Andrew Breitbart takes a break from doctoring video tapes, giving drunken inspirational speeches, and flipping off activists marching to protest child abduction to issue a correction:
: According to Politico’s Ben Smith, the Bertha Lewis who went to the White House is not ACORN’s CEO but another woman named “Bertha Lewis.” I contacted Smith to tell him that Big Government would offer a correction if the “administration official” who offered the information went on record and told us who the “other” Bertha Lewis is and got the unnamed administration source to come out from behind the veil of anonymity and use his/her name. So far, according to unnamed White House sources, “different” people with the familiar names of Malik Shabazz, Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers were discovered on White House visitors logs. As I skeptically asked on my Twitter account, “What are the odds?”
First thing Monday morning, Smith contacted the White House and White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki came from behind her anonymous veil and confirmed for Smith, “it was a different Bertha Lewis, though she declined to share details about that visitor, citing privacy reasons.”
But, since Breitbart is a wingnut, he can not be to blame for this buffoonery, because right-wingers are never wrong. Fortunately, Andrew explains who is at fault:
I end with this question: What is the point of the White House issuing visitor logs if those named can’t be identified and verified? “Transparency” would seem to call for nothing less, especially when those innocent people could easily be confused with the head of an organization recently defunded by Congress, a controversial preacher who shouted “God Damn America,” and an unrepentant domestic terrorist.
Here’s an idea- you could have picked up the phone (which, considering these drunken rantings you left on someone’s voice mail, we know you know how to use) and called ACORN and asked. You could have even asked one of your buddies at Fox News to do it for you.
I’m really laughing at the idea that Breitbart and the teabag contingent think the WH is to blame for not giving out the names, addresses, and personal information of WH visitors to random wingnuts and unhinged loser conspiracy theorists so they can do drive-by inspections of their counters. That would be an awesome idea, wouldn’t it? Nothing could go wrong with a policy like that:
John Loftus, Fox News Contributor, carelessly gave the address of an unsuspecting family because he thought a terrorist lived at their address. He was wrong and the family has been tortured and terrorized since his irresponsible statement. Chrish reported this story and at that time the family was waiting for an apology from Fox News. This morning 8/27/05, CNN reported that Fox had fired Loftus and issued a written apology to the family who have gone through hell.
Oh. Nevermind. Maybe the White House is on to something after all with those silly “privacy” concerns.
Kobie
God forbid that someone who at least thinks of himself as somewhat of a journalist actually did a fucking ounce of legwork.
Sentient Puddle
Uh, and wasn’t it the case that that the Bertha Lewis visiting had a different middle initial from the ACORN Bertha Lewis? That might, y’know, be a tip off.
By the by John, any chance we get some WoW open thread love? I’ve been trying to coordinate stuff on last night’s thread, but I don’t think anyone’s paying attention to it any more.
General Winfield Stuck
Dern Cole, keep up with the times. That countertop shit is so, like, Bushian. Wizard Andy need only deploy the wily Pimp & Ho gumshoe team to get the skinny, as it were. Oughta be a cinch with the current color of the WH, at least in the wingnut mind, if I can use that term loosely.
MikeJ
Why didn’t we have these problems when Bush was pres? Oh yeah, he didn’t release the names of visitors.
danimal
It’s complete BS. When the names were released, the White House pointed out the duplicative, ironic names on the list such as Ayers and Wright. Breitbart knew this, or should have, at the time he printed his misleading garbage. He’s just doing his part to keep the wingnuts in a state of perputual rage, truth be damned.
Quaker in a Basement
Crap. It’s a real shame we’re not the wingnuts, cause if we were, now we would start a whole campaign of declaring “I am Bertha Lewis!” and congratulating ourselves on our courage and resolve.
So, I guess I’m not Bertha Lewis, eh?
Corner Stone
@Sentient Puddle:
There’s a reason for that.
El Cid
THE WHITE HOUSE SHOULD PUBLISH THE FULL NAMES AND ADDRESSES AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS AND PICTURES OF PEOPLE IN THE VISITORS LOGS SO THAT RIGHT WING BLOGGING CAN BE EASIER DUH
AhabTRuler
@General Winfield Stuck: Wile E. Pimp, Sooper Genius?
dmsilev
The White House should find (or, if necessary, invite) visitors whose names match, or come close to matching, the names of various right-wing pundits and bloggers.
Then publicize the fact, and stand back and watch as said pundits/bloggers are attacked by their compatriots as “traitors to the cause” or somesuch.
-dms
Incertus
Fuck this–I’m going back to reading German philosophical poetry. It doesn’t hurt as badly.
cleek
i used to work with a Bill Ayers. nice guy.
there are probably more than 500 people with that name in the US.
Corner Stone
Jesus Christ. Dixie Carter looks un-freakin-believable to be 70 years old.
WTF?
David
So that the Wingnuts can issue a jihad against this other Bertha Lewis and make her life miserable too???
