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March 17, 2011 06:55 PM UTC

Lamborn's War on Public Broadcasting Nears Glory--Sort Of

  • 42 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn was accorded the unusual honor today of a mention on the New York Times’ editorial page, although unfortunately for Rep. Lamborn, it wasn’t really what you’d call an honorable mention. Opining on the fast-tracked bill from Lamborn to defund National Public Radio (read the latest at the Colorado Independent),

The bill, sponsored by Representative Doug Lambon, a three-term Republican from Colorado, would block all taxpayer dollars that NPR might receive, starting with any of the money given to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Local stations could not buy programming from NPR – such as “Morning Edition” or “All Things Considered” – or any other source using the $22 million or so that they get from the Treasury for that purpose. It would not actually save any federal money; it would simply make sure that none of those dollars go to NPR.

“I wish only the best for NPR,” said Mr. Lamborn, unpersuasively. He said he simply wants NPR to survive “without the crutch of government subsidies.”

This is not a serious bill. [Pols emphasis] Unattached to a budget measure, it will never survive the Senate or a presidential veto. It is designed simply to send a punitive message to a news organization that conservatives have long considered a liberal bastion. The politicized criticism amped up last week when a fund-raiser for the organization was secretly recorded calling the Tea Party a racist organization and criticizing Republicans…

The latest sting video from infamous conservative, uh, sting guy, James O’Keefe, provided the impetus for GOP House leadership to fast-track Lamborn’s bill–which, as the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation is quick to point out, violates Speaker John Boehner’s pledge to make all legislation available on the internet for 72 hours before it’s voted on. So there’s that.

It’s also a really big hoopla to make over $22 million, which the federal government tosses out with pocket lint every day, and only about 2% of NPR’s budget–a bit of a curious item to blow Boehner’s “Read the Bill” pledge on. And it’ll be DOA the moment it passes the House as the Times explained above, meaning it’s just a meaningless exercise in partisan bullying. But for Doug Lamborn, it’s a rare taste of the limelight. More than payback for all that time he wasted trying to switch the names of Mount Democrat and Republican Mountain–because Republican Mountain should obviously be taller.

Comments

42 thoughts on “Lamborn’s War on Public Broadcasting Nears Glory–Sort Of

  1. Interesting case. He went over the line with Sen. Landrieu, and it seems he does edit the video quite a bit, but so do the liberals hacks who stalk Amy Stephens with a camera. And you praise them.

    He did expose a clearly liberal bias at NPR, and Congress can decide it doesn’t want to fund politically biased news with taxpayer money if it wants to. Simple as that.

    1. That’s not Lamborn’s argument in the slightest. You need to check the latest talking points, Arap. At least get on the same page as your masters.

    2. …I’ve already shredded any perception that O’Keefe is the any kind of journalist, and is more of a manipulative hack calling himself an “Activist.”

      When Glenn Beck’s News sewer site calls into question his edits on the NPR issue, then you know you’re a loser hack…

    3. Taking out the context of Schiller’s Tea Party quote (which he notes was a view of some Republican friends – and he has decent things to say about Republicans in the full video…) is not just “over the line”, it’s fraudulent and defamatory.

      I hope Schiller (and Sherrod) sue him for all he’s worth and then a few million just to be sure.

  2. It provides educational programming that would never get aired on privately owned stations that rely on advertisment dollars.

    I have listend to NPR since 1971, starting in WI (my favorite NPR channel), and followed up listening to every NPR channel wherever I’ve moved. CPR (love that acronym) is just the most recent.

    The topics are varied, in-depth, cultural and political, humorous and rich.

    An attack on NPR is an attack on the intelligence of Americans.

    1. This effort to defund NPR and PBS has one goal–dummy down the American public.

      Think about what you can see on PBS–anything from Sesame Street, Science Nova, to Frontline and Ken Burn documentaries. Where on MSM would you have an opportunity to view that level of excellence without paying for it in a cable package?

      Think about the programming offered by NPR–American Roots, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, BBC.

      Education is power. So, make your public stupid. It’s a means to an end.  

      1. Let’s be realistic here, MOTR. Chances are, when you turn on PBS to catch your favorite program, you’ll see some geezers from the ’60s reunited for a concert. Or endlessly repeated claptrap from Suzie Orman.  

          1. And tonight (and all this week), instead of Nova, Frontline, American Experience or Charlie Rose on KRMA, we’re treated to “Favorites” (see above: reunited bands from the ’60s, Suzie Orman and maybe some Dr. Wayne Dyer). The windows when this nonsense isn’t dominating PBS primetime are getting fewer and further between.

              1. which has been a PBS staple for nearly three decades, and has as loyal a following as the other shows we mentioned. It gets pre-empted this week too for the umpteenth airing of the same Suzie Orman show (check your local listings).

                1. Skip the sugar-encrusted show tunes…Mr Welk had one of the best Big Bands on television, and could have given Glenn Miller a run if they were to match up.  

          1. But in an age when viewers can find quality programing on a dozen channels, it’s a harder argument to make that PBS is the last bastion of good documentaries, in-depth news, public affairs and children’s programming when the stations devote so much time to fundraising programming aimed squarely at a very narrow slice of aging Baby Boomers.  

            1. Seriously asking. Usually I’m the only one who knows they exist. One does documentaries nearly all the time, one covers international news (interrupted by the occasional international mystery – Il commissario Montalbano being my favorite), and both channels 6 and 12 have Spanish only stations.

              Totally agree about the pledge drive thing on the main stations. Every time I’m interested in a series that’s interrupted for two weeks I move on. They need a new marketing/donation team.

              1. I can’t think of a bigger shock to my system upon returning from being out of the country than seeing you’re triple ♥-ing Beelzebub’s spawnlet — are you just being droll, or WTF?

                 

                  1. along with a few land based diversions, during Carnaval week in Cozumel.

                    I desperately hope your string of electoral success goes unbroken — there’s nobody more deserving of your full support.  Oh, and BTW, shouldn’t you be out knocking on some doors???

                    1. I did it to myself; there’s not much walking.

                      I do remember you talking about diving now. Sounds like a great trip!

  3. I heard some Southern R congresswoman on the radio this morning talking about “no taxpayer having to fund a viewpoint they may disagree with.”

    This fits right in with the so-called “no taxpayer funding for abortion” act which prevents the same tax benefits everyone gets when their employer pays for their health insurance from applying if that insurance covers abortion.  

    It’s as if the few pennies of your individual taxes which subsidize something you don’t agree with gives you veto power.  Plenty that the government does or says with your tax money, or incentivizes or disincentivizes through the tax code will have someone who disagrees with it.  Mature adults used to understand that this is what happens in a representative democracy.  

    1. Then we the public should be able to allocate our tax dollars to specific programs.  If so, I elect to move my dollars away from the M-I Complex and in to the CFPB, SEC enforcement division, and social programs.

      Just to see if that’s what they really meant, I understand some Democratic Reps tried to amend the bill in committee to also prohibit the Federal government from spending any money over at Faux News, because it was obviously biased.  It failed to pass…

  4. I’m a huge supporter of PBS and NPR and they do provide the best of the best in programing over all. However,their leadership is often arrogant and difficult to work with and that doesn’t help when they need support on the Hill.      

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