Talk about a nutty idea.
President Obama's plan to set aside over $4 billion in his stimulus package for controversial community groups such as ACORN amounts to a "payoff" in return for their support of Democrats last year, according to a leading Republican lawmaker.
In an interview on Fox News Channel today, Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana) said to give money to the group is an example of "line after line of favorite spending programs" contained in the $825 billion bill.
"It's just a long list of spending items," added Vitter. "Not a real
economic stimulus job creation bill."
A line item in the stimulus package - under the heading "neighborhood stabilization activities" - sets aside $4.19 billion for low-income advocacy groups such as ACORN.
ACORN, who supported Obama and other Democrats last fall, came under investigation in several states for vote registration fraud.
In October, The Post reported that voters in Ohio said they had registered multiple times after being hounded by ACORN canvassers.
Ohio election officials said 8,700 of the 73,000 voter registrations turned in by ACORN - an astounding 12 percent - were questionable.
Obama plans to meet with GOP lawmakers today on Capitol Hill to hear their thoughts on the bill.
Vitter said Republicans will argue that the package "amounts to a big government bill - not a job creation bill."
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama is open to suggestions.
"If there are good ideas, and I think he assumes there will be, we will look at those ideas," he said.
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