Kobie
@Quaker in a Basement: WE ARE ALL BERTHA LEWIS
cleek
WH prolly verifies the names and identities itself, if it feels it needs to. why does Wikipedia Brown here think it’s his fucking job ?
valdivia
@dmsilev:
I like how you think. That would be a spectacle to behold.
TR
Come on, you can’t expect Not-So-Breitbart to read all the way through those press releases. They’re like 3-4 pages long.
El Cid
“Wikipedia Brown” — I love it.
Incertus
@El Cid: No kidding.I’m going to steal that one.
Ash Can
From now on, whenever I commit some faux pas to embarrass myself, I’ll think of Andrew Breitbart writing this. It’ll immediately put everything in perspective for me and make me feel much better.
El Cid
THIS… IS… SPARTA!!!
But… not that SPARTA, we actually meant another SPARTA.
General Winfield Stuck
@dmsilev:
It’s diabolical and I love it!!
El Cid
‘Scuse me, I got to go flip the bird at people protesting the Lourdes Resistance Army, ’cause, fuck them faith healer shits…
Violet
@dmsilev:
That would be awesome! I’m sure there have to be some Glenn Becks and Andrew Breitbarts out there who would love an invitation to the WH.
Corey
Seriously though, it is a little nuts that a William Ayers and a Jeremiah Wright both visited the White House this year, unless I just have no idea how many people visit the White House. Obviously Breitbart is not seriously asking what the odds are, but I’d love to see someone figure it out.
Comrade Mary
Jesus CHRIST. Just a firing and an apology? Not a lawsuit? JESUS. Why was this not a bigger story — oh. Right.
Nutella
@dmsilev:
They should have the wingnuts’ namesakes in for an event called called “A Salute to Community Organizers” honoring Bertha Lewis, Bill Ayers, etc. That would be very fine.
MattR
@dmsilev: I love it. Or maybe they should hold a “Bertha Lewis Day” and invite as many of them as they can find.
General Winfield Stuck
@Corey:
The WH will get right on it. Should take 3 to 8 years. Here is your ticket.
cleek
@Incertus:
i can claim to have thought it up on my own (about two years ago) … but after Googling, it seems i wasn’t the first. i remember this because it hurt to learn i’d been scooped. :)
so, you don’t have to give me credit :)
dmsilev
Breitbart’s post, like many from the RW blogosphere, reminds me of the expression on a cat’s face after doing something stupid, the “I meant to do that, honest” look.
-dms
r€nato
What are the odds that there are many people who work at the White House, who collectively know a fuckton of people who have business there, more than a few of whom likely share similar or even identical names especially if they have common surnames like “Lewis” or “Brown”?
Not so breit, bart.
Corey
@General Winfield Stuck:
Yes, because I was literally asking the White House to calculate this instead of idly wondering
Jennifer
Reading Big Andrew Butthurt will give you brain herpes.
Nutella
I looked on anywho.com, which says there are 40 U.S. phone listings for people named Jeremiah Wright and ‘more than 100’ each for Bertha Lewis, William Ayers, and Bill Ayers.
And two for people named Andrew Breitbart.
dmsilev
It’s clear that the White House needs to establish an Office of Making the Right Wing Blogosphere Look Like Morons.
Admittedly, the office won’t have to actually *do* anything, since the RWB manages to LLM on their own on a regular basis.
-dms
ajr22
Who is excited to watch Erickson on Colbert tonight? I would say the odds of him embarrassing himself are approaching infinity.
El Cid
Should the White House put out a search to invite one “Ronald Reagan” to visit? That should be sufficiently head asplodey.
Joshua Norton
Cheney burned through 3 pig heart valves keeping his energy buddies names private and he was only the Vice Pres. with no official authority at all. Wingnutz applauded his commitment to protecting ‘the government’.
I guess they have absolutely no shame or short term memory what-so-ever.
Nutella
@El Cid:
Anywho.com shows more than 100 Ronald Reagan phone listings so that would be easy to do.
kay
@cleek:
Hah! We’re on the same page. I looked up Malik Shabazz. There’s 55 listed just in the online white pages.
You and I have now put twice as much effort into this than these idiots did when they made the allegation.
I didn’t bother with Bertha Lewis. Do they really think Bertha Lewis is an unusual name? Why do they think that?
Ash Can
@Nutella: I’d love it if the other Andrew Breitbart were to visit the WH and Jerkoff were to see his name on the log. Can’t you just hear him screaming that he was never at the WH, that it’s a fraud, it’s a conspiracy, the WH is out to get him, the FBI should investigate, etc., etc.? If that were ever to happen, I’d actually go to his site for once, and read his shitty-ass column for myself. Hell, I’d screen-cap it for posterity.
