Friday, March 02, 2012

Remembering Andrew Breitbart

The American conservative movement lost a true hero Thursday morning. At the young age of 43, Andrew Breitbart died of heart failure. What a shock. What a sad day.

The man was one happy warrior. That is what was so compelling for me. He was passionate, articulate, aggressive, bold and relentless. He mentored young conservatives and encouraged them to take up the fight against the progressive left. He educated audiences about the left's tactics and political philosophy. He was an entertainer.

There is little I can say that hasn't already been said by others. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew last year at the True the Vote summit with King Street Patriots here in Houston. Of all the stellar speakers at that conference, I have to admit it was Andrew Breitbart that I was most looking forward to meeting and hearing. I was lucky enough to get to meet him and he sat with us at the bloggers table and visited a bit. I kept a picture I took with my Blackberry of him as my wallpaper until recently.

Andrew Breitbart was a new media genius. He used his talents to advance the conservative agenda against the liberal left. He refused to back down from big stories and he was never intimidated by the hate that came his way from the other side. He was strong.

He clearly loved his wife and his four children. He spoke of his family in his speeches. He had a true respect and appreciation for women in politics - the "moms" that he called us. Those on the ground doing the work with little or no credit and for no financial gain had his respect. He spoke that day in Houston about the women in the Tea Party and how conservative women were the leaders advancing the agenda today. He spoke of being met at airports around the country by women in SUVs who would brief him on local goings on as they took him to events. He said it was like receiving briefings from General Schwarzkopf.

He was a happy warrior. In my mind, that was his best trait. We are desperate for 1,000 more Andrew Breitbarts in the fight against the left's agenda.

As Andrew said in a recent speech:
" This is my war cry for 2012, you need to join me in this war against the institutional left. This is not your mother's Democratic party. Duh."

May he rest in peace. Remember his wife and four young children in your thoughts.

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