Andrew Breitbart: In Memoriam

Andrew Breitbart was a hero both philosophically and functionally to young conservatives across the country.  We may not have agreed with him on every issue, and it serves us well as a free society to have differences of opinion.  However, his spirit lives on in each one of us as we battle every day in the modern political scene.  This post is dedicated to him.

CPAC 2011 - Breitbart with Pitt CR's - Rest in peace, good sir...

Four of our esteemed members took the opportunity to reflect on fond memories meeting Mr. Breitbart:

Josh Guckert

         Andrew Breitbart never held public office. He never ran for president. He never made himself the center of attention. He always reserved that right for the issues at hand which he cared about so deeply. Born into a liberal family in Los Angeles, Breitbart had to decide for himself what his values and principles were at an early age. At some point during Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ Senate confirmation hearings, he claimed to have had an ‘epiphany’ in which he realized he was a Reagan conservative. Little did the country know at that time just how big of an impact that revelation would have. He would go on to expose voter fraud by ACORN in 2009, force Shirley Sherrod to resign from the Department of Agriculture in 2010, and embarrass Anthony Weiner into resignation in 2011.


         At the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., I was part of a group who was approached by this very average-looking man. His hair was long and uncombed, and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. However, when I got to shake his hand and talk to him briefly, I realized that this was the epitome of what he stood for. He wasn’t there to put on a show and try to be something he was not, like so many politicians. He was there to work with his fellow conservatives in achieving the goals that he felt so passionately about. He didn’t have the luxury of lip service. His efficacy was judged purely on results. And on that front, not many can or ever will compare to Andrew Breitbart.

Elizabeth Matenkoski

            I, like a few other of my fellow Pitt CRs, met Andrew Breitbart at CPAC 2011. After having heard him speak, we randomly ran into him and who must have been his assistant.  Andrew was kind enough to stop and take a few photos with us including a formal one, and another one where he jumped in front of the group, got down on one knee and his arms spread out, true to his witty personality.

Breitbart was a strong personality in the conservative world and will be remembered for shedding light on the Anthony Weiner scandal, and for almost singlehandedly bringing down ACORN.  He was an incredible asset for all conservatives and will be strongly missed.

Steve Bosela

          Breitbart was the first person who I heard speak at CPAC. While I wasn't able to follow along with some of what he was talking about, I knew that I had witnessed some serious fire power in the conservative movement's arsenal. It was clear to me Breitbart enjoyed what he did and was not in it for himself. My favorite part of his speech was when he talked about taunting ACORN members on roller blades outside of a meeting in Southern California, doing nothing more than asking them questions about why they were there. The lack of response by the protestors, instead deferring questions to an official spokesperson, showed to me that he had really gotten to them and exposed their phoniness. What he was doing seemed so simple to outsiders, but required a lot of planning and assumed a lot of personal risk.

          After the speech, I had the opportunity to meet Andrew. He told a small group of us why he switched from a liberal viewpoint to a conservative viewpoint. Growing up in Los Angeles, he was certainly well versed in liberal thinking. He became fully vested in the conservative cause, not thinking about himself in doing so, as it cost him many close friends, although he was still friends with some on the left (keeping your enemies closer?). Andrew also made himself available for photographs with both individuals and groups in the lobby area of the hotel where the convention was at. The man who was seemingly always awake, either traveling, giving a speech, producing a video, or keeping up on current events on his Blackberry took the time to meet with individuals and talk to them, even if just for a few minutes. He was genuinely excited about the number of young people attending the convention.

          People have talked about an appropriate way to remember Andrew. To me, nothing would make him more proud than to continue to expose and defeat the institutional left despite the fact that he is no longer with us. One of his favorite things to do was retweet hate messages he got on Twitter, constantly reminding us of the hate filled message of the left. Like him or hate him, he changed the political world. May he rest in peace.

Brian Witt

          Like most of his fans, I was shocked and saddened by the news that Andrew Breitbart had died last night while walking near his home in Brentwood, CA. Only 43 years old, Breitbart had gone from an entertainment insider working for the E! Network to probably the biggest force in conservative "gonzo" news reporting. Equal parts provocateur and serious journalist, he was responsible for breaking or publicizing some of the biggest and most controversial stories of the last few years, from the Anthony Weiner's penchant for sending out pictures of his groin to ACORN's enthusiastic involvement with child prostitution. He was also willing to defy social conservatives by welcoming the gay center-right group GOPROUD to events and promoting tolerance within the conservative movement. He will be sorely missed by all those of whatever political persuasion who value honest reporting un-beholden to political correctness and the conventional wisdom.


          I had the pleasure of meeting Breitbart at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. For any readers who are not familiar with this event, it is probably the biggest annual gathering of conservative students, activists, policy makers, and politicians in the United States. Speakers from Sarah Palin to Herman Cain come to excite the crowd with barn-burning speeches and sell books, while journalists from around the world come to pick up the right-of-center zeitgeist for the coming year. Most of these conservative celebrities move around the conference like minor royalty, flanked by flunkies and bodyguards to keep any of the regular attendees from asking for autographs and photos.

          Except for Breitbart.

          Despite being one of the most lionized figures in conservative media for his recent take-down of ACORN and NPR, Breitbart was more than happy to talk with the Pitt CRs and pose for multiple pictures with them. He truly was a happy warrior, eager to share his beliefs and talents with the world.

RIP Andrew Breitbart

1969-2012