The Oldest Profession Meets the Newest Conservatives

Two young journalists posed as a pimp and prostitute seeking loans to set up brothels staffed by underage illegal immigrants, and received advice from ACORN workers on how to do it.

Two names now can be added to the list of Republicans who have made a difference: James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles.  These two have set one of the premiere left-wing voter turnout organizations on its ear.  As the whole internet-using world knows by now, they posed as a pimp and prostitute seeking loans to set up and run brothels staffed by thirteen year old illegal immigrants, and in many cases, ACORN gave then advice on how to do it.

The twenty five year old O’Keefe, who reminds me of Anthony Michael Hall trying to be cool in Weird Science is an young, guerrilla journalist whose conversations as an aspiring political pimp are jaw dropping theater.  Together with the toothsome Miss Giles, the 20 year old daughter of conservative provocateur Doug Giles, they obtained video that neither the Republican Party, 60 Minutes or any other mainstream organization ever has.  This is noteworthy because as explained here, ACORN has longstanding ties to our “community organizing” president and receives millions in public funds every year.  Further, the Wall Street Journal, particularly John Fund, and other reporters have touched on ACORN’s illegal activities but have never breached the cordon sanitaire of Democratic politicians supporting it.  ACORN is gearing up its defense, accusing these two of faking the videos and violating the law.  If ACORN fails to sink its tormentors, new stars will have been born.

O'Keefe and Giles' revelations have caused the Senate to vote to defund ACORN.  Newly appointed New York Senator Gillibrand was one of the seven senators to vote against such defunding.  The New York Post and the rest of the rowdy New York press will not let that slide during her election and a previously safe seat may shake a bit.  Gleeful Republicans are now pressuring Democrats in the House to defund it.  The beauty of the O’Keefe-Giles sting is that it unites the Right with moderates and the non-political who are appalled, and isolates the Democratic Left to defend its now despised own.

The brilliance goes further.  These two set up the proposal to ACORN in a way guaranteed to draw attention and define the Left for everybody as the Right sees it.  First, they proposed an illegal activity requiring sexual libertinism.  Second, they proposed using illegal immigrants to do it.  Third, they were requesting a government subsidy.  Fourth, O’Keefe told ACORN he was going to use the proceeds to fund his campaign.  Fifth, they made clear they planned to use underage girls so as to pose as a school.  Sixth, they were even seeking to learn how to defraud on taxes.  All of this was supported by ACORN employees who even noted that liberals ought to be in favor.

During the early and mid-80’s when I was Giles and O’Keefe’s age, the Young Americans For Freedom and other Goldwaterite institutions had run their course or settled into a rut.  Under Reagan, the Right began setting up parallel structures to take on the Left, and attracted young people from all over.  Campus papers modeled on the Dartmouth Review combined conservatism with an often sophomoric flare for controversy.  The Federalist Society was formed to combat the uniform left view at law schools and to provide an intellectual opposition to the “living constitution.”  Talk radio began to shift right, taking up the A.M. band which was being abandoned by music and other formats.  Soon thereafter came FOX News, and, over the opposition of Ted Kennedy, Rupert Murdoch bought tabloids like the New York Post.

We can decry some of the iterations these new forms have taken but without them, the iron lock the Left had and continues to have in colleges, law schools and in the mainstream media would not be challenged.  Those structures have lost some of their edge and now are establishment in many ways.  To think up this cover story, to carry it out, and to get it publicized all took brains, imagination, skill and courage.  It is the O’Keefe’s and Giles who are invading an area, investigative journalism, largely abandoned by conservatives.  Mike Wallace approaches 90.  May his successors be conservative.