Palin: Obama 'fuzzing up' ACORN ties
Posted: Friday, October 17, 2008 1:45 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Sarah Palin
From NBC/NJ's Matthew BergerWEST CHESTER, Ohio --
Palin called on the
Obama campaign Friday to release its communications with a community organization group under federal investigation for voter registration fraud.
In the latest attempt to question Obama’s associations, Palin said Obama was “fuzzing up his connections” to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, and spent three minutes tying Obama to the group. She said Obama provided training to the ACORN staff and participated in previous voter registration drives. She also noted ACORN endorsed Obama and alleged a “front group” received $800,000 from the Democratic nominee’s campaign.
Video: While John McCain attacked Barack Obama with Bill Ayers and ACORN, the Democratic senator refrained from attacking Sarah Palin when he had the opportunity. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Pat Buchanan discuss whether this helped Obama preserve his status as the frontrunner for the presidency.“Now, all of this would be a lot of baggage to drag into the Oval Office,” Palin said at a rally at The Square of Union Centre. “And Americans are entitled to answers before Election Day. In the words of John McCain, we need a little straight talk.”
Palin said she and McCain were “calling on the Obama campaign to release communications it has had with this group and to do so immediately.” Obama said at Wednesday night's debate that his connection to the group centered around when he served as a lawyer on their behalf -- and in concert with the U.S. Justice Department -- years ago.
"In this election, especially here in Ohio, you’re going to be asked to choose between a candidate who will not disavow a group committing voter fraud and a leader who will not tolerate it," Palin said. "This group needs to learn that you here in Ohio, you won’t let them turn the Buckeye State into the Acorn State."
ACORN offices have been raided in recent days and the FBI is investigating whether employees submitted false voter registration forms in several states.
Palin launched an effort two weeks ago to tie Obama to William Ayers, the founder of 1960s-era radical group Weather Underground, by noting they had served on community boards in Chicago together. Noting the criticism she received for personal attacks, Palin went out of her way Friday to say the three minutes she spent on Ayers were not mean-spirited or negative attacks.
“These associations are important,” she said. “They go to the heart of someone's judgment and truthfulness. And it is not mean-spirited, it is not negative campaigning to ask someone about their record. It's in fairness to the electorate.”
Palin again cited Joe, the Plumber at the rally Friday, and said she had been impressed the now famous Ohio voter had been able to get Obama to “finally state his intentions in plain language.”
“Sen. Obama said that he wants to spread the wealth and he wants government to take your money and decide how to best to redistribute it according to his priorities,” she said. “Joe suggested that that sounded a little bit like socialism. Whatever you call it, I call it bad medicine for an ailing economy, and it’s what Barack Obama will do to those who want to create jobs and we’re willing to call Barack Obama on it.”
*** UPDATE *** The Obama campaign responds: "We have not worked with ACORN at all in the general election. Rather than make these false, desperate attacks, the McCain-Palin campaign should release an economic plan that actually helps the middle class instead of giving billions in tax cuts to big corporations," writes Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor.
