March 1, 2012

Rush Limbaugh on Andrew Breitbart: "He should have been given the same kind of hero worship that Woodward and Bernstein have gotten."

From today's broadcast:
He grew up in West Los Angeles, surrounded by liberals, father-in-law Orson Bean, the comedian. Sometime during the 1990s, the early nineties, Breitbart had an awakening. He was constantly questioning what was all around him, which was really extreme liberalism, and he became, as many of you in the audience know, a bulldog....

Wouldn't you think that real life journalists would applaud Breitbart's efforts to expose government corruption and media bias? I mean, what does the media claim to exist to do? To hold the powerful accountable! "Speak truth to power," is that the phrase? Well, the mainstream media has become part of the power. When that power is held by the Democrat Party, the mainstream media covers up the corruption. He was exposing it. He did more and greater work than Woodward and Bernstein! He should have been one of their heroes. But he wasn't. He should have been given the same kind of hero worship that Woodward and Bernstein have gotten. And unlike the work of Woodward and Bernstein, Breitbart's investigations were actually truthful.
Read the whole thing. (Or listen to it, if you've got a rushlimbaugh.com membership, which is what I use to keep up with the show via podcast.)

203 comments:

1 – 200 of 203   Newer›   Newest»
The Crack Emcee said...

I finally got it together enough to kinda write an obit. It ain't Woodward and Bernstein-worthy, but then neither am I.

Later, Andrew.

coketown said...

My co-worker is listening to yesterday's Hugh Hewitt broadcast on the Hughniverse, with Andrew Breitbart as one of the guests. It's probably the last interview he did before his demise, so it'll be interested to hear what they talk about. Right now, Hugh's spending an entire hour on Davy Jones and the Monkees.

Chip S. said...

I think of Breitbart as having been more like a conservative I.F. Stone for the digital age than like two reporters who lucked into their one big story.

cubanbob said...

Speaking truth to power only works when a republican is in office, that is according to the gospel of the democrats.

Anonymous said...

Beware, assholes, we’re coming....

To the barricades, you cowards – For Breitbart!


That was a good obit emcee.

Anonymous said...

In the truest sense of the word, he was a rebel. There just so few of them any more.

Sloanasaurus said...

Seriously, what 42 year old with four kids is out "taking a stroll...after midnight" and then suddenly collapses.

it just doesn't add up to call it natural causes.

Who is just out taking a stroll after midnight?

Bruce Hayden said...

I agree with Rush here - what really did Woodward and Bernstein really do? By the time that they broke their story, were they really speaking truth to power? Or, were they just pushing the accepted wisdom of what we now call the MSM?

dreams said...

Breitbart's father-in-law Orson Bean has become a conservative in his later years.

Trashhauler said...

The amount of hatred expressed towards Breitbart on some sites is simply stunning.

chickelit said...

Bruce Hayden said...
I agree with Rush here - what really did Woodward and Bernstein really do?

Oh, I think that in their time and place they may have spoken truth to power. But in the end--decades later--their legacy has became what they fought. It's classic ouroboros--closing the loop as it were.

dreams said...

Unfortunately it isn't unheard of for a 43 year old man to collapse and die of a heart attack.

Sprezzatura said...

Breitbart was teh greatest journalist in the history of the universe*.



*Andrew via Andrew

Revenant said...

I hate the phrase "speaking truth to power".

Besides, I don't think it applies to Breitbart per se. He was a muckraker in the classic sense of the word, and we don't have enough of those these days.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The NPR expose would not have been possible w/o the new media.

A Breitbart legacy.

RIP

edutcher said...

Woodstein were a couple of hacks carrying out a political hit job.

As El Rushbo notes, Breitbart got where he was by questioning everything - what the Lefties say you should do, but will crucify you for actually doing it - the mark of a thinker as well as a doer.

PS Pat yourself on the back, Crack.

Very nicely done.

PPS We heard a lot more about Whitney Houston, but Breitbart's life was the significant one.

traditionalguy said...

The man fought for truth, justice and the American way.

He must have been from Krypton.

William said...

What made Breitbart rare and valuable was not his courage and intelligence. Such assets are not uncommon among conservatives. It was his showmanship and sense of the dramatic that set him apart. I don't know why this is so, but the people who know how to flash and dramatize their lives and causes are almost always liberals if not outright radicals. It's rare that one can find a conservative with the drama skills sufficient to upstage a liberal. He played on their court with their ball and won the point.

sakredkow said...

Well Jesus, go hero-worship him then!

coketown said...

Hewitt's Breitbart interview was fairly boring. Picking up the last segment's Monkees thread, we learn Breitbart's favorite concerts ever were The The and New Order. Then he spends time talking about the David Shuster/James O'Keefe libel lawsuit. He congratulates himself on forcing MSNBC to issue a retraction for calling O'Keefe a convicted felon and for having David Shuster fired. Shuster then worked for Media Matters, which Breitbart said was out to destroy him, and now works for Gore's CurrentTV, which is also out to destroy him. But Shuster never worked for God--that we know of--who ultimately destroyed him. St. Peter will read off a list of Breitbart's sins and transgressions and probably end up in court.

Fairly typical Breitbart fare: 'I'm awesome; the Left is out to destroy me and my proteges but anytime they attempt it they end up in court fighting libel charges; have they no shame?'

virgil xenophon said...

BTW, Helluva good piece of writing, crack!

Andy said...

"And this is where it becomes difficult to honor the Roman injunction to speak no ill of the dead. It’s difficult for me to assess Breitbart’s impact upon American media and American politics as anything other than poisonous. When one of the leading media figures of the day achieves his success by his giddy disdain for truth and fairness—when one of our leading political figures offers to his admirers a politics inflamed by rage and devoid of ideas—how to withhold a profoundly negative judgment on his life and career?"

Sal said...

Let's talk about Anthony Shadid instead.

Michael said...

Phx. "Well Jesus, go hero-worship him then!"

Hero worship would be what the left does with Che. What you are reading here is respect for someone who did a few fairly important things in his short life.

chuck b. said...

I'm bummed my local station dropped Rush!! Not bummed enough to get a membership or listen to podcasts. I only sampled him for a few minutes at a time throughout the morning, but still. Waah.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Rush makes a very poignant point.

Michael said...

Andy R. Actually all Briebart did was pull open the curtain on some poorly concealed criminal activities. What journalists are supposed to do. That aside he helped Drudge Report and Huffington Post get started and had created his own media business. You?

William said...

Lincoln Steffens, Beatrice & Sidney Webb, Upton Sinclair, Theodore White, I.F. Stone: There's a long list of muckraking journalists whose keen powers of observation failed them when they examined Communists and Communist states. In any other profession this would be an unerasable black mark against their name, and more worthy practitioners of the craft would struggle to find out why his sainted ancestors were so mistaken in their beliefs. Not so with journalists. All of those listed above have had legions of angels carry them to their rest. For Breitbart the best they can say is that he wasn't too vicious.

sakredkow said...

Michael I don't begrudge that. I was merely responding to Rush Limbaugh's assertion, which in headline and blog format seemed incredibly infantile. But I don't pin Rush on everybody, I assume he speaks for himself unless someone says "Ditto that."

As for hero-worship and the left and Che - like I grant Rush and everyone else, I speak strictly for myself. I'm not big on the hero-worship from any one to anyone.

Rest in peace, Bretibart

Amartel said...

