Bush to seek Big budget increase for the National Endowment for the Arts

[Beaker]

Drudge Headline- no story to link to yet-

BUSH TO SEEK BIG BUDGET INCREASE FOR NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS... Laura Bush plans to announce the request -- for the largest increase in two decades -- on Thursday... Developing...

well piss on my crucifix and call it art...
between this and Mars, the conservos are going to be having palpitations...

(don't get me wrong, I support government funding for the arts)

[Sandpiper]

1. Just more of Bush

Trying to pretend he's some sort of centrist "compassionate conservative" in the run up to the election.

[calimary]

44. Molly Ivins warned about this - from what he did in Texas.

Came on like a nice, moderate guy to lure you in (spider-like), then after he's voted in, shows his true colors and turns hard right. Fucks Texas royally. Then, when reelection time comes, he softens back up again and makes like a moderate, hoping people only have short-term memory and will forget/forgive all the crap he perpetrated earlier, or will presume that he "got religion" and has seen the light on his conservative shit.

You CAN fool some of the people all the time... Dear God, I hope people see through this. And I don't want republi-CON money funding the arts. As an artist, myself, God only knows what dreck we'll get for it.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

45. Halliburton can fund art-just like the tobacco companies. ech. n/t

[Cush]

2. its for show

to get support, no money to spend

[frank frankly]

3. if Bush* moves any more to the middle, his base will ditch his ass

October Surprises are all that can save him.

and those won't save him.

they'll just destroy us all.

[dflprincess]

4. Perhaps he thinks it will make all those Hollywood

liberal types decide he's not so bad? I'm sure he assumes they can be bought just like his biz-ness friends.

[Snappy]

5. Spending

It's nice to have some more money for Arts but don't we have a deficit? Uh...the largest since Raygun?

[arcane1]

6. palpitations have already begun

it's astounding, the things that get them riled up.. killin gpeople and stealing their resources, that's ok

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1064582

[salin]

15. there is a big piece of the picture they are NOT getting.

they think this is pandering to the middle and center/left. As if NEA funding is a reason someone switches (or decides) to vote R.

There is no pandering for votes here.

Instead this is a move to his big monied buddies. They like having private art collections -but it is expensive. Wonder how much money will go towards buying (gvt money) private collections (eg direct $ to friends of bush), and how much will go to gifts towards collections in the cities where his biggest donors reside (cheaper to go visit locally than to have to buy.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. I would bet

there's also a big tax break included too. Buy expensive art and use it as a tax deduction. It's getting pretty easy to figure out Dubya's motives these days.

[hatrack]

7. He'll host the opening of "Mapplethorpe - The Early Years"

It'll be broadcast live on Fox and CNN, and Bush will give the audience tours of Mapplethorpe's early "Leather Man" and "Colonic Irrigation" photo essays!

[LTR]

19. Speaking of Colonic Irrigation...

[hatrack]

29. ROFLMAO!!!!!

Thanks, Rat Terrier - I really needed that!!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. Ten bucks says it will be used to fund faith based art

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. I wouldn't bet against you...

That's what our culture needs...more contemporary christian crap.

[David Zephyr]

16. Faith Based Art! That's Why I Love You, NSMA.

Faith based art. That's rich! :hi:

[Champion Jack]

17. See post # 11

[Champion Jack]

18. like this?

http://www.atomicmule.com/legume/[e-mail]

[burrowowl]

33. Yes, but Jesus should look

more like Bu$hie!
ROTFLMAO

[0007]

40. You got it!

Throw a nickle on the drum
save another drunken bum
Salvation Army Salvation Army......
....

Once upon a time
A goose drink wine
A monkey spit tobacco
on the street car line
The street broke
The monkey choked
and they all went to
heaven
on a big fat Billy Goat

[lastknowngood]

9. 500 billion plus deficit and he can still

find more money to spend.

[Beetwasher]

10. This Is Another Moon/Mars Shot

It will get the same reaction. Everyone's going to be totally "WTF!?" and either not believe that the money will ever materialize or think it's just plain stupid at this point in time. It's not like anyone on any side is even asking for this...It's ludicrous.

[Champion Jack]

11. I understand that he was inspired by this "art"

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. LOL! I don't care if it rains or freezes...

long as I got my plastic Jesus
sittin' on the dashboard of my car.

[Gman]

14. BWAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA...!!!!!

The repugs were trying to kill it 5 years ago.

Robert Maplethorpe lives!

[AlabamaYankee]

46. Lynne Cheney has been a longtime enemy of the NEA

Bush* obviously didn't check with his boss before making this announcement

[LTR]

20. The freepers are goin' apeshit!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1067204/posts

A sample quote:

Who are the Democrats in the race again?

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[rumguy]

22. It's official: Bush has turned me into a hard-core fiscal conservative

We cannot afford this, not at this point in our history.

[rumguy]

26. check out this post from F.Republic - I never thought I'd see the day!

Bush is a politician, nothing more. Bill Clinton at heart was more of a conservative.
55 posted on 01/28/2004 6:33:37 PM PST by dwilli

[asthmaticeog]

39. Dig this

"Call me naive, ignorant, or both, but what the hell is the national endowment for the arts?"

