How Did ACORN Become a Target?

How Did ACORN Become a Target?

Nation contributor Jeremy Scahill say that this witch-hunt against ACORN ‘isn’t really about upholding the law.’

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Rachel Maddow fiercely takes on the Defund ACORN Act of 2009, which aims
to cutoff all funds to ACORN for their misconduct and recently passed in
both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support. Maddow points out
that not only does this legislation violate Article 1 of the
Constitution because it directly targets one specific group, but there
are many other organizations who have done worse and gotten away with
it. The Nation‘s Jeremy Scahill joins Maddow to discuss war contractors
like Blackwater
, who have been exposed for committing fraud and
murder, and somehow continue to get lucrative government contracts.
Scahill says that this witch-hunt against ACORN “isn’t really about upholding the law.” It is a calculated political move by Democrats and Republicans who
are indebted to corrupt war contractors because of their hefty campaign
donations.

Alana Levinson

Check out more great Nation videos on our YouTube channel.

Support independent journalism that does not fall in line

Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.  

As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war. 

In these dark times, independent journalism is uniquely able to uncover the falsehoods that threaten our republic—and civilians around the world—and shine a bright light on the truth. 

The Nation’s experienced team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers understands the scale of what we’re up against and the urgency with which we have to act. That’s why we’re publishing critical reporting and analysis of the war on Iran, ICE violence at home, new forms of voter suppression emerging in the courts, and much more. 

But this journalism is possible only with your support.

This March, The Nation needs to raise $50,000 to ensure that we have the resources for reporting and analysis that sets the record straight and empowers people of conscience to organize. Will you donate today?

Ad Policy
x