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You are here: Home / Politics / Media / Lamest. Reveal. Ever.

Lamest. Reveal. Ever.

by | 123 Comments

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Soooo, it turns out that short clip of President Obama praising Professor Bell at Harvard in 1991 IS the actual, unabridged Breitbartopocalypse video. Here it is straight from the horse’s ass:

Compare to the video BuzzFeed released earlier today, which I posted here. The production quality is infinitely better in the non-Breitbart version, but that’s about it, campers. And as many commenters noted, this is nothing new since it appeared in an Obama documentary years ago.

The “selective editing” the Breitbart minions are referencing turns out to be releasing a cleaner version of the same tape. This is the lamest reveal since Geraldo opened up Capone’s empty vault on live TV.

[X-POSTED at Rumproast]

Reader Interactions

123Comments

  1. 1.

    Bubblegum Tate

    I’m curious how Sean Hannity spins this complete dud of a takedown. Will he say it shows racism? Radicalism? Radical racism?

  2. 2.

    Cowbelle

    Yeah, they’re hoping to pull a Rev. Wright on Professor Bell by painting him as some sort of “bizarre” “anti-Semitic” radical.

    Cuz, you know, he’s BLACK.

  3. 3.

    Steve

    The sense I got from watching the video was that Obama was just sort of introducing Prof. Bell, as opposed to making a real speech in support of the cause.

  4. 4.

    Hal

    Clicked in a huffpo link and read the comments. Hilarious. Some of the nut cases are saying this is obviously not the real video because it’s not damaging enough, and why would breitbart post this? There has to be more!!!!!

    Nothing I love more than watching the right eat itself.

  7. 7.

    trollhattan

    I find Geraldo infinitely more credible. Rather like noting water is infinitely wetter than air, but anyhoo.

  11. 11.

    jgaugust

    @Cowbelle: I was just about to point this out. Since there isn’t anything actually damning of Obama, it’s going to be a character assassination of the people he once worked with…you know…Harvard law students and professors…

    I really do have to give it up for the Breitbartlettes, though. No one is more suited for Elmer Fudd failure music.

  15. 15.

    Violet

    This is the lamest reveal since Geraldo opened up Capone’s empty vault on live TV.

    Still one of my favorite TV moments ever. I remember the buildup to it and someone in the family wanted to watch it, so we all watched it. When it contained nothing, said family member was not happy about wasting an entire evening. The whole thing cracks me up every time I think about it.

  17. 17.

    pragmatism

    those brietbartards must be having a hell of a party tonight. they shocked the world. o’keefe is lighting cigars with $1 bills. powdered zombies is doing an acoustic set with one of the young cons beatboxing. none of the 3 ladies there is on birth control. wild stuff.

  18. 18.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Bubblegum Tate: Yup. Affirmative action, also, too.

    @JPL:

    Never mind Capone, whatever happened to Geraldo ?

    Rotating panelist on Greg Gutfield’s show, and third alternate guest host on Roger Ailes’ summer squad. Just a guess.

  21. 21.

    MikeJ

    Next week Breitbarters will reveal a worldwide leftist conspiracy to publish an encyclopædia *for free* in an attempt to marginalise Britanica, and by extension, Churchill.

  24. 24.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I’m afraid the “whitey tape” wait is going to be a very long one.

  25. 25.

    dmsilev

    @Hal:

    Clicked in a huffpo link and read the comments. Hilarious. Some of the nut cases are saying this is obviously not the real video because it’s not damaging enough, and why would breitbart post this? There has to be more!!

    Well, obviously Obama’s ACORN commandos, with an assist from the tactical arm of Planned Parenthood (aka the Girl Scouts), killed Breitbart and made off with the real tape, and this was just part of the cover-up.

  28. 28.

    Soonergrunt

    So Breitbart.com’s ‘editor’ Dana Loesch, actually complained that it was “selectively edited?”
    So the universe will end in a paradox.
    In 2012.
    Well played, Mayans, well played.

  32. 32.

    rikyrah

    The Story Behind the Obama Law School Speech Video
    March 7, 2012, 7:09 pm ET by Andrew Golis

    The web is abuzz today about video of a speech Barack Obama gave in 1990 (some reports have incorrectly identified the speech as occurring in 1991) at Harvard Law School defending the actions of Professor Derrick Bell. Bell, the law school’s first tenured black professor, had protested Harvard’s failure to offer tenure to women of color as law school professors. Online publisher Andrew Brietbart, who died last week, had said he possessed the speech and hinted that he would release it, arguing that it provided evidence that Obama has long held radical political beliefs.

    Today, the website BuzzFeed published a clip of the speech along with an article explaining some past and current context for Obama’s remarks. The website claimed the clip was “not previously available online.” The editors at Brietbart.com responded that the video on Buzzfeed had been “selectively edited” and said that they would release the full footage tonight on Fox News.

    But there’s nothing new about the clip or Obama’s role in the controversy at Harvard Law School. In 2008, as a part of our quadrennial election special The Choice 2008, FRONTLINE ran the same footage of the speech as a part of an exploration of Obama’s time at Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 1991. It’s been online at our site and on YouTube since then. You can see that part of the film below.

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/government-elections-politics/the-story-behind-the-obama-law-school-speech-video/

  33. 33.

    Joseph Nobles

    The Frontline link is great. It not only posts all available WGBH footage of the event, it also reveals that Buzzfeed was paying by the second for footage and still included every bit of Obama’s speech that was recorded by WGBH. And the selective editor? None other than WGBH back in 1990, whose practice was to archive the finished report and any other footage they felt might be relevant later on. How did they know what to edit back in 1990?! Kenyan Muslim conspiracy, that’s how!!

  38. 38.

    Warren Terra

    But … but … Many Bothans One Breitbart died to bring us this video.

    Somewhat seriously, Breitbart worked himself to death, excited and enraged himself beyond all reason and against doctors’ warnings about his heart condition and blood pressure, so that he could reveal to the world the amazing truth that Obama was involved in campus politics as a law student, and also that a dozen years ago Obama attended a play and participated in a panel discussion about Saul Alinsky. Suppose Breitbart’s young family feels it was worth it?

  39. 39.

    Svensker

    @Hal:

    Clicked in a huffpo link and read the comments. Hilarious. Some of the nut cases are saying this is obviously not the real video because it’s not damaging enough, and why would breitbart post this? There has to be more!!

    They’re waiting for the big reveal! It’s coming any minute now!

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

  40. 40.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    Soooo, it turns out that short clip of President Obama praising Professor Bell at Harvard in 1991

    Yes, but he’s RADICAL man, really rad, that perfessor, they cut that part out, I’m sorta certain.

  44. 44.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Sean Hannity’s boner is gonna get a serious deflating this evening methinks. Considering the fact that four years later he STILL cannot let go of the Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers connections which still didn’t stop POTUS getting elected he somehow magically thinks it will work THIS TIME.

  45. 45.

    trollhattan

    OT, when somebody calls central casting and says, “Get me a Republican candidate” it always sends this guy. Here’s the part he’s playing this week.

    Republican Andrew Pugno, who wrote and served as legal counsel to California’s 2008 proposition to ban gay marriage, is laying the groundwork for a possible challenge to Republican Assemblywoman Beth Gaines.
    The Folsom attorney, who lost an Assembly bid in 2010, filed a statement of intention to run for the 6th Assembly District on Tuesday, according to the Secretary of State. The move allows potential candidates to open a campaign finance committee.

    Am I racist saying “They all look the same to me” if they all look the same to me. Talk about a punch-worthy mug. [linky fxd]

    http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/03/andrew-pugno-signals-possible-california-assembly-run-against-beth-gaines.html

  47. 47.

    Hal

    @dmsilev:

    Well, obviously Obama’s ACORN commandos, with an assist from the tactical arm of Planned Parenthood (aka the Girl Scouts), killed Breitbart and made off with the real tape, and this was just part of the cover-up.

    I think that’s the next step. Remember, Hillary and Bill killed Ron Brown and Vince Foster, not to mention the fact that Bill is a serial rapist and Hillary is a secret, gym-teaching, softball playing, butch lesbo.

    Countdown to Michelle poisoned Breitbart with low fat cottage cheese in 3,2,1…

  48. 48.

    Joseph Nobles

    #VetThePrez is still the Twitter gift that keeps on giving, but I’ve been struck with a thought: is that what we liberals looked like when we were chasing Bush’s AWOL Guard record?

  51. 51.

    JPL

    @JPL: Signed on with google and unfortunately it prints my name.. If I’m not on the cite tomorrow call the police..

  54. 54.

    nellcote

    I don’t understand the point of putting out a lower quality version of a video that’s already on the intertoobs. Is it supposed to look spooky or something?

  57. 57.

    Narcissus

    This is nothing. I know where you can find video of George W. Bush behaving like a sub-literate dry-drunk clown school reject.

