Taking on the Left With Andrew Breitbart

Andrew Breitbart always said that if you wanted to expose the true nature of the Left that all you had to do was turn on a video camera, aim it at them, and hit record. And that is precisely what we did during the closing years of Andrew's life in the making of Hating Breitbart, which was released digitally and in theaters nationwide last month.  Time and time again Breitbart demonstrated that the Left is well-practiced at making a lot of noise, but shrinks away at the mildest interrogation - because their positions are, by and large, indefensible.

For example, when members of organized labor were bussed in to protest Glenn Beck's presence at a Republican fundraiser, Breitbart walked along the line of protesters and simply asked them to explain the meaning of the signs they were waving. Easy enough, right? After all, you'd think that somebody would know what they were thinking when they made the sign, so they should be able to explain it. One gentleman was holding a relatively straightforward sign that read "Beck = Coward." Breitbart asked him, "How is he a coward?" The poor man, who obviously had not made the sign he was holding, stumbled, rambled, and was finally escorted away by an event organizer.

Andrew Breitbart (AP Photo)

Breitbart next turned his attention to one of the event leaders and asked him, "What are you here for?"  The event leader, Eugene Winkler, answered, "I am here to stop the hate that Glenn Beck is promulgating in this country." Breitbart followed up, "Like what?  One thing that he's said that's hateful. One. Not a hundred. One. One!"  Mr. Winkler, taking a moment, responded, "I'm not going to fall into your trap." Breitbart retorted, "It's a trap. Truth is a trap!"

Turn on the camera, aim it, and hit record.

One of Breitbart's most fundamental messages was:  you can do it, too. Where so-called professional journalists fail, citizen journalists can fill the void - technology has finally become available that puts Joe and Jane Doe on par with ABC, NBC, CBS, and the New York Times. Anybody with a website, a blog, or a YouTube video can break news. Among the more memorable moments during production, and in the film, was Andrew's speech at the Tax Day Tea Party in 2010. He told everyone in the crowd to put their cameras, cell phones, and flip-cams in the air - and he told them again and again and again until most of the crowd complied. What resulted was an amazing image; imagine a rock concert but with all the lighters held aloft in the air replaced by the flashing lights of smartphones, Blackberries, and digital cameras. Breitbart surveyed the crowd and announced, "We have a sea of New Media here to capture the lies!  Look at that, mainstream media!"  This scene unfolded only a few weeks after the Tea Party had been accused of hurling racial slurs at members of the Black Congressional Caucus. Breitbart was convinced the story was fabricated, and so he had offered $100,000 to anyone who could provide video or audio evidence supporting the accusation.

Breitbart's critics wanted to claim that Breitbart was saying "it didn't happen unless it's on video." That was not  Breitbart's argument at all. Congressman Andre Carson claimed that at least 15 people directed racial slurs at him and John Lewis about 15 times as he and Congressman Lewis descended the steps of the Cannon Building.  Representative Carson provided a specific allegation, a specific timeframe, and a specific location. Breitbart was able to locate five distinct perspectives of the specific location and timeframe that Representative Carson indicated, and there is absolutely no evidence that events unfolded as Representative Carson described them. To believe that 15 people within earshot of the Congressmen had hurled racial epithets is to believe that one quarter to one third of the protesters along the Cannon Building steps were screaming racial slurs. How could such widespread and broad vitriol be noticed by only two people: Congressmen Carson and Lewis? Why have there been no other witnesses, including Capitol Police, to the alleged event? Breitbart contended that if events had unfolded as Congressman Carson alleged, that at least one incident would have been caught on the many recording devices that were running during the time in question. To this day, not a single example has been provided by any source.

Never mind that Carson also claimed that he was surrounded by protestors; the videos show he was not. Never mind that Carson also claimed Capitol Police had to intervene to protect him and Representative Lewis; the videos show they did not. In short, and in the words of Congressman Steve King, "the press release was written before they walked through the crowd and the reality of it didn't materialize, but they went ahead with their plan anyway. I believe it was that cynical, that dishonest, and that deceptive."

Turn on the camera, aim it, and hit record.

Andrew's true legacy lives on in the tens of thousands of people he activated by his example. The everyday people who thrust their cameras into the air in April of 2010 are making their own media and doing the job the mainstream media refuses to do. If you dare to expose the Left for who they are, however, be prepared to be called a racist.  Don't worry, though, because the Progressive Left has so overused the term now that to be called "racist" is about as controversial as being called a "person."  They have finally abused the term into meaninglessness - and that's too bad because racism and racists exist, and we really ought to have a word for them that means something. Something other than "one who disagrees with Barack Obama on any given issue."

And so do as Breitbart did:  ignore the insults, the name-calling, and the attempts to break your spirit.  Do not cower, do not hide, do not apologize for your beliefs and your values. By refusing to be destroyed, you become more powerful - and others will be able to draw from your courage.  Above all, when speaking truth to power, or heck, speaking truth to anybody, be a happy warrior.

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