TPMDC Shirley Sherrod
Andrew Breitbart
Andrew Breitbart, 1969-2012
Andrew Breitbart, an online media innovator and one of its most controversial practitioners, died unexpectedly early Thursday morning, at UCLA Medical Center, in Los Angeles. He was 43.
Surpassed only by his friend and fellow conservative Matt Drudge, whose eponymous news aggregation website still commands outsize influence over the broader media, Breitbart recognized years ahead of his current-day peers the Internet's potential to direct the flow of information from its point of inception and thus command narrative and help shape public opinion.
His alliance with Drudge began in the mid-1990s, before the Lewinsky scandal turned Drudge Report into water cooler conversation. Until quite recently Breitbart referred to himself as "Matt Drudge's bitch." But he left his own imprimatur on the Web as well -- one that, in different ways, rivals his mentor's.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: ACORN, Andrew Breitbart, Anthony Weiner, James O'Keefe, Matt Drudge, Shirley Sherrod
Shirley Sherrod
Shirley Sherrod Returns To USDA To Work On Civil Rights
Former USDA official Shirley Sherrod
Shirley Sherrod is back at the United States Department of Agriculture, almost a year after she was forced out by a misleading video spread by conservatives falsely accusing her of discriminating against white farmers.
Sherrod will not take her old position, reports Politico, instead rejoining the agency to work on civil rights. In her new job, she'll lead a program designed to improve relations with minority farmers.
In a video circulated by Andrew Breitbart last year, Sherrod was shown discussing how she was reluctant to offer help to white farmers. She was subsequently fired. But her dismissal turned into a fiasco for the agency when it was revealed that the video misportrayed her speech, which actually told of how she learned not to discriminate and, in fact, had since befriended the farmers in question. She is currently suing Breitbart over the incident.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Andrew Breitbart, Shirley Sherrod
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
U.S. Says Number Of Troops In Iraq Below 50,000
Reuters reports: "The U.S. military said on Tuesday it had cut the number of its troops in Iraq to below 50,000 ahead of an August 31 deadline set by President Barack Obama to end its combat missions. The U.S. military commander in Iraq, General Raymond Odierno, said troop numbers were at around 49,700 and would stay at that level for the next year ahead of a full withdrawal by the end of 2011 agreed in a bilateral security pact. 'My planning is it will stay at that level through next summer,' Odierno told reporters in Baghdad, adding that the timeline would give the U.S. Embassy the space it needed to take over tasks still being undertaken by the military."
Iraq Troop Drawdown, Mideast Peace Talks Give Obama Risky Chance For Momentum
The Washington Post reports: "The White House faces a delicate messaging task next week as President Obama seeks to bring one foreign engagement to an end while making a new bid for American influence abroad. Obama's return to Washington from 10 days in Martha's Vineyard and a quick stop in New Orleans to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina will begin with an address to the nation marking the end of combat operations in Iraq. Days later, he will preside over the start of a new round of Middle East peace talks in Washington."
Topics: 2010 elections, 2012 elections, Barack Obama, Iraq, Israel, Israel/Palestine, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, Roundup, Scott Brown, Shirley Sherrod, Tom Vilsack
Ground Zero Mosque
How Republicans Might Drag The 'Ground Zero Mosque' Fight Into The Fall
Sen. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and President Barack Obama
From Terri Schiavo to "death panels," Congressional recesses have long bred political controversies. But while some (like Schiavo) fizzle, others, (like "death panels") have a lasting impact on policy and politics. An open question for now is whether the row over the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" will be with us past August.
Republicans and conservative activists have made no secret of the fact that they want the issue to have legs, but that gets trickier when politicians return to Washington to actually govern. One option Republicans will have to pressure Democrats on the issue will be to force Democrats to vote on the question of whether they support the cultural center and mosque.
"There are no plans to do that at this point," says a top Republican House aide. "It's a month away, and I'd guess any chances we get to message...will be focused on jobs."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 'Ground Zero Mosque', Death Panels, Democrats, Ground Zero Mosque, House Republicans, House of Representatives, Mosques, Muslims, Republicans, Shirley Sherrod, Terri Schiavo
Andrew Breitbart
RNC Still Inviting Breitbart For Rescheduled Event
RNC Chairman Michael Steele and Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.
Although the Republican National Committee has postponed its upcoming fundraising event in Beverly Hills, California, they are nevertheless making it clear that Andrew Breitbart -- who was supposed to co-headline the mid-August event with RNC Chairman Michael Steele -- is still invited to the rescheduled event.
"I don't know Andrew Breitbart's schedule for after Labor Day, but he certainly will be invited," RNC spokesman Doug Heye told the Washington Times.
