Anderson Cooper: "Today Mr. Breitbart Could Have Just Apologized... But He Didn't. Bullies Never Do"

[Turborama]

Run time: 05:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8M31dHZ9zo   Posted on YouTube: July 22, 2010 By YouTube Member: 1213PJ Views on YouTube: 21   Posted on DU: July 22, 2010 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 4341

 
Apart from the stupid and unsubstantiated smears against Liberals in an attempt to seem "balanced", Cooper gives Breitbart a well deserved slapping...

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone.

Tonight: BP comes closer to killing the well, but also burying the only hard evidence we will ever have about just how much oil was flowing into the Gulf. We're "Keeping Them Honest" on that.

But we begin tonight with the smearing -- the smearing of Shirley Sherrod. Well, the White House apologized today. So did the guy who fired her. And she has been offered a new job. We will talk to her in a minute to see if she is going to accept that new job.

But the damage has been done. And a woman who gave the speech about the change in her outlook and her heart has been dragged through the mud and has had to prove she is not a racist. This can happen to anyone. And it is not right. Imagine it happening to you.

The truth is, it can happen to anyone, and the truth does matter. But we live in an age where that simple fact is increasingly lost, as people on the right and the left, people who view things through the prism of politics and ideology, seek to score points by scoring scalps.

Cable news is part of the problem. There's no doubt about that. The left and the right have their own anchors who only report on the stories that suit their slant. That's their right.

But we think the truth matters. It's even worse on the Internet, where there are no standards and where anonymity allows for the cruelest expressions of vitriol and hate.

Now, if you watched much of the coverage of Shirley Sherrod today, what seems to have been lost in much of it is the man who first posted this video, which was clearly edited to deceive and slander Ms. Sherrod. His name is Andrew Breitbart.

Now, I don't know him. I have never met him. But watching him try to weasel his way out of taking responsibility for what he did to Ms. Sherrod today is a classic example of what's wrong with our national discourse.

Andrew Breitbart is a conservative, but of course there are liberals who are just as narrowed-minded and who are also refuse to admit when they are wrong. Breitbart posted the clip on Monday on his Web site. Nearly everything Mr. Breitbart said about Shirley Sherrod was either wrong or somehow slanted to make a larger point about racism in the NAACP.

He initially said her speech showed a government official who allowed racist views to influence her work with a white farmer. But we now know it was a speech about her change of heart 24 years ago, when she wasn't even at the USDA.

Today, Mr. Breitbart could have just apologized, said he was wrong, but he didn't. Bullies never do. Nor do ideologues in our divided country. Instead, he now claims this was never about Ms. Sherrod; it was about the NAACP and what he says is their racism based on the audience's reaction to her speech.

Here's what he said last night on "JOHN KING, USA."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "JOHN KING, USA")

ANDREW BREITBART, PUBLISHER, BREITBART.COM: This tape is about the NAACP. Its raison d'etre is about nondiscrimination.

And when Shirley Sherrod is talking there in which she expresses a discriminatory attitude towards white people, the audience responds with applaud -- with applause -- and the NAACP agrees with me. And it rebuked her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, the fact is, there was no applause when Ms. Sherrod was talking about the white farmer.

And we will talk to members of the audience who were there that night about the reaction that they saw and heard and that they, themselves, had.

You know, Breitbart also said today that there were cheers over racist comments. Again, the facts do not bear him out.

The truth matters.

Now, the closest Mr. Breitbart came to an apology today was this comment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BREITBART: I feel bad that they made this about her. And I feel sorry that they made this about her. I'm not sure if that was done because they rushed to judgment or whether they wanted to make it about Shirley vs. me, because that's what it's become.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: He goes on to say he's sympathetic to what Ms. Sherrod has gone through. Notice the passive voice here, because -- his words -- -- quote -- "They went after her, and not the NAACP."

It's like the arsonist saying, I'm sorry, ma'am, for the water damage done by firefighters. He started the fire. Andrew Breitbart said the clip he first posted proved black racism happened now at the USDA and the NAACP. It didn't. He said it proved racism in the crowd. You can decide for yourself about that. We will play you the tapes and you will talk -- we will hear from audience members.

He claims to feel sorry for the victim, but blames others acting on his misleading information for hurting her. It was a phony story. It isn't the first and it isn't the first about race. But why let the truth stop you, when you're making political points? That's the way a lot of people seem to think these days on left and the right.

Now, you can blame the media for acting as a conveyor belt. You can blame the Obama administration for being hyper-sensitive about race. Race-baiters, smear artists and game-players have learned that trumped-up stories about race pay off, because people care about race. But they care more, we think, about the truth. And the truth matters.