  60. 60.

    Forkbeard

    You know what’s really awesome? The commenters on Breitbart.com, asking “NOW can we impeach him?” Based off… what?

    If only a resident troll could explain it to me…

  62. 62.

    scav

    @JPL: I promise, if I don’t sight you on the site tomorrow, I’ll assume you’ve been cited and will mail you a cake with file filling. Good luck comrade.

  64. 64.

    Tokyokie

    The difference between Geraldo and Al Capone’s vault and this is that Geraldo had no way to know that there wasn’t anything there.

  67. 67.

    different-church-lady

    @scav:

    How many of these have we survived so far?

    Breitbartpocalypse has no beginning and no ending. (Unlike Breitbart himself…)

  68. 68.

    pete

    @Omnes Omnibus: I think it was Actor212 at LGM who noted that Breitbart’s last tweet was a (limited, modified) apology, leading to the obviously conclusion that, yes, it would kill him to apologize.

  71. 71.

    Trentrunner

    I’m sorry, but I so thoroughly enjoy any posts on these topics lately because they remind me that ANDREW BREITBART is DEAD.

    Sleeps with the fishes…

    Mouldering in the grave…

    Rotting waste to flesh laid…

    Dead. Dead. Dead. I just love hearing it.

    Every time I hear it, it’s like the first time I heard it, and it makes me smile.

    And it’s less than 1/100th of what I will feel when Rush Limbaugh keels over.

  72. 72.

    Omnes Omnibus

    To recap: Breitbart had, and now his minions have, video of Obama introducing Derrick Bell at a protest at Harvard in 1991. The video shows Obama saying nothing controversial, but sounding just like he does 20 years later. Based on this, Obama’s world is supposed to collapse? Hmmm…

  74. 74.

    different-church-lady

    @Joseph Nobles:

    is that what we liberals looked like when we were chasing Bush’s AWOL Guard record?

    a) probably
    b) What’s this ‘we’ thing?

  75. 75.

    Anya

    A bit of an OT – why is TPM spreading republican memes? They have on their front page: Does Obama have a Bill Maher Problem? Seriously? I am going to let David Frum address that:

    Point 3: Limbaugh’s place in American public life is in no way comparable to that of David Letterman, Bill Maher or Ed Schultz.
    Letterman is not a political figure at all; and while Maher and Schultz strongly identify as liberals, neither qualifies as anything like a powerbroker in the Democratic Party. I’m sure the Barack Obama re-election effort is happy to have Maher’s million-dollar gift, but I sincerely doubt there is a Democratic congressman who worries much whether Maher criticizes him. A word of criticism from Limbaugh, by contrast, will reduce almost any member of the Republican caucus to abject groveling. See, for example: GINGREY, PHIL.

  76. 76.

    Joseph Nobles

    @Soonergrunt: Well, technically, there was actual Not There there. And I’d stack any videos of 1992-1993 George W. Bush next to these of Barack Obama’s any damn day.

    @different-church-lady: Well, I certainly was a liberal and was chasing after the Guard record at the time. If you’re not in one or either camp, feel free to exclude yourself.

  77. 77.

    jl

    Off, but related, topic, TPM says the GOP has more or less decided that Bill Maher is the Rush Limbaugh of the left.

    Because Maher said some mean things about Palin and Bachmann.

    I recall he made some have baked weak jokes a few times about them being MILF’s or attracting dudes into MILFs, or something. Anything else?

    I guess that is the best they can come up with. Obama is supposed to give back the money Maher contributed.

    Note it down now, and experience the thrill, because I think this episode will drop into oblivion and be lost to history very soon, like dropped cheetos that disappear behind seat cushions.

  80. 80.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @Joseph Nobles: The funniest thing is not only is there not any “there there” they got nuttin, and they know it. POTUS loves his hot wife, he has two adorable girls, he is a most brilliant husband and father, his “radical” past was basically being on the right side of issues throughout his whole life. Right now they are down the the mustard and arugala stage and they cannot stand it.

  82. 82.

    jgaugust

    @Omnes Omnibus: No no. You have it all wrong. The whole thing is that there were students who thought that women and minorities should be given tenure at a place like Harvard Law School. Didn’t you know that this is “racialism”? God, you’re so dumb!

    /sarc off.

    Seriously though. This has been in the public sphere for 5 YEARS!! My only hope is that Breitbart and his minions paid a ton of money for this because they can’t do a basic web search.

