In a recent article, Andrew Breitbart claimed that Ariana Huffington reached out to him about blogging at the Huffington Post:
According to Breitbart, the idea for him writing for HuffPo’s front page came directly from the website’s founder, Arianna Huffington herself.However, Breitbart's blogger Lee Stranahan, whom Breitbart regularly promotes as "the Huffington-Post-blogger-who's-totally-liberal-except-for-hating-Planned-Parenthood-the-NAACP-ACORN-poor-people-Color-of-Change-President-Obama-the-Democratic-Party-Daily-Kos-public-schools-and-NPR" (by the way, if you think this means that maybe Stranahan isn't a liberal, that makes you a "facist"), claims that it was his idea and that he encouraged Breitbart to reach out to Ariana Huffington:
While he was at her house a month or so ago, Huffington floated the idea of her conservative friend writing some more prominent pieces for her site. After thinking about it for a few weeks, Breitbart agreed and published “NPR Is Collateral Damage in Battle to Brand Tea Party” on March 11.
Stranaplant:
The Breitbart thing is partially my fault. I suggested to Andrew that he reach out beyond his normal base and spend a little time writing to people on the other side, specifically at HuffPo. I’ve had a few months now of seeing up close how Andrew has been badly maligned and viciously misrepresented by his critics and I thought that liberals deserved a chance to hear what he had to say without a filter.
More Stranaplant:
A couple of weeks back, I encouraged Andrew Breitbart to reach out a little to the other side and write something for The Huffington Post. He wrote a piece about the just breaking NPR scandal and he brought up those video tapes again that show that stories about the Tea Party’s racism were fake as the recent ‘poor people can only carry $20’ story.
So one of them isn't telling the truth. Which is it? Was it Stranahan's great idea? Or did Ariana Huffington reach out to Breitbart?
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Who's not telling the truth? You.
ReplyDeleteI did urge Breitbart to write for HuffPost.
And it sounds like Arianna did, too.
There's no contradiction there.
Seems like one of you left quite a bit out of your story. And what an amazing coincidence that you both suggested it at exactly the same time! Don't worry though Stranahan, cause if it comes down to it, I'll probably believe you on this over Breitbart.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that contradiction, too. Being a little suspicious, generally, I believe both Arianna and Lee spoke to Breitbart, but that everyone is including/leaving out portions of the tale to present themselves in the best light, paint those they disagree with in the worst light, and give their own version of the story and the meme they're attaching to it the most weight. (That goes for Huffington and Sekoff, too.) The more they all speak, the more facts they will each reveal, all leading to the complete story. No one of 'em is going to tell it all on their own, though.
ReplyDeleteIn a recent Daily Caller piece linked to by Lee, the author reports that Lee told him he helped write Breitbart's two recent HuffPo columns, too. It's not a big deal that he did so, of course, but it does add another layer to the story, in terms of Lee's involvement. (I'm not saying it's a bad layer... Folks can decide that for themselves. But there's no doubt he's wrapped up in the story, and that his involvement is a factor in judging what he has to say about it.)
I happen to like Lee, from what little I know of him, but I also don't agree with his politics, much. I believe that he's generally truthful and that he speaks from the heart, but I can't help reading some of what he writes--especially the pieces and comments he's posted on liberal sites--as concern trolling for what are essentially rightward leaning positions. (I don't mind that he has more rightward leaning positions, but I object to those on the right--and to him (which to me, is kinda the same thing)--telling me he's a liberal as he's spouting those rightward leaning positions. Maybe there was a time when he was a liberal--Hell, maybe there are issues where he still takes liberal positions--but reading his recent history and seeing these claims that "Lefty Lee Stranahan" is "way left wing,") I can't help thinkin' "Sure, you used to say nice things about liberalism... but What Have You Done For Me Lately?
I agree that the left and the right need to treat each other better if we're ever going to make progress, but Lee seems to spend alot of time telling folks on the left to be nicer and criticizing them for not being nicer, and defending folks on the right when they are less than pleasant or honest themselves, all the while claiming he's a liberal, just like you (only nicer and more honest than all y'all put together, of course.) He's a liberal who permits, defends, and sometimes makes sweeping generalizations about how bad liberals are, and that tells me that something isn't quite right about his bio.
I do think he believes he's still a liberal; I don't think he's being intentionally dishonest, like some of his biggest conservative fans, who're using him as "friendly fire" against the left. ("Even this loony liberal Lee Stranahan believes the left is objectively "worse" (more dishonest, more violent, less tolerant, ...) than the right.") If it was just about his positions, they wouldn't feel the need to claim he's a lefty/liberal. Maybe he'll even prove me wrong, and stand up firmly for a few liberal positions, arguing as hard against his conservative detractors as he does his liberal ones. But given where he is now, this liberal Lee Stranahan thing just don't seem quite right.
If I had to call him anything, it wouldn't be liberal or conservative; it'd be gadfly.
Basically, Lee Stranahan is a libertarian: he agrees with every right wing position except that he likes to smoke pot. His political views are really not any different from Breitbart in that regard.
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