As we reported last week, Breitbart and RNC Chairman Michael Steele were supposed to co-headline a fundraiser in mid-August.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Andrew Breitbart, Michael Steele, RNC, Shirley Sherrod
Andrew Breitbart
RNC Nixes Event With Breitbart
RNC Chairman Michael Steele and conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart
The Republican National Committee has postponed (or perhaps canceled) its scheduled event in mid-August that was to feature none other than Andrew Breitbart.
As we reported last week, Breitbart and RNC Chairman Michael Steele were supposed to co-headline a fundraiser in Beverly Hills.
But now the event has been called off.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Andrew Breitbart, Michael Steele, RNC, Shirley Sherrod
Shirley Sherrod
Sherrod Critic: She Used 'Lynching' To Gin Up Democratic Voters
Former USDA official Shirley Sherrod
On Monday, former Reagan administration official Jeffrey Lord astonished the left and the right by penning an article in the conservative American Spectator attacking former-USDA official Shirley Sherrod for using the term "lynching" to describe the murder of one of her relative years ago. The problem, according to Lord, was that the victim, Bobby Hall was beaten to death by a blackjack, rather than being hanged by the neck. "It's...possible that she knew the truth and chose to embellish it, changing a brutal and fatal beating to a lynching."
Critics, even at his own magazine, pounced, noting that a lynching is an extrajudicial murder by a mob, whether or not the weapon of choice is a rope.
Last night, in an interview with TPMDC, Lord defended himself and extended his critique of Sherrod, and the entire Democratic party, which he claims is the true repository of racism in the United States.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Democrats, Jeffrey Lord, Racism, Shirley Sherrod
pigford
Hoyer 'Very Disappointed' That USDA Race Settlement Stripped From War Bill
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said today that he is "very disappointed" that senators struck settlement funds for African-American farmers who faced discrimination from a supplemental spending bill his chamber passed earlier this year.
The funds, known at the Pigford II settlement, are intended to compensate farmers for long-standing racial discrimination they faced from USDA that, in many cases, resulted in the loss of their farms. The settlement achieved a level of publicity last week after some conservatives attempted to use the firing of Shirley Sherrod to claim that the settlement procedures had led to fraud.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Shirley Sherrod, Steny Hoyer, pigford
Roundup
TPMDC Saturday Roundup
Obama: GOP Proposals 'The Same Policies That Led Us Into This Recession'
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama promoted his economic program and the recently-signed Wall Street reform bill. In a sign of increased political content as the country approaches the 2010 midterm elections, he also attacked "the Republican leader in the House of Representatives," without directly naming Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), for promoting the repeal of health care reform and opposition to other Democratic policies as the Republican platform.
"These are not new ideas. They are the same policies that led us into this recession," said Obama. "They will not create jobs, they will kill them. They will not reduce our deficit, they will add $1 trillion to our deficit. They will take us backward at a time when we need to keep America moving forward."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, Betty Sutton, Budget, Charlie Rangel, Deficit, Health Care, Mike Pence, Roundup, Shirley Sherrod, Taxes
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Obama: Vilsack 'Jumped The Gun' On Sherrod
In an interview with ABC News, President Obama said that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack "jumped the gun" in the firing of Shirley Sherrod. "He jumped the gun, partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on YouTube or a blog and everybody scrambles," said Obama. He also added: "I've told my team and I told my agencies that we have to make sure that we're focusing on doing the right thing instead of what looks to be politically necessary at that very moment. We have to take our time and think these issues through."
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 11 a.m. ET, and meet at 11:30 a.m. ET with senior advisers. He does not have any public events scheduled for today.
Topics: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, Jack Lew, Joe Biden, Nuclear nonproliferation, OMB, Pentagon budget, Roundup, Russia, Shirley Sherrod, Tom Vilsack, Trade
Progressive Community
Ed Schultz Slams White House As Afraid Of Fox News (VIDEO)
MSNBC anchor Ed Schultz.
Las Vegas -- MSNBC's Ed Schultz tonight slammed President Obama's White House for its handling of the Shirley Sherrod debacle, suggesting that Obama and his team are afraid of Fox News and don't use progressive media enough.
Speaking to a roaring opening night crowd at Netroots Nation at the Rio casino here, Schultz cursed through a spirited critique of Obama. Schultz pointed to the camera and said he was glad the speech was being recorded and wanted the White House to hear his message. Schultz also leveled insults at conservative Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln (AR), Ben Nelson (NE) and Mary Landrieu (LA), along with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who the netroots helped boot from the party in 2006. Schultz said he didn't care if Democratic Senators boycott his show because he doesn't need them for ratings. He also said that MSNBC "did a hell of a job fighting for health care."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, Ed Schultz, MSNBC, Netroots Nation, Progressive Community, Shirley Sherrod
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