Bertha Lewis on FNS

I'm sure the video will be up in a bit, however, I just finished watching Bertha Lewis and Congressman Darrell Issa on FNS. If her appearance on FNS was any indication, I would love to go dancing with Ms. Lewis. That's because she certainly danced around a lot of direct questions. It appeared that no matter what Chris Wallace asked Ms. Lewis continued to go back to the fact that her organization serves the poor. She continued to go to the fact that she's focused on helping people avoid foreclosure. She continued to verbalize her mantra that on her watch no illegality would be tolerated. That's what Ms. Lewis said on the O'Reilly Factor when she appeared there in the spring.

The whole thing actually reminded me of the corrupt Grady Hospital. The powers that be there also have a penchant of pointing out all the good work that hospital does whenever there is another scandal. It's besides the point and it's a trojan horse put out there to change the subject and gain sympathy. It won't work. The videos are simply too powerful.

Now, I wish Mr. Wallace had been more prepared because had he many of the things that Ms. Lewis said could have easily been refuted. For instance, she continues to insist that she will stand for no illegality on her watch. The embezzlement of Dale Rathke is in the past. Yet, Wade Rathke, Dale's brother, not only covered up the embezzlement, but told eight of his top lieutenants. (Ms. Lewis, ironically enough, wasn't one of those eight) None of those eight have been removed from the ACORN universe. They continue to be in their position of power and that's on her watch. Yet, Ms. Lewis, over and over, will claim on television that she's the new sheriff in town and there's no more criminality. Yet, the new sheriff continues to leave in place eight co conspirators of a million dollar embezzlement cover up.

Second, Chris Wallace quizzed Ms. Lewis about the full audit that ACORN claims they will hold. They were supposed to choose an auditor by Friday. Now, Lewis claims it will be Monday. This isn't the first time that ACORN has hired an auditor following financial misdeeds. Following the disclosure of the embezzlement, ACORN told its board that it would hire an auditor as well. That auditor was Mesirow Financial. Since Mesirow doesn't do audits, that's not much of an auditor. Once again, Wallace missed this totally ludicrous assertion and allowed Lewis to claim that they will really hire an auditor.

Lewis even claimed that ACORN pays its taxes. That's simply not true. ACORN has a history of not paying its taxes. In fact, Congressman Issa's own report stated this as well, and he also stayed silent when she claimed this.

Wallace made the best point of the interview when he pointed out that ACORN is a taxable non profit. In fact, Wallace said that according the the Congressional Research Service, ACORN is the only non profit that has a taxable status. He pointed out that if ACORN is really concerned with helping the poor wouldn't it make more sense to be a tax free non profit. Of course, ACORN's status is designed solely so that the group can engage in a host of political and media activities that have nothing to do with anything but consolidating its own power. Wallace never said that but the implication was clear.

Lewis did a fair job of sticking to her talking points but the evidence against ACORN is so overwhelming that a hypnotist couldn't make the public forget about everything that's been disclosed in the last couple weeks and over the last year. Ultimately, ACORN's goose is cooked. Lewis can come on every network and be allowed to say the same talking points and it won't make one difference. They're through and we're watching their slow and painful dance.