ACORN is About Power; Pittsburgh Trib-Review Nails it

by Kyle Olson

When we read about the firing of Louisiana ACORN head Beth Butler, wife (“longtime companion”?) of ACORN founder Wade Rathke, we knew ACORN was still girding its loins.

It all came about when a local ACORN volunteer, Vanessa Gueringer, remarked to the Times-Picayune that President Obama should spend more time in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans when he was going to visit there last week.  The Lower 9th, of course, was hardest hit during Hurricane Katrina 4 years ago.

lowerninth

It seemed like a fairly harmless request, and one that would certainly expect to read from ACORN in a newspaper.

Well, it appears Bertha Lewis and ACORN national still are a bit touchy (and powerhungry?).  Lewis was supposedly coincidentally flying down to New Orleans the very next day.

Lo and behold, Lewis cited “a lack of accountability to process” in figuratively lopping off Butler’s head, who apparently failed in her duty to keep her minions quiet.  From the Times-Picayune:

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.”

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review issued a correct analysis:

The firing of Beth Butler, a 37-year ACORN veteran, from her post as executive director of Louisiana ACORN by national ACORN leaders has sparked infighting that confirms that the group’s real agenda — at any level — is more about power than about helping the downtrodden.

Now comes word that ACORN national has taken over the Louisiana chapter, further distancing itself from the Rathkes and attempting to secure that chapter’s assets.

And the Rathkes/Butlers are responding in-kind:

Yet local ACORN leaders, including the recently deposed Beth Butler, say they are nearing completion of a long-planned separation from the national organization, setting up shop in new offices but under the same name.

…

Gueringer said local ACORN figures are willing to go to court to gain control of the Louisiana ACORN resources, including membership dues, property and recovery grants that are now in control of the national organization.

Gueringer said she has not talked with local staff members but believes they will be welcomed in the new organization. “I assume, like everybody, that those people need a job,” she said. “Those folks have a tough decision to make about what organization they will be a part of.”

It certainly didn’t take long for the ACORN dandelion seeds to take flight, landing elsewhere to take root and continue its work.

Lastly, we wanted to bring attention to the t-shirt Vanessa Gueringer wore to the Wade Rathke book signing in New Orleans back in late July, to dispel any myth about ACORN’s true agenda.

acornobama


Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | | Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted Oct 20th 2009 at 8:00 am in ACORN, News, Obama, Politics | 64 Comments