Last week was tough for the conservative movement. A true conservative warrior, who fought day and night for the cause, met an untimely death. Andrew Breitbart was an innovator when it came to internet-based media. He was well ahead of the curve and understood how the mainstream media “complex” worked and how to break through and transform it. He was an unpretentious happy warrior who would talk to anybody, friend or foe, and relished a good political debate.
Andrew Breitbart (photo by Gage Skidmore)
Andrew and I were in the midst of making “Occupy Unmasked,” an anti-Occupy Wall Street documentary with our mutual friend and colleague Stephen K. Bannon. As part of the promotion for the documentary, Andrew, Stephen, and I hosted a bloggers briefing at CPAC to introduce other cast members of the film and give a sneak peak of the trailer. To create some buzz for the event, Andrew, Stephen, and I concocted a plan to dress up in Guy Fawkes masks and capes.
The original plan was to just walk into the screening room and interrupt the introduction. However, as he always did, Andrew thought outside of the box and said that he would walk around CPAC first to draw people into the briefing. So there was Andrew, in a Guy Fawkes mask and cape, walking around the hotel while the Occupy Wall Street crowd was trying to break into the building. He was stopped by security because they mistook him for an actual Occupier. Thankfully, a Citizens United staffer was with him and told the security officer of the hi-jinks.
When Andrew finally made it to the screening, smiles and laughter filled the room. It was a classic Breitbart moment and I believe he really enjoyed it. Other people of Andrew’s stature might have scoffed at the Guy Fawkes charade as a harebrained idea, but Andrew embraced it head on and went above and beyond as he has always done.
It is a tough loss to take when a 43 years old man with a young family loses his life. I weep for his wife Suzie and their four children. Andrew was a doting father who cherished his time with family, yet still spent countless hours dedicated to standing up for the cause and motivating others. The conservative movement lost one of its best this week, it is now up to all of us to continue his legacy, to stand in the breach and take the fight to the Left. Rest in Peace, my friend.
