Acorn’s dime whenever she wants a nibble..
#822631

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:40 pm, rambler said:

Let the games begin! Thugs going after thugs. What a concept! The shake down crowd has only the skills for intimidation and revenge, so when things begin to sour, look out. ACORN is now its own worse enemy.
#822635

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:43 pm, corona said:

Anyone up for another round of that ever-popular parlor game, Guess The Party?
#822637

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:45 pm, cheapseat said:

ACORN an enterprise begging for some young attorney generals to build a career on. many a politician have built grand careers on a large politically charged case. bust the place on rico, offer the first mouthpiece a pardon, and watch the rest go to jail.
#822652

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:55 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

“We were told by national ACORN that we had to give it up to them, ” she said. “We got e-mails threatening our jobs because we didn’t push the land trust people to hand over property and money to the New York people who took over ACORN.”

Don’t the New York Mafioso families call that tribute?
#822654

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:57 pm, xler8bmw said:

Why is “O” going to NO campaigning again?!
#822656

On October 13th, 2009 at 12:57 pm, Freddy said:

lost in all of the money grabbing …

“I’m thrilled that he’s coming, ” Gueringer said of the president on Saturday. “But, ” she added, “we want to see that change that you ran your platform on. We want to see the hope that symbolized your campaign in our neighborhood.”

They think that Obama simply walking by is going to do anything? Are they expecting some sort of major give away announcement? Maybe they are hoping for billions in stimulus dollars to be handed out to the locals so they are fighting over who should be seen by the one?
#822666

On October 13th, 2009 at 1:02 pm, Flyoverman said:

The day after Gueringer’s remarks, the Obama administration announced it was adding a stop in the Lower 9th, at Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School.

An adjustment in itinerary from the same President who denied he was up to speed on things related to ACORN.

Oh really? A local ACORN official makes a criticism and the White House notes it and changes its schedule?

Oh no; no ties between the Dear leader and ACORN anymore. /sarc
#822676

On October 13th, 2009 at 1:13 pm, tonyr951 said:

ACORN Louisiana is the most lucrative chapter in the country

Before or after Katrina?
#822742

On October 13th, 2009 at 2:11 pm, JustAThought said:

Anything I can do to fan the flames of discontent within ACORN? I just LOVE seeing these folks show their true agenda to the world and am pleased to be watching the beginning of the coming implosion.
#822868

On October 13th, 2009 at 3:49 pm, TooMuchTime said:

This reminds me of the movie “Lost in Space.” The alien critters used to eat their wounded.
#822883

On October 13th, 2009 at 4:05 pm, cicerokid said:

Who says there is no honor among thieves?

“The Pirate Code is more a set of guidelines than actual rules.”

Barbarossa
#822941

On October 13th, 2009 at 5:00 pm, bradley said:

The Nobel committee gave Obama the prize because he “reduced tension”?

You can reduce tension by going to the bathroom. At least you’d accomplish something, which more than Obama has.

I find it beyond elitist that a black president has to be reminded to go “visit” the black wards of the state who live in the downtrodden, still soggy parts of New Orleans. Maybe he forgot they had a hurricane. He was probably having a nice dinner somewhere in Chicago. Some of those $100 steaks most likely. Wait. At that point, HE would have had to pay for them. OK, maybe just a couple of Big Macs and an order of fries then.
#823099

On October 13th, 2009 at 9:06 pm, WarTip said:

When you base your political life on the politics of division … once you have won the battle all of the factions will fight amongst themselves until you take out the leaders and most vocal opponents.

Let’s just hope these radical groups chew each other up before the takeover is complete. To see so much of it going on within only one aspect of one group … the term “Priceless” comes to mind.