Obama's ACORN ties

1. "Even though Obama never took part in a trial, he was part of a team of attorneys who represented the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois in 1995 to make it easier for the poor and others to register as voters."

2. "Obama trained ACORN activists. A 1995 Chicago Reader article on Obama stated "Obama continues his work largely through classes for future leaders identified by ACORN and the Centers for New Horizons."

3. ACORN endorsed his presidential campaign.

4. In 1992 Obama took time off to direct Project Vote.

5. Obama’s campaign paid more than $800,000 to ACORN for get-out-the-vote efforts, but “mistakenly misrepresented” what ACORN was doing to The Federal Election Commission. Some found this "mistake highly suspicious:

"Barack Obama's failure to accurately report his campaign's financial records is an incredibly suspicious situation that appears to be an attempt to hide his campaign's interaction with a left-wing organization previously convicted of voter fraud."

6. According to Donors Forum website [ifs.donorsforum.org, accessed 6/10/08], during the time Obama served on the board of directors of the Woods Fund (1993 to 2002), ACORN received thousands of dollars --$45,000 (2000), $30,000 (2001), $45,000 (2001), $30,000 (2002), And $40,000 (2002) -- in grants from the fund.

7. "that Obama's long service with Acorn led many members to serve as the volunteer shock troops of Obama's early political campaigns - his initial 1996 State Senate campaign, and his failed bid for Congress in 2000... With Obama having personally helped train a new cadre of Chicago Acorn leaders, by the time of Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, Obama and Acorn were "old friends," says Foulkes."

8. Obama told ACORN and other community organizing groups (like the Gamaliel Foundation) that they will help shape his presidential agenda:
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