Los Angeles Robocall Proves ACORN 'Internal Review' Is a Scam

Just a few weeks after the first undercover ACORN videos were released, Big Government received a recording of a robocall from ACORN that ran in the Los Angeles area. Around this time, ACORN’s Chief Organizer Bertha Lewis went before the National Press Club to stress that the actions of her employees revealed in the videos “made her sick.” She reiterated that she fired the employees involved and promised a thorough internal review and reform of ACORN.

So, the robocalls were a mea culpa and promise that ACORN would do better in the future? Hardly. Away from the kleig lights of the national press, ACORN continued to deny wrongdoings and deflect attention to “extremists” attacking her. On the calls, ACORN even reiterates the lie that James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles were turned away in Los Angeles.

Listen for yourself (in English and Spanish):

Transcript and more after the jump.

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ENGLISH TRANSCRIPT:

Hello. This is ACORN. We’re calling to let you know that ACORN has continued to fight hard against foreclosures, for affordable healthcare, and now, to beat back the extremist attacks against our members, an organization you have seen on the news this week. Los Angeles ACORN successfully turned away the two right-wing activists who secretly videotaped a handful of ACORN employees and stopped their attempts to discredit the good will of ACORN here in Los Angeles. Thank you for your continued support. Always remember that the people united will never be defeated. Should you have any questions or would like to find out how you can be more involved, please call the L.A. office at 213 747 4211 extension 215. Thank you and have a good evening.

SPANISH TRANSLATION:

“Hi, we are calling to inform you that ACORN continues working against the embargo of mortgages and for healthcare reform, and now to fight the attacks of the conservative press like Fox News. In LA the Fox News activists attempted to infiltrate our office but we (removed them w/o incident)”{I believe this is what was said}. “Thank you for your support and as always ‘A united people will never be overcome.’

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The Spanish language part of the robocall explicitly mentions Fox News as the originators of the undercover video sting. The English language part simply mentions “an organization.” ACORN can’t even keep their story straight in different languages. ACORN needs a Chief Organizer of its evolving story lines.

The robocall confirms what we have always expected: ACORN’s commitment to an “internal review” is a scam meant to deflect attention from its many problems. Even before ACORN has publicly released the results of its “review,” they have already sued to have their federal funding reinstated. The robocall and federal suit reveal how ACORN acts when it thinks no one is paying attention.

In the light of day, ACORN’s spin machine jockeys to get just enough favorable media coverage to survive any particular story or news cycle. It will distort and lie, confident that Big Media will never follow-up nor hold the organization accountable for its past statement. The Ombudsman of the New York Times even had to admit that one of the paper’s reporters had, on his own initiative, edited one of Bertha Lewis’ statements to cover-up the fact that she had lied. After videos of ACORN Baltimore and DC were released, Lewis put out a statement claiming that James and Hannah were thrown out of ACORN’s New York office, among other locations. After a video of ACORN New York was released however, the Times reporter edited New York out of any further references to Lewis’ statement.

We’ve stopped waiting for the Columbia Review of Journalism or any other “keepers of journalism’s flame” to weigh in on that episode.

ACORN’s only hope to survive is to deflect public attention long enough that the videos, and the deep corruption they exposed, recede in memory. If Big Media continues to willfully ignore ACORN and its corruption, nevermind actually aid and abet their spin, ACORN may very well get away with it.