General Winfield Stuck
@Corey:
Why would you wonder>
Why would you care if Wright or Shabazz or Casper the Ghost visited the WH. Or, even Bill Ayers.. I don’t care. And if they did who gives a shit if it befuddles the wingnuts, whatever the WH feeds them for a reason. I don’t. Why should you? Oh, unless, you are interested in holding the WH accountable? For what, feeding the wingers their requested ideological red meat.?
OriGuy
howmanyofme says there’s only one Andrew Breitbart, but there are 5 Michelle Malkins. There are 89 people named Glenn Beck.
It says there are “1 or fewer” people in the U.S. named Rush Limbaugh. What do you suppose it knows that we don’t?
KCinDC
@cleek, I said then, and I’ll say again, that “Conservapedia Brown” works better.
Emma
Incertus: I was thinking about Old Testament exegesis myself, but that sounds good too…
valdivia
@dmsilev:
you win the internets today, with this and the other comment.
Corey
@General Winfield Stuck: Jesus Christ, it was completely apolitical, it’s like one of those word problems they give you when you interview at Intel or Google, like “how many stoplights are there in the United States” or something.
Svensker
I just want to see Breitbart go mano a mano with someone. Seriously. No one has told these people that the movies and the comix aren’t real.
Martin
Let me get this straight.
The White House email list is a horrific invasion of privacy, but not releasing the personal details of White House visitors is some kind of plot to suppress a free press.
Does this make any sense to anyone?
cleek
she’s the Agent Smith of Diminutive Rage Imps ( ™ )
Martin
For a white person, yeah. Therefore she must be part of the blackity-black islamososhulist conspiracy, and her countertops need to be inspected for welfare subsidies.
Glocksman
@cleek:
Wow!
According to them, I am unique.
There are one or fewer people in the USA that have both my first and last names.
There are also only 273 people that I share the same last name with.
I’m not surprised about the last name bit as every time I google my surname, all the links come from my home area.
Shit, I’m not really sure what ethnicity my last name is, as my father was a so-called ‘Roman Catholic’ who abandoned us when I was a toddler, so I have no clue to where the Zi**** name comes from.
And if I sound bitter about that, it’s because I frankly still fucking am.
While I’ve largely forgiven my father, I wouldn’t piss on his second wife if she were on fire.
Comrade Kevin
@Sentient Puddle:
If any of you are also GOS users, there’s a Daily Kos Horde guild on the Garrosh server called “Wreck List”.
Martin
It says there are 486 of me, but I know there are more. Hell, there are 6 in my family alone, and I work with 1 other, and I know 1 more from the news.
Incertus
@Glocksman: There are enough of me that I wrote a blog post on my personal site differentiating myself from them. One of my namesakes has an IMDB page–he’s a special effects guy.
But the most fun are the people who ask if I’m Britney Spears’s brother, and then I get to fuck with them and tell them that no, I’m her dad (because my 19 year old is named Brittany, sad to say). He spells his with a -y, the dick.
Comrade Kevin
@Martin: Huh, there are over 200 people with my first and last name, apparently.
cleek
@Glocksman:
me too.
i know it’s not true, however.
same here. my surname comes from a guy who moved to PA from Germany in the 1840s. everyone in the US with my last name is a descendant of his. and most people with that surname still live in north-central PA.
yet another reason to go pseudonymous – i’m the first google hit for my name. i used to be able to find every usenet comment i ever made. i’m glad that’s impossible, now.
Glocksman
@cleek:
Well, in name I might be unique, but as far as personality types go, I’m not.
Heck, there were enough of us around in 2008 to be called ‘Obamacans’. :)
That said, I’m sure someone who’s really interested could figure out my real name with the clues I’ve already posted along with the tidbit that I live in the largest city in southwestern Indiana.
Sentient Puddle
@Comrade Kevin: We had a discussion on that thread about starting up a BJ guild. Looked like there was a healthy interest, but I haven’t heard from many people in game yet.
Martin
@Comrade Kevin:
Not surprising. Kevin is pretty common, and I considered naming my son Comrade as well.
Comrade Luke
Clearly the people at fault are the parents of Bertha Lewis.
What the fuck were they thinking, naming her after Bertha Lewis?!
Glocksman
@Martin:
Heh..’486′..you win geek points with that number. :)
S. cerevisiae
@ajr22: Erickson had the look of someone who suddenly realized the warm feeling they had was actually their own hot piss soaking their Dockers.
Yutsano
My last name is very uncommon in the US. So much so that if the geneaology is French Canadian I’m more than likely related to them somehow. I also share my surname with a recently appointed Canadian Senator, don’t know for sure if he’s a relation although my last name is like Smith is in the US up in Québec.
ominira
@Sentient Puddle: In WoW news, police in Canada caught a criminal on the run from the US since 2007 by monitoring his WoW game playing online.
Paul L.
From the PDF linked for editing video.
How does this mesh with the narrative advanced by TPM, Amanda Marcotte and Oliver Willis that the ACORN employees were just teasing/humoring the filmmakers as their outfits were fooling no one.
Added this to the stack of links showing progressives defending ACORN.