  83. 83.

    The Moar You Know

    They always called Reagan the “Teflon President” because nothing would stick to the bastard.

    I understand how frustrated and pissed the right is at Obama. They’ve thrown everything they could grab at him and nothing’s working. Helps that, like Reagan, his personal life has been pretty vanilla (horrible joke completely unintentional).

  88. 88.

    jl

    @lamh35: I am not a big fan of Bill Maher. I do think he is a nicer and far more intelligent, decent, and rational person, and public presence. Maher is quirky and I think prides himself on being independent thinker.

    Like Rush, I think Maher overrates himself on how informed and clearly he thinks things through. But to lesser degree, since Maher makes sense most of the time, and I do not remember the last time Limbaugh said anything that made any sense.

    But the quote given in comment 74 from Anya sums it up: no one really cares much what Maher thinks, and outside of the revenge fever dreams of GOP political tacticians, no one is bothered by a couple of weak MILF jokes about public figures.

    So, no one cares, compared to Rush’s multi day assault on a private person, Maher’s at most mild bad taste deserves a tsk tsk (if anything).

    And no one cares or is even aware, outside of politics junkies, like deranged GOP political operatives and political blog readers and commenters.

  90. 90.

    Warren Terra

    @jl:
    It’s especially good in that the money went to a political organization required by law to be independent of Obama. So how is Obama supposed to ask them to return Maher’s money? Maybe Obama has to demand they keep it, so they can prove their independence by returning it?

  93. 93.

    jl

    @Warren Terra:

    Obama was smart enough to explicitly stay away from commenting on the Rushbo crisis, and to avoid performing the tired and dangerous reviling, rejecting, repudiating and refudiating ceremony beloved of childish pundits and reporters. And smart in steering away from pronouncements on Rush when explaining why he called Sandra Fluke. Heck, Obama may have even been honest about his explanation.

    So, my brave prediction is that the announced Maher Symmetry Event will disappear into nothing, perhaps by the time I finish typing this.

    I brought it up more out of amusement that Maher was the best the GOP could do in their search for symmetry. But, Anya beat me to the mention, I see.

  94. 94.

    Hill Dweller

    @jl: I’m not a big fan of Maher. He’s not very knowledgeable, especially if the guests wander away from the agreed upon topics. And he essentially ripped off Bill Hicks’ act to get famous.

  96. 96.

    Marcellus Shale, Public Dick

    lamest reveal since clare danes’ topless pictures were posted on d-list socialite dot.vomit.

  98. 98.

    different-church-lady

    Here’s a fun quiz: name all the times a democratic politician has apologized for criticizing Bill Maher.

  99. 99.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Since this was so lame I have something that will cheer up most of you right away…

    The latest FP post at Redstate ‘analyzes’ some post-Tuesday numbers and the always civil Redstate commentary responds…

    You may usedtobelib, but you’ll never stop being a prick, apparently.

    Oh, a “prick,” huh?
     
    Public school teacher for 35 years, a person willing to drop the illusions of leftist teachings from my Boomer education, a convert, a vote for the GOP, a love of Antonin Scalia, but a “prick.”
     
    God, you sound like an Ed Shultz, Keith Olberman type of guy. And I thought I had left the tactics of the Left and the manners of the Left behind 15 years ago.
     
    You surely never learned any lessons of Reagan although you are the type who screams Reagan is your hero. You do him a great diservice.

    I guess I could have gone with “pathetic” or, implied you are insane.
     
    No, I think prick was the correct call.

    Okay,
     
    Since I am a woman and you called me a “prick,” and I gave you a chance to reconsider your language and you didn’t, let me address you forever more, Mr. Gardner, as a Cunt.

    Well isn’t that special…

    Sorry, maybe I’m enjoying the disaster on the right too much but it’s soooooooooooo goood!

  100. 100.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    Apparently, the right wing blogosphere is grabbing for the brass ring to start a race war, or some kind of shit like that.

    The Vetting of Obama begins: Breitbart reveals video of young Obama embracing racial eliminationist Derrick Bell

    Shorter wingnut — Obama gonna Get Whitey!

    jeebus, this is going to get ugly

  101. 101.

    WyldPirate

    Obama playing pocket pool in his khakis while giving an introduction without a teleprompter.

    Will no one think of the children!

  102. 102.

