Glenn Beck Has Your ACORN Update

This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," November 30, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GLENN BECK, HOST: Politico is reporting ACORN has considered changing its name. Wow, I don't know why that sounds so familiar. I'm trying to think where did I hear that? They're going to change their name and go underground...

(BEGIN 'GLENN BECK' VIDEO CLIP FROM JUNE 18, 2009)

GLENN BECK: My prediction is that ACORN is going to get so much heat because of this network and only because of this network that they are going to disband. They are going to — you will see ACORN just kind of mutate, change, go underground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: This is coming out after sensitive ACORN documents were found in a dumpster — more on that in just a second. But it's going to take a lot more than a name change to cover up what we have already learned about ACORN no matter what they call themselves.

First, how is ACORN related to the story I brought you last week on eminent domain abuse?

Do you remember this shining example of eminent domain — you know, your right to own property and nobody can take it from you? In New London, Connecticut, the city decided to take Suzette Kelo's home so the drug company, Pfizer, could build a plant that was supposed to bring new jobs and tax revenue.

"Hi, we're here from the city and we're here to help." Sure, you are.

Here is what the city got — a big empty lot. Yes, Suzette's home is gone. All the small businesses and everybody else — gone. The plant? Yes. Pfizer decided, now is not really a good time.

Now, let's go to Brooklyn, New York — a similar thing is happening there. Real estate tycoon and millionaire owner of the New Jersey Nets, Bruce Ratner, wants to build a new arena.

Some homeowners don't think that that's important. They'd rather have their home. But Ratner went to the government with a grand plan for a new stadium and luxury apartments and retailers and stuff. And the government is like, "I smell tax revenue."

Well, after multiple lawsuits, the New York Court of Appeals at their supreme court decided they stand with the people and the state. I mean, eminent domain, with this much money, of course they can take people's houses. And so, the Atlantic Yards project is going through.

But luckily, the little people, the people who are fighting just to keep their homes, have ACORN to count on. ACORN to the rescue! ACORN is there to help out the little guy, right? They're there to fight for affordable housing, right? ACORN would never let this project go through, right? Right, Bertha Lewis, head of ACORN?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERTHA LEWIS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF ORGANIZER, ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR REFORM NOW: Enough is enough. You better build it, and build it now!

CROWD: Build it now! Build it now! Build it now!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Did I slip through a wormhole? Am in some parallel universe? I mean, I'm sorry, is that happening in a world where people are actually saying what they mean and mean what they say? They will sell out to anybody.

See, ACORN supports the Atlantic Yards deal. But why would they support a developer — a millionaire — I mean, somebody who is kicking little people out of their houses? They hate that, don't they? Answer: ching-ching.

You see, affordable housing is their way behind all of this. In 2005, Bertha Lewis actually sealed the deal with a kiss for Mayor Bloomberg and Bruce Ratner. Back then, they said there would be 50/50 affordable housing.

Unfortunately, the group Don't Destroy Brooklyn points out: "Six years into the project, there aren't any designs for any affordable housing." Yes. And you know, there's really no guarantee that affordable housing will be built unless there are major government subsidies.

So, wait a minute. New York's going broke, so that means you could pay for that so they could have a new arena. Isn't that fantastic? So let me see if I have this right. ACORN is supporting the project for all the affordable housing it will provide with no guarantee of providing affordable housing.

It is just so lucky that they were there to help Ratner, because in a completely unrelated item, he was there for them just last year with lots of money, just to help. He's a helper. That's what he does. The New York Times has written: "Forest City Ratner complied with ACORN's plea for $1.5 million in grants and loans to help restructure after the internal embezzlement scandal involving Dale Rathke, the brother of its founder, Wade Rathke."

So the guy who wants to build the arena gave them a whole bunch of money — completely unrelated, I'm sure.

How else does this relationship work? Well, as Bertha Lewis pointed out in an interview with the Regional Labor Review, among other things, ACORN helps Ratner by being, quote: "Political cover. Let's face it," end quote.

Oh, silly rabbit, why are you getting so worked up about this? I mean, come on. It's a private company and a non-profit, right? And Congress, by the way, voted to cut off any taxpayer dollars going to ACORN.

Wait a minute. Somebody warned me about that. Who was that?

(BEGIN 'GLENN BECK' VIDEO CLIP FROM OCTOBER 14, 2009)

BECK: Hey, don't believe that BS about, you know, "Hey, we're going to de-fund ACORN."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: It's almost like that guy has been right on a few ACORN stories. I should watch him more.

The Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department has posted a legal opinion saying the Obama administration could honor the contract signed before Congress banned federal funds in September. So, according to one legal opinion, they still get your money.

Oh, I can hear you complaining now: "Oh, Glenn, they had a contract. You stood up for the AIG executives getting their bonuses because they had a contract."

Yes. Yes, I did, no matter how unpopular it was, because they were some at AIG, you know, the ones that had the contract — there were some that did a really bad job — not for them. The others, the ones that signed the deal with the government right around the time of the bailout, coincidentally, they were like paid a dollar for the year. They were counting on their bonus that the government promised.

Yes. And then the government decided to renege on that because it was politically correct to do so.

If you want to talk about contracts, how about the contract with the bondholders at General Motors? Where did that contract go?

You see, when you pick and choose which laws to uphold and which to ignore, the system doesn't really seem fair. Wait a minute. Maybe I am for social justice? No, I'm kidding.

We've seen this before with ACORN.

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