It certainly does to Shirley Sherrod and certainly should to all of us.

Now, as we mentioned, the White House apologized today. Then so did her former boss at the Agriculture Department, Secretary Tom Vilsack. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM VILSACK, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: This is a good woman. She has been put through hell.

And I could have done and should have done a better job. I want to learn from that experience. I want the agency and department to learn from that experience. And I want us to be stronger for it.

I want to renew the commitment of this department to a new era in civil rights. I want to close the chapter on a very difficult period in civil rights. So, I accept responsibility. And I -- I -- I don't think -- the buck stops with me, as it should.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Part 2, wherein Anderson Cooper interviews Shirley, contains my favorite quote she's made about him so far: "...he didn't care who he destroyed to try to do whatever it is -- I wish I could understand why they want to divide so much. I don't understand the thinking that he and so many more like him have. You know, they don't care. What is it they're after? Why is it that they cannot think that we can all live and work together in this great country?" : http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x487754

-

[mike r]

1. Bullies must be punched back. Hard.

It's the only thing that works.

[rhett o rick]

34. Sadly, the current administration doesnt agree. Capitulate, capitulate, capitulate. nm

[pinto]

2. kick

:kick:

[daleanime]

3. And you, Mr. Cooper....

are another example of what's wrong with the MSM in American right now. This endless bending over backward to be 'fair and balanced'. This character assassination is not problem on both the Left and the Right-give me a couple of names from the Left who have doctored videos, show me the progressives who have lied on air AND GONE UNCHALLENGED! Show me some liberals making smear campaigns out of thin air.

When you do-I might pay attention.:argh:

[HEyHEY]

4. Cooper's a douche

Any reporter that actually uses footage of himself pulling children to safety is a fuckhole.

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. Did you watch his report on this story?

It was every bit as excellent as Rachel's coverage.

[roguevalley]

42. I saw that and I applaud anderson. he done good.

[HEyHEY]

48. Hey, pull the kid from the rubble, fine, but don't put it on TV

[donheld]

46. Oh give me a break

How lame

[HEyHEY]

49. It is lame

The reporter isn't the story.

[roguevalley]

51. my impression is that the first time it happened it happened live.

then he showed it to illustrate the violence against everyone, that there was no safe place for people. He goes to terrible places and does good work. there are things to be mad at him about but for me, this isn't one of them.

[HEyHEY]

52. No man, if that happened live, fine

But, hundreds upon hundreds of reporters see that kind of shit all the time and manage to show it without putting themselves into the story. What he did was self-serving and egotistical. Again, if it was live, fine, but if he actually cut and edited it and used it, that's really against code.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

5. You nailed it

Anderson Cooper is part of the problem, and all of CNN who push the "both the right and left are guilty" meme, is dishonest and undermines what is really the heart of the problem.

[Duppers]

9. he's not usually that much of an a-hole

not usually. what he said tonight made me first applaud, then gasp & curse when he took the unwarranted, unfair swipes at us lefties.

"Show me some liberals making smear campaigns out of thin air." Amen!! Amen!!



I'm composing a note to him now.



He did some passionate, decent coverage of Katrina & of BP's blowout. I sincerely believe he feels for the folks in the 'Orleans and Gulf areas.

Why the fuck he has to say libs lie the same as FoxFucks do, I don't know. Part of his contract? Then he's a whore, like all the others.

[sabrina 1]

11. Yes, I was just thinking the same thing.

He did not need to go off on that 'both sides now' nonsense. Just report on the story at hand.

I will say though, aside from his 'fair and balanced with no proof that his statement is true' distraction, that he is the ONLY one I saw tonight who actually blamed Breitbart and focused on him, other than Rachel and Keith of course.

It's interesting too that AC says he doesn't know Breitbart. He should, his network went with Brietbart/Giles/O'Keefe's ACORN smears for quite a while, until some questions began to be to be raised, and then they dropped the story after announcing that Giles and O'Keefe had cancelled an appearance.

Shame on CNN for not covering the vindication of ACORN as much as they covered the lies.

[trumad]

15. Exactly---I hate when they do that shit...

So me a left version of Andrew Briebart... You fucking can't---- so quit trying to make this balanced.

[SemperEadem]

17. thank you! Exactly--where are the names of these unnamed people

who don't exist on the left doing exactly what the right is doing.

Let's not forget: CNN was in lockstep with fux when this story broke--they rushed to put it on the air, too, like all the other outlets did so as to not look like they weren't being scooped by fux.

fux sets the agenda for DC media and everyone falls into line. That is how this whole lie was able to sprout legs and run.

CNN==the networks that always punks out of challenging their right wing guests when they make outrageous assertions and declarations. The first thing out of their mouths after one of them has spouted some shit? "We'll have to leave it there..."

[ProgressOnTheMove]

28. Big +1.

[EFerrari]

6. AC pulls out the Faux "both sides do it" rationale and diffuses his own point.

No, the left doesn't do this. That's preposterous. Name one serial Breitbart - like offender on the left, Anderson.

[Snotcicles]

22. You nailed it.

They always say "on the left and on the right" bullshit AC give me three left examples.

[EFerrari]

32. So ironic because this fake "both sides do it" is *exactly* the idea

that Breitbart is exploiting. AC just showed why Breitbart is successful and how the media enables him.

[glitch]

44. If the left ever does do this -- it will be a mole funded by Breitbart (or his funders) nt

[cutlassmama]

7. I thought AC did a good job reporting this.

[Ramulux]

8. He makes a good point

but I hate the false left-right equivalence. What ideologues on the left have ever done anything near what this piece of shit Breitbart has done?

[sabrina 1]

10. Hey, Turborama, thanks for posting this.

I was looking for that interview with Breitbart. I think he admits to looking for revenge against the NAACP in the interview, my video isn't working so I can't view it right now. But if so, Shirley Sherrod should be able to use it if she does him, which she is apparently thinking about.

Great post, thanks as always for the videos and links ... :hi:

[Turborama]

33. Hi, Sabrina, thanks for the thanks!

Are either of these two interviews the ones you're thinking of? (I responded earlier to a post you made in LBN before seeing this reply)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4473804&mesg_id=4474181

:hi:

[mwb970]

12. I despise Breitbart.

He's just another rotten, horrible conservative. There are so many of them. I hate 'em all.

[spicegal]

13. Yep, and as usual, Fox "news" played a huge role

in ginning up this story as part of their own political agenda, which is to make white people afraid of black people, the good old "southern strategy" that served them so well years ago.

[Enthusiast]

14. I must take issue with Anderson Cooper's

claim that "Both the Right and the Left do this."

The Left simply does not chop film to intentionally achieve negative results like the Right does. If they do, produce an example of such egregious editing to smear a Right Wing pundit, politician or personality. The truth is the Left doesn't need to edit tape to produce a smear, the truth is enough to indict the Right as we have seen time and again. If the Left edits tape it is seldom something taken out of context as we commonly seen done by the Right. So get your facts straight, Anderson.

[mmonk]

16. Good piece but I don't see an equivalency on the left.

Am I biased?

[PADemD]

18. Didn't the Liberals apologize first?

[democrat_patriot]

19. Mr. Cooper - Name 1 'on the left' who has destroyed someone

with false evidence.

Just 1. We'll wait.

[BlueMTexpat]

20. While Cooper got some excellent points in about Breitbart,

I can see that I am not the only one here who did not at all appreciate this: "Andrew Breitbart is a conservative, but of course there are liberals who are just as narrowed-minded and who are also refuse to admit when they are wrong."

Name me one, Mr. Cooper ... just one. And describe exactly how that liberal was narrow-minded and didn't admit when s/he was wrong.
"Liberal" is an antonym of "narrow-minded," after all.

[SemperEadem]

21. And for that comment, Anderson, you are the worst person in the world

you cannot use a lie to deflect criticism against those who deserve the opprobrium.

[iamthebandfanman]

23. GO F URSELF MR COOPER

u dam well know this shit doesnt happen on the left.

we do this thing called RESEARCH before we attempt to break stories...
that is IF a media source will EVER EVEN report on our side of things!!!


CNN SUCKS !! NOTHING U SAY WILL CHANGE THAT!

[90-percent]

24. You all said it

I just want to reiterate the above posts a little more;

Just who on the left manufactures propaganda like Fox News and Breitbart?

Names please. Give me their websites, also. Samples of left wing manufactured unfair material would help, also.

This is infuriating and AC is part of the problem. This whole left is just as rotten as the right MSM meme has got to get a stake driven through it's heart.

We may get it wrong sometimes, but we progressives don't use the Josef Goebbels playbook to get our stuff out there!

-90% Jimmy

[fascisthunter]

37. somebody should demand he answer this on-air

[Aslanspal]

25. Can I just vent on the MSM...Anderson Cooper is one..he just had to take a swipe at liberals

George Stepoffacliffwithus is a friggin Weiny....there I feel better ...and that is just a composite of a lot of them.

