Hmmm...
The guy was 43 and left a family behind. That is a tragedy.
I really don't know the best way to handle this. I can't help but suspect that the guy was consumed by his own visceral hatred for anything that remotely smacked of liberalism. I didn't like most of what he said or did, and often found him to be a cheap, headline-grabbing phony.
On the other hand, he did do a few things that were entirely justified.
Breitbart showing Anthony Weiner's infamous sexting photo was unpleasant, but certainly not above what nearly any left-leaning journalist would show if it was a Republican politician's "junk" on display. Thankfully, we haven't had to see that so far!
And I'll admit that there were a few times I heard him speak on the news shows and I somewhat admired his pugnacious wit, even though I usually disagreed with whatever point he was making.
But his unwarranted and fabricated attack on Shirley Sharrod by editing the video of her remarks to create a partisan fiction nearly ruined the woman's life. And his vile "eulogy" for Ted Kennedy immediately after his passing was unpardonable:
@AndrewBreitbartThe impulse to dance on Breitbart's grave is equally nasty, and I am doing everything in my power to not succumb to it. So, I'll try to refrain from further comment and let Andrew speak for himself. From several weeks ago:
AndrewBreitbart
Rest in Chappaquiddick
26 Aug 09 via web
I guess what I'm saying is that I'm sorry the man is dead, but I don't feel so sorry that he's gone.
UPDATE:
Wow.
Shirley Sherrod has more class in her pinkie finger than most humans have in their entire bodies!
Myself included.
From the HuffPo:
Shirley Sherrod, the USDA employee who was fired from her job after Breitbart released an incomplete video of her appearing to say she intentionally discriminated against white farmers —she was actually describing how she overcame such prejudices — sent her condolences.
"The news of Mr. Breitbart's death came as a surprise to me when I was informed of it this morning," she said. "My prayers go out to Mr. Breitbart's family as they cope through this very difficult time."
4 comments:
It is times like these when you realize it can be hard not to hate, but resisting it is worth the effort in the end--lest you end up consumed by it like this guy was. I agree that in some way, that probably contributed to his death.
I'm reminded of Lee Atwater, and how at the end he realized that even with the fights he won and lives he ruined, his existence had mostly made the world worse. He had a chance to feel crappy about it, which is something.
Well said.
Click on my name to see him announce that he would release damning videos of the President on March 1st.
You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to appreciate the downright weirdness of Breitbart predicting a major event to occur on March 1st, only for him to end up dying on that very date. Breitbart was officially pronounced dead at 12:19am.
I didn't hear anything about March 1st in that video, and he pretty much says the videos he claims to have show Obama meeting or talking to people it's already established he knew. Meaningless bombast ("Beruit on the Charles!") All I hear is the typical anti-intellectual rhetoric the conservative movement is so fond of.
What I do hear is a bottomless fountain of hatred pouring out of the guy's mouth. Gee, it's a real surprise that he dropped dead from a likely heart attack.
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