Bush Seeks More Arts Funding

That’s the headline, or a close approximation to it. But it’s not really an increase in arts funding… it’s an increase in NEA funding. The same NEA that paid for Piss Christ and Mapplethorpe’s “The Perfect Moment”.

The good news for conservatives is that the increase in funding won’t pay for S&M photos or religious figures submerged in urine. Instead, it looks like the majority of the money will pay for arts in school.

Some new money sought by Mr. Bush would expand initiatives with broad bipartisan support, like performances of Shakespeare’s plays and “Jazz Masters” concert tours.

Mrs. Bush also plans to introduce a new initiative, “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.” This would combine art presentations — from painting and literature to music and dance — with education programs. The program would give large numbers of students around the country a chance to see exhibitions and performances.

The bad news for conservatives is that once again Bush is alienating his base by announcing spending proposals. Every one of these spending proposals needs to be accompanied by a press release detailing the end of a government project that costs just as much money as the one being proposed.

Two theories:

Karl Rove is calculating just how much Bush can appeal to moderate voters without alienating some of his conservative base to the point that they don’t vote. If that’s the case, the answer is simple: he’s already lost some conservatives, and the more we see proposals like this, the more he’ll lose.

Or… Dubya is doing this out of principle, and his advisors can’t convince him that these ideas are going to cost him votes.

Regardless of what’s really behind this, the image is of Bush becoming just another politician. He really needs to get back to the image of a statesman; the leader who guided this country through the dark days following 9/11.

Recently, Perry wrote about the need to remember 9-11. As he put it:

Someone, a while back- maybe it was Lileks- pointed this out first, so I claim no points for originality, and I’ve even said this before, but we need to be angry about this. We need to remember the punch in the gut, the knee to the balls, the horror, the wrenching horror of watching innocent people burn to death or jump from 100 stories up. We need to remember because in forgetting, we’re giving aid and comfort to the people who celebrated that event, who want us either dead or subjected to their beliefs.

Maybe that’s the answer. Maybe you have to accept the fact there is not a fiscal conservative running for President. Maybe you have to accept the choice of deficit spending or a tax increase. And when it comes down to it, maybe you have to ask “If and when there’s another 9/11 style attack, what candidate is going to best defend this country?”