LIVE AT FIVE – 03.02.12

Without expecting much, I emailed him. All I said was that I heard about Big Hollywood and I liked his idea. How can I help?
Less than ten minutes later, he wrote back.
“Thanks for writing. Here’s my cell number… call me.”
You have to understand, as a blogger I email other bloggers and media people all the time. I never get a response like that so quickly. I was a little stunned but once I had a chance to gather my thoughts I called him and he answered.
We talked about his background and mine, what he was trying to do and the people he had already recruited to help him. I remember thinking at the time – I can’t believe I’m talking to Andrew Breitbart.
A short time later I was contributing material to a nationally recognized blog. I’ll never forget my gratitude for being allowed to be part of something so special.

“I can’t believe I’m talking to Andrew Breitbart.”

That story captures the essence of what was so amazing about Breitbart: He was always open to everybody. How many hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people had his personal cell-phone number? He would talk to anybody. Merely by talking to them, and more importantly, by listening to them, he would make them feel important, make them believe that there was real value to whatever it was they were doing for the cause.

A few months ago, I’d called or texted Breitbart about something and left my cell-phone in the kitchen, plugged in to re-charge, while I worked in my home office. So the phone rang and my son Jefferson answered, then brought the phone to me. Andrew and I talked a while and, after I’d hung up the phone, Jefferson said: “Wow, Dad, you know Andrew Breitbart?”

A lot of people knew Andrew Breitbart. He loved to meet people, to hang out and socialize. Among those whom you could call “celebrities” in the conservative movement, he was the most accessible person I knew, no matter how famous he became.

I first met him at CPAC 2007, shortly after he’d launched Breitbart.com, when he was still known mainly to news junkies, as Matt Drudge’s longtime right-hand man and the guy who had helped Arianna Huffington launch HuffPo. And a few months later, I interviewed him while he was in D.C. for a Reason magazine event:

“The idea that I could do for a living that which I would do in my free time, for free, is the single greatest thing on the planet,” he says.
“I realize that my entire brain was meant to be connected to the Internet — it is my Ritalin. I don’t feel that I have a disease now. I really don’t. I’m like, ‘Oh, finally the device has been invented.’ That’s why I call it a panacea. The Internet is the greatest single invention, to me, ever.”

You can read the rest of that. Breitbart was a visionary — inimitable and arguably irreplaceable. Michelle Malkin says, “If he were here, he’d be retweeting all the insane tweets from the Left rejoicing over his death.”

Of course, he would. He was fearless like that, and took an ironic pleasure in being hated by the Left. He was extraordinarily generous with his time, and lent his support to many good causes.

Andrew had agreed to be a board member of the National Bloggers Club, whose co-founder Ali Akbar is now organizing a Saturday night memorial in Breitbart’s honor in D.C. Just send Ali a Twitter message if you’re interested in attending.

So many people like Aleister had the same experience: “I can’t believe I’m talking to Andrew Breitbart.”

And now they all have the same painful feeling: “I can’t believe I’ll never talk to Andrew Breitbart again.”

UPDATE: Details on the Breitbart memorial in D.C.:

Saturday, 7:30pm until 10:30pm

722 12th ST NW Suite 400 Washington? DC 20005

All friends are invited to attend and honor Andrew’s accomplishments in journalism. We expect several members of Congress, bloggers, and journalists who knew Andrew as a visionary and a warrior for the conservative movement.
ATR is graciously hosting this event.

UPDATE II: This is typical Breitbart: A few hours before his death, he stops into a bar, finds himself debating a total stranger, and doesn’t mind at all:

“He was friendly and engaging,” Sando recalls. “I said, ‘You can’t be very happy with the slate of Republican candidates’ and he said, ‘Why would you say that?’ I said, ‘Well, they’re talking about contraception,’ and he said, ‘The conversation is being framed by the liberal media.’ I said, ‘Well, the media isn’t writing Rick Santorum’s speeches for him.’ We had a back-and-forth for awhile until we said we weren’t going to agree on some things.”
The friendly debate continued in the bar as Breitbart sipped red wine, says Sando. “We just hit it off, he was delightful. There were other people who sat down and joined the conversation.”

Notice how Breitbart responded to Sando’s provocation with an open-ended question: “Why would you say that?” A tiny glimpse at Breitbart’s brilliance — rather than go immediately on the defensive, make your antagonist explain his challenge.

Category: Andrew Breitbart

Paul And McCotter Grill Bernanke On Inflation, Which Is Unexpectedly Higher Than Bernanke Will Admit

Posted on | March 1, 2012 | 12 Comments

by Smitty

It is blatantly obvious to the most casual observer that Ron Paul’s insistence on honest, tangible cash removes him from consideration for President as much as his foreign policy. Paul is trying to make a serious legal tender argument, and Bernanke glibly deflects the question:

The wild, irrationally exuberant Thaddeus McCotter ejaculates almost spasmodically on the topic of people who have money in savings accounts currently being devoured by inflation:

A paraphrase:
Bernanke points out that people could have put their money in the stock market, and repeats the mantras that the economy is recovering, monetary policy is set for recovery, inflation is kept low and stable. McCotter replies that the Federal Reserve is investing public money stupidly. A hurt-sounding Bernanke replies that while the Federal Reserve may be incompetent, the Fed is all that we have.

The American Institute for Economic Research points out that, for those with sense, inflation is roughly 8%. This gets at Paul’s point in the clip above that our government, if not lying outright, at least is not communicating usefully about economic realities. Even the most rectal-sunshine-loving folks on the Left have got to be getting sick of this nonsense.

via Zero Hedge, the Blaze, and the Lonely Conservative

Update: oh, hey, this sounds really cool. Foreign banks will now start inflating the Dow in a big way. What could possibly go ronngg?

Update II: linked at The Rio Norte Line, who comes up with the instantly classic “Zimbabwe Ben”.

Category: Economics, End The Fed, Gold

Unknown Health Care Quarterback Sebelius Throws Death Spiral

Posted on | March 1, 2012 | 7 Comments

by Smitty

Via CNSNews:

“How about when the president said you can keep your health care coverage, if you like it?” Roskam said. “And yet, the reality is, according to Bloomberg (News) at least, 9 percent fewer businesses are offering medical coverage than in 2010. There the rhetoric didn’t meet the reality, did it?”
Sebelius did not contest the numbers.
“Well again, congressman, what you’re seeing, it wouldn’t have mattered if we had passed the Affordable Care Act or not,” she said. “The private market is in a death spiral.”

As though anyone familiar with Hayek or Sowell would find the notion that government perturbing the health care market would be othewise.
Hayward amplifies:

Katheleen Sebelius is a fine one to talk about “death spirals,” because ObamaCare is one of the best examples around. It’s been falling apart since the day it was passed. Key funding mechanisms have already been repealed, including the 1099 reporting requirements designed to squeeze $17 billion out of small businesses, and the CLASS Act — a ridiculous accounting trick that made ObamaCare look cheaper by front-loading the premiums for a long-term care program that even Sebelius herself admitted was unsustainable. A bill to abolish ObamaCare’s rationing mechanism, the infamous “death panels,” just cleared the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee. All of these repeal measures have bipartisan support.

Sebelius and the Left, we must admit, threw a zippy little bullet pass through the heart of our economy a year ago. Death spiral, indeed. But it’s not entirely over.

Join the Old, Odd Fuddy-Duddys on 24 March (three weeks from Saturday) at the Road to Repeal rally here in DC. For yourself. For your kids. For Breitbart. For every other patriot remaining in this country who thinks that Sebelius, #OccupyResoluteDesk, and the rest of these knuckle-dragging crypt-Marxists have Got. To. Go.

Maybe not to hell, but to wherever the commies play football. Let them throw their death spirals at each other, and leave Americans alone.

Category: Health Care

R.I.P., Andrew Breitbart: Innovative Genius of New Media Dies at Age 43

Posted on | March 1, 2012 | 99 Comments

WINCHESTER, Virginia
“There is never a good time for bad things to happen,” I had just remarked to my wife, as we drove to the hospital where today we are dealing with a family emergency.

Minutes later, my cell phone rang. Jeff Quinton was calling to tell me the news: “Andrew Breitbart died.”

It was incredible. It had to be some kind of bad joke. I called Matthew Vadum, a contributor to Breitbart’s Big Government, who said he had confirmed the shocking news.

Vadum and I had just been hanging out with Breitbart last Friday at the Marriott Hotel in Troy, Michigan, where Breitbart spoke Saturday at the Americans for Prosperity Michigan forum.

A little later, Cynthia Yockey called me in tears, mourning Andrew’s loss, but as I told her, our own sense of loss of our friend and ally — a powerful and innovative force in conservative New Media — is inconsequential compared to the fathomless pain experienced by Andrew’s wife and four children, who should be in our prayers.

He may have been the greatest genius I’ve ever met, with a keen, intuitive mind. Although he had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder — he had a freewheeling quality about him, and his schedule was quite improvisational – Breitbart was also capable of a laser-like focus on whatever subject captured his interest. There were times you’d be talking to him and, if that spark of passionate interest hit, his luminous blue eyes would glow with an intensity that was almost frightening.

Andrew was 10 years younger than me. I’d known him for five years. His death reminded me of the 2007 death of John Berthoud of the American Taxpayers Union who, like Andrew, generously gave of his time and knowledge to help build the liberty movement.

I’m sure I’ll have updates later, and regret that I’m not in a position to do more blogging about this tragic loss today, but as I said: There is never a good time for bad things to happen.

R.I.P., Andrew.

UPDATE: Everyone who knew Andrew is probably telling stories today of their “Breitbart moments.” One of my favorites was in April 2010 at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, when Ali Akbar threw a blogger bash for GOP congressional candidate Ray McKinney and Breitbart showed up to regale us all with tales of New Orleans voodoo:

Lyndsey Fifield reacts to Breitbart’s remark — a Tulane alumnus, Breitbart was confirming that New Orleans voodoo is a reality — as Dave Weigel of Slate and political operative Zach Oldham stare in stunned amazement.

UPDATE II: Linked by the Rhetorican — thanks!

UPDATE III: Linked by the Lonely Conservative — thanks!

UPDATE IV: Rick Santorum reacts:

Obviously prayers go to him and his family and it’s a big shock. What a powerful voice. It’s almost you mean you think of anyone who’s more energy who’s out there constantly driving and pushing he would be.

Breitbart’s politics were a bit more libertarian than Santorum’s, but Andrew was strongly pro-life. It was kind of personal with him, because he was adopted — his birth parents were a couple of ’60s hippie types — and Andrew thus understood deeply the enormous potential of “unwanted” babies.

UPDATE V: Linked by the Anchoress and Daily Pundit — thanks!

UPDATE VI: Linked by Don Surber, Trevor Loudon, Andrew J. Patrick, Red Alexandria, Da Tech Guy, Moose and Squirrel, Dateline Zero, Temple of Mut, The Radio Patriot, Fire Andrea Mitchell, Katy’s Conservative Corner, Wizbang, Fausta Wertz, Republican Redefined, NOLA Defender, Nice Deb, Katy Pundit and The Camp of the Saints — thanks!

UPDATE VII: Linked by American Glob, POH Diaries and That Mr. G Guy — thanks!

Category: Andrew Breitbart

Sick Of Stimulus

Posted on | March 1, 2012 | 5 Comments

by Smitty

Update: the clip was worth the wait:

Stacy is in transit to come home as I write this. He mentioned a conference call with Herman Cain this morning, wherein a new project, Sick of Stimulus was touted. In a recent blog post, “Stimulus is killing us” the Herminator said:

Why doesn’t economic stimulus work? When it comes in the form of federal spending, it doesn’t work because it’s based on a completely wrong notion of what spurs prosperity. In that respect, it’s much like a drug.
Consider the effects that a stimulant like caffeine has on your body, or even a stronger stimulant like amphetamines. These stimulants merely provide a very temporary boost to your energy – keeping you awake when you should probably be sleeping, or keeping you operating at a high level when you need rest. They make the body act in an unnatural way, and that doesn’t come without consequences.

Indeed, we can drop another handful, which will serve to keep us on the road past serfdom and toward the Thunderdome.

Category: Economics, Herman Cain

‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran, Beta-Male Fascist

Posted on | March 1, 2012 | 6 Comments

by Smitty

“Barack Obama wants politicians and bureaucrats to control America’s entire medical system,” reads an ad posted at the Clarendon Metro station in Arlington. “Go to hell Barack.”

Here is a photo of the ‘offending’ ad:

If I were to criticize the ad, I’d say the last sentence is too short. Suggested expanded text: “Go to hell, Barack, and take Moran with you. When the two of you encounter your father, the source of your Postmodern, Progressive lies, try to work in a bit of your little beta-male whinging before he commences to treat you with all the respect and affection you’ve afforded American citizens.”

The World’s Youngest blogger also took in the local news story of “Gentleman” Jim’s latest foray into asinine auto-beclownment:

Aside: the WYB has an appointment to see the pediatrician next week. They called to remind us of a Federal law requiring photo ID to see a doctor. But if it was a voting booth, that would be raaaaacist. It would be interesting to watch ‘Gentleman’ Jim come up with some bogus reason why this paradox is somehow intellectually consistent. Actually, it would not. As sophists go, Moran is rather too ignorant a lout to be an interesting liar. He would require significant help from, say Chris Matthews to come up with anything better than Ezra Klein.

The ad was an advertisement for “Sick and Sicker: When the Government Becomes Your Doctor,” a movie made by filmmakers hoping to expose problems they see with President Obama’s health-care reform law by compiling interviews with Canadian doctors and medical patients.

Here is the trailer:
What can I do, America, but point and laugh at my district’s buffoon. He is an archetypical professional politician in every negative connotation of the word. Follow the links below to see what I’m talking about, and why I feel it is a patriotic duty to support

Patrick Murray for Congress

Previous/More Antics:

Category: Barack Obama, Jim Moran, Virginia

LIVE AT FIVESIX – 03.01.12

Posted on | March 1, 2012 | 1 Comment

— compiled by Wombat-socho

TOP NEWS
At Least 12 Dead As Storms Ravage Midwest

Searching through the wreckage in Harrisburg, Illinois

Branson, Missouri also hit; 30 injured, several theaters and hotels wrecked

CNN Projects Romney Winner Of Wyoming Caucuses
Picks up another ten delegates, Santorum nine

Egypt Lifts Travel Ban On Jailed Americans
NGO workers can leave, but charges not dropped

POLITICS
Snowe’s Departure Causes Chaos In Maine Senate Race

Senator Olympia Snowe (RINO-ME)

Does departure have more to do with hubby’s legal problems than angst over partisan hardening in the Senate?
(h/t Instapundit)

Santorum Works The Grassroots For Super Tuesday

Senate Puts Members On Record For Or Against Obama Contraception Mandate

Bob Kerrey Changes Mind Again, Will Run For Senate After All

Feds Dismantle NYC Auto Insurance Fraud Ring

Representative David Dreier (R-CA) Decides Not To Run For Re-Election

THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Bernanke Remarks Trigger Sharp Drop In Gold
Crude Futures Slip A Few Cents, Gasoline Unchanged
Stock Futures Point To Steady Wall Street Open
Fannie Mae Challenges Bank Of America On Rift
Papademos Rejects Call For Special EU Overseer For Greece
Banks Push Short Sales Over Foreclosures
GM to Take 7% Peugeot Stake As Part Of Alliance
Broadband Bill change Could Vex Netflix
Microsoft Unveils Windows 8
AMD Buys SeaMicro, Enters Server Business
Facebook Giving Pages For Businesses A New Look
Blizzard Lays Off 600 Staffers, None From World Of Warcraft
Anonymous Leaves Clues In Failed Vatican Attack

SPORTS
Lin Plays Big Role As Knicks Rally To Rout Cavs, 120-103

Jeremy Lin drives past defending Cavaliers

Takeaway? Lin delivers!

Kobe Bryant Is Masked Marvel In Lakers’ Rout Of Timbermutts

After Fourteen Seasons, Steelers Release Hines Ward

NASCAR Penalizes Jimmie Johnson & Team Over Daytona Inspection Failure

Extra Wild Card Coming To MLB Playoff This Year

Pens Lose Letang In Road Win Over Stars

Ducks Stuck, Lose 2-0 To Sabres

Nats Pitching Prospect Sammy Solis To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Snooki Lied – She’s Preggers

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

Baby due in September; MTV distraught

Monkees’ Davy Jones Dies, 66

Tim Tebow And Taylor Swift Spotted On Dinner Date

What Really Happened To Lindsay Lohan’s Face?

Eddie Murphy Dating Toni Braxton

Reese Witherspoon Talks To Her Kids About Domestic Violence And Rihanna

Sofia Coppola Recruits Emma Watson For “The Bling Ring”

Leonard Nimoy Becomes Dream Guest On “Big Bang Theory”

J-Lo Flashes Boobs, Flaunts Six-Pack Abs

FOREIGNERS
Rebels Resisting Onslaught In Homs
Norks’ Nuke Pledge Receives Cautious Welcome
Iranians Anxious About Sanctions, Mismanaged Economy
Obama Officials Talk Tough On Iran Ahead Of Netanyahu Visit
Bomb Targets Turkey’s Ruling Party
Top French Court Strikes Down Genocide Bill
Irish To Vote On EU Fiscal Treaty

BLOGS & STUFF
Gateway Pundit: Limbaugh Slams Georgetown Coed Who Demanded $$$ From Congress For Sex
Weasel Zippers: Pelosi Feigns Outrage Over Limbaugh’s Attack On Her Political Prop
Don Surber: Santorum Talked Himself Out Of The Nomination
Moe Lane: Mitt Romney And Suburbanites – Key To Opening Up The Map?
AmSpecBlog: Romney And The Conscience Protection Amendment
Megan McArdle: Are The Rich Completely Undeserving Of Sympathy?
Randy’s Roundtable: Secretary Chu Is Proud Of High Gas Prices
Atlas Shrugs: Muslim Fascists’ Jew-Hatred, UC Davis’ Indifference On Full Display Tuesday Night
Ed Driscoll: Who’s Up For Some Serious Pestilence, Smiting, And High Energy Prices?
Jonah Goldberg: The Pro-Life, Pro-Infanticide Consensus
NRO Media Blog: James O’Keefe Sues David Shuster, Keith Olbermann, And Algore’s Current TV
Babalu: Why Pick On The Micks And Not The Spics?

Category: Live at Five

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The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

LIVE AT FIVE – 03.02.12

Breitbart: Who He Was, How He Was

Paul And McCotter Grill Bernanke On Inflation, Which Is Unexpectedly Higher Than Bernanke Will Admit

Unknown Health Care Quarterback Sebelius Throws Death Spiral

R.I.P., Andrew Breitbart: Innovative Genius of New Media Dies at Age 43

Sick Of Stimulus

‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran, Beta-Male Fascist

Patrick Murray for Congress

LIVE AT FIVESIX – 03.01.12

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