The unthinking mob that is modern liberalism continues to project its true values for all to see.
Hatred
Bigotry
Tyranny
Corruption
Fraudulence
Hypocrisy
Deceit
It's all means to an end.
(Not necessarily the one you had in mind, of course. You know, the one where you get to live in state-sponsored guaranteed fat city for life. Nevermind that, though. That's not important at all.)
Please.
Continue.
Go right ahead with your
Money grabbing
Tax cheating
Constitution shredding
Slander spewing
Power hogging
Rumor mongering
Double standard bearing
ways.
You're on the record.
Thanks to Andrew Breitbart, and a lot of other people, the mainstream media ain't so mainstream anymore. Your lies are not as effective as they once were.
We see you.
A lot of other people will see you.
The truth will out.

X said...

Rest in peace Iconoclast.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

From the David Frum article Andy R linked to.

In time, Andrew Breitbart might have aged into greater self-control and a higher concept of public service. Premature death deprived him of the chance at redemption often sought and sometimes found by people who have done wrong in their lives and work.

While Obama says "hit back twice as hard"..
Frum says turn the other cheek and apologise.

Thankfully Frum has it backwards.. The reality is that as people age, they become more conservative.

edutcher said...

Andy R. said...

"And this is where it becomes difficult to honor the Roman injunction to speak no ill of the dead. It’s difficult for me to assess Breitbart’s impact upon American media and American politics as anything other than poisonous. When one of the leading media figures of the day achieves his success by his giddy disdain for truth and fairness—when one of our leading political figures offers to his admirers a politics inflamed by rage and devoid of ideas—how to withhold a profoundly negative judgment on his life and career?"

Tell us again, Hatman, how hateful Conservatives are.

As is the case with common sense, common courtesy is most uncommon - at least on the Left.

And, as was discussed on another thread, show us a couple of examples of Breitbart's "giddy disdain for truth and fairness".

I know, it's not fair he exposed all the Lefties' lies as well as he did.

PS "a politics inflamed by rage and devoid of ideas"????

Bell&Howell, you have a call on line 1.

sakredkow said...

Fairly typical Breitbart fare: 'I'm awesome; the Left is out to destroy me and my proteges but anytime they attempt it they end up in court fighting libel charges; have they no shame?'

I know next to nothing about him but by quality of his last tweet...well, you know.

Now Davy Jones and Breitbart. Do things happen in threes?

Christopher said...

I'm glad that Andy R. is willing to expose his ghoulish desire for the death of those who disagree with him.

It makes it easier to ignore his bigoted posts in the future.

Blue@9 said...

The people who are celebrating Breitbart's death are likely the same assholes who were wringing their hands over Americans' celebration of Bin Laden's death.


When one of the leading media figures of the day achieves his success by his giddy disdain for truth and fairness

Are you talking about Dan Rather? All of MSNBC? I mean, c'mon, are you serious?

Sprezzatura said...

Must see video!!

The best fourteen minutes you'll ever see!!!

Andy said...

I'm glad that Andy R. is willing to expose his ghoulish desire for the death of those who disagree with him.

My previous comment contained zero of my own words. Although since you mischaracterized what Frum said, it seems reading comprehension isn't your strong suit.

Alex said...

Liberals couldn't wait a minute before they began dancing on Breitbart's grave. Scum, destined to hell.

Alex said...

Andy R - you are fucking scum, destined for hell.

Christopher said...

I had to stop reading the twitter feed after a while as the sentiment expressed by Lefties like Andy R. made me sick to my stomach.

Remember, these are the people who purport to be our superiors.

Andy said...

The unthinking mob that is modern liberalism continues to project its true values for all to see.
Hatred


Attacking liberalism for being hateful in a post about Breitbart (!) is surely some kind of joke.

roesch/voltaire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andy said...

When Kennedy died, Breitbart called him a "special pile of human excrement” on Twitter.

Why don't we all stop pretending that you need to be helped to your fainting couches because some random/anonymous/no-name lefties on twitter said something not nice about the man.

sakredkow said...

Alex - seriously? Man you guys gotta take your heart medicine, or YOU'LL end up having a coronary.

sakredkow said...

God bless Breitbart, commend his fleeting soul to heaven, but some of you guys are over the top.

X said...

Alex - seriously?

phx- seriously?

Christopher said...

Andy R. you stupid little ghoul, you don't get to pretend that you aren't happy he is dead.

If a man (and I use that term loosely for garbage such as yourself) posts a quote verbatim with no commentary addressing the content then it is safe to assume that they agree with it (especially when it conforms to their general political bent).

The gist of the article you linked to was that Breitbart had a negative effect on the political scene and that his was a poisonous influence. When one posts such a statement, especially immediately after his death, they are basically saying that they are happy that man is dead.

So don't hide behind this whole "they weren't my words" bullshit. We know exactly what you meant.

X said...

Seriously.

Is you birthday Feb 29th or have you recently fallen from a turnip truck?

The Crack Emcee said...

virgil xenophon,

BTW, Helluva good piece of writing, crack!

Thank you to all who commented on it. I went back and added the clip from The Daily Show when Jon Stewart declared Breitbart the "most honest" person in the Shirley Sherrod case, as well as links to lots more. (It should clarify for the libs why Andrew was the good guy in these episodes, I think, even while he was against them,...)

sakredkow said...

Again, seriously.

roesch/voltaire said...

Adam, I also thought Frum's writings on Breitbart showed what he did well, and where, in the paragraph you quoted, he went too far in creating our present divided culture. . He had great energy for attacking his "enemies" and sometime hit the mark, but I suspect this fire turned inward on him and he bore the results.

X said...

Then to answer your original question, no, Alex isn't serious. It's a bit.

I ♥ Willard said...

There's a lot of hatred in this thread from Breitbart admirers.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Most prominent conservatives for years have been advocating a kind of passive posture in culture/political wars.

Ronald Reagan broke that mold.. Reagan broke with the passive posture of the past.

As with Andrew, Reagan had been a liberal and was perfectly comfortable taking the fight to the enemy.

Not so for most conservative elite.

sakredkow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Salamandyr said...

Ah David Frum, a man famous for coming up with 2 out of three words of a famous phrase, one of which was "Of". Ever he is the tick, suckling the blood from his betters.

Great words Crack. There are few people willing to stay in the fire as long as Breitbart.

rcocean said...

"When Kennedy died, Breitbart called him a "special pile of human excrement” on Twitter."

Quite correctly. Teddy left a young women to drown and saved his ass by lying about it. No biggie to the liberals, what's one dead women, when a Kennedy's involved? "Just win baby" that's their motto.

Andrew was a tough fighter for his values, a journalist who spoke "truth to power". That people like Matt Y are glad he's dead, just says all you need to know about lefties.

If you don't think these left-wing shits like Matt wouldn't set up 21st century Gulags and "liquidate" enemies if they had the power, you're wrong.

roesch/voltaire said...

Yes Stewart said Brietbart was the most honest because he admitted that his goal is to bring down the "institutional left" and as Stewart showed he snookered folks with editing that left out the complete example Sherrod was trying to make-- nothing admirable in that Crack.

edutcher said...

phx said...

I know next to nothing about him but by quality of his last tweet...well, you know.

Now Davy Jones and Breitbart. Do things happen in threes?


Whitney Houston.

Unless phx has some Lefty in mind.

Andy R. said...

I'm glad that Andy R. is willing to expose his ghoulish desire for the death of those who disagree with him.

My previous comment contained zero of my own words. Although since you mischaracterized what Frum said, it seems reading comprehension isn't your strong suit.


Ah, yes, reading comprehension. The last resort of a cornered Lefty. Hatman confuses comprehension with imputation.

Hatman quoted Frum without comment. Clearly, he agreed.

sakredkow said...

Now Davy Jones and Breitbart. Do things happen in threes?

Whitney Houston.

* * * *

Bingo. I forgot.

Nora said...

I think that definittion of the free press is the press that is always in the opposition to the power, to the establishment and to the consensus. And in this sense Andrew Braibart was a true free journalist, one of the greatest.

