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David Kurtz is skeptical that Andrew Breitbart has been entirely forthright about his latest “scoop” involving a former employee of the USDA:
Andrew Breitbart has another notch in his belt: the forced resignation of a black USDA appointee in Georgia who Breitbart has on tape addressing a local NAACP chapter earlier this year and seeming to admit that she didn’t give a white farmer all the help she could have because he was white. Or at least that’s the story you get from Brietbart’s Big Government and from Fox.
But that was enough for the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to issue a statement condemning her remarks, and for the national NAACP to do the same.
But the Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed the woman, Shirley Sherrod, and if what she says is true, there’s a lot more to this story. She tells the paper that the incident she was recounting happened 24 years ago, before she worked for the USDA, that she went on to provide considerable assistance to the farmer, that she eventually became friends with the farmer and his wife, and that the whole point of retelling the story was to show how she had managed to move beyond race herself.
Sherrod is on CNN telling a similar version of events right now.
But none of that part of her speech is in the clip that Breitbart and Fox are running. We’re on the hunt for the full video. The local production company won’t release it to us without the sign off of the local NAACP chapter. But the guy who owns the production company confirmed to us over the phone that the entire video matches what Sherrod is saying.
I’m going to wait to pass judgment until I see the entire video. Maybe a lot of other people should have, too.
easton // Jul 20, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I have to admit when I first saw the video as played I thought this was recent activity and that this small portion was the basic story so I thought she was a horrible woman, now there is the full context I admit completely I was wrong, and it seems apparent that Breitbart is a soulless animal.
JeninCT // Jul 20, 2010 at 6:29 pm
forgetn wrote:
” Breitbart’s objective was to destroy/hurt Ms Sherrod’s character and reputation. ”
Maybe his objective was to embarrass the NAACP and the Obama Administration? If so, then well done!
LauraNo // Jul 20, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Where at least some honest republican/ conservatives go wrong is their beginning premise that blacks are sitting around resenting them non-stop and through all these years – so they fall for stupid ideas like backwards “B’s” and upstanding professionals holding seething racist views against whites. How ridiculous, how embarrassing for them to fall for Breitbart’s junk, it’s not even like it’s the first or second or third time he has proclaimed to have the goods that it turns out he doesn’t. He plays you for fools every chance he gets. Then again, so does Rush and FOX and Beck and Coulture and Malkin and Hannity and McConnell and Boehner and Newt and Cheney and Rove and…
It’s too bad. We need a serious opposition with some serious ideas for solving problems. After all two heads are better than one.
LauraNo // Jul 20, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Well Ron Christie is on tv declaring her remarks racist without having seen the tape while admitting he hasn’t seen the tape. Anyway, if he’s taken one side of an issue chances are very good we should be on the other.
TerryF98 // Jul 20, 2010 at 7:20 pm
“JeninCT // Jul 20, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Breitbart rocks!’
Are you a complete and absolute fucking idiot and delusional ass. Or are you just playing one, because you are being very successful.
busboy33 // Jul 20, 2010 at 7:34 pm
@Terry98:
If you haven’t been taking note, Jenin mainlines TP Kool-Aid.
Palin and Bachmann are genius leaders who inspires the growing revolution with their truth and integrity.
Obama and all Democrats are evil souless oppressors out to get the good Americans (who happen to all be white christians).
Like most zealots, Jenin isn’t trying to discuss anything — she’s trying to chant the TP mantras as often and loudly as possible. Hey, it worked on her; maybe it’ll work on other people too.
Slide // Jul 20, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Fox News doing story after story about the supposed new Black Panther Party
The ACORN “pimp” lies.
Rush saying that all that Steinbrenner did was make African-Americans millionaires.
Breitbart doctoring video to make it look like a black government employee is joking to a black audience about discriminating against whites.
Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind what is going on here? Rather disgusting. But don’t dare say the right is racist. Oh noooooooooo, you can’t do that… its the NAACP and Obama that are the REAL racists right ?
Rob_654 // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:16 pm
This sort of crap is just reprehensible. No doubt Breitbart is sitting back and laughing. No doubt Breitbart considers himself a good Christian and if so believes that this sort of action will have no consequences in the after-life because he is above the teachings of Christ.
Oldskool // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:43 pm
If politics is war without live ammo then Breibart, Fox, Limbaugh, etc, are champions. If politics is supposed to make the country better incremementally, then they’re vermin whenever they score a win.
DeepSouthPopulist // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:54 pm
As this story has unfolded today, I have to say I am horribly embarrassed for defending Breitbart.
Lesson learned.
pampl // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:59 pm
While I disagree with JeninCT about Breitbart’s value as a human being, I have to agree that he’s sure made Vilsak and, to an extent, the administration look like fools. If that was his goal then congratulations are in order, I guess.
dafyd // Jul 20, 2010 at 9:36 pm
thank you DeepSouthPopulist
busboy33 // Jul 20, 2010 at 9:57 pm
A huge amount of respect to you, DSP.
TerryF98 // Jul 20, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Well done DSP, kudos to you for seeing the truth of this. Oh that others like JeninCT would admit they were totally wrong and stupid on this one.
Slide // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:02 pm
I can’t say exactly why but this story has made me incredibly angry. I am angry at that piece of shit Britebart for his race-baiting. I am angry at the media buying this kind of crap time and time and time and time again. I’m angry at the little chickens in the White House that are so scared that they get stampeded into firing this woman. I’m angry that the Republican party is so willing to stir up racial hatred in this country for their own political ends. How fucking un-American can you get?
Slide // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Oh, and let me agree with the others and applaud DSP for having more integrity than Bill O’Reilly showed tonight when, even after the truth came out, did not apologize for calling for the firing of Ms. Sherrod
Moderate // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:07 pm
This is horrible. Sherrod should be offered her old job and an apology. Breitbart should be offered a hot bowl of dicks.
Xunzi Washington // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:09 pm
This is a sad, sad story and it is unfortunately very revealing of just how low many people are, and just how little trouble many people have sleeping at night when they do despicable things.
Xunzi Washington // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Here, here, DSP. I’ve made a few boo boos in my day too.
msmilack // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Rob_654 // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:16 pm
You wrote: “This sort of crap is just reprehensible. No doubt Breitbart is sitting back and laughing. No doubt Breitbart considers himself a good Christian and if so believes that this sort of action will have no consequences in the after-life because he is above the teachings of Christ.”
Interestingly, Breitbart is Jewish. I suppose he could just be using the Christian right to win his partisan points.
He grew up in Brentwood, California, as a secular liberal Jew. He says that he had an epiphany during the Clarence Thomas hearings that changed him into a Reagan conservative; he did not, however, also convert to Christianity.
msmilack // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Slide // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Ditto on everything; I share your anger for those very reasons. I especially hate the White House acting impulsively to avoid Glenn Beck and all the fall-out before they really found out the facts; they should apologize to her and defend her. I hated the NAACP backing down; if there are racists in the party, the tea party needs to admit it.
msmilack // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:35 pm
DeepSouthPopulist // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:54 pm
You wrote: “As this story has unfolded today, I have to say I am horribly embarrassed for defending Breitbart. Lesson learned.”
What beautiful words to read. I respect your reaction and wish other people were as honest and thoughtful.
msmilack // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:39 pm
DeepSouthPopulist // Jul 20, 2010 at 1:58 pm
You wrote: “We know some high profile liberals with an agenda are making allegations; We don’t know yet the remarks were taken out of context. What we do know is that she resigned over comments made in the past, which suggests that she said definitely said something not defensible. Otherwise, why resign?”
I know that you wrote other comments after this one, after you had more information and ended up agreeing with me, that what Breibart did was wrong; but in answer to your question posed here and why she resigned, unfortunately, she was pressured into resigning by the administration. I hope now that the whole story is out she gets her job back.
easton // Jul 21, 2010 at 12:10 am
“Maybe his objective was to embarrass the NAACP and the Obama Administration? If so, then well done!” No, it seems the only one who will be embarrassed by this is Breitbart and Vilsack.
And I gotta admit, very heavy kudos to DSP. It is one thing for moderates like myself to decry partisan smears, but it takes integrity for truly partisan people to not let that get in the way of the truth. This is not meant as a backhand compliment, it is human to excuse the failures of those we most agree with or even just like. I myself have done this on far too many occasions.
Slide // Jul 21, 2010 at 12:13 am
msmilack // Jul 20, 2010 at 11:39 pm “I hope now that the whole story is out she gets her job back.”
She better get her job back and with an apology. If she doesn’t I will lose all respect for the Obama administration. That being said, I certainly think she will. I have total confidence that Obama will do the right thing and I will bet my bottom dollar that he had no part personally in the decision to force her to resign in the first place. That sounds like the actions of nervous bureaucrats.