Justin's Political Corner

For years ago Fox News helped turn ACORN into a dirty word among conservatives by leading an often-hysterical right-wing crusade against the community activist group, charging it time and again with “voter fraud” on behalf of candidate Obama. In order to bloster its flimsy “voter fraud” attacks, the network repeatedlyharped on reports that ACORN canvassers had submitted questionable voter registration forms.

Yet this week Fox has shown virtually no interest in covering the unfolding story out of Florida, where the state’s Republican Party has cut ties with a consulting firm accused of handing in more than 100 dubious voter registration forms.

Note that in the unfolding Florida story, the firm in question was paid directly by the Republican Party and is accused of ACORN-like activities. But at Fox News, it’s crickets.

In fact this morning, Brian Kilmeade hosted a Fox & Friends panel discussion about voter fraud. In 2008, the allegation that ACORN submitted questionable registration forms was routinely referred to and condemnedas “voter fraud” on Fox. (To this day, Fox treats misaddressed voter registration forms as “fraud.”) But this morning, Kilmeade and his guests made no mention of the fact that the Republican Party was just forced to fire a consulting firm for submitting potentially bogus voter registration forms; forms being reviewed by local law enforcement.