The media bills him as "conservative blogger", I don't think he is really conservative, considering that the media and the rest of "intellectual" establishment is so overwhelmingly left wing.

Seeing how media covers up for Obama I wonder if Woodward and Bernstein would do what they did, if Nixon was a democrate. And whether there were democrate presidents that did the same and/or worst.

The Crack Emcee said...

roesch/voltaire,

Yes Stewart said Brietbart was the most honest because he admitted that his goal is to bring down the "institutional left" and as Stewart showed he snookered folks with editing that left out the complete example Sherrod was trying to make-- nothing admirable in that Crack.

Bullshit - did you even watch the clip? Stewart MOCKED their claim they were "snookered". Stewart said they were stupid. And yes, it is admirable to expose that.

Unfortunately, as your twisted reading of the clip shows, liberals generally are too blindingly stupid to understand that about themselves.

I mean seriously - except for experiencing an extreme case of cognitive dissonance - how can you watch that clip and STILL come away claiming they got "snookered" when Stewart makes jokes, specifically about how they WEREN'T, the centerpiece of his bit?

Do yourself a favor: Go with the cognitive dissonance because the alternatives are worse,...

traditionalguy said...

More thoughts on Andrew Breibart:

He seemed to be the last of an old breed that wants the truth more than they want one ideology to win.

He communicated a loud case of what the scripture calls the spirit of Elijah, also seen in John the Baptist. Like them he proclaimed a feisty message to everyone to repent, and he would not be silenced. He was Jewish, of course.

wyo sis said...

Sloan
I take strolls after midnight. Your point?

Matt said...

The amount of hatred expressed towards Breitbart on some sites is simply stunning.

When Michael Moore passes the right wing will get their turn to spew. And they will.

That said, I somehow don't think Breibart would be upset that liberals hate him. He would find comfort in that.

Blue@9 said...

"Yes Stewart said Brietbart was the most honest because he admitted that his goal is to bring down the "institutional left" and as Stewart showed he snookered folks with editing that left out the complete example Sherrod was trying to make-- nothing admirable in that Crack."

You see, this is what drives conservatives nuts. We see the clip and see a government official whose job it is to remedy racism admit on camera that she was racist in attitude and action. We also see a crowd cheering that notion. Sure, there's the redemption story and the left reaction of "OMG, Sherrod's a racist no more! Rejoice!" but seriously?

Can you imagine if you had a DoJ official up there saying "Yeah, when I was a street cop we beat up n*ggers all the time, just taught them lessons so they'd respect the white man. But then one day I had a change of heart... ." Would the liberals be cheering that on as a terrific story of overcoming racism?

Also, the whole clip was there from the beginning--it's not Breitbart's fault that people have short attention spans.

edutcher said...

Matt said...

The amount of hatred expressed towards Breitbart on some sites is simply stunning.

When Michael Moore passes the right wing will get their turn to spew. And they will.


As with most other Lefties, he judges people by himself.

Anyone who wishes can go back to the post here when Teddy Kennedy died.

IIRC, they'll find damned little cheering on the Right.

They will find a good deal of taunting on the Left

JohnJ said...

"Besides, I don't think it ('Speaking truth to Power') applies to Breitbart per se."

No, that doesn't quite capture him, does it? Breitbart's major schtick was to ridicule the naked King.

"PPS We heard a lot more about Whitney Houston, but Breitbart's life was the significant one."

By far, one would think. Curiously, he also was more entertaining.

sakredkow said...

When Michael Moore passes the right wing will get their turn to spew. And they will.

Boy will that be boredom personified.

traditionalguy said...

Before I forget it, I want to congratulate Crack Emcee on his amazing talent for honest and clear communications. He can fulfill some of Breitbart's unfinished work.

roesch/voltaire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Revenant said...

When Kennedy died, Breitbart called him a "special pile of human excrement” on Twitter.

I'd forgotten that. One more reason to like Breitbart, I guess. :)

Still, when the worst thing a leftie can say about a man is that his worst flaws were no worse than theirs, that's not bad. Not bad at all.

roesch/voltaire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Darrell said...

Who is just out taking a stroll after midnight?

Er, someone who is feeling discomfort? Someone who wants a bit of fresh air? We all don't run to the emergency room each time we feel a bit off. Sometime the big one doesn't give you much warning or time to assess.

sakredkow said...

Who is just out taking a stroll after midnight?

Patsy Cline for $500 Alex.

Brian Brown said...

Matt said...


When Michael Moore passes the right wing will get their turn to spew. And they will.


I love watching you leftists justify despicable behavior.

Remember, conservatives are a bunch of dumb, ignorant hicks who want to take your "rights" away.

Yet you'll say just about anything when leftists act just like those conservative dummies.

Convenient, isn't it?

roesch/voltaire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andy said...

Just to be clear, I sometimes post quotations I disagree with to draw attention to them. Don't assume everything I post I agree with. This being Althouse's blog, I'm not sure how this idea is foreign to you. For instance, if Santorum wins another state I'll probably post the man-on-dog quote, without comment, not because I agree with it but because it's so repulsive that it's absurdity should be self-evident.

I'm not big on absurd displays of anger or celebration when someone dies. But I also don't think we need to be exclusively nice and deferential when people die. I think Frum's article did a good job of laying out that sort of dynamic, and his sadness that Breitbart didn't have a chance to redeem himself was especially poignant.

More importantly, we don't need to engage in hagiography of Breitbart. We also don't need to worry about offending his relatives, as obviously none of them are going to be reading this Althouse thread. The specific paragraph I quoted was one part of the post that pointed out some of the flaws in Andrew's approach that we should be aware of when we consider our feelings towards him and his legacy.

I ♥ Willard said...

Anyone who wishes can go back to the post here when Teddy Kennedy died.

IIRC, they'll find damned little cheering on the Right.


Finally, Mary Jo Kopechne's killer is dead. Good riddance, may he rot in hell for all eternity.

Yet another dead sainted Kennedy. A sordid sot, an obese drunk, a whoremonger and killer. Yeah, he will be missed.

If you have a cocktail flag you could fly it at half staff in your front yard.

I felt the same way when Uday Hussien died.

Kennedy was a disgrace to the Senate, a drunk, an adulterer, a traitor who conspired with the USSR to throw an election, a moral coward and an all around loathsome human being. The only dollop of sympathy I can give him comes from his surviving his two beatified older, more talented brothers.

There you are, folks! The standard has been set.

rcocean said...

"Just to be clear, I sometimes post quotations I disagree with to draw attention to them. Don't assume everything I post I agree with."

IOW, Andy's just an attention seeking left-wing troll, just like we always thought.

So, keep on ignoring him.

Matt said...

Jay
I love watching you leftists justify despicable behavior.

It is despicable behavior. It's also human. It's not a trait of the left or right or Christian or atheist or male or female. It's a trait of ALL sides share some of the time.

If you think ONLY the left says despicable things about people who have died then you either have blinders on or you don't read much outside of your political demographic.

Personally I haven't read many despicable things about Breitbart because I don't frequent leftist sites. I did read David Frum's obit and it was pretty harsh toward Breibart [harsher than I would be] and Frum is not a leftist.

Anyway, the point is the left takes their pot shots and when Michael Moore or Jimmy Carter or Noam Chomsky passes a good number of folks on the right will say despicable things. But I don't care. That is expected!

It's a human trait that affects some out there on all sides. Why does it matter? Haters gotta hate. Teach your children not to hate. That's all anyone can do. [Shrug].

I ♥ Willard said...

Remember, conservatives are a bunch of dumb, ignorant hicks who want to take your "rights" away.

Oh come on, Jay. I don't believe you really want to take my "rights" away.

Revenant said...

Just to be clear, I sometimes post quotations I disagree with to draw attention to them. Don't assume everything I post I agree with.

