working families party

NYC Comptroller John Liu’s (D) campaign disclosure problems.

“Irregularities.” That’s such a fun word to hear in newspaper stories about elected officials, particularly ones from political parties that aren’t yours. So it is here, with regard to Democratic/Working Families Party Member John C. Liu: this NY Times article reports that a survey of Mr. Liu’s most recent campaign finance reports resulted in allegations of:

“…instances in which people listed as having given to Mr. Liu say they never gave, say a boss or other Liu supporter gave for them, or could not be found altogether. “
Donor cards for contributions being filled out by people other than the ones doing the donation;
‘Bundling’ (a practice where one person goes out and collects money from others, then delivers it to the campaign) going on, absent information on the individual donors.

Continue reading NYC Comptroller John Liu’s (D) campaign disclosure problems.

WFP wants you to “MAKE A DIFFERNENCE” for #OWS?

Mean of me to note the bad spelling in this let’s-just-screenshot-this-now Craigslist post from NY’s Working Families Party advertising for… well, it’s actually a bit hard to figure out just what open job position WFP is advertising for. Many people are assuming (or at least speculating) that it’s for warm bodies for the Occupy Wall Street protests themselves, but I’m not buying that: when you can get people to defecate on police cars for free, why pay them?

No, what’s actually happening here is just another example of the Democratic establishment* working to consolidate its control over the OWS leadership in order to keep pushing it in more acceptable directions (i.e., directions more in line with the desires of the Democratic establishment). In other words, it’s in line with the DCCC doing fundraising off of OWS, or former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s bid for regaining relevance in a world where she’s routinely (and deservedly) ignored. And it’ll probably work, at that: by all accounts, the movement is trapped in precisely the sort of free-falling organizational nightmare that can be easily exploited by well-heeled outsiders who at least look like they know what they’re doing. Continue reading WFP wants you to “MAKE A DIFFERNENCE” for #OWS?

Actually, Patrick Gaspard IS affiliated with ACORN.

Matthew Vadum had precisely the same reaction that I did when I read the Ben Smith Politico article that published ACORN founder Wade Rathke’s denial that White House Director Political Director Patrick Gaspard was affiliated with his group: Umm. No. It’s not Ben’s fault – this is all deliberately designed to be confusing – but there are a clear set of links. It goes like this:

First, ACORN has long been known to have The Working Families Party as one of its front organizations. As Discover the Networks notes:

Currently composed of some 30,000 members, the Working Families Party (WFP) is a front group for ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). WFP functions as a political party in New York State and Connecticut, promoting ACORN-friendly candidates. Unlike conventional political parties, WFP charges its members dues — about $60 per year — a policy characteristic of ACORN and its affiliates.

According to the party’s website, WFP is a coalition founded jointly by ACORN, the Communications Workers of America, and the United Automobile Workers. However, ACORN clearly dominates the coalition. New York ACORN leader Steven Kest was the moving force in forming the party, and WFP headquarters are located at the same address as ACORN’s national office, at 88 Third Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.

Second, as Matthew Vedum reported, the link between Gaspard and the WFP is clear: he himself identified with the political party.

Third, as I mentioned earlier today, Gaspard is continuing to assist the WFP in local elections.

The Working Families Party and its secretive private company are apparently not alone in helping out Bill de Blasio’s campaign behind the scenes.

De Blasio, who is a candidate in the four-way Democratic primary for public advocate, has also has been getting a helping hand from Patrick Gaspard, the White House political director, and from the deputy director of the New York State Democratic Committee.

So. ACORN = WFP = Patrick Gaspard. Wade Rathke’s sudden performance to the contrary.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

WFP/ACORN Voter Fraud in Troy, NY.

Not voter registration fraud – which is, by the way, voter fraud – but actual, no-fooling, they-forged-absentee-ballots voter fraud:

Affidavits: Ballot abuse rampant

Dozens of forged and fraudulent absentee ballots from people registered to vote on the Working Families Party line were filed in the Sept. 15 primary elections in Troy, the Times Union has learned.

[snip]

Documents at the county Board of Elections show the fraudulent ballots were handled by or prepared on behalf of various elected officials and leaders and operatives for the Democratic and Working Families parties. A Troy housing authority employee, Anthony Defiglio, who sources said oversees vacant properties for the Troy Housing Authority, also handled many of the fraudulent ballots, according to public records and interviews with voters who said they were duped.

Via Big Government, which helpfully points out that the Working Families Party is another facet of ACORN, to the point where they share current officers like Bertha Lewis and former affiliates like Patrick Gaspard (who is actually working even now with the WFP in local NY politics). This should surprise fewer people than it will; it’s long been an open secret that most of these groups live in each other’s pockets.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.