Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
It’s a well-known fact that Republicans hate children. That’s why they’re so supportive of corporations like McDonald’s, the purveyor of the instant childhood obesity kits more insidiously and perversely known as Happy Meals. To show just how much Republicans hate children Democrat members of Congress invited Arthur, the Aardvark to the Hill today for a photo opp to talk about preserving the funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. One would have thought that other cartoon characters, say for example Nina Totenberg, NPR’s correspondent for matters judicial, would have been a more logical advocate for this cause. Perhaps Democrats were a tad concerned that Totenberg would have become incensed and wished retributive justice on Republican Budget Committee members that they contract an incurable disease if funding for her employer and the CPB was curtailed. Yes, better to invite an otherwise mute, overgrown, warm and fuzzy cartoon character.
If Arthur had been invited into the hearings themselves it could have gotten ugly. Thank goodness, that didn't happen or I would have been compelled to counsel that in order to avoid any potential unpleasant trauma in your home that you switch channels from C-SPAN, when the hearings commenced, to something more appropriate for your young impressionable children, like Ax Men, MTV’s Skins, syndicated episodes of Two And A Half Men with Charlie Sheen (he so reminds me of Ward Cleaver), or perhaps even the Ultimate Fight Championship which compared to the scene of an adorable cartoon character enduring a public humiliation from a snarling pack of rabid, scissors-wielding Republicans would be more like watching two tattooed half-naked men getting all cuddly.
I just hope Republican members of Congress have the stomach to cut off Arthur and all of the other CPB programming that the federal government has no business funding in the first place. Just don’t tell Ms. Totenberg I said this. That woman really scares me.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
If Republicans had guts they'd summon Juan Williams and Totenberg before the Budget Committee and draw a contrast between what constituted a firing offense for him and what didn't constitute one for her (wishing that Sen. Helms' grandkids contract AIDS, etc.).
Jan '11
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Deliciously snarky :)
Re. NPR, though. If Congress cuts off funding wouldn't that mainly affect the head office of NPR rather than individual NPR stations? I admit to listening to a couple of NPR podcasts and would be sad to see them go, not that I want the US tax payer to foot the bill of course. Wouldn't pledge drives and (gasp) advertising keep some of them afloat?
Jun '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Bjarni Olafsson: Deliciously snarky :)
Re. NPR, though. If Congress cuts off funding wouldn't that mainly affect the head office of NPR rather than individual NPR stations? I admit to listening to a couple of NPR podcasts and would be sad to see them go, not that I want the US tax payer to foot the bill of course. Wouldn't pledge drives and (gasp) advertising keep some of them afloat? · Feb 16 at 1:42pm
Most of the concentration on effort appears to be cutting off funding for the CPB. Which funds a lot of the programming that makes its way to NPR and to PBS. From what I understand.
Jul '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
I actually think that NPR does some very, very good journalism of a caliber not available elsewhere. I just don't want them doing it on my dollar. Public funding is about 10% of their total revenue. Something tells me there are enough limousine rides, enough swanky dinners and enough redundant employees to make up the difference.
Nov '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
I think all of the good children's programming on PBS could support itself, Arthur included.
Jan '11
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
If they're so important, then they'll have no problem selling commercial time.
May '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
How much money Sesame Street merchandise made over the last thirty years? My nieces and nephews alone count for at leat a few thousand dollars.
May '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Defunding NPR is a key indicator of whether the Republican majority in the House is really serious. If they can't or won't pick this low-hanging fruit (along with abolishing the National Endowment for the Arts, and National Endowment for the Humanities) then they clearly aren't serious.
Jul '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
The two boards of directors that establish policy for NPR are loaded with not just liberals but liberal activists. Republicans are either slothful or stupid to continue to shovel public money into an organization that is ideologically hostile.
Dec '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Nick, Jr. and The Disney Channel would agree with you.
May '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
"Instant childhood obesity kits?" Mmm... yum!
De-fund NPR and the National Endowment for the Arts, for good measure.
Just keep your legislatin' hands off'in my obesity kit!
May '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Thank g-d Arthur's wife Ethel was away quantity surveying....
Jan '11
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Brian Watt
The press conference showed the unfortunate repercussions of the Loughner Massacre in Tucson.
