Terrible news from Friday morning. Mike Flynn, the founding editor of Breitbart Media’s Big Government site, suddenly passed away. Like the man who hand-picked him for the job, Andrew Breitbart, he was taken far too soon. He was 49.
Mike was a warrior for liberty. He was instrumental in exposing the ACORN scandal in 2009 that got Breitbart’s Big Government from zero-to-600 in no time flat. The man’s instincts and contacts were gold, and his influence is still being felt in today’s politics. Just ask ACORN, or Anthony Weiner, for starters.
I only met Mike in person once in DC several years ago, but corresponded with him via email from time to time. I wished I lived in Illinois’ 18th Congressional District where he ran for Congress in the primary against Darin LaHood. I would have never cast a vote with more pride and pleasure.
Mike’s friends have started a GoFundMe drive to assist in the educational expenses of his children. Please consider going there to help reach the goal of $50,000. The text at that GoFundMe page says a lot about a great champion of liberty, which you can read below.
R.I.P., Mike Flynn.
American Patriot Mike Flynn passed away June 23rd unexpectedly from a heart attack, leaving behind a wife and four children. Please consider a contribution to assist with education expenses for the children.
Flynn was one of the original merry band of warriors and generals recruited and empowered by the late Andrew Breitbart back in 2009.
Flynn was the man who spear-headed Breitbart’s roll-out of the Acorn video series when Big Government first launched in 2009. As Breitbart’s sole employee in Washington DC in those early days, Flynn was the pivot person for every story and strategy focused on the federal government and national politics.
To his friends, Flynn was fiercely loyal, quick witted, intelligent and relentless in his defense of America’s founding ideals and the notion that individuals should have the right to live their lives without intrusion of the federal government. To his political adversaries he was tenacious and formidable yet quick with a joke at the end of a long, hard-fought battle.
Flynn’s laugh was infectious and boisterous and his ability to find a political ally in almost every district in the country when a story popped up was legendary. There were many times when a tip would come in to the Breitbart editorial team and Flynn would jump on to a conference call to dazzle all of us with his knowledge of exactly what the local, state and national ramifications would be on how the potential story would play out. He almost always “knew a guy” who could get a grass-roots video to turn a story into a blockbuster.
His efforts with Big Government were instrumental in many seats flipping from Democrat to Republican in 2010 and he was a frequent guest on talk radio and cable news on behalf of the Breitbart media empire.
Mike Flynn was a warrior who measured his effectiveness not just with the political scalps he obtained through exposing corruption at the highest levels of government but with the friends and allies he racked up through his tenacious efforts for a common cause. He loved this country and could speak eloquently and at length on the courage, foresight and brilliance of the founding fathers, but also of the unnamed patriots who did the actual fighting in the trenches during our nation’s founding.
During political debates Flynn would also say something like “I’m pretty sure those boys at Valley Forge didn’t freeze their toes off fighting for our independence just so this congressman can get a boondoggle project paid for on the tax-payer’s dime.” It was that kind of passion and wit that made Flynn one of a kind and he will be sorely missed.
While Mike had a successful career in politics, the most important thing to Mike was his wife, four children, parents and siblings.
Rest in peace, American patriot and happy warrior Michael Flynn.
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Jim Lakely is the Vice President and Director of Communications of The Heartland Institute.
