CNN documentary: James O’Keefe messed it up for everyone
UPDATE, 10/5, 2:10p: Politico yesterday, “James O’Keefe abandoned by powerful conservatives”
UPDATE, 10/4, 1:25p: James O’Keefe has written a response to CNN’s documentary here. In it he states he never planned to complete the “CNN caper” as outlined in the document and emails given to CNN – but never let his associate Izzy Santa know, even though she expressed misgivings before finally alerting CNN reporter Abbie Boudreau of the hoax as she came knocking at the door.
10/3, 10:05p: CNN aired a documentary featuring young conservative “guerrilla” journalists 4x this weekend.
One of the 4 spotlighted on “Right on the Edge” is pro-life activist Lila Rose, who singlehandedly shattered Planned Parenthood’s image with her undercover videos exposing the abortion behemoth as a pedophile protector and disinformation dispenser.
I thought CNN treated all 4 conservative young guns quite fairly. One complaint about Lila’s segment would be there wasn’t much discussion of her findings at PP.
We can thank James O’Keefe for that, who sucked at least one quarter of the hour away from the featured four with his incredibly stupid plan to punk CNN.
Not only did O’Keefe steal time, he undercut conservative credibility from a documentary that otherwise portrayed our young activists as savvy, intelligent, and serious about their cause.
Because of his history in the pro-life movement, I stuck by O’Keefe after he followed up his wildly successful ACORN sting in 2009 with an embarrassing stunt earlier this year at Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office.
But the hoax O’Keefe planned to pull on CNN reporter Abbie Boudreau, in paranoid anticipation that she was going to treat conservatives unfairly, was delusional, creepy, and even frightening from a woman’s perspective.
O’Keefe’s plot was to get Boudreau alone on a boat filled with sex paraphernalia and attempt to seduce her for the ultimate purpose of embarrassing her and CNN. I don’t think I could hatch a plan much more idiotic and fraught with danger than that. Read O’Keefe and company’s “CNN Caper” document here. WARNING: sexually explicit.
O’Keefe’s admitted added motivation to punk CNN was to exact revenge, which is a dangerous emotion not to be fed. There is a good reason Romans 12:19 is so well known, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ saith the Lord.”
O’Keefe’s fame has apparently filled his head with delusions of grandeur. Here is excerpted script from the intro video he was going to make:
… Abby, who works for Anderson Cooper at CNN, a network notorious for journalistic malpractice, wants to lull me into thinking she’s my friend so she can use me and hurt my career.
Instead, I’ve decided to have a little fun. Instead of giving her a serious interview, I’m going to punk CNN. Abbie has been trying to seduce me to use me, in order to spin a lie about me. So I’m going to seduce her, on camera, to use her for a video. This bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who comes on a five will get a taste of her own medicine, she’ll get seduced on camera and you’ll get to see the awkwardness and the aftermath.
I’m also ticked that O’Keefe abused one of the greatest lines in music of all time in a blatant display of unwarranted sexism. For starters, this particular female reporter was conducting an investigative story, not reading a teleprompter. And who ended up looking bubble-headed?
Here was CNN’s segment on O’Keefe, as I said, a complete waste of precious airtime that could have been used to further showcase a pro-life heroine, the atrocity of abortion, and the duplicity of Planned Parenthood. Instead, this…
O’Keefe owes Lila and the other 3 CNN-showcased conservatives a big apology.
I note O’Keefe’s mentor Andrew Breitbart has also pulled away from him.
Had O’Keefe quietly transitioned into journalism or traditional activism after the ACORN video, he might well have forever been viewed by conservatives as a hero. Instead, he now appears to be a quixotic youth, desperate for fame and attention.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
oh, groan. :(
you said it all with “O’Keefe’s fame has apparently filled his head with delusions of grandeur”.
I agree with Andy. What in the world is up with that “music video” at the end??
It appears James is thinking less like a serious activist and more like a one-hit wonder celebrity trying to make a comeback. And FAILING, miserably.
