I recently discovered this interview of Andrew Breitbart on MSNBC.
I am deliberately not going to express my opinion on the interview, because I think the interview speaks for itself.
However, I am very interested in hearing people’s reactions.
Enjoy!
Reflections of a Rational Republican 
Sean- I told you how smelly MSNBC is. Bashir, Matthews, Maddow, midget Olberman, the Ed show( or whatever ) won’t be around much longer ( like Al Franken, who went from failure to voter fraud ) unless the “spooky dude ” George Soros collapses another country and gives more moolah to the wacky left. The only show that is decent is Cup of Joe. It is Easter morning, so I won’t tell it like it is. Happy Easter- ted
Interesting. In the first 2-3 minutes, I was impressed with Martin Bashir, and thought that breitbart was just trying to say “everybody does it” on the question of out of context quotes and videos.
By the end though, it seemed to that Bashir was the one wanting to focus just on specific quotes and statement that supported a narrative that he wanted to reinforce, rather than really let breitbart speak and probe and question his ideas.
I have to admire him for coming on MSNBC, and them for having him on.
Yeah. After Bashir asked Breitbart to react to a blatantly racist image, the interview pretty much went downhill for Bashir.
I think Breitbart got played in the very beginning about the “is that responsible”, and wussed out with his “MSNBC does it” reply. Obvious as to why he was on the defensive for the rest of the interview, but I think he handled it poorly. He should have taken the higher ground.
Bashir is a tabloid clown. Wasn’t this the guy that carefully spliced the Michael Jackson interview?
I thought the guilt by association and racist implications were a new low, even for MSNBC. I would also have been just as combative.
As would I – they would have been bleeping me out after the first 30 seconds with that guy if I wasn’t trying to strangle him first.
If Breitbart’s goal was to fight with them to rally his own fans, I’m sure it was “mission accomplished”. However, if one of the hopes of that interview were to at least gain him some bit of credibility with the left, I think Breitbart should have instead tried to beat MSNBC at its own game – showing that he’s level-headed, rational, intelligent, more mature, open to opposing ideas, etc.. The “I know you are but what am I?”routine comes off as childish, no matter how tabloid-sleazy a guy like Bashir is and no matter how right Breitbart may have been on his points.
Bashir was obviously trying to paint him as the “arrogant, crazy, angry, lying, racist right-wing” guy like they do with everyone who disagrees with them. Breitbart correctly pointed this out, but who’s right isn’t always who wins. Breitbart got baited, took the bait, and ultimately got out-gamed by his opponent.
In contrast, look at how John Yoo handled Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. Stewart tried to set him up and paint him into a corner, but Yoo owned him. Unlike MSNBC, however, Stewart was man enough to admit he was owned.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-11-2010/john-yoo-pt–1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-11-2010/john-yoo-pt–2
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-12-2010/intro—john-yoo-interview-reflections
It looks to me like Stewart went easy on Yoo after Stewart quickly realized that Yoo would out argue him on Constitutionalism.
Plus, Stewart did not try to paint him as a racist, which is what the left sometimes does to folks on the right. Breitbart had every reason to respond with outrage. In fact, I don’t even think the right has any analogue to the left’s base characterization that folks on the right are racist. I simply cannot think of one.
The closest accusation is that someone on the left hates America and some such, but even that does not even come close to the characterization as someone as a bigot.
Maybe I am missing something. If anyone on the left, who reads this blog can think of a standard mantra folks on the right use to denigrate the left (that is as loaded as calling someone a racist), please let us know. Perhaps we are missing something.
But Yoo still owned him, which is my point. The interview couldn’t even get to the substance of Breitbart’s book because Bashir kept him in the weeds. Breitbart didn’t control the interview. It’s nothing against Breitbart – he’s more a “regular guy” than a John Yoo is and I think, just got played. Breitbart and Yoo likely have far more depth on the issues than Bashir or Stewart do, and you see how quickly a Stewart will back off once the conversation goes there. I wish Breitbart would have taken him there (or better yet, as a good interviewer, Bashir would have).
Re: the left and racism, racism exists in any culture. Even Canada had anti-semitism laws still on the books in the 50’s. The thing is, however, racism exists to a far lesser extent than the left would like to believe. Ironically, the far left are the ones who actually create racism through much of what they do. Examples: Accusing Tea Party crowds of yelling the N-word at black Congressmen, failing to show that an “angry white man with a gun” at a rally was actually a calm black man. Or simply how they paint EVERYONE who is against anything Obama as a “racist”.
Didn’t vote for Obama? You must be racist. Don’t like ObamaCare? You must be racist. Don’t like government spending? You must be racist. Think Obama golfs too much in the middle of US or world crises? He has a right to golf, you must be racist.
I think the far left invents more racists than there actually are.
Regarding racism, I encourage to look up what percentage of African American voters voted for Obama. Something on the order of 90% of African Americans voted for him. If you reversed the race and the result (i.e., 90% of white voters were to vote against Obama), there would be widespread outrage and accusations of racism.