I assume that everything you post is posted for the sole purpose of getting an outraged reaction from conservatives. Trolling, in the classic sense of the term -- posting for the sole purpose of generating outrage.

So yes, if you ever post a remark that the average right-of-center person wouldn't immediately regard as crazy, stupid, or evil, you can rest assured nobody thinks you believe it.

Andy said...

I assume that everything you post is posted for the sole purpose of getting an outraged reaction from conservatives.

Don't be silly. I genuinely think gay people should be treated as equals. And that Perry is dumb and Bachmann is crazy. And that Romney acts like a robot trained to act like a human. And that religion is a fairy tale. I'm not merely saying those things to annoy you.

Are you that surprised there are people out there in the world that believe these things?

Andy said...

Yet another dead sainted Kennedy. A sordid sot, an obese drunk, a whoremonger and killer. Yeah, he will be missed.

I post one paragraph from a David Frum article that is attempting to given an honest reflection on Breitbart and his legacy and a bunch of commenters flip the fuck out. It's nothing compared to those quotes from the Kennedy thread.

Hagar said...

My take on the Breitbart - Sherrod kerfluffle is that Breitbart was after the NAACP reaction to that part of Sherrod's speech, and the MSM took after him as if he had attacked Sherrod personally and her entire life and career.
Kind of as if I had criticized some people's reaction to the Professor's headgear on some occasion, and the commentariat hereon wrathfully arose to defend her character and professional accomplishments.

Robert Cook said...

Oh, for heaven's sake...Stewart is giving credit to Breitbart being an honest and up-front hitman for his ideological objectives, (rather than pretending to care only for "the truth"), not for having been "the good guy" or "truth-teller" in the Sherrod debacle. ("I gotta give the guy credit...he's a scumbag, but he's upfront about it.")

Stewart's mockery of the NAACP and the Obama administration for having been "snookered" is not to say they hadn't misunderstood what Sherrod had actually said or been misled by Breitbart's video. He's mocking them for having acted rashly in firing Sherrod so precipitously, for not having first investigated the circumstances, spoken to Sherrod, and looked at the whole video. He's mocking them for being cowards, and for their cowardice having blinded them and robbed them of judiciousness. He's mocking them for letting themselves off the hook so glibly, so easily, for having destroyed this woman's career and reputation...just because they had been "snookered."

The clip does nothing to make Breitbart's look good, it just makes the Obama administration and the NAACP look worse, which was part of Stewart's point.

roesch/voltaire said...

Yes Crack your are right, he mocked the "institutional left" (government) for jumping on the edited clips and firing Sherrod without checking the source- But the comment that Breitbart is the "most honest" amongst the actors is rather ironic. After all the show started with an edited version of the Sherrod speech pushing it to even more extreme views than Breitbart's editing constructed--thus reflecting on a certain dishonesty. As a result, his mention of "honesty" on anyone's part in this farce, including Fox and other news sources, paints all the actors in a negative light-- including Breitbart.

shiloh said...

(5) threads so far on soon to be forgotten Breitbart.

Althouse gets an A+ for juvenile baiting! :-P

And yes, Limbaugh/Breitbart made quite a team.

Hagar said...

and Woodstein just went with what the Felt faction in the FBI fed them.

Brian Brown said...

The new civility:

Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone:“Good! Fuck him. I couldn’t be happier that he’s dead.”

Lovely people, those tolerant leftists.

Brian Brown said...

If you think ONLY the left says despicable things about people who have died then you either have blinders on or you don't read much outside of your political demographic.

Of course I never said that.

But it is funny that those of the same political stripe who were calling for a "new civility" not so long ago, who are endlessly referring to themselves as "tolerant" rush to the Internet to say nasty things about a person who they disagree with politically as soon as they find out he died.

So what you're saying is the left really isn't tolerant or never believed in a "new civility," right?

Anonymous said...

Stewart MOCKED their claim they were "snookered". Stewart said they were stupid. And yes, it is admirable to expose that.

You really are on crack, aren't you. That you took away from that clip that Stewart found what Breitbart did in any way admirable, is a completely, shall we say Breitbartian, interpretation of the clip.

Yes, he was criticizing the administration, but for believing Breitbart, and not checking the entire, unedited tape. His point was that Breitbart boasted he intended to bring down the "institutional left" yet they fired Sherrod based on Breitbart's extremely biased and misleading "evidence"

Hagar said...

They fired Sherrod to deflect any attention being paid to "Pigford II", which is understandable enough, but was not what Breitbart was aiming for. He was just after the NAACP crowd at that meeting, indeed a part of the "institutional left."

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

shiloh said...

(5) threads so far on soon to be forgotten Breitbart.

Over 75% of those answering the marketing poll here at Althouse are self professed conservatives..

Democratic notions alone would be enough to dictate those blogging instinct in the right direction..

Breitbart death is a big deal.

shiloh said...

"Breitbart death is a big deal."

Indeed! at Althouse ...

So lemming Lem, was Breitbart your hero? Rhetorical.

Matt said...

Jay
So what you're saying is the left really isn't tolerant or never believed in a "new civility," right?

If the very same people who called for civility are now the ones saying despicable things then you are right. But if you are using a generalized view of the left - some of which include those asking for civility and some of those who are saying despicable things - then no.

I would guess most all comments on Democratic Underground about Breibart are despicable today. But they don't represent me or all liberals. Just like Storm Front doesn't represent all conservatives. But I know people who think they do. Not logical.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm not going to waste my time answering people attacking Breitbart.

The left has gotten so good at what they do, the stuff exposed by Breitbart is pedestrian in comparison.

Revenant said...

Don't be silly. I genuinely think gay people should be treated as equals.

What you think isn't actually of much interest to me, so I'll pass on deciding if I believe you.

What I do find interesting is that while you have never previously written the words "gay people should be treated as equals" (or even mentioned "equal rights"), you *have* taken the time to say that opponents of gay marriage are equivalent to the KKK.

Perhaps the best example was when Prop 8 was overturned and you devoted all your time to crowing about how happy you were... that conservatives were pissed off. Normal people were happy about the improvement in gay rights, but not you. :)

Matt said...

Of course words from Rush are often idiotic. Here's one also from his radio show today:

LIMBAUGH: So Miss Fluke, and the rest of you Feminazis, here’s the deal. If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex. We want something for it. We want you post the videos online so we can all watch.

Then he went on to completely lie to support his 'joke':

[She] went before a Congressional committee and said she’s having so much sex she’s going broke buying contraceptives and wants us to buy them.

So is this someone who represents all conservatives? Nevermind the fact that he doesn't even comprehend why Miss Fluke went before Congress. He just likes to bash women who aren't conservative. Typical.

yashu said...

"Frum is not a leftist"-- but he is nevertheless a giant douchebag.

Brian Brown said...

I would guess most all comments on Democratic Underground about Breibart are despicable today. But they don't represent me or all liberals. Just like Storm Front doesn't represent all conservatives.

Hysterical.

Yes, because as we all know the people on the Democratic Underground, that would be "Democratic" as in the Democratic party, are like totally the same as Storm Front which has no connection to conservatives, conservative Web sites, Republicans or Republican candidates.

Seriously, stellar job in the analogy department.

garage mahal said...

If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex.

NOT surprising Limbaugh equates contraceptives with prostitutes. Thank God he apparently uses them.

Revenant said...

Then he went on to completely lie to support his 'joke':

"[She] went before a Congressional committee and said she’s having so much sex she’s going broke buying contraceptives and wants us to buy them."

Exaggerations in a joke count as "lies" now? What Fluke actually claimed was that 40% of her fellow students were "struggling financially" to pay for their own birth control. $3000 each, supposedly.

