the left The conservative media is sticking behind the gonzo journalist despite the alleged breaking into Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office. Also, sources like Fox News barely covered the story, in comparison to the much-hyped ACORN videos. source
the right The U.S. Attorney who was spearheading the criminal case against O’Keefe just stepped down. Also, O’Keefe sat in jail for 28 hours without an lawyer. Andrew Breitbart says it was to spin the case as a “Watergate Junior.” source
On reflection, I could have used a different approach to this investigation, particularly given the sensitivities that people understandably have about security in a federal building.
“Gonzo” conservative journalist James O’Keefe • Regarding that whole arrest thing that happened earlier this week. His claim? “The government has now confirmed what has always been clear: No one tried to wiretap or bug Senator Landrieu’s office.” Who said this? Who? Anyway, O’Keefe and his three cohorts could face up to ten years in prison for maliciously interfering with a telephone system operated and controlled by the U.S. government. They claim they were just trying to shoot funny, embarrassing videos. Sure. source
Too often, conservative sites have failed to distinguish between solid scoops and feverish conspiracy theories, between methodical reporting and harassment, thereby damaging their credibility.
Daily Beast columnist Benjamin Sarlin • Regarding the James O’Keefe arrest in the grander scheme of things. Which is to say that many conservative Web sites excel at opinion but completely fail at credible reporting. O’Keefe’s take on gonzo journalism is interesting, but definitely not ethical. And other conservative Web icons – including Powerline (which broke the Rathergate saga) and Michelle Malkin – have had shining moments but inconsistent results. BigGovernment.com, which paid O’Keefe, may now be headed down that road. Sarlin gives credit to Tucker Carlson of the just-launched Daily Caller for trying to raise the standards to the likes of The Huffington Post. Will it work? We’ll see. source
He can now be mentioned in the same sentence as Watergate! James O’Keefe, the conservative activist previously best-known for destroying ACORN’s dignity (and working for BigGovernment.com), was arrested for trying to break into Sen. Mary Landrieu’s New Orleans office, along with three others. They were pretending to work with the phone company, which is some serious LOLz and a lot less creative than the pimp/ho getup they used with ACORN. A lot of people have felt schadenfreude in reaction to all this, not the least of which ACORN itself. We just think it’s proof that Tom Green-style tactics like this don’t work in politics. source
Clinton’s conspiracy Bill Clinton thinks Obama’s facing a right-wing conspiracy, he claimed on “Meet the Press.” He says it’s not as big as it was when he was president, but it’s more vicious.
Fawning over a pimpJames O’Keefe is in disbelief that his ACORN-trashing videos had such a massive impact. He describes himself as a “radical revolutionary” on Fox News.
Robert Gates is safeWhen George W. Bush was still president, the defense secretary had a “countdown clock” on his desk. It’s gone now. He’s there as long as he wants to be.
And really, they should. Those guys were jerks. ACORN has been battered, beaten, and shamed in the press and politically. And it was all for some out-to-shame videotapes. Now, they’re fighting back. The organization has filed a lawsuit against filmmakers James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles along with Breitbart.com LLC, the Andrew Breitbart-led company that owns BigGovernment.com. ACORN says the duo never obtained consent from the now-fired employees they showed helping with their faux-prostitution scheme in Baltimore. It’ll be interesting to see where the suit goes. source
Breitbart’s big splash The campaign against ACORN was first posted by BigGovernment.com, which just launched and made a huge initial splash with the video. The site is run by Andrew Breitbart, who’s probably best known as the other guy working on Drudge Report.
ACORN hit – hard As a result of the faked prostitution video, the Senate voted yesterday to deny funding for housing and community grants. The vote went 83-7, which is pretty much a death sentence for the organization. All because someone wanted to be Borat.
A lawsuit’s comingAnd for what it’s worth, James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles targeted the organization. Giles says she “saw the ACORN Housing location in Baltimore as a target — the den of a giant corrupt lion.” ACORN plans to sue both Fox News and BigGovernment.com. source