[EnviroBat]

26. Hey Tom "Nutsack"

How about growing a set and not giving into a "Conservative Activist" like that scumbag Breitfart. Your knee-jerk reaction to this was beyond sickening asshole.

[truth2power]

27. Re: Vilsack...He didn't do "due diligence". Why not? What kind of manager is he?...

How come these people never get the boot? I am sick, sick, SICK of hearing politicians and people who get big bucks to run these agencies talk about how they're "accountable". Then nothing ever happens beyond that.

If any of us "small people" were in a management position and we made such egregious calls, our asses would be on the street in a split minute. Fire Vilsack. Maybe he'll be an example to others to start earning their keep.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. His coverage was just outstanding

I watched it twice. Great journalism.

[EFerrari]

38. To a degree. But he never steps outside the very behavior he's criticizing.

I'm really grateful for this OP because it feels like I finally understand how this thing works. (So, thanks, Turborama, I owe you!)

IOW, saying 'they both do it' hides what is really going on here. It puts issues up for debate that shouldn't be debatable, like the Tea Party's racism. That's why drawing this false equivalence is at the very dead center of the right wing game. And here Cooper is, using it too without an iota of self awareness.

In hiding the real situation, false equivalence makes the road to remediation that much more obscure -- eg, the Democrats don't do this, too. They do something else. They refuse to take the risks leadership demands and try to win by default instead of by actually engaging in the arena of struggle. They need to be called on *that*.

[FourScore]

31. "It's like the arsonist saying, I'm sorry, ma'am, for the water damage done by firefighters."

:rofl:

So true!

[TEXASYANKEE]

35. Anderson, you oh so carefully dodge it,

but the words you're looking for are: LIE, LIAR, LIES, LIE, LIE, LIE. Breitbart didn't tell an untruth, he LIED. I do think you mean well, but not calling this out for what it actually is -- a LIE -- does a great disservice to the media and your viewers.

[fascisthunter]

36. there is no comparison between the right and left

when it comes to mainstream media. While you were busy trying to seem fair and balanced, you are giving the right wing a pass, so there is no balance in your statement asshole!

Please tell us who on the left makes up lies and destroys political careers in the media... we will wait for your answer... crickets

[sabrina 1]

39. Well, the WH does it also. One of the things House Dems

have been complaining about. What AC and the DLC need to understand is that there is right and wrong and you don't lump whole groups of people in with people have done wrong, like Breitbart just to show how 'fair and balanced' you are.

House Dems have twice requested meetings with the WH to ask them to stop blaming them for the partisanship in DC whenever they talk about it. They want the President to tell the truth, not try to be 'fair and balanced'.

AC is clearly intimidated by the Fox machine so he throws that in in a useless effort to try to get them to see that he is not some 'lieberal' who won't place blame on everyone, when THEY, rightwingers, get into trouble.

He's wasting his time, as we all know, and so is the WH. So they need to get over their fear of being called names, and just tell the truth.

He just ruined some excellent reporting by attempting to appease the right, an impossible task if you do not have an 'R' after your name, or you are not Rush Limbaugh or Fox.

[EFerrari]

40. It's more than appeasement, though.

It's paassive aggressive participation.

[sabrina 1]

41. Actually, that's an excellent way of putting it.

I have wondered since the ACORN attacks, going back to before the election, the false charges of election fraud, why the media has such a hands off attitude towards raving lunatics like Breitbart. It never made sense. There is so much material on these people that you have to wonder why someone like AC, who has teams of researchers, doesn't just take them on.

Reading a few of the minority blogs would be a good place to start where bloggers don't seem to have any problem digging up interesting information on people like Breitbart.

There is some reason why they are treated so respectfully when they clearly don't deserve it. O'Keefe also, treated like he was just a kid who is a little wild. But if he had been a Democrat, imagine the headlines of that story.

[90-percent]

43. I hope some day every soon

that Fox News will have their very own funeral pyre moment in the manner of Joseph Welch to Commie hunting Senator Joe McCarthy in 1954;

"Senator. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"

Slice their entire ilk with nothing more than sincere and brilliant words to expose them for the un-American propagandists they really are.

My bet to do it is Alan Grayson, the master of the hard hitting progressive sound bite! Who else could it be? He almost has the entire field to himself!

-90% Jimmy

[otohara]

45. Just Who Are These Liberal's, Anderson

if truth matters, please enlighten me and name these people you speak of.

Bullshit on his claim and trying to be all "balanced" by including "liberals" in his little rant.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

47. "Left and right. Left and right Left and right" "State and Local. State and local State and local"

[Quixote1818]

50. K and R. nt