We have lost a giant: RIP Andrew Breitbart (1969-2012) [UPDATED to include lots of links]

Today, we have lost a giant.

I received a phone call this morning with some incredibly sad news: that Andrew Breitbart had passed away.

I had gotten to know Andrew over the past year, and I am so sorry that more of you will never get to know what a warm, kindhearted, wonderful man he was.

He was incredibly generous with his time, and loved to sit and chat with anyone who wanted to get more involved in politics. Over the next few days you are going to hear many, many stories from conservative bloggers and activists who he personally encouraged (I've linked to some below - if you'd like your post linked, please post it in the comments or email it to me). The word I keep hearing this morning about him is "fighter," and he truly was.

Career politician? Great! (Why Ted Yoho is very, very wrong about Cliff Stearns)

I get a lot of email from political candidates, some of it welcome, some unsolicited, and some just a giant dose of #headdesk (for the non-Twitter users, that's something that is so outrageously stupid that it makes you want to bang your head against the desk).

You can file the email I got yesterday from the Ted Yoho congressional campaign under the "headdesk" category.

Fedoras, miniskirts, seagulls, and racecars!

I still have a lot of posts I want to finish from CPAC (in the meantime, you can check out some of my video interviews on my newly updated YouTube channel here), but I thought I'd put up a quick post about some of my latest shenanigans:

They hate, Breitbart laughs

Last week at CPAC, we were shown a trailer for a new documentary about Andrew Breitbart called "Hating Breitbart," which the filmmakers describe as "the story of how one man with a website upended the traditional press and repeatedly found himself the target of a media feeding frenzy."

The film includes footage dating back to 2009, when Breitbart was attending some of the early tea party events, and of course lots of great coverage of his involvement in the crusades against ACORN and the takedown of Anthony "That's 5:45 in Seattle I think" Weiner.

Here's the "safe for work" version of the trailer:

Most accurate portrayal of Ché I've ever seen

From my friends over at Babalú Blog, here is probably the most accurate portrayal of that murderous lunatic Ché Guevara I've seen:

Pray for Obama!

I don't think this is new, but I got it in my inbox yesterday, and it made me chuckle, so I thought I'd share it:

CPAC 2012: defective internet, defective hippies, but the straw poll finally made sense

Sigh. So...I'm here at the last day of CPAC, and the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel has been a great location again, except for one very glaring issue: slow and unreliable internet connection.

CPAC!

Hello friends...I'm blogging from our nation's capital today, from the Conservativestravaganza (that really should be a word) that is known as CPAC.

The Price of Freedom

Meet Landon Carpenter...

Most unfair match-up EVER: Reagan vs. Obama

Here's a brilliant video put together by Americans for Prosperity, featuring what might be the most unfair match-up in history, Ronald Reagan vs. Barack Obama:

Lydia Gardner Wine Tasting Event Tomorrow

My friend Lydia Gardner is having a Wine Tasting Fundraiser to support her re-election campaign as Orange County Clerk of Court. Please attend if you can:

Putting the "choice" of abortion in perspective

Says it all, doesn't it?

Rubio's Keynote Address at SBA List Gala [VIDEO]

Here's a crowd pleaser: my Senator, Marco Rubio, delivering a powerful pro-life speech to the Susan B. Anthony List's annual "Campaign for Life" gala.

Conservative Opposition Dooms Destination Resorts Bill

One of the most contentious fights during the 2012 legislative session (other than redistricting) has been the battle over several gambling bills: legislation that would ban internet "sweepstakes" gambling cafes, and also a proposal that would allow the creation of "mega-casinos" (or, as the proponents refer to them, "destination resorts") in South Florida.

The fate of the internet cafes still remains to be seen, but the destination resorts bill appears to be scheduled for execution within a few hours...

State Rep. Scott Plakon: "Rush Limbaugh is Wrong"

I continue to be shocked and dismayed how far too many people seem willing to latch on to conspiracy theories and make meritless accusations against fellow Republicans. Worse, these accusations continue even when clear evidence to the contrary is presented. 

Such is the case with the furor over Florida's redistricting. Let me say this for the millionth time: There is no conspiracy in the Florida Legislature to hurt Allen West, and Mitt Romney doesn't have a darn thing to do with our redistricting process. 

Adam Hasner running for Congress; gets Allen West's endorsement

Adam Hasner announced today that he was shifting his Senate campaign to run for Congressional District 22, and the announcement included an immediate endorsement from Allen West. In an elegant game of dominoes, Congressman Tom Rooney will run in a new congressional district that includes parts of Martin and Charlotte County, and Allen West will run in Rooney's current district. 

How this right-wing nut came to vote for Romney

I voted for Mitt Romney last week during early voting. To be completely honest, if you had told me that I would vote for Romney last year, I would have laughed at you. It took me a long time to make that decision, and I did not make the decision lightly.

I also spent some time debating about how publicly I was willing to discuss my vote. Considering that one of the major services I provide for my political clients is paying attention to what teh internets are saying, I'm well aware that Romney is not popular in certain circles. However, there are a number of points I'd like to share.

No, there isn't a Romney Conspiracy against Allen West

There's a quote oft attributed to Mark Twain, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes."

In the past few days, we could say that a lie can travel across twitter the same way.

Mathematical breakdown behind Gingrich's troubles in Florida

Want to know why Newt Gingrich's campaign is falling apart in Florida? Here are the numbers that tell the story:

The Sayfie Review conducted a survey of likely Republican voters on January 27, 2012 (the day after the CNN debate in Jacksonville), and got some interesting numbers.

Jason Chaffetz: Rimshots, Romney, & Doing What's Right

After last Thursday's CNN debate in Jacksonville, I caught up with Jason Chaffetz, Republican Congressman from Utah's 3rd District, in the spin room. Here's a video of the interview: