New CPB board member Warren Bell on hugging Pelosi: “[T]hat sort of thing leaves a stain”
Bush Nominates National Review Writer To Public Broadcasting Board
On December 20, President Bush installed via a recess appointment TV producer and National Review Online contributor Warren Bell on the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Bell’s appointment only intensifies the widespread and longstanding concerns regarding the partisan makeup of the CPB leadership under Bush and their apparent efforts to compromise the political independence of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), National Public Radio (NPR), and other public broadcasting outlets. Indeed, while Bell appears to have no experience in public broadcasting, nor interest in the service, he is an avowed conservative and Bush contributor with a record of inflammatory remarks regarding Democrats, women, minorities, and underprivileged people.
Remember when Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader rode into Washington promising to be a “uniter” and not a “divider”? Those of us here in Texas can still remember when Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader was actually willing to reach across the aisle in an effort to find something resembling compromise and common ground. Now his idea of compromise usually involves the political equivalent of Democrats dropping trou and grabbing their ankles. Nowhere has this been more evident than in his determination to get far-Right Conservative zealots into positions of power. If he can’t do it the old-fashioned way- a vote in Congress- he’s more than happy to use the power of a recess appointment. Never let it be said that Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader isn’t resourceful, ruthless, and willing to do whatever it takes to remake government in his image. Uniter, my @$$….
When it comes to public broadcasting, Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader has managed to thoroughly politicize what historically has been a politically neutral organization. That neutrality in and of itself was a clear and present threat to Conservatives (if you’re not with us, you’re against us) and their plan to impose complete and total ideological hegemony over the American body politic:
The founders of public broadcasting envisioned the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to consist of “distinguished and public-spirited citizens” possessing “the various areas of talent and experience appropriate to this enterprise.” Their role was to insulate public broadcasting from political interference in program content.
Really? So how’s that whole “insulate public broadcasting from political interference in program content” thing working out for you??
The latest example of his slash-and-burn ideological Conservative excess is his recess appointment of Warren Bell to head the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Bell, no one’s bleeding-heart Librul, is an unapologetic and unabashed lover of the KoolAid, and he’s not afraid who knows about it.
For instance, in May 2005 he wrote, “I could reach across the aisle and hug Nancy Pelosi, and I would, except this is a new shirt, and that sort of thing leaves a stain.” Remarking on using a TiVo to shield his children from birth control ads on television, Bell said, “A little vigilance is all it takes — well, that and a couple hundred bucks for a TiVo. Sorry, poor people, your kids are going to be asking you awkward questions about condoms.”
You’re poor? Too bad, so sad. Perhaps God is punishing you for your sloth, ignorance, and poor decision-making. Sorry you didn’t win the cosmic lottery….
On June 26, Bush nominated Bell to the CPB board along with two other individuals, former Sen. David H. Pryor (D-AR) and Bay Area public broadcasting official Chris Boskin. The public broadcasting community quickly objected to the White House’s action on Bell. Many cited Bell’s divisive comments as well as the recent controversy surrounding another partisan Bush appointee — former CPB board chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, whose efforts to apply political pressure on PBS and NPR were extensively documented by Media Matters for America. Following Bell’s nomination, Association of Public Television Stations president John Lawson told the Los Angeles Times: ”We are definitely concerned about Warren Bell’s nomination. After the damage caused by Ken Tomlinson’s activities, the last thing we need on the CPB board is another ideologue of any stripe.” NPR spokeswoman Andi Sporkin — quoted in the same July 16 Times article — responded: ”So far as we can tell, Mr. Bell only brings a history of questionable comments about women, minorities and the media, and no discernable relevant achievement, involvement or commitment to public broadcasting.” Chellie Pingree, president of the watchdog group Common Cause, said: ”Public broadcasting is just beginning to recover from the missteps of Ken Tomlinson. The CPB cannot afford to replace Tomlinson with Warren Bell. He is the wrong man in the wrong job at the wrong time.”
Bell’s only apparent qualification is lockstep ideological fealty to the Conservative slash-and-burn agenda put forward by Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader…which is really all that matters in BushWorld. Loyalty trumps competence, and obedience trumps qualifications (or lack thereof). Bell shares the same goal voiced by Our Glorious and Benevolent Leaders and other neoConservative firebrands: to turn CPB into yet another reliably Conservative mouthpiece: Fox News Channel funded with taxpayer money, if you will.
Though Conservatives have since the dawn of political time derided the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as the home and mouthpiece of wooly-headed America-hating Liberals, there is nothing Liberal about CPB. Watch the Public Broadcasting System, or listen to National Public Radio, and any reasonable, rational person will come with the understanding that this is NOT the Liberal Media bogeyman that Conservatives love to pontificate about.
Throughout it’s history, CPB has always done a reasonably good job of being ideologically neutral. Of course, for Republicans ideological neutrality is merely Liberalism in sheep’s clothing. If you’re not obviously espousing and advocating reliably Conservative viewpoints, you’re clearly and undoubtedly an America-hating Liberal.
I am thoroughly conservative in ways that strike horