In Memoriam

What is being done to care for the four children of conservative media mogul Andrew Breitbart?

During a memorial service for Breitbart in Washington last night, it was announced that a fund has been set up for this purpose.

Donations can be mailed to: Breitbart Children’s Trust, 149 S. Barrington Ave, #735, Los Angeles, CA 90049.

NationalReviewOnline‘s Jonah Goldberg announced it here.

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Current TV’s David Shuster and the late Andrew Breitbart fought regularly on virtually every public platform there is. Even FBDC played host to a bitching match between the two in late February. Shuster called Breitbart “crazy.” Breitbart accused Shuster of lying and, even worse, bad reporting.

But on Saturday, the bad blood between them seemed to vanish as Shuster paid tribute to Breitbart on his radio show “Take Action News.” (We can’t help but imagine Breitbart ranting even at this. The pair rarely agreed on much of anything.) For nearly 15 minutes Shuster recounted the feisty, yet symbiotic, relationship he had with Breitbart. He said they related warmly off the air.

“He and I had our clashes, over the years,” Shuster said. “As much as I was sometimes so frustrated with Andrew, he had an incredible knack for attracting attention and bringing attention to his causes and to his beliefs.”

Shuster then played a clip from talk radio host Bill Press‘ show, in which Shuster had a heated exchange with Breitbart over the integrity (or lack thereof) of Breitbart’s media tactics.

“We also had some pretty amazing conversations off the air,” Shuster said after he played the clip. “Off the air, Andrew Breitbart and I talked about our families. We talked about members of our own family who were sick. He could not have been more supportive on those issues and kind and generous.”

Shuster said he is mourning Breitbart’s death and described him as “a hell of a guy.”

 

Over the weekend, Breitbart.com associates unveiled a brand new website. Longtime Breitbart business partner, Larry Solov, wrote that this was what Andrew Breitbart “dreamed and planned” before his sudden death last week. Solov says, “Andrew’s battle – our battle – has only just begun.”

But that isn’t all that has begun. It seems there is a strange online phenomenon, an explosion of Breitbart grief porn happening one click, one avatar at a time.

The battle, at least on the newly unveiled Breitbart.com, begins with a piece posthumously filed by Breitbart titled “The Vetting.” Just weeks before he died, Breitbart warned that he would lead the charge to vet President Obama and warned that he had videos. In this latest piece, Breitbart exposes that Obama took part in a panel that occurred following a Chicago production of a play called “The Love Song of Saul Alinsky.” While it seems a thin start to the vetting the website promises, you can bet that there’s always something brewing in the Breitbart camp.

To us, that’s the legacy of Breitbart. You never knew what was going to happen next. Each story and stunt seemed more outrageous than the last. We’re happy to just leave it at that.

But, others want to take it further. Rolling Stone‘s Matt Taibbi infamously called his remembrance of Breitbart “Death of a Douche.” Which led to Slate asking the question, “When Did Douche Become an Insult?” Have we really gotten there in the Breitbart debate? Does Slate really need to go that far off the map to keep the Breitbart topic alive? And this came after allowing writer Matt Yglesias to gloat over his death on Twitter.

Twitter isn’t any more sane when it comes to Breitbart’s death, but it is telling. While co-workers and friends offered up remembrances of the man and relayed personal stories, there was a bizarre race to prove who knew Andrew best. There is an online movement for people to change their Twitter avatars to pictures of Breitbart. It appeared to begin with The Daily Caller‘s Jim Treacher, whose avatar is Breitbart on that yellow-hued piece of toast. (Can we just say how weird it is to scroll through Twitter and see dozens of Breitbart faces in various poses and frames staring back at us?)

There’s even a hash tag called #armyofandrews trying to convince the masses to change up their picture. Pundits were racing to see who could get the best picture of them with Breitbart as their avatar. Big Journalism Editor and CNN Contributor Dana Loesch quickly (and rightfully, he was, after all, her boss) changed her avatar to a picture of her and Breitbart. Actor Adam Baldwin, a contributor to Big Hollywood and a conservative pundit, also changed his avatar to an image of him and Breitbart. Over the weekend, he tweeted this out as a message from beyond.

“Goodbye Fellow Patriots. Keep Up the Good Fight.” – twitpic.com/8s0dab

— Adam Baldwin (@adamsbaldwin) March 4, 2012

Other online conservatives followed suit. Like @KamaainaInOC, who posted this picture of her and Breitbart… Read more

In what is likely the most poetic reaction to Slate‘s Matt Yglesias‘s distasteful comments on Andrew Breitbart on the day he died, The Weekly Standard‘s Matt Labash declares him a “prick” in a late-night story that is making the rounds.

The focus of the story is hardly Yglesias. But the lines are a comical aside. He wrote: “(Well done, Matt! Perhaps you could pass your thoughtful sentiments on to his fatherless children, since they likely don’t follow you on Twitter. Prick.)”

In this story, Labash takes the reader on a journey — into a bar with Breitbart, on a trip to Chicago and on a plane with the conservative pied piper. The plane ride is a telling anecdote. Labash thinks he might get sleep on the plane ride back from Chicago. No such luck — Breitbart finagles it so that seatmates can swap and he and Labash can spend some quality time together. Rather, Breitbart could perform a one-man act and Labash could enjoy the show.

The end is eerie. Once in baggage claim, Labash asks if he can read a poem at his memorial service. Breitbart agrees to allow it. An excerpt:

Several years ago, when Breitbart was in the middle of one skirmish or another – I don’t even remember which one – I told him that I didn’t know whether I should encourage him, but that he made me laugh, as always. I asked him when someone finally shot him, “Can I read a poem at your memorial service? ”

“I think I should stop,” he admitted of his latest caper. “But it’s so fun and the hate mail is something to behold….And of course you can read my favorite poem, William Carlos William’s ‘Little Red Wheelbarrow’ at my wake.”

Journopalooza, the charity event that showcases the bands of local journalists, is scheduled for March 9 and there will be a special tribute to the late Davy Jones of the Monkees. Jones died yesterday.

WaPo‘s John Kelly and his Monkees tribute band “The Stepping Stones” will perform at the event and end their set with Monkees song “Pleaseant Valley Sunday” in dedication to Jones.

Journopalooza will be held at The Hamilton on 600 14th st, NW. It starts at 7 p.m.

Below is a video of The Stepping Stones performing at least year’s Journopalooza:

Andew Breitbart of course marched to his own drummer. And he isn’t someone with whom I ever expected to be “friends.” I never wanted to write one of those stories where I relay my experiences about someone who suddenly dies. But here I am.

“Sorry you’re under fire,” Breitbart wrote me last week after I was attacked online for writing a short piece about some female journos’ choice in avatars. No one knew better than him what it felt like to endure a public stoning and the one I went through was ant-sized compared to what he experienced daily. It meant a lot to get his note. “I’ve only half thought thru how I handle it. It takes a huge toll. Its gotten to be performance art for me. Don’t make a habit of it.”

Months ago I fought with Andrew over Twitter over — well, it doesn’t matter over what right now, does it? It wasn’t a horrible fight. Just garden variety online arguing that eventually deescalated and moved into more playful online banter. At the time I told him I respected his success even if I didn’t agree with his opinion on the matter — and I meant it. You don’t have to agree with everything a person says or does to respect and admire their success or be open to their ideas.

I met Andrew during CPAC. Much to my surprise I was invited to a book party at “The Embassy” which is Breitbart’s “office” here in Washington on Capitol Hill. It’s a masculine townhouse where conservatives have gathered for parties, a haven of sorts. Andrew had no idea I would be attending the party and I’m not convinced he would have allowed it had he known. We had never met face to face and I was nervous. Would he throw me out, cause a scene? I’d heard he had a penchant for causing scenes.

In the kitchen, he greeted me (still not knowing who I was), smiled warmly and welcomed me to his home. Oh no, I cringed to myself. This could get ugly when he finds out. Shortly thereafter, I began interviewing the book author. About 15 minutes into it Andrew peered his head into the parlor, pointed at me and said, “It’s YOU!” He seemed amused. Soon he came in, sat down and we chatted for more than two hours. He was nothing I expected him to be. He had me in stitches laughing for hours as he shared stories about his life, himself, and his feelings about the media.

I wrote a lengthy profile on him and soon the hate mail poured in from those who felt I shouldn’t be talking to him, much less writing about him. They called him “Breitbarf.” Even today, I received this: “Britebarf was a vile, odious piece of crap. Good riddance.” My feeling was and still is fuck them.

Once he returned to Los Angeles, our friendship continued. Last week he asked me to be the trusted “broker” in a fight he was having with Current TV’s David Shuster. I obliged and for a day tried to get Breitbart and Shuster to agree on a bet. If Shuster lost, which Andrew seemed to know he would considering information he had, he wanted Shuster to host a seminar for “aspiring maggots” on why he was fired from both Fox News and MSNBC. He phoned early in the morning and hilariously went off on Shuster. He called me mid-morning, again to unload more. I tried hard to convince him to go on a radio show with Shuster — he declined, but instead invited Shuster on the Dennis Miller show last Thursday as he was filling in. Shuster refused. Again, I implored Andrew to go on with Shuster, who was subbing for Bill Press. I ran an item on it, complete with side-by-side pictures of him and Shuster. Andrew wrote me rather quickly, saying, “Worst most overused angry Andrew pic ever.” Ultimately I couldn’t get the pair to agree on anything, but it was fun as hell trying.

Another shock came that morning when Andrew direct messaged me and wrote, “Call in yourself. Now!” So I went on the Dennis Miller radio show and he asked me to discuss the demonized perception of him in Washington. We chatted about how interesting it was to meet one another in person after arguing online, how contentious and surreal the online world can be, and how everything is different when you meet someone in person.

An excerpt from the show: “We’ve been at war over a lot over the last couple of months and then we got to meet each other in DC and started to realize that when you put a face with these battles, sometimes those battles get alleviated. I see how the left wants to frame me as angry. But, when I’m in a crowded hotel and people point at me and start screaming ‘Racist! Racist! Racist!’ And they think that I’m crazy because I respond in kind. I’m 99% a lighthearted person, but that 1%, I will fight back.”

During the recent online uprising against me, Andrew wrote and offered to review the story and give me his thoughts. And this is what he had to say:

“I see why they are pissed! But I’m not offended in the slightest. They are not inappropriate to me, but they do enter that ‘come hither’ avatar look. Given our past back and forth on Michelle Fields… think about this: you now have a burden, ironically, the ‘sexist’ template. After Sherrod and Acorn, but 2 of countless stories we’ve done… we became bogged down on issue of ‘race’. I’d literally pray that tips coming in be of Caucasian subjects. One time we had to pass on to competitor a great pictorial of John Conyers reading Playboy while flying coach from D.C. to Detroit. Funny pic. Had to pass. Didn’t want to walk into a race trap that Media Matters would happily play up. Avoid these types of stories for a while.”

I was very much looking forward to my newfound friendship with Andrew. Even in his last days, he was a source of comfort to me and I won’t forget it. In his honor, I am using the least angry picture of Andrew I could find.

 

Politico‘s V.P. and Associate Publisher Mike McGrath died this morning after a lengthy struggle with lung cancer. He was part of the publication’s executive team since 2007. Before Politico he worked in ad sales at TWT and had some 20 years of experience before arriving at the Rossyln outlet. He wrote a final email to Executive Editor Jim VandeHei on Friday in which he shared news of a birthday sleepover party for his daughter.

McGrath grew up in Greensburg, Pa. and graduated from Towson State University. He survived by his wife, Tricia, of 16 years, and two daughters. The family resides in Annapolis, Md.

Our condolences. Read the note dubbed “Sad news…” after the jump from Robert Allbritton, Fred Ryan, VandeHarris, Roy Schwartz and Kim Kingsley…

Read more

Author and historian David McCullough is speaking at memorial service for Harry McPherson at 10:30 a.m. on March 2 at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square, followed by reception at Hay Adams. McPherson served as special counsel to President Lyndon Johnson.

L to R: McCullough and McPherson

Other than Tim Pawlenty, Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman was the only one who never got the fleeting surge in poll numbers all of the other contenders received. He wasn’t a particularly exciting candidate even though he did some exciting things. He was a Motocross rider. He liked to play rock music. And he was the other Mormon in the race, which was kind of cool. And then, of course, there were those press darling daughters.

Huntsman suspended his campaign on Monday and immediately endorsed Mitt Romney for the nomination. Though he’s out of the race, his campaign left a (mostly) lasting impression among the Washington press corps. Some opened up to FBDC and shared their favorite memories of his failed candidacy.

Reuters‘ Sam Youngman– “The way he smelled like teen spirit.”

The Daily Caller‘s Jeff Poor– “The easy answer is ‘his daughters.’  But I think I’m going to miss waking up to Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski every morning telling their viewers how wonderful he is and how dumb Republican voters are for not embracing him.”

Guns & Patriots‘ Neil McCabe– “Making snarky replies to his daughters’ insipid Tweets.” McCabe is referring, of course, to Huntsman’s daughters’ joint Twitter account from which they made a sport out of tweeting about the campaign.

Host of SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S Julie Mason– “Jon Huntsman was campaigning? Totally missed it”

Politico‘s Patrick Gavin– “The opportunity to have the first Eagle Scout in the Oval Office since Gerald Ford. Policymakers should also have to earn merit badges.”

WaPo‘s Aaron Blake– “He taught me so much about [the late musician] Captain Beefheart and riding motorcycles through the desert. I can never truly repay him.” (Beefheart pictured at right.)

Human Events‘ Tony Lee– “What I will miss: His decency and authenticity. What I won’t miss: His attempts to be hip and snarky. And H-Jams.” For anyone who doesn’t know “H-Jams” were daily songs Huntsman’s press secretary would send out to reporters in email briefings.

RIP Huntsman campaign. I’d say we barely knew you but I think we did.