(I'll let everyone blink a few times before continuing......)
Were it not for the shooting of Giffords this press event would have been the perfect opportunity for some libertarian leftover from CPAC to do something positive for a change.
Think how beautiful a custard pie to the face of this stupid Democrat in an aardvark suit would have been! Our Paulian could have shouted at the mute Arthur to "Get off welfare!" and that it was high time the aardvark started paying for himself.
Street theater - a weapon that is Democrat-approved and one that small-government Republicans should have in the quiver.
What a shame that due to Tucson we don't.
Edited on Feb 17, 2011 at 6:15amMay '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
To be contrary.....
Is it possible that the political hit we'll take from this--to save millions--is as great as the political hit we'd take going after less emotion-laden but bigger-money cuts elsewhere, and therefore picking this fight is unwise? Using up precious political capital on this might not be worth the relatively small savings...especially when we have the entitlement battle royal looming, for which we'll need every ounce of political capital.
We have to be very careful in determining which hills are worth dying on.
(Just wondering, even though I find state funded broadcasting to be an outrage.)
Jun '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Scott Reusser:
Is it possible that the political hit we'll take from this--to save millions--is as great as the political hit we'd take going after less emotion-laden but bigger-money cuts elsewhere, and therefore picking this fight is unwise? [...]
We have to be very careful in determining which hills are worth dying on.
(Just wondering, even though I find state funded broadcasting to be an outrage.) · Feb 17 at 6:16am
For years, the Muppets created a merchandising empire on Sesame Street that spun into Muppet films and other TV shows and specials. Was any of the profit gained returned to the federal government? When Disney bought the licensing and film rights to the Muppets what was the federal government's percentage? Or future royalty participation? Arthur and other characters, Dora, the Explorer, etc. continue to use taxpayer's hard earned money to launch lucrative businesses. Quite a deal. There are other venues for this content on television and elsewhere that profit-oriented companies like Disney or other studios can support.
If conservatives are inept about framing the debate and taking this little hill, then taking the bigger hills will be that much more difficult.
Dec '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Honestly...I don't think that there will be any political repercussions here. Anyone who would vote Republican is not that emotionally invested in PBS/NPR and their only contact with public broadcasting is children's programming.
But as I point out above, most parents don't even have contact with PBS children's programming anymore. If PBS were to disappear entirely, most people wouldn't notice.
But it won't. It will reorganize, maybe some small stations will go under, maybe some will merge and try to get a license for a higher-wattage transmitter. But the first thing to go will be the documentaries. Not the Ken Burns stuff but the "being xxxxxx in America" ones.
What they really need to do is to take some pictures of the reception area at an NPR station and at a commercial station.
Oct '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Scott Reusser: Is it possible that the political hit we'll take from this--to save millions--is as great as the political hit we'd take going after less emotion-laden but bigger-money cuts elsewhere, and therefore picking this fight is unwise?
We have to be very careful in determining which hills are worth dying on. · Feb 17 at 6:16am
This is a warm-up bout. Skip this one and then try to take on the big Kahuna without it? So, the fat, flabby and outa shape GOP will simply wait for the biggies, sans a loyal support network of Tea Partiers and other conservatives, and prevail? Fugetaboutit! By the time the big stuff happens, their half of the crowd has gone home in disgust, and the remainder of the crowd are rooting for the Dem's.
May '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Indeed.
If this is so and Republicans can't drive that point to voters, then Brian is right:
Brian Watt
If conservatives are inept about framing the debate and taking this little hill, then taking the bigger hills will be that much more difficult.
Republicans must accomplish something significant before 2012 or some voters who would have otherwise supported them will lose faith that any real change began with the Tea Party movement.
May '10
Re: Arthur, the Aardvark Appears on Capitol Hill
Brian Watt
If conservatives are inept about framing the debate and taking this little hill, then taking the bigger hills will be that much more difficult. · Feb 17 at 6:51am
Agreed. My worry is that historically we have been inept at framing this particular debate (last time it was Big Bird that did us in, as I recall). Maybe, maybe, we won't be inept this time, but the risk of repeating history is that, as you say, "the bigger hills will be that much more difficult"--which is exactly my point.
But it's a moot point now: The Muppet Wars have apparently started. All that's left to do is win. Bring 'em on.