The Other McCain

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Ziegler: Breitbart Thought Matt Drudge Was ‘In the Tank’ for Obama in 2008

Posted on | March 8, 2012 | 27 Comments

In a Wednesday talk-radio appearance, conservative filmmaker John Ziegler said that the late Andrew Breitbart told him that during the 2008 presidential election campaign, Matt Drudge altered content on his famous Drudge Report site in such a way that Breitbart believed Drudge was “in the tank” for Barack Obama.

Interviewed by Chris Daniel on California’s KMJ 580 AM, Ziegler said Breitbart, who for years served as an assistant editor at the Drudge Report, had privately confided that his efforts to post negative articles about Obama at the popular site were blocked by Drudge.

“Matt Drudge was totally in the tank for Obama, and he blocked Andrew Breitbart from doing anything about it,” said Ziegler, who directed the documentary film Media Malpractice about the 2008 election. “Andrew told me about this. The evidence is overwhelming, and I can and will prove it.”

Breitbart “had determined that Drudge was in the tank, that every time [Breitbart] put something up that was anti-Obama that Matt Drudge would at least move it down, if not take it off entirely, which he hardly ever did to Andrew,” Ziegler told Daniels in an exclusive interview Wednesday. “And then specifically the Reverend Wright story was completely muted because of Matt Drudge.”

Ziegler has posted an article on his Media Malpractice site detailing these allegations. Breitbart died last week of a heart attack at age 43.

Category: Andrew Breitbart

Comments

27 Responses to “Ziegler: Breitbart Thought Matt Drudge Was ‘In the Tank’ for Obama in 2008”

  1. Dan Gillen
    March 8th, 2012 @ 2:17 pm

    This just in Matt Drudge is an asshole who conservatives let get a way with a lot because he broke the Monica story.  This year he’s been shamelessly in the tank for Romney so I guess he has at least exorcised his “white guilt” or whatever was making him pro Obama.  

  2. RefudiateObama2012
    March 8th, 2012 @ 2:46 pm

    I’m no Drudge fan, but does anyone really believe that Breitbart would divulge anything to the slimeball Ziegler?  If Andrew was alive, would Ziegler be saying this?

  3. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    March 8th, 2012 @ 3:00 pm

    I doubt Breitbart would say this to Ziegler.  If true, and I believe Drudge did not want to go after Obama on some of these stories, Breitbart would have said this to Drudge directly and possibly others.  Even if he disagreed with Drudge, Breitbart was always protective and loyal to Drudge.  

  4. richard mcenroe
    March 8th, 2012 @ 3:01 pm

    I’ll be rewatching Ziegler’s Media Malpractice to get a sense of the guy’s past work in this topic.   At this point I don’t know enough about him to decide whether he has anything to add to the debate or is just pimping his own work.

  5. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    March 8th, 2012 @ 3:01 pm

    I do not know where Drudge stands on Mitt vs. Obama.  I am pretty sure Drudge is no big fan of Rick Santorum. 

  6. AKGuest
    March 8th, 2012 @ 3:59 pm

    It is a good film for sure, but also read the  claims and run-ins with the Palins etc. that occurred in the last couple of years to get a true balanced view of this guy. My view? He’s got issues and will say pretty much anything to keep himself in the spotlight.

  7. ThePaganTemple
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:04 pm

    Just look at Drudge’s archives, especially during the time of the breaking of the Wright and Ayers stories, and see if what is in there, or is not in there, jibes with what Ziegler says.

  8. Thursday Link-around – America’s Most Biblically-Hostile U. S. President « Nice Deb
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:11 pm

    […] denying us all that wonderful black gold from Canada for at least another year. The Other McCain:Ziegler: Breitbart Thought Matt Drudge Was ‘In the Tank’ for Obama in 2008: In a Wednesday talk-radio appearance, conservative filmmaker John Ziegler said that the late […]

  9. AnonymousDrivel
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:13 pm

    It would make for a good, enlightening analysis, but how would one go about such a thing? You cannot acquire but a snapshot here and there at best.

    Drudge doesn’t provide daily snapshots of his own work, does he?