A decent call girl runs around $300 an hour. If Ms. Fluke wants $3000 to support her sex life, I'll need to see a photo and make some room in my schedule.

Or, you know, she could keep her legs together until she has enough to pay for her own fun. Hell, I remember having to forgo sex in college because I didn't have condoms handy -- it was no fun but somehow I lived through it.

I ♥ Willard said...

Storm Front which has no connection to conservatives, conservative Web sites, Republicans or Republican candidates.

From Wikipedia:

"Stormfront began in 1990 as an online bulletin board for white nationalist activist David Duke's campaign for United States Senator of Louisiana."

(Historical context: David Duke ran as a Republican.)

Revenant said...

NOT surprising Limbaugh equates contraceptives with prostitutes. Thank God he apparently uses them.

"I want to fuck, give me money so I can" sounds an awful lot like prostitution to me. Or at least like the male side of it. :)

It is sex, not food, clothing, or shelter. It is a recreational luxury, not a necessity (although I concede that when I was in my early 20s I sometimes felt otherwise).

I ♥ Willard said...

So Miss Fluke, and the rest of you Feminazis, here’s the deal. If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex. We want something for it. We want you post the videos online so we can all watch.

So Rush is a perv. That's not news.

sakredkow said...

It is sex, not food, clothing, or shelter. It is a recreational luxury, not a necessity

Sex is an instinct.

Revenant said...

So Rush is a perv. That's not news

Studies have found that 87% of heterosexual adult men enjoy looking at videos of college girls going at it.

The same study found that 13% of heterosexual adult men enjoy lying to polling firms.

Brian Brown said...


(Historical context: David Duke ran as a Republican.)


Historical context, David Duke was a registered Democrat. He was a Democratic Nominee for United States Presidential Candidate in 1988.

Oh, and David Duke was last seen expressing support for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

And a 1990 reference really doesn't equate having anything to do with conservatives.

But thanks for beclowning yourself.

sakredkow said...

The opera is a recreational luxury.

Brian Brown said...

So David Duke ran for in the 1988 presidential primary in Louisiana as a Democrat and now stormfront = conservatives.

You stupids are too funny.

Brian Brown said...

Blogger phx said...

The opera is a recreational luxury.


So are birth control pills.

Revenant said...

Sex is an instinct.

Is she a human woman or an alley cat?

Brian Brown said...

Then he went on to completely lie to support his 'joke':

Except you can't demonstrate any "lie"

Revenant said...

The opera is a recreational luxury.

I don't want to pay $3000 for her opera tickets, either.

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...


NOT surprising Limbaugh equates contraceptives with prostitutes


Not surprising you missed what he said entirely and made an utter fool of yourself yet again.

I ♥ Willard said...

Storm Front which has no connection to conservatives, conservative Web sites, Republicans or Republican candidates.

From Wikipedia:

"Don Black feels that the establishment of white pride as a special interest group within the Republican Party is a crucial strategy."

(Don Black is the founder, and current webmaster, of the Stormfront internet forum. In August 2008 Black's 19-year-old son Derek was elected to one of 111 seats on the Palm Beach County, Fla., Republican committee.)

Brian Brown said...

"Don Black feels that the establishment of white pride as a special interest group within the Republican Party is a crucial strategy."

Hysterical.

Um, and then what?

Which Republicans or conservatives embrace this strategy?

Black's 19-year-old son Derek was elected to one of 111 seats on the Palm Beach County, Fla., Republican committee.)

Nice guilt by association you have going there.

Really, quit while you are behind, idiot.

Brian Brown said...

If Storm Front is connected to the conservative movement then the Democrats are wholly connected to the American Nazi Party who issued an official endorsement of the Occupy Wall Street protest.

I love watching leftists and their "facts" in action.

I ♥ Willard said...

Storm Front which has no connection to conservatives, conservative Web sites, Republicans or Republican candidates.

From Wikipedia:

"The Don and Derek Black Show is a radio program broadcast five times a week from the Lake Worth, Florida-based radio station WPBR-AM. Although WPBR has a large Haitian-American audience, the radio radio show promotes the ideology of white nationalism. Derek Black is the son of Don Black, founder of the large white nationalist discussion forum Stormfront.org.

The first broadcast was in February 2010; the featured guest for the debut episode of the program was Gordon Lee Baum, cofounder of the Council of Conservative Citizens. The Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC) is an American political organization that supports a large variety of conservative and paleoconservative causes in addition to white nationalism, and white separatism."

garage mahal said...

Not surprising you missed what he said entirely and made an utter fool of yourself yet again.

Yea I'm sure there's some intellectual nuance that this impotent misogynist asshole is making that we're all missing. If we'd just listen for 10 more minutes!"

sakredkow said...

Is she a human woman or an alley cat?

You eat, drink, yowl when you are unhappy and fuck to procreate. Are you a human or an alley cat?

I ♥ Willard said...

Nice guilt by association you have going there.

So Derek Black was elected to a seat on the Palm Beach County Republican committee AND he hosts a radio show (which promotes the ideology of white nationalism) with his father Don Black, founder of Stormfront.org. In addition, Stormfront.org was initially an online bulletin board to support a Republican senate candidate.

Jay lives in a world of denial. :(

sakredkow said...

Sex is an instinct, not some kind of opulent luxury. This is basic biology, isn't it? Is it worth arguing that sex isn't instinctual?

Michael Haz said...

Remember when Sen. Paul Wellstone died? I do, and I remember the news of Wellstone's death being discussed on this blog.

What I remember most was reading the first snarky comment about Wellstone and how happy the conservatives must be that he died. That comment was rapidly followed by many others, including mine, that proved the opposite.

The conservatives on this blog were without exception polite in offering their condolences to Wellstone's family. There was no anger, no laughing, no name-calling, no cheering, just human decency in offering sympathy to the family of a man who died young.

Reading this thread about the death of Andrew Brietbart, especially the comments by the usual liberals, makes me wonder what it is about (some) liberals that makes them lack basic human decency.

I'm glad that I'm not one of you.

I ♥ Willard said...

Remember when Sen. Paul Wellstone died? I do, and I remember the news of Wellstone's death being discussed on this blog.

Wellstone died in 2002. According to the Althouse blog archive, the Professor began this blog on January 14th, 2004. o_O

damikesc said...

Frum is not a leftist.

He claims he isn't.

Nor does Andy Sullivan.

Nobody buys either of their nonsense.

damikesc said...

So is this someone who represents all conservatives? Nevermind the fact that he doesn't even comprehend why Miss Fluke went before Congress. He just likes to bash women who aren't conservative. Typical.

She whined that women she knew were having trouble paying for birth control, spending $3000 over three years on it (which is baffling since it costs a fraction of that with no insurance).

If I am going to forced to pay for some woman's birth control, then unless she has some evidence that she needs it for one or two rare medical conditions, then she is using my money to have sex.

Expecting something in return is fair. The girl would be a hooker, just that she takes money from LOTS of Johns, not just one.

Matt said...

Jay

A Republican candidate for US Congress named Arthur Jones from Illinois has denied that the Holocaust ever occurred. The guy is a nut and, yes, a Republican. Look it up....

So, yes, we can play this game all day. But we don't need to label all political affiliated blogs with all people who call themselves liberal or conservative. Note I didn't say Storm Front represented all conservatives. That was the point of mentioning them. However, last I checked Storm Front was not made up of Obama supporters. They are of the Pat Buchanan conservative stripe.

But if you want to hop on over to Gateway Pundit you can find plenty of idiotic conservatives that you might agree are truly conservative in your definition. But I won't go so far as to say you are as dumb as they are because you are on this site, which is more moderate. #;^)

I ♥ Willard said...

The girl would be a hooker, just that she takes money from LOTS of Johns, not just one.

