Glenn Beck Effect? ACORN ‘Dissolving Its National Structure’

Time to add another scalp to Glenn Beck’s collection? ACORN revealed today it “is in the process of dissolving its national structure” and that state and local chapters will split off from the national group. From Ben Smith who broke the news:

“Consistent with what the internal recommendations have been, each of the states are developing plans for reconstitution independence and self-sufficiency,” said the official, citing ACORN’s “diminished resources, damage to the brand, unprecedented attacks.”

The new organizations, he said “will be constituted under new banners and new bylaws and new governance,” he said, consistent with the recommendations of an outside panel.

So the answer is yes. This is very much the result of folks like Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart. However, Smith reports it may sound more dire than it actually is.

“It’s not like this is some kind of hostile thing,” said the New York source. “This is what Fox has produced. National Acorn and Bertha Lewis are continuing doing their thing, but the New York flagship has been forced into this new organization.”

“As far as the work in the communities and policy campaigns, no one will notice the difference,” the source said. “It’s people who still believe in their basic mission of fighting for poor people.”

Not that that is going to stop either Beck or Breitbart et al. from gloating, I imagine.

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