The whole “punk’d” idea was as dumb as they come, and just plain disgusting.
I stopped watching after Rose’s segment. Just as well, apparently!
I thought CNN’s coverage was excellent. Maybe they didn’t dwell that much on Planned Parenthood, but they didn’t need to. They showed the key clip: “I didn’t hear the age. I don’t want to know the age.” Pretty much says it all, right? All Planned Parenthood got in was one line by a spokesperson, calling Live Action’s tactics unacceptable. But it was the PP counselor’s behavior that was unacceptable, and I think that came across loud and clear.
Fame is not healthy for us humans, particularly the young. O’Keefe obviously desperately needs a mentor to run his ideas by first.
Way to come across as creepy and morally obtuse, James O’Keefe. I loved the whole ACORN exposure, but this is just twisted. Seriously, his whole sexual-humiliation-as-revenge thing is almost a rapist mentality.
Coming from CNN… seems more conspiracy theory to me. But then, anything is possible. Shame.
many young guys screw up. put them in a situation where, when they screw up, the whole world’s going to see, and critique from their armchairs, no doubt.
better to try but not succeed than to not try at all. sure, James has lost a great deal of credibility, but he will earn it back – just watch this space.
Holy smokes. This is ridiculous. No man with any shred of decency as a man would ever plot to do such a vile thing to any woman. And no Christian with any maturity thinks in terms of revenge like this. The only public statement he should be making for about the next five years is an apology–in sack cloth and ashes. If after being discovered and uncovered like this he still plans to go ahead with grand schemes like nothing happened, that only cements just how deep the level of delusion this unfortunate soul seems to inhabit.
I am thinking, what if it were my sister who had been the journalist he planned to abuse this way? He wouldn’t want to meet me after I became aware of it. Yes, this is abuse. Doesn’t matter what level of bias she may or may not have. You never treat a woman this way–ever–period.
After seeing this, I would recommend no Christian organization or individual give him the time of day for any reason without serious and prolonged repentance on his part. He needs prayer. And mercy from God. And to be ignored by the media from now on.
Here is the note I just submitted to James through his web site:
James, your plan to “punk” CNN journalist Abbie Boudreau by trying to lure her into a sexually compromising situation was unbelievably stupid, juvenile, and most seriously, a serious offense to Christ.
You have revealed yourself, in this incident, apparently incapable of recognizing that any decent man would never treat any woman–no matter the circumstances–in the way you apparently had planned to treat Abbie. What kind of a man are you? I hope you realize what an offense you have committed against her, against God, against your own dignity, and against every man who cares about how women are treated. I am conservative, Christian, and pro-life. For myself, I am outraged (something I rarely say) and offended at the vileness, self-absorption, delusions of self-importance, and plain idiocy you have demonstrated in this scheme.
If you have any Christian virtue, if you have any sense of appropriate shame as a man, the only public pronouncements you will be making for a long time will be sincere and frequent apologies to Abbie and CNN and to decent conservatives everywhere who have all been unjustly tarnished by this absurd, disgusting, pathetic plot.
O’Keefe also owes an apology to ACORN, which was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies, plus the General Accounting Office, and found NOT GUILTY of abusing its funding or its charter.
He and Breitbart also owe an apology to Shirley Sherrod, whose career they attempted to destroy.
Finally, the secretive funder of Project Veritas needs to come forward and explain why he didn’t pull the plug on O’Keefe’s plan before it started. My guess: the funder is talking with his lawyer right now.
In the public’s eyes, O’Keefe’s credibility is now zero, nada, zilch, nothing.
And Breitbart is headed right down the sewer with him.
Jill, you might want to think about that. After all, you’re one of Breitbart’s contributors.
Let’s be clear on some things: first, I campaigned for Goldwater in ’64; second, I’m sympathetic to some of your positions.
But, you’re going to get nowhere, absolutely nowhere, by associating yourselves with a group of zealots. I warned about this in a comment here a few weeks ago and was blown off.
