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The Leadership Institute Connection to James O’Keefe

By Morton Blackwell, on October 15, 2009

James O'Keefe is one of two young people who recently achieved spectacular results exposing ACORN.  His revelations crippled one of the left's most powerful organizations.

James O'Keefe with Hannah Giles

James O'Keefe poses in his ACORN video costume with Hannah Giles, who helped him make the videos exposing ACORN's corruption.

With training and a little financial help from the Leadership Institute, James O'Keefe started in 2004 an independent conservative student newspaper, The Centurion, at Rutgers, a large state university in New Jersey. 

James fought the liberal administration at Rutgers.  Leftists on campus stole whole issues of The Centurion.  His paper continued and grew stronger because of the abuses.

James went to ten different training schools of the Leadership Institute.  The Institute hired him for a year (2006-07) to help conservative students around the country form their own campus publications.  He conducted 75 training programs for LI.

Among the useful things James learned at LI was:  "Don't fire all your ammunition at once."

In September 2009, each day for five days James released new videos exposing ACORN's outrageous practices.  The roof caved in on ACORN.  Obviously, the impact of his work would have been much less if James had released all those videos at the same time.

Now James is a national conservative hero, and I believe he will write his own ticket to a future career doing just what he loves to do.

Comments

Morton, you seem to have left out one important fact: Leadership Institute fired James. Maybe you should include that in any future mentions of James' connection with LI.

rogersherman's picture

James left LI in 2007 because his priority was personally to organize taped stings against the left on hot public policy issues which relate to legislation, which was different from the training role of his job here.  He left with my best wishes, to do what he wanted to do.  Obviously, he made the right decision, and, as I explained in my posting, the Leadership Institute is delighted to have helped him prepare for the success he has achieved.  In 2008, LI trained more than 9,200 students for participation as activists and leaders.

mortonblackwell's picture

But, Morty, did you fire him, or did he leave on his own accord?

joemccarthywasright's picture

So Morty, after O'Keefe's bust at a senator's office, do you still believe "James is a national conservative hero, and I believe he will write his own ticket to a future career doing just what he loves to do"? 

"James went to ten different training schools of the Leadership Institute.  The Institute hired him for a year (2006-07) to help conservative students around the country form their own campus publications.  He conducted 75 training programs for LI ."  Hmmm, you trained him well, I see.

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM145_new_012610.html

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201001260052

joemccarthywasright's picture