Andrew Breitbart, Tucson Tea Party, April 30, 2011
I thought I would check Facebook one more time before I left for work this morning and the news hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. One of my heroes, Andrew Breitbart, was dead at age 43. I read on to find out that he left behind 4 young children and a wife and my heart broke for them. My heart also broke for America because there was no one as passionate and as skilled at bringing the fight to the left than Andrew Breitbart. Probably because he was once a lefty himself but began to see through the lies. Once he realized he had been had he got mad and he got busy building one of the most affective group of new media sites on the web today.
Tammy Bruce remembering Andrew Breitbart on her blog pointed to the shared revelation they had about the left:
Our bond was very much that we shared the experience of being on the left, seeing it for what it was, and making that journey to the right. A person, especially those of us with the shared experience, simply felt safer knowing Andrew was around. He was a good friend and wonderful man. For those of us lucky enough to experience him, we will be forever grateful. RIP my darling.
I have had the privilege of having a few videos featured on Breitbart.tv, one of his new media ventures, and being on theBCast, an internet show hosted by Scott Baker and Liz Stephans who also ran Breitbart.tv at the time. theBCast is no more, but Baker has moved on to work with Glenn Beck and is Managing Editor of TheBlaze.com. Today TheBlaze is running a story on how civilly some on Twitter are reacting to Andrew Breitbart’s death. Just more examples of the hypocrisy that Breitbart delighted in exposing as he built a group of New Media web sites that are a direct and devastating counter to the ABCs, CBSs and NBCs of the old, left leaning, media.
Andrew Breitbart supported and stood behind James O’Keefe as together they took down ACORN (which has now reemerged under a new name. It’s like whack a mole with these leftist organizations). Just recently he went outside the hotel hosting this years CPAC to confront Occupiers. He was fearless and we loved him for it.
In his own words in the conclusion to his book “Righteous Indignation”:
I love my job. I love fighting for what I believe in. I love having fun while doing it. I love reporting stories that the Complex refuses to report. I love fighting back, I love finding allies, and-famously-I enjoy making enemies.
Three years ago, I was mostly a behind-the-scenes guy who linked to stuff on a very popular website. I always wondered what it would be like to enter the public realm to fight for what I believe in. I’ve lost friends, perhaps dozens. But I’ve gained hundreds, thousands-who knows?-of allies. At the end of the day, I can look at myself in the mirror, and I sleep very well at night.
Make enemies he did. With his unapologetic in your face style he hotly debated with the best the left had to offer and he won. His passion and ability to articulate truth were no match for those that dare take him on. The rest of us Conservatives cheered him on. Those of us dabbling in new media were encouraged by his courage and no doubt he spurred many more to take up the good fight online. He became one of my heroes.
That’s why when he came to Tucson last April and I had a chance to visit with him for a few minutes, I was thrilled. He told me how his alarm clock didn’t go off that morning, but instead the dead battery in his smoke alarm provided the beep that woke him in time to catch his Tucson flight. I told him, “I guess God really wanted you to be here.” I guess he agreed because that is how he started his speech to the Tucson Tea Party crowd on April 30, 2011.
I did video his speech, but I messed up and got too close to the stage. (a mistake I remedied when Dana Loesch took the stage) When I realized the angle was too extreme it was too late to move. I should have done this sooner, but in light of Andrew Breitbart’s passing I thought it would be appropriate to extract the audio from that video and post it here now.
Please take 23 minutes and relive the fire, passion and brilliance that was Andrew Breitbart. Know this as well. He has now passed the torch to all of us to speak the truth even in the face of fierce opposition. I know many of you and I know that you do and will.
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