Well, O’Keefe is just one example of what can happen when you associate yourselves with a bunch of whacked-out extremists.
They’ll take you with them.
From the O’Keefe link:
UPDATE, 9:58p: Actually, I agree with how Andy Moore put it in a comment: “I’ll stand by him (not necessarily his actions) even if is proven not to deserve my support. We can all slip up from time to time….” Amen.
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All I can say is: Wow, just wow. Sorry, I wasted your time in the previous comment.
And mine.
Whatever he may have done now, I don’t think James O’Keefe should apologize to ACORN. They said the things they said through their own volition, when any normal person would have told him, “No, we won’t help you set up your brothel for underage prostitutes, now get the hell out of here before I call the cops.” Neither he nor Andrew Breitbart owe Shirley Sherrod an apology either. What would they say, “I’m sorry I made the media aware of statements you made on camera in a public forum”?
Andy, I’m with Scott. This is not a run-of-the-mill “everyone makes mistakes” type of situation, this is about one step away from sexual assault.
I’ve never seen O’Keefe and Randall Terry in the same room ever. Just sayin’.
Scott, your comment and your note to James were both excellent.
If O’Keefe wants to dance or do comedy he can go right ahead. But don’t embarrass real activists with your stunts. I’m sure Stewart would be glad to have you on. He is now interested in the attention rather than a cause.
Boudreau wrote an article about her thoughts on this attempted “punk,” which is both insightful and quite sad. Had a male journalist for CNN being doing this documentary, this whole joke never would’ve happened. O’Keefe’s attempted stunt was sexual harassment. Period. There’s no other term for it.
Kudos to the filmmakers, though. As I watched it, I felt like they really were trying to be fair and simply report on what they saw. A lot of Lila’s segment looked like it came from LiveAction’s video, even, and not CNN’s.
I also noticed that both Boudreau, in the documentary, and the producer, Scott Zamost, in an article of his own, seemed surprised and somewhat disappointed that CNN was so widely dismissed by the conservatives they encountered. Perhaps they’ll be able to use that as impetus to become a more credible and trustworthy news outlet. Maybe they could start by saying “pro-life” instead of “anti-abortion.” It’d be a tiny change, but it would also be a good one.
Andy, I’m with Scott. This is not a run-of-the-mill “everyone makes mistakes” type of situation, this is about one step away from sexual assault.
Mp and Marauder, I believe Andy Moore (and Jill) made those comments MONTHS ago when O’Keefe had been involved in the debacle with Mary Landrieu’s office. Those comments were not in regards to his latest escapade.
Kel: Then how did they end up posted on this site today as a comment? Do not understand.
Marauder, this was posted by mp from the LINK Jill put in this post to an OLDER post she had made about O’Keefe and the Landrieu incident:
From the O’Keefe link:
UPDATE, 9:58p: Actually, I agree with how Andy Moore put it in a comment: “I’ll stand by him (not necessarily his actions) even if is proven not to deserve my support. We can all slip up from time to time….” Amen.
That comment, above, is from a post Jill wrote here: https://www.jillstanek.com/2010/01/the-arrest-of-james-okeefe/ on January 27 of this year. Her remarks and Andy Moore’s remarks quoted there are NOT comments relating to his latest incident.
I understand why he was hesitant to do the interview but why wouldn’t he just turn it down? How on Gods green earth did he think this was ever going to turn out right? I applaud the girl who brought it to light, this type of thing is just so wrong – right or left.
Even with O’Keefe’s statement, I still think he needs a hands-on mentor.
James trained Lila in this type of “journalism”. You guys see his tactics, the false accusation of ACORN, the breaking into a senator’s office, entrapping a CNN reporter. James figured out that the facts are not as important as how you frame them when it comes to politics. His videos are editing works of art but nowhere near the truth. Lila does the same thing. Watch her videos without paying attention to the content and you will see the same poor editing to frame selected facts. I understand how you guys feel about this issue but for just a minute forget all about abortion and look at her videos objectively as a piece of editing and you will she James all over again.