Calling women "hookers" is a proven winning political strategy.

Revenant said...

You eat, drink, yowl when you are unhappy and fuck to procreate. Are you a human or an alley cat?

If she's fucking to procreate, what's she need birth control for? :)

Revenant said...

Sex is an instinct, not some kind of opulent luxury.

If sex is an instinct, why is rape a crime? We don't criminally punish other animals for their instincts.

Is it worth arguing that sex isn't instinctual?

If you cannot control your instincts you forfeit your right to be considered human. We're thinking creatures. If she has an uncontrollable urge to spread her legs for anything with an erection she needs to be in a hospital, not a university.

In reality, of course, it isn't an "instinct". It is a conscious choice, and one she makes not because she has to have sex, but because she wants to have sex. I, on the other hand, don't give a rat's ass if she ever gets laid again for the rest of her life, so she can damned well buy her own pills.

Revenant said...

Calling women "hookers" is a proven winning political strategy.

"Women" aren't demanding we fund their college sexcapades. :)

somefeller said...

Remember when Sen. Paul Wellstone died? I do, and I remember the news of Wellstone's death being discussed on this blog.

As has been pointed out above, Paul Wellstone died two years before this blog started. I can haz bad memory?

somefeller said...

And speaking of bad memories, I see Willard (at 4:16pm) has shown that edutcher's memory about the nature of comments on this blog about the passing of Ted Kennedy was a little cloudy. But that's no surprise.

I ♥ Willard said...

If sex is an instinct, why is rape a crime?

Rape isn't sex.

Hagar said...

"Look! A squirrel!"
proves once again to be a workable tactic.

Michael Haz said...

My error. Not Paul Wellstone, Ted Kennedy. Apologies.

somefeller said...

My error. Not Paul Wellstone, Ted Kennedy. Apologies.

The link provided by Willard at 4:16pm shows you got it wrong ("the conservatives on this blog were without exception polite in offering their condolences") even if you traded Kennedy's name for Wellstone's. In the words of that great American conservative, Rick Perry, oops.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

There you are, folks! The standard has been set. - willard

The standard has been set to rightly call a person a villain for leaving a women to drown, while using his money and political connections to protect himself. That is the true Kennedy legacy, that he killed someone and hid behind a wall of lawyers and politicians.

Breitbart exposed frauds like him and the left rejoices in his death because the standard for the left is that it's okay to be a drunk killer using political clout to get out of that jam, you know, as long as you're a lefty. Breitbart didn't kill anyone, then try to cover it up. He merely exposed the left.

Getting drunk and killing totally acceptable and that man deserves the respect of the left.

Exposing the lies of the left and having never killed anyone is unforgivable, right willard?

Matt said...

Michael Haz

makes them lack basic human decency.

Ted Kennedy

Please note the irony of your statement especially with regards to Breitbart and his statements [tweets] about Ted Kennedy right after Kennedy died. I know a good many conservatives said nice things or nothing about Kennedy when he died. And I applaud their restraint. However, Breitbart was most definitely not one who held his tongue. He was pretty brutal. Maybe Kennedy deserved that and maybe not. But if human decency when someone dies is the norm you expect from people [and I do] then it's not something all conservatives can say they have done.

sakredkow said...

If she's fucking to procreate, what's she need birth control for? :)

You don't mind abortion then? Or single parenthood.

Anonymous said...

"Calling women "hookers" is a proven winning political strategy."

Yep. This is a stupid political strategy and Rush is showing his age.

He doesn't seem to realize just how common it is for young women to take the pill to control heavy cramping, PMS symptoms, and acne.

Nathan Alexander said...

@the idiot trying to equate Stormfront with conservatives:

It is the height of idiocy and evil to try to create equations just from names.

Anyone can call anyone anything. Liberals are not actually into liberty. The Democratic Party actively attempts to block and erode Democratic principles.

There is no connection between the agenda of white supremacists and Stormfront and conservatives.

The actual agenda of Stormfront is the closest to that of the Democratic Party. The only difference is that Stormfront puts "whites" at the top of the heap, and the Democratic Party puts grievance identities at the top of the heap.

Other than that, the rhetoric, techniques, education methods, etc, are nearly identical.

So quit spreading your nonsense. Only a brainwashed fool would actually believe any of it. Which is why it is popular among liberals and Democrats, naturally.

And, by the way, since that's the way you think, your apology for your part the starvation deaths of 100+ million peasants last century is *not* accepted.

rcocean said...

Ken states it correctly. You'll never understand lefties or the liberal trolls on this blog unless you understand one thing:

To the left Politics trumps everything.

They hate Andrew because he was conservative, they loved Kennedy because he was liberal. Its that simple. That Ted left a woman to die means nothing to them. That Andrew was an OK guy but a conservative, means nothing to them.

Revenant said...

Rape isn't sex.

Of course it is. It is just sex that one of the two participants doesn't want.

Revenant said...

You don't mind abortion then? Or single parenthood.

I "mind" single parenthood in the sense that I think people who sleep around and get knocked up outside of marriage, and then proceed to not bother getting married afterwards, are jerks.

Other than that, no, I don't mind either thing. You must be new here. I recommend you try "let's bait the conservative" with someone who actually, you know... IS one.

I ♥ Willard said...

Exposing the lies of the left and having never killed anyone is unforgivable, right willard?

It's not my standard nor was I involved in setting it.

By all means, please yourself, but don't whine when others do the same.

Or, if you believe there's a set of universal rules that can be applied to determine when it's fair to post derogatory statements about a public figure who has just died, list them in detail. But whatever you do, stop the hypocritical whining.

test said...

" roesch/voltaire said...
Adam, I also thought Frum's writings on Breitbart showed what he did well, and where, in the paragraph you quoted, he went too far in creating our present divided culture."

What plant does this fool live on? The left has intentionally fomented hatred in America for pushing 50 years, but Breitbart created our divided culture? I'm getting a vision of some 60s sheriff claiming blacks were content until outside agitators showed up.

Revenant said...

I would honestly like to hear one of the Breitbart-haters explain how Breitbart was worse than Ted Kennedy.

I mean, Breitbart also celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden. Why not use that as precedent?

It seems to me that what people really hate about Andrew is simply that he wasn't on their side. He didn't do anything bad, he was just a loudmouthed libertarian/conservative journalist. Remember his full comment?

"I’ll shut my mouth for Carter. That’s just politics. Kennedy was a special pile of human excrement."

Personally I don't care if you badmouth Breitbart (although I do find it funny that so many public figures waited until he was safely dead to do so). I doubt he would have cared either, since he loved to mix it up with critics. But you might want to consider the distinction -- if you recognize one -- between "political rival" and "bad person".

I ♥ Willard said...

And, by the way, since that's the way you think, your apology for your part the starvation deaths of 100+ million peasants last century is *not* accepted.

I won't mention names, but there are a few people here who exhibit truly bizarre thought patterns. o_O

Revenant said...

Or, if you believe there's a set of universal rules that can be applied to determine when it's fair to post derogatory statements about a public figure who has just died, list them in detail.

Surely one doesn't need to cover every possible condition in order to think that "he personally killed an innocent woman and got away with it" qualifies?

What's the worst you can say about Breitbart -- that he edited video to make people look worse than they really were? Heck, what major news outlet hasn't? I mean, Tom Brokaw's a schmuck but I can't see dancing on his grave.

Matt said...

Nathan Alexander

@the idiot trying to equate Stormfront with conservatives:

Ummm I didn't - if you mean me. But how funny that you then say that Storm Front is closer to Democrats. Ummm...okay. So it's alright for you to misread what I write to suit your thinking and then turn around and make the same claim you say I am making to suit your agenda. Hilarious. You ought to be a lawyer. Maybe you are?

