# What does the acronym ACORN stand for? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 12, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634 "2008-10-12T21:24:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/21 "2008-10-13T12:59:39Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Republicans always do better when voter turnout is low. Which is why they try so hard to make sure that it’s HARD to vote. Funny that going back to the '70s, when Republicans have won the Presidency, voter turn out averaged 52.9% while when the Democrats won it was 52.6%. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/22 "2008-10-13T13:12:37Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Bingo! **Carol** and the other conservatives slagging ACORN are responding to Dr. Pavlov’s bell…their corrupt and disgusting political party has managed to induce a reaction to the very idea of registering poor people to vote, mostly because the more poor people vote (real poor people, who know just how “helpful” the Republican policies have been to them), the less Republicans will be in power. > > Good riddance. This is true, but I’m not sure you should be so excited about it. The Dems have made the poor their lap dogs by patting them on the head and telling them it’s not their fault to guarantee themselves a perpetual voter class. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/23 "2008-10-13T13:22:56Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Funny that going back to the '70s, when Republicans have won the Presidency, voter turn out averaged 52.9% while when the Democrats won it was 52.6%. Even funnier is that if you go back to 1960, with the Republicans it was 54.06, while with Democrats, it was 56.56. Ain’t arbitrary statistics fun? ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/24 "2008-10-13T13:41:46Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Even funnier is that if you go back to 1960, with the Republicans it was 54.06, while with Democrats, it was 56.56. > > Ain’t arbitrary statistics fun? Sure, but nothing tops the Dems winning in 1996 with the lowest turnout ever. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/25 "2008-10-13T14:20:14Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > The Dems have made the poor their lap dogs by patting them on the head and telling them it’s not their fault to guarantee themselves a perpetual voter class. Change that to “Republicans” and “rich” and the statement is still true. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/26 "2008-10-13T14:25:18Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > This is true, but I’m not sure you should be so excited about it. The Dems have made the poor their lap dogs by patting them on the head and telling them it’s not their fault to guarantee themselves a perpetual voter class. And you think other people are elitists? You’re hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/27 "2008-10-13T14:46:18Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > Some tool from the _Wall Street Journal_ editorial board was on Bill Maher’s show the other night, and he brought up the same bullshit about ACORN – and also didn’t know what the acronym stood for.) So, he didn’t know what ACORN stood for? Big deal. The very reason they have an acronym is so people don’t have to remember a long-ass name. And I wouldn’t be surprised that that stupid bitch Maxine Waters didn’t know what it stood for either. Just because someone can’t recall what NASA stands for doesn’t men their opinion on the space program is without merit. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/28 "2008-10-13T15:00:37Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > So, he didn’t know what ACORN stood for? Big deal. The very reason they have an acronym is so people don’t have to remember a long-ass name. And I wouldn’t be surprised that that stupid bitch Maxine Waters didn’t know what it stood for either. > > Just because someone can’t recall what NASA stands for doesn’t men their opinion on the space program is without merit. No, but odds are along the way they developed a working knowledge of what NASA does. The fact that they don’t know what the acronym itself means isn’t really the point. It is just illustrative of the fact that they know NOTHING of ACORN or its mission, or the facts surrounding this phony controversy. Yet they regurgitate the 3 sentences they do know about it because it slanders a particular candidate. You could replace the question of the acronym with “What does ACORN do” and you would get the same blank stare from the talking points crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/29 "2008-10-13T15:20:55Z")
Folks who are crying over ACORN are just NUTS. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/30 "2008-10-13T16:33:38Z")
Anybody want to lay odds on Carol Stream coming back to this thread? I just don’t get it; why is everyone so upset about ACORN? They were required BY LAW to submit every voter registration that they collected, whether they were fraudulent or not. So they turned them in and flagged at least some of them (and possibly all the suspicious ones) as potentially fraudulent. What were they supposed to do? How could they have been better? Carol, can you please explain it to us what would have made you nutjobs happy? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/31 "2008-10-13T16:38:40Z")
> [@Eyer8](#): > > Carol, can you please explain it to us what would have made you nutjobs happy? I’m not Carol, but my WAG about it is that the only thing that ACORN can do to make right-wing nutjobs happy is to quit trying to register the poor. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/32 "2008-10-13T16:48:26Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > No, but odds are along the way they developed a working knowledge of what NASA does. > > The fact that they don’t know what the acronym itself means isn’t really the point. It is just illustrative of the fact that they know NOTHING of ACORN or its mission, or the facts surrounding this phony controversy. Yet they regurgitate the 3 sentences they do know about it because it slanders a particular candidate. > > You could replace the question of the acronym with “What does ACORN do” and you would get the same blank stare from the talking points crowd. Do you think the guy on Maher’s show didn’t doesn’t know what ACORN does? Please. Sure the guy’s got a goofy laugh, but he’s a journalist for one of the most respected papers in the world. And I would just add to your comment that it RIGHTLY “slanders a particular candidate”—and party. They have a one-hand-giveth-the-other-hand-taketh relationship with many in the democratic party. And the people who take their money and then vote to give them a few hundred million more are worthy of contempt. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/33 "2008-10-13T16:53:07Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > And I would just add to your comment that it RIGHTLY “slanders a particular candidate”—and party. Add me to those who are confused about how this slanders either Obama or the Democrats. How do a bunch of obviously phony registrations affect anything? No one can vote with them. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/34 "2008-10-13T16:54:56Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Do you think the guy on Maher’s show didn’t doesn’t know what ACORN does? Please. Sure the guy’s got a goofy laugh, but he’s a journalist for one of the most respected papers in the world. Their _news_ is respected. Their editorial board is the biggest gaggle of right-wing reactionaries since the John Birch Society faded into obscurity. And Steve Moore is only a journalist on economic issues. He wasn’t talking about ACORN as an economist, he was talking about them as a member of the WSJ Editorial Board. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/35 "2008-10-13T18:07:13Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > And the people who take their money and then vote to give them a few hundred million more are worthy of contempt. I smell pee. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/36 "2008-10-13T18:52:52Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I smell pee. Well, stop pissing on your face. But look, I’ve told you before that this infatuation you have with piss and ass and shit is not my thing. But if it would make you happy I can look into hiring a nice big fat guy to piss on your face and shit in your mouth after a nice bean dinner. Just send me your info and I’ll try to arrange it. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/37 "2008-10-13T19:01:26Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Well, stop pissing on your face. > > But look, I’ve told you before that this infatuation you have with piss and ass and shit is not my thing. But if it would make you happy I can look into hiring a nice big fat guy to piss on your face and shit in your mouth after a nice bean dinner. Just send me your info and I’ll try to arrange it. So you’re having beans for dinner? ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/38 "2008-10-13T19:39:16Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Do you think the guy on Maher’s show didn’t doesn’t know what ACORN does? Please. Sure the guy’s got a goofy laugh, but he’s a journalist for one of the most respected papers in the world. He’s not a journalist, he’s one of the tax-obsessed halfwits on their editorial board. And, no, I don’t think he knows anything about ACORN beyond the talking points he’d memorized. (And, I didn’t denigrate the guy for not knowing what the acronym meant. Maher had never even heard of the organization. In the future, respond to what’s actually said here, _schmuck_.) ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/39 "2008-10-13T20:43:30Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > He’s not a journalist, he’s one of the tax-obsessed halfwits on their editorial board. And, no, I don’t think he knows anything about ACORN beyond the talking points he’d memorized. > > (And, I didn’t denigrate the guy for not knowing what the acronym meant. Maher had never even heard of the organization. In the future, respond to what’s actually said here, _schmuck_.) You are correct. I misread your post. I thought you were attributing his being a tool to the exchange with Waters, in which he admitted not knowing what ACORN stood for. My apologies for that misreading. I guess I should have known that his being a writer for the WSJ _automatically_ made him a tool.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634/40 "2008-10-13T20:48:12Z")
“ACORN” is not an acronym. It is a Swahili word for “drink the blood of the white devils and fry their livers in their own rich fat.” (Very concise language, Swahili.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-acronym-acorn-stand-for/467634.md?page=3)