For my money, that's the best Freeper quote in that whole thread.

[rumguy]

21. Boy this will go over well with his base

Bush is turning me into a fiscal conservative. Do we really have the money for this right now? I don't think so....

[stopbush]

23. Believe it or not, this is actually a move to shore up his base.

60 Minutes ran a piece a couple of years ago that was rather shocking - repug congressman had discovered the value of the arts to the financial well being of their districts. The fact is that every $1 in government money that is spent on the arts in this country produces $11 in ancillary income, ie: ticket sales, hotel rooms, airfares, food and drink. That is a tremendous return on investment, and if you happen to live in a land-locked state with few military bases, you find other ways to bring $ (or pork) to your people.

After trying to kill the NEA for years, the repigs suddenly got religion when it meant building concert halls, funding orchestras and ballets and bringing jobs to their districts.

There is no love for the arts being expressed here. It's simply another handout to repigs so they can get reelected for bringing home the bacon.

[rumguy]

24. the base doesn't see it like that - go check out freak republik

they are stark-raving mad, and quite frankly, I don't blame them one bit...

[stopbush]

27. Freepers are as much a part of shrub's base as DUers represent the

average Dem. Sure, the freepers will rage, but I wonder how many of them have actually bothered to register to vote. These are frightened, cowardly people whose bark is much worse than their bite.

Repug congressmen, on the other hand, win by campaigning on what they bring home to their constituents. How about the Dem in Texas (Hall?) who just changed to repig because the repigs told him as long as he was a Dem, no money for his district? And freepers, like all good repigs, look out for themselves, so they'll accept the pork delivered to their districts while railing against the pork handed out elsewhere. It doesn't matter if that pork is in arts spending, bridge building or cesspool cleaning. It's all good.

If you know a freeper who will vote Dem over this arts funding issue, I'll send you a dollar.

The sad thing is that a few progressives may be persuaded that bush actually gives a rat's ass about the arts and vote bush over an *untested* Dem.

It's a win-win for bush the uniter.

[rumguy]

30. thing is some of those freepers will just stay home...that's a plus for us

[LTR]

25. It's all about the pork! (nm)

[Beaker]

28. Is Halliburton getting into the gallery business?

nt

[October]

37. LOL!

[Ready4Change]

32. Which kid will be left behind to pay for this?

Oh, wait, I forgot, those kids aren't getting any money in the first place.

:eyes:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

49. Except kids started being left behind

when school systems started cutting the arts from their budgets.

There were a number kids in my high school who joined the band after the director found them skipping class and smoking pot in various places within the building. Those kids, who would've been dropouts if not for band, developed a sense of self-esteem and now are productive members of their communities.

I know this because we had a band-geek reunion a few years ago, after the director passed away. People from well-before and well-after my time there attended to honor the man that really gave a damn about kids that others had written off as losers.

[Voltaire99]

34. Wildlife art! Soldier statues! Songs about Gawd, SUVs and Amurrica!

Funny, Karl Rove, I didn't realize you and your Christian hunting buddies were. . . artists. What's that you call this painting? "Shooting A Pheasant In a World Free of Saddam, Praise Jesus"? Oh, yes, of course I like it.

[LTR]

35. kick

This is too damn funny!

:kick:

[Magleetis]

36. Bush* has spoken of transparancy

and anyone with half a brain can see right through his attempt to move to the center because of the election. This administration is so full of BS that it is oozing from the every crack in the Whitehouse. Evil, lying, murderous, sinister, un-American, there are not enough adjectives.

[LeftHander]

38. How transparent...

Does he really think that moderates are going to think that he is one of them. He did this in 2000 campaign. Played to middle but was a far right neo-con.

The progressive need to explain that the middle has more to fear from the far right than the left.

Moderates suck in that they are two wishy-washy. They will go along with the right wing's tricks.

[callous taoboy]

41. He's got my vote now...

'cause this touches my liberal heart.

[skippysmom]

42. I work in the arts

And think the NEA and NEH should get more money because (1) it's the right thing to do and (2) it would create more jobs in a field that has seen so many layoffs because states are cutting their funding.

But even that wouldn't make me vote for this asshole.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

47. I work in the arts, too...

I agree with you completely...and a lot of children would benefit from decent arts programs in their schools. Children started bein left behind when arts programs started being cut from schools.

I'll be happy to vote for a democrat who supports this issue.

But no slimy crook can buy my vote.

[hyphenate]

43. This won't happen:

Just another election year LIE by the mental midget to try and capture more votes. Just like the Mars crap--the only reason he even supports that is so Halliburton can get more no-bid contracts on the race to Mars. All of it is mere pandering, and only those with cataracts or glazed-over eyes will even find hope in the lies and propaganda.

[havocmom]

48. overheard in the private residence: 'Hey, Laura, Kerry's wife makes her

own catsup. You gotta do something you know, First Lady-like so the people will love us... Find a cause to support. Hey, all those crayon drawings I made for you hanging on the fridge....'

[rexcat]

50. Bush* will say anything to be elected...

and he knows that additional funding of the arts will not happen as long as the repukes control the House and Senate. He can promise us the moon (oops, he already did) but that does not mean he will deliver or even wants to deliver.