Townhall.com's Washington Beat
with Jillian Bandes, National Political Reporter
September 15, 2009
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PROTEST OF THE YEAR
Nine months into Obama's presidency, conservatives gathered en masse to march on Washington in protest of big government, high taxes, and government-run health care. Estimates for the crowd size have varied between 500,000 and 1 million, with Americans flying and driving in from all corners of the country for the one-day event. Pennsylvania Avenue was flooded with people from the White House to the Capitol for most of the morning, and when everyone finally reached the Capitol lawn, it was standing room only.
A line-up of speakers rallied the crowd and provided a schedule of events, though as the morning progressed, there was little that could be done to contain the participants or their chants. Signs were everywhere, with messages such as "We the People...are coming," "Lies, commies and czars, oh my," and "I'll keep my freedom, my religion, and my money... you can keep the change!"
Rep. Joe Wilson provided a focus for many protesters during the event. Wilson yelled "You lie!" during Obama's speech on health care just three days earlier, and received sharp condemnation from both Republican and Democrat colleagues in and outside of Congress. But protesters' chants and signs made it clear that they favored both Wilson's convictions and the way he voiced them.
WILSON SANCTIONED
Despite grassroots support, Wilson is scheduled to receive a sanction from Congress in the form of a "resolution of disapproval" for his outburst during President Obama's speech on health care. Wilson refused to apologize for his behavior, but did say he regretted the incident because it was not fitting with the austerity a presidential speech required. This apology was apparently not enough for the congressional crowd.
The outburst sparked a fundraising spree on both sides of the election ticket, as both Wilson and his Democrat rival Rob Miller’s campaign treasuries each reigning in over $1 million.
ACORN FALLS FROM THE TREE
The "social justice" organization ACORN, or Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, received sharp blows this past week as undercover investigations revealed its collaboration with pimps and prostitutes in acquiring illegal home loans for their "businesses," assistance in retaining undocumented underage girls as sex workers, and multiple counts of tax evasion and money laundering.
As a result of the revelations, the Senate voted to stop the flow of government money to ACORN via the Housing and Urban Development Department. This means that ACORN would no longer receive government funding receive grants for counseling low-income people on housing, mortgages or outreach. ACORN has received $53 million from the government since 1994, and is currently eligible to receive up to $8.5 billion more despite ongoing investigations for voter registration fraud in a dozen states.
Additionally, the U.S. Census severed its ties to the group, telling ACORN its services were no longer needed as part of its 2010 people-counting efforts. ACORN was once a close ally of President Obama, who vigorously defended the group just last year. This defense came after its voter fraud scandals came to light, including instances of registering false names like "Mickey Mouse" on local and national ballots.
Acorn defended itself by saying the incidents that were caught on tape were isolated, that the incidents did not reflect widespread institutional corruption and that right-wing media (specifically Fox News) was launching a "smear campaign" to try and dismantle the organization.
Topic: The Obama Presidency Review (Read 483 times)