Nothing really earthshaking to report at this point, though we do have an item we wanted to pass along.
In the propaganda the Iron Rail Gang cobbled together to celebrate their demonstration outside Brennan’s Restaurant on Friday, Brennan’s was described thusly:
Brennan’s is notorious as the largest donor to the LA Restaurant Association, which sued to block a $1 minimum wage raise that was approved by voters in New Orleans in 2002.
We included that line in our recanting of what the anarchist folks posted in their news outlets by way of illustrating all the grudges and animus they had toward everyone involved in Friday’s fundraiser. And also to give as complete a picture of what that side is saying as possible.
We figured in doing so that the vast majority of our readers would see that line and roll their eyes at the concept that a restaurateur belonging to a restaurant association was somehow blameworthy. People who live in or visit New Orleans, after all, have lots of adjectives to describe Brennan’s. “Notorious” is not one which typically comes to mind.
But by doing so we certainly didn’t mean to suggest that we took the anarchists’ claims at face value. We don’t. Brennan’s Restaurant didn’t have much at all to do with the LRA’s fight against the minimum wage increase back in 2002; they’re a member and that’s it. Considering the multiple slurs and aspersions the Iron Rail Gang were tossing around in their communiques, Brennan’s probably got off easy.
But to the extent anyone would lump their statements together with the reporting we’ve done on our own with respect to this, let’s clarify that it’s not our intention to have this story result in bad press for Brennan’s. Democrats eat there all the time and the food is just as good if you’re on the left as on the right; even Friday’s demonstrators agree. What’s more, any restaurant would say yes to hosting a $10,000 a plate fundraiser at which three governors will be in attendance; that Brennan’s happened to host the one in question shouldn’t reflect badly on their business even with respect to the political persuasion of those attending such a fundraiser.
And in that respect, Brennan’s ranks as a victim in this scenario, too, which is something that is being lost as this story grows.
We talked to Ellen Brennan, the proprietor of the restaurant, this afternoon. This situation has brought a lot of pain down on Brennan’s – from the extreme inconvenience the protestors put their guests through on Friday night as they entered and exited the restaurant (Louisiana GOP chairman Roger Villere actually informed us that he left through the kitchen), to the impression given in mainstream media reports that Allee Bautsch and Joe Brown were attacked in or immediately outside the restaurant (they were actually hit two blocks away on St. Louis Street, as we’ve reported), to the publicity surrounding the anarchists’ allegations which we quoted, Ms. Brennan told us it’s been a rough week. And that’s a shame, because they’re blameless here.
One of the things we hate about the left is that with them, everything is political. Brennan’s Restaurant isn’t political. Because of this, they are now. And that’s a shame.
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