If you don't mean me - sorry - no hard feelings.

Anonymous said...

It's not my standard nor was I involved in setting it.

By all means, please yourself, but don't whine when others do the same.


Of course, it's not the same. Calling a person a villain and excrement because that person left a woman to die is not the same as calling someone vile names for simply being conservative.

You can try to fool yourself all you want that bad mouthing Kennedy at his death is the same as bad mouthing Breitbart at his death, but the reality is that Kennedy and Breitbart as people were light years apart. In fact, one was a decent individual, though conservative. The other was an evil man, though a "liberal".

The left wants to lionize the killer because he was a lefty, while at the same time demonize the decent man because he was not a lefty.

sakredkow said...

@Revenant you and I and at least a handful of others are smart enough to know the Lib/Conserv dichotomy is a really inadequate way to categorize a lot of us at this date, and in this place. I'll respect that you aren't simply one-or-two dimensional if you'll do the same for me.

But if you're gonna say things like "Sure rape IS sex. It's just one person doesn't want it," I'm not gonna feel that bad about baiting you. Even with your plea for professional courtesy.

That said, Peace. I don't think you're a horrible human being who deserves to be handed over to your enemies. You're just a multi-dimensional being like me and a lot of cats and chicks out here.

Synova said...

"Maybe Kennedy deserved that and maybe not."

When Kennedy died it wasn't calls to civility, it was demands that he be honored by passing legislation to which people were ideologically opposed.

It was immediate and constant... pass this bill in honor of Teddy Kennedy, blah blah blah...

It's one thing to figure he's dead and keep your "good riddance" to yourself. It's another to watch his death be turned into a political mandate that one mustn't oppose or you're being disrespectful of his wonderfulness.

William said...

So far as I know, there is no political ideology or religion that can totally redeem man's fallen nature. Just being conservative (or for that matter liberal) doesn't make a person a bad man. Breitbart was good at his job. He broke a number of big stories in such a way as to make them bigger stories. As someone with a conservative bias, I rooted for him. I don't think his private life was grossly unethical or we would have heard all about it. He was flashy and aggressive and tried to make himself the center of attention. I don't think that set him apart from any number of liberal reporters, but it was held against him......Are people so ideological that they cannot disapprove of both Newt Gingrich and Ted Kennedy?

Synova said...

"If you cannot control your instincts you forfeit your right to be considered human."

This.

"In reality, of course, it [sex] isn't an "instinct". It is a conscious choice,..."

It's a biological urge directly related to reproduction.

Which entirely screws (pun intended) with the supposed lesson that the urge must be respected by countering it's purpose.

I consider that curious...

She *wants* to spread her legs for anything with an erection. It's biology. You're evil to oppose it.

But the sacred "instinct" involved is a reproductive strategy. It's biology. But this time you're evil to even mention it.

Her instinct is to spread her legs... and her *instinct* is to fill her womb...

How is one "truth" the most important measure of freedom and the other "truth" the measure of oppression?

Sprezzatura said...

"She *wants* to spread her legs for anything with an erection. It's biology. You're evil to oppose it."

Is this in the record?


Or, is it just a typical con job.

/rhetorical question.

sakredkow said...

And I'm not saying you aren't correct about the issue of birth control as a mandated offering. I don't know myself. You could be right.

I just think your way of getting there leaves a little to be desired.

sakredkow said...

"She *wants* to spread her legs for anything with an erection. It's biology. You're evil to oppose it."

It sounds like something's leaking.

The Crack Emcee said...

Freder Frederson,

You really are on crack, aren't you. That you took away from that clip that Stewart found what Breitbart did in any way admirable, is a completely, shall we say Breitbartian, interpretation of the clip.

Thank you [bows]

Yes, he was criticizing the administration, but for believing Breitbart, and not checking the entire, unedited tape. His point was that Breitbart boasted he intended to bring down the "institutional left" yet they fired Sherrod based on Breitbart's extremely biased and misleading "evidence"

What do you want? Me, or Brietbart, to lie about what he was? No, he was muckraker - and he was honest about it. There's nothing dishonorable about that because he wasn't bullshitting anyone. That's why Stewart said he was "honest" and he was right:

Save your indignation for the 'feminists," Anthony Weiner and Bill Clinton.

Revenant said...

if you're gonna say things like "Sure rape IS sex. It's just one person doesn't want it," I'm not gonna feel that bad about baiting you.

Rape, 2. any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.

And because I know you'll be predictably Orwellian enough to argue that sexual intercourse isn't sex,

Sex, 4. coitus

Coitus, 1. sexual intercourse

Oh, and phx? I told you not to try "conservative baiting" with me because it makes you look silly, not because I actually mind. Feel free to keep it up.

Gary Rosen said...

Lyndon Larouche, who is considerably less obscure than Don Black, was a Democrat. From Wikipedia:

"campaign[ed] seven times for the Democratic Party [Presidential] nomination"

and

"In March 1986, Mark Fairchild and Janice Hart—LaRouche National Democratic Policy Committee candidates—won the Democratic primary for state-wide offices in Illinois"

I ♥ Willard said...

You can try to fool yourself all you want...blah blah blah

The hypocritical whining continues...

I ♥ Willard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
I ♥ Willard said...

Lyndon Larouche, who is considerably less obscure than Don Black, was a Democrat.

I wish there was a relevant point to this comment. No sane person denies that unsavory individuals and groups sometimes form connections to mainstream political parties. Except of course for the guy who wrote this:

Storm Front which has no connection to conservatives, conservative Web sites, Republicans or Republican candidates.

Unfortunately, Jay prefers his world of denial.

I ♥ Willard said...

the idiot trying to equate Stormfront with conservatives

The only person doing that was Nathan Alexander.

Ken said...

You can try to fool yourself all you want...blah blah blah

Yep, Kennedy killing a woman or really any liberal doing anything bad, evil, or repugnant, simply "blah blah blah", amaright willard? Why focus on the evils deeds of Kennedy. Just "blah blah blah" it away, so you can focus on the really important things, like hurling vile insults at people who haven't done anything worse than express opinions different from the leftist narrative, right? It's really all very simple.

I ♥ Willard said...

I don't know why there is so much silly bickering about something that should be obvious to everyone: in the immediate aftermath of the death of a public figure, be respectful of the feelings of people who are grieving.

I ♥ Willard said...

Just "blah blah blah" it away, so you can focus on the really important things, like hurling vile insults at people who haven't done anything worse than express opinions different from the leftist narrative, right?

I don't hurl vile insults. It's not my thing. I'm not a hater. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Kirk Parker said...

Apparently Matt has never heard of parody or reductio ad absurdum. No surprise, but kind of sad.

Kirk Parker said...

Sloanasaurus,

"Who is just out taking a stroll after midnight?"

[Raises hand.] Some of us are night people, you know.

sakredkow said...

Oh, and phx? I told you not to try "conservative baiting" with me because it makes you look silly, not because I actually mind. Feel free to keep it up.

I am baiting you. I'm not baiting you because you're a conservative, I'm baiting you for your insistence that "Rape is sex."

Stubbornly sticking to a bad idea because you're too proud to take it back isn't really a conservative or liberal value. It's ignorance.

damikesc said...

Calling women "hookers" is a proven winning political strategy.

All women expect health insurance to cover their contraceptives, even if they work for an organization that opposes it?

Do you have polling to back this claim of yours up?

damikesc said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
X said...

well of course certain people couldn't badmouth Ted Kennedy. their silence had helped him get away with it. they shared in his guilt. no wonder they didn't like it.

Brian Brown said...

I ♥ Willard said...

So Derek Black was elected to a seat on the Palm Beach County Republican committee AND he hosts a radio show (which promotes the ideology of white nationalism) with his father Don Black, founder of Stormfront.org. In addition, Stormfront.org was initially an online bulletin board to support a Republican senate candidate.