  10. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:44 pm

    I do not doubt the underlying premise.  But I doubt that Ziegler is telling the truth on what Andrew Breitbart told him.  I assume such revelations made after someone passes to be BS until proven otherwise.  

  11. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:45 pm

    Sure.  Go into Drudge history down at the bottom of the page and you can pull back headlines hour by hour for any particular date.  

  12. John Ziegler
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:49 pm

    You guys have no idea what you are talking about. Andrew and I spoke about this almost every day. As I said in the column I have the instant messages to prove it.

  13. John Ziegler
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:51 pm

    Yep, you nailed me. Just saying crap to stay in the spotlight. Damn. I thought I had fooled you. Get a clue. Read the damn column. The proof is all there.

  14. John Ziegler
    March 8th, 2012 @ 4:52 pm

    Exactly, do it for yourself! The evidence is overwhelming. It is in the column and on his web archive. Come on people! This isn’t even close.

  15. RefudiateObama2012
    March 8th, 2012 @ 5:18 pm

     That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that Breitbart talked to Ziegler about it.  Ziegler is a slimeball who should be shunned by every conservative blogger.

  16. MNcommonsense
    March 8th, 2012 @ 5:35 pm

    John Ziegler actually hanging out in the comments section. Sad.

  17. Garym
    March 8th, 2012 @ 6:00 pm

    Heh.

  18. idesign2
    March 8th, 2012 @ 6:12 pm

    Looks like you’re living off of Breitbart, just like you tried to live off the Palins…

    Pathetic.

  19. AnonymousDrivel
    March 8th, 2012 @ 6:45 pm

    Thank you for the tip. That’s a great feature. I can’t believe I’ve never noticed it.

  20. Wombat_socho
    March 8th, 2012 @ 7:14 pm

     Are you implying we’re not good enough for him, he’s not good enough for us, or what? Spit it out!

  21. robertstacymccain
    March 8th, 2012 @ 8:02 pm

    I’m not sure why or how the comments on this post turned into a pro-Ziegler vs. anti-Ziegler argument. Nor, for that matter, should it be a pro-Drudge or anti-Drudge argument.

    I first interviewed Breibart in May 2007 and remember him being very reluctant to discuss his relationship with Drudge. It seems that in the past several years, Drudge has become very concerned with maintaining his own privacy, and Breitbart was keenly aware of that concern.

    Did Breitbart trust Ziegler with information that he didn’t feel safe sharing with me? Maybe. If so, would this tell us something useful about Breitbart? Definitely.

    When I first learned about Ziegler’s assertion, I thought back to the 2007-08 era, when many conservatives viewed Hillary as the Evil Menace who had to be defeated at all costs. Was that a factor?

    I’m just asking. But I would hate to see this turn into a squabble over personalities.

  22. Stacy McCain Has John Ziegler Hanging Out In His Comment Section - The POH Diaries
    March 8th, 2012 @ 8:52 pm

    […] don’t know, something about Breitbart telling Ziegler that Drudge was in the tank for Obama. My real reason for this post is to ask one simple question. […]

  23. Adjoran
    March 9th, 2012 @ 12:22 am

    I don’t get the reaction against Ziegler, unless it is some hangover from rumors about Palin and that stuff – Sarah does have a cadre of insane cyber-stalkers who think their mandate is to “protect” her.

    Heck, even I noticed at the time that Drudge was following the MSM program of covering for Obama and not letting any of the serious questions come up.  He could have been afraid, as were many conservatives, of being labelled “racist” for posting those stories.  

    Breitbart would not have been afraid of it, and maybe that’s what we need to take from this:  we can’t let the left intimidate us about this vile radical jerk, because we can’t afford four more years.

  24. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    March 9th, 2012 @ 1:29 am

    Okay.  So why not show them?

  25. Wombat_socho
    March 9th, 2012 @ 2:28 am

     You keep saying that without bothering to link to any kind of proof. If it happens again, you’re going to get a permanent vacation from the comments here.

  26. Wombat_socho
    March 9th, 2012 @ 2:29 am

     I don’t get it either, and if I keep seeing it I’m going to start hitting some people upside the head with the banhammer.

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