    Egg Berry

    @jl:

    And smart in steering away from pronouncements on Rush when explaining why he called Sandra Fluke. Heck, Obama may have even been honest about his explanation.

    ahem:

    “I don’t know what is in Rush Limbaugh’s heart, so I am not going to comment on the sincerity of his apology,” Obama said, adding, “All decent folks can agree that the remarks that were made don’t have any place in public discourse.”

  103. 103.

    Warren Terra

    @g:

    Joined the choir eternal

    The Python fan in me demands this be

    Joined the choir invisibule

  104. 104.

    jl

    @Egg Berry:

    Yes, I heard those words in real time.

    Obama was discussing the specific actions of Limbaugh, not doing the rejection and repudiation routine for Limbaugh.

    So, Obama does not have to do the rejection and repudiation routine for Maher either, even if anyone happens to notice and be interested in the GOP’s Limbaugh/Maher Symmetry hypothesis, which no one will and no one is.

    Edit: though you are correct that Obama did mention Limbaugh by name in his explanation for calling Fluke, which I had forgotten.

  110. 110.

    Mnemosyne

    @nellcote:

    I don’t understand the point of putting out a lower quality version of a video that’s already on the intertoobs. Is it supposed to look spooky or something?

    That’s my guess — run it through a Photoshop filter to make it look “underground.”

    What would be really funny would be if PBS has some kind of copyright on it because it was used on “Frontline” and they’re able to sue Breitbart.com for copyright infringement. I would laugh my ass off if that happened.

    (But it’s probably in public domain, anyway. Still, that would be the funniest development evah.)

  113. 113.

    gnomedad

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    a love of Antonin Scalia

    usedtobelib and Scalia, sittin’ in a tree …
    Also, too, I think “Capone’s vault”, would be a good tag; I think it could get a workout in months to come.

  114. 114.

    bootsy

    Gawd, Bill Maher? No democratic politician would ever apologize to that guy — he made a documentary about the evils of religion. 99.9% of Democratic Pols identify themselves as Religious.

    (Yes, I know that no liberal can be a Real Christian, for Supply Side Jesus himself said “He who makes the Rich give to the Poor shall have a Camel jab a Needle through their eye.”)

  115. 115.

    gwangung

    Apparently, the right wing blogosphere is grabbing for the brass ring to start a race war, or some kind of shit like that.

    For too many white people, if non-whites aren’t overtly or covertly reinforcing white people’s high place in the scheme of things, they’re “eliminationist.”

    And I’m not talking just about the current right wing idiots, here.

  116. 116.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    @Hill- “And he essentially ripped off Bill Hicks’ act to get famous.”

    Yup. Only with FAR less whit. I have always felt Maher is “Bill Hicks for dummies.”

  117. 117.

    nellcote

    @Mnemosyne:

    (But it’s probably in public domain, anyway. Still, that would be the funniest development evah.)
    ===

    The Frontline site says that BuzzFeed had to pay the teevee station per second for foottage so they only used the short Obama part. Maybe Breitbart changed it so they could call it “fair use”. They might want to talk to Shepard Fairey about that.

  118. 118.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @gnomedad:

    What’s hilarious about that exchange was that the lady who was called a “prick” was banned for calling the guy a “cunt”. The guy who called her a prick? Hey, no prob with that at Redstate!

    This guy is one of the site’s favorites and he gets away with egging people on to the point that their insult exceeds his, whereupon they immediately get banned. He’s done this so often that I have no problem spotting it, and I’m not even a member…lol!

    Redstate, where the men are men and the women are pricks!

  119. 119.

    General Stuck (Bravo Nope Zero)

    @gwangung:

    I agree with you about the reinforcing the white privilege for persons of color to be accepted by the bulk of those that feel threatened, their birthright of majority rule, at least. And it does go beyond just right wing asses. And we are going to see much more of it as we move to a truly multicultured society. From the unstoppable march of demographics we talk about a lot here. But hearing the term ‘eliminitionist’ used on a public main stream blog was a little surprising to me. I guess just another example of the coded curtains coming down amongst the most rabid rightists. Sign of the times, and white butthurt is a pittance of what it will be into the future. I want nothing to do with that, and why I remain firmly embedded living in an area where my whiteness is not majority, but around the fifty fifty mark. It is not only humbling, but oddly freeing at the same time. Or something like that.

  120. 120.

    cxs

    Probably the thread is dead, but this is a launch to smearing Prof. Bell, who is coveniently dead.

  123. 123.

    bvac

    Sorry I haven’t been paying attention to this, did they basically run the buzzfeed video through an instagram filter to make it more 60s radicalish?

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