This is not journalism or reporting in any fashion. They are political smear videos and nothing more.
Make sure to read James’ comments on the incident. I am convinced that he screwed up – not on a moral level, but on a public relations level.
Thanks Kel, for clarifying.
James is a sleaze ball of the highest order. I read his comments and he sounds more like a defense attorney than a reporter to me. I like how he waited till after it aired so he could come up with explanations for every accusation just like a defense attorney would.
If the glove doesn’t fit you must acquit… worthless slime ball.
Biggz October 4th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
“You guys see his tactics, the false accusation of ACORN, the breaking into a senator’s office, entrapping a CNN reporter.”
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Biggotz
One out of three ain’t bad…..in baseball.
ACORN personel’s consistent indifference to pimps, underage prositutes smuggled into the country, and tax evasion from different offices in different states is not a ‘false accusation’. It is a fair representation of the ghetto mentality of at least those ACORN personel we saw in the video.
The same goes for the pp personel turning a blind eye to statutory rape and mandatory reporting laws when rape of a minor is suspected.
OKeefe and his asscoiates did not ‘break into’ Senator Landrieu’s office.
They were there during normal office hours. The crime with which they were initially charged was ‘entering a federal office under false pretenses’, a felony which was later changed to some other lesser offense. This is a common tactic of prosecutors who are trying to leverage co-operation out of defendants. [Landrieu could be charged and convicted of ‘entering a federal office under false pretenses’ almost any day she reports to work.]
Biggotz,
You should just stick to the facts about Okeefes recent debacle. It seems to be almost unanimous that Okeefe was wrong.
But again I will be charitable and give the the benfit of the doubt and attribute your blatherings to woefull and willfull ignorance.
The only other alternative is that you are calculatingly malicious.
Biggz October 4th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
“I like how he waited till after it aired so he could come up with explanations for every accusation just like a defense attorney would.”
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It is difficult to make a coherent response if one has not yet had the benefit of hearing/seeing the accusations first.
But I notice that liberal humanists make these jumps to judgement when it suits their purposes.
You will note that National Association of Some Liberal Colored People threw ms Shirley Sherrod under their campaign bus without first gettting the facts and her employer, the b o administration fired her before bothering to do any investigation.
I do not know yet if I accpet OKeefe’s version of events.
There are at least two sides to every dispute and often neither one is entirely accurate.
After reading OKeefs version I am re-considering your batting record. Right now I would say you are closer to 0 for 3.
But keep on swinging, I really enjoy pointing out your inanity.
Lila does the same thing. Watch her videos without paying attention to the content and you will see the same poor editing to frame selected facts.
(Biggz, October 4th, 2010 at 5:41 pm)
Clearly you’ve never looked at LiveAction with your eyes open. The videos they release are edited, true. They keep the unedited ones, though, and will email you an unedited copy of most of their stings upon request. Perhaps you should email them and see, if you’re so curious.
O’Keefe wrongly assumed that his communications with his associates would remain secret. Specifically, his recording of the telephone conversation with Boudreau violated Maryland’s two-party consent law. Per his own website, he knew that he violated that law, and that makes the situation for him even worse.
O’Keefe now stands a better than even chance of being prosecuted in Maryland for two, not just one, violations of Maryland’s wiretapping law. The first violation occurred during his so-called ACORN investigation. In view of the grievous nature of this last incident, Maryland may decide to prosecute him. If they do, and he’s convicted, he’ll likely go to prison because he violated his federal parole.
They don’t use lube or listen to Alicia Keyes music there.
Just saying.
@Marauder:
”
Whatever he may have done now, I don’t think James O’Keefe should apologize to ACORN. They said the things they said through their own volition, when any normal person would have told him, “No, we won’t help you set up your brothel for underage prostitutes, now get the hell out of here before I call the cops.” ”
Erm… you are aware that the ACORN employee actually called the police, instead of just threating to call them?
How is threatening to do something better than actually doing it, in this case?