A Few Facts and Observations
First, keep in mind: Senator Obama was the first Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which was a Division, or Project, of the Annenberg Foundation.
William (Bill) Ayers, unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist and a friend of the Obamas, was instrumental in founding the Challenge, thanks to his ties to Mayor Richard Daley. The first Daley was also a pal of Thomas Ayers, Bill’s father, former CEO of ComEd (owned by Exelon).
[Incidentally, the current CEO of ComEd, Frank M. Clark, is a major money bundler for the Obama campaign.]
You’ll recall from Wednesday’s story that the Annenberg files have suddenly been locked down under mysterious circumstances, after a reporter was promised access.
Factcheck.org, used as a resource by so many who wish to “debunk” negative coverage of Obama, is also a Division, or Project, of the Annenberg Foundation.
You’ll recall that Factcheck was the second site to publish the now-suspect Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) reportedly received from the Obama campaign.
[The Annenberg Foundation and family has an interesting history that we may examine in more detail.]
Second, keep in mind that ACORN has received payments of nearly a million dollars from the Barack Obama Campaign in 2008, as NancyA reported on this blog Aug. 15. Apparently the payments were funneled through Citizens Services Inc., and may have been falsely reported to the FEC.
The Senator has been working with ACORN since his first days as a Community Organizer in Chicago:
“In 1992, Acorn Hired Mr. Obama To Run A Voter Registration Effort. He Later Became A Trainer For The Group, As Well As Its Lawyer In Election Law Cases.” (John Fund, Op-Ed, “Obama’s Liberal Shock Troops,” “The Wall Street Journal”, 7/12/08 )
and
“Representing ACORN, Obama And Other Attorneys Sued The State Of Illinois, Forcing It To Implement Federal “Motor Voter” Legislation That Makes It Easier For The Poor And Minorities To Register To Vote.” (”Some Cases Obama Worked On In His Career As An Attorney,” “The Associated Press”, 2/20/07). Hence again impartiality is not possible.
More Press Quotes on ACORN:
ACORN Used “In Your Face” Tactics Like Disrupting Hearings, Bursting Into City Council Meetings, And Protesting Mayor’s Homes. (Stanley Kurtz, Op-Ed, “Inside Obama’s Acorn,” “National Review”, 5/29/08 )
“ACORN Has Been Accused Of Voter Fraud In 13 StatesSince 2004 And Was Convicted Of Falsifying Signatures In A Voter Registration Drive Last July, Drawing A Fine Of $25,000 In Washington State.” (Editorial, “George Soros: The Man, The Mind And The Money Behind MoveOn,” “Investor’s Business Daily”, 9/21/07)
“ACORN Has Been Implicated In Similar Schemes In 14 Other States - Including Ohio, Where A Worker Traded Crack Cocaine For Fraudulent Registrations.” (Editorial, “Another ACORN Scandal,” “New York Post”, 7/13/08 )
[Notice that the first of these quotes is from the very man (Kurtz, from National Review) who has been denied access on flimsy, and possibly illegal grounds, to the Annenberg Files.]
Meanwhile, keep in mind: ACORN has been a beneficiary of grants from the Chicago-based Woods Fund, which has a history of issuing controversial grants. Ayres and Obama served together on the Fund’s board (and are still listed). [Other grantees during their tenure included PLO employee Rashid Khalidi and the Obamas' church, Trinity United.]
Conclusions
Are you starting to see the potential connections and conflicts of interest? Here’s what we see:
1. Potential conflict of interest between Obama and anything funded by the Annenbergs, including Factcheck.org. [For starters, why were they one of only a small handful of media to get a copy of the COLB?]
2. Obvious conflict of interest between Obama and ACORN: He has been directly involved in funding ACORN, has worked for ACORN, and is now PAYING ACORN in exchange for assistance to his campaign.
3. What kind of assistance is ACORN providing the campaign? When we read about ACORN’s expertise in “voter fraud” and “in-your-face” tactics, it instantly reminded us of Obama’s caucus fraud tricks (see Wednesday’s story).
4. Is there a direct connection between the Annenberg Foundation and ACORN, or are they just three degrees of separation apart, with Ayres and Obama smack in the middle? We are curious about that. [Walter Annenberg, founder of the $500 million gift that funded the Annenberg Challenge, had deeply rooted Chicago ties that clearly intersect with some of the same ties to Thomas and William Ayres.]
Obama, Ayers, Annenberg, and ACORN: a family affair? TD Blog