Minnesota 2020 and ACORN
In the wake of the recent ACORN scandals, it seems that everyone is running as fast and far as possible from the disgraced advocacy group. The U.S. House and Senate recently voted to end public funding for ACORN by margins of 345-75 and 83-7 respectively. Even Nancy Pelosi has called for an investigation. Most of ACORN's reliable liberal allies have, in the name of political expediency, thrown ACORN under the hybrid-electric bus. Everyone, that is, but Minnesota 2020, the liberal think tank founded by former state legislator Matt Entenza.
According to their website, as of October 5, 2009, MN2020 is "pleased to continue working and consulting with," among other groups, ACORN (text highlighted by FFM for clarity).
The think tank also lists as a partner the Service Employees International, ACORN's biggest union backer. Let's give Minnesota 2020 the benefit of the doubt; maybe they haven't kept up on the news. Maybe MN2020 hasn't seen the videos of ACORN employees assisting a purported pimp and prostitute in concealing a trafficking operation involving underage sex workers from El Salvador. Perhaps they haven't heard that ACORN is currently under investigation in 20 states and that the U.S. Justice Department has opened a probe into the group's public funding. And maybe they missed the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota's coverage of Minnesota's own ACORN whistleblower.
Coming from a group that has routinely blasted conservative organizations and officials for alleged "hypocrisy" and "dishonesty," you might expect them to be wary of affiliating with an apparently corrupt organization. After all, MN2020 promises its supporters it will "monitor conservative groups and hold them accountable."
A few months back, our progressive friends at MN2020 took some cheap shots at the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota for advocating LGA reductions. After falsely accusing so many of their free-market counterparts of hypocrisy and lacking integrity, we anxiously await MN2020's repudiation of ACORN's sleazy tactics and apparent corruption. Anything short of that would be - oh, what's the word - hypocrisy.
Cross-posted at Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
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