Except that "Republican senate candidate" started running for office as a Democrat in 1975.

He also ran for President as a Democrat just prior to the bulletin board being launched.

So yeah, you need a better example.

Brian Brown said...

phx said...
Sex is an instinct, not some kind of opulent luxury. This is basic biology, isn't it? Is it worth arguing that sex isn't instinctual?


Whether or not sex is an "instinct" is irrelevant.

The discussion was on birth control.

Duh.

Brian Brown said...

Matt said...
Note I didn't say Storm Front represented all conservatives. That was the point of mentioning them


I know you didn't say they represented all conservatives.

The fact of the matter is that believing they represent any conservatives is silly.

Equating storm front with one of the most heavily trafficed political Web sites that is a home for Democrats is stupid.

There is no comparison. Further, the Democratic Underground represents the rank and file left.
Which is why it is so popular on the left.

sakredkow said...

The discussion was on birth control.

Duh.


I don't know what you were discussing. I never read your comments unless they start out with "phx" as this one did.

Why would I read your comments?

I ♥ Willard said...

The fact of the matter is that believing they represent any conservatives is silly.

And yet they have (e.g., David Duke, Republican candidate for Senate).

Apparently, believing in facts is silly in Jay's world.

I ♥ Willard said...

Why would I read your comments?

Excellent question!

Synova said...

"I don't know why there is so much silly bickering about something that should be obvious to everyone: in the immediate aftermath of the death of a public figure, be respectful of the feelings of people who are grieving."

In the aftermath of the death of a public figure, it's offensive to hoist the body on a pole to lead a political parade to demand that laws be passed in honor of the corpse.

If not for that, I'd agree out of respect for the family.

I ♥ Willard said...

In the aftermath of the death of a public figure, it's offensive to hoist the body on a pole

Agreed! I'm definitely opposed to dead bodies on poles.

Synova said...

"I am baiting you. I'm not baiting you because you're a conservative, I'm baiting you for your insistence that "Rape is sex."

Stubbornly sticking to a bad idea because you're too proud to take it back isn't really a conservative or liberal value. It's ignorance.
"

True, it's not conservative or liberal.

But rape is sex. That it is a violation doesn't make it not sex.

I have no idea how you and Rev got into this argument, Willard, but he's right and you're wrong. Certainly you're familiar with something like "a man is human, all humans are men" or "a dog is a mammal, all mammals are dogs."

I might agree with you had you insisted that rape is not (usually) about sexual attraction, or any number of other distinctions that define rape, but it isn't rape, is it, unless there is sexual violation of one sort or another. If there isn't a sexual violation then it's just assault or something else. Rape is a subset of sex and if there isn't sex it isn't rape.

But that hardly for a moment means that rape is love making or that sex is rape.

So, no, this isn't a conservative/liberal thing... it's a "I don't get to change the meaning of words because something is an icky idea" thing.

Rusty said...

So, no, this isn't a conservative/liberal thing... it's a "I don't get to change the meaning of words because something is an icky idea" thing.


You're right. But it is about the lefts attempt to hijack language and change the signifier, in this case sex, and turn it to their own purposes and then marginalizing you for not participating in the new usage.

I appreciate you calling him out on it.

I ♥ Willard said...

I have no idea how you and Rev got into this argument, Willard, but he's right and you're wrong.

Never!

Seriously though, you and Rev are wrong this time. You need to recall the comment that led to this argument:

Sex is an instinct.

phx uses the word "sex" as shorthand for "consensual sex," a practice which is commonplace nowadays and quite clear from the context of his remark. phx is specifically not saying that every imaginable form of sexual contact (e.g., rape, bestiality, etc...) is an instinct. phx's meaning is perfectly clear in context.

I can't take responsibility for Rev's misunderstanding on this point. He just got this one wrong. Unfortunately so did you, and so did Rusty.

Moral: Everyone gets something wrong now and then. Except for me-- I'm always right.

sakredkow said...

Cosign to Willard.

Anonymous said...

I don't hurl vile insults. It's not my thing. I'm not a hater. Sorry to burst your bubble.

And yet you called Rush a "perv" for pointing out the absurdity Sandra Fluke. She does want others to subsidize her sex life. Rush pointed out that absurdity saying that if others have to pay for, they should benefit from it too. Of course it's absurd to make her post videos of her sex life for all to see, but it's just as absurd to make people pay for her sex life.

The absurdity of Fluke's claim is the point. And yet, from these statements you claim Rush is a perv, then have the audacity to claim you don't hurl vile insults and that you're not a hater.

Revenant said...

So, no, this isn't a conservative/liberal thing... it's a "I don't get to change the meaning of words because something is an icky idea" thing.

Heh! I'll always cherish the moment when a college professor acquaintance of mine argued that display of Confederate flags could legally be barred because such display constituted a "physical assault" on black people.

Revenant said...

phx uses the word "sex" as shorthand for "consensual sex," a practice which is commonplace nowadays and quite clear from the context of his remark. phx is specifically not saying that every imaginable form of sexual contact (e.g., rape, bestiality, etc...) is an instinct. phx's meaning is perfectly clear in context.

If phx meant "consensual sex" when he said "sex", his claim that it is an instinct is hilariously wrong. Consent requires (a) the capacity for reason and (b) agreement between two minds, and thus cannot be an instinct.

Now it could be that in addition to redefining "sex", he also wanted to redefine "instinct" to mean "an action which is consciously chosen but instinctively desired". But if that's what he meant then he can't claim what's-her-face needs birth control pills because of her "instincts". She needs them because she can't *control* her instincts. :)

The great irony is that non-consensual sex is actually much closer to an instinct than consensual sex is. That's why humans have moral systems in place; so people don't just take the sex they want from weaker people.

I ♥ Willard said...

Of course it's absurd to make her post videos of her sex life for all to see

But then again, Rush is a perv.

The absurdity of Fluke's claim is the point.

Of course it is. Carry on.

I ♥ Willard said...

If phx meant "consensual sex" when he said "sex", his claim that it is an instinct is hilariously wrong.

Changing the argument to quarrel over the definition of "instinct" instead of "sex" is an improvement but still overlooks the context of phx's comment. It's clear that phx means that desire to have consensual sex has a biological basis.

P.S. I'm not going to argue about how "instinct" is defined by various scientific disciplines.

The great irony is that non-consensual sex is actually much closer to an instinct than consensual sex is.

Apparently not. The reproductive behavior of nonhuman animals shows that the great majority of matings involves mate choice by the female.

Anonymous said...

The absurdity of Fluke's claim is the point.

Of course it is. Carry on.


Thanks for admitting to being dishonest flame thrower by labeling Rush a "perv" when you understood very well that Rush's point was to highlight the absurdity of Fluke, despite denying that you're a hater or that you throw around vile insults.

Carry on.

Revenant said...

Changing the argument to quarrel over the definition of "instinct" instead of "sex" is an improvement

Who's arguing? I'm just trying to figure out what secret language you two are using. In English, rape is sex and instincts aren't conscious choices. In your language apparently neither of those things is true. Once I've translated you into English I'll be able to figure out what your point is. :)

It's clear that phx means that desire to have consensual sex has a biological basis.

That would make it a really silly rebuttal to my statement that non-procreative sex is a recreational luxury. After all, most of the things we do for fun and luxury have a biological basis.

The reproductive behavior of nonhuman animals shows that the great majority of matings involves mate choice by the female.

That's because, like I pointed out, humans have developed moral systems to restrain behavior.

Males operating outside normal moral systems tend to behave quite differently -- which is why rape is common among wartime soldiery, among criminals in prison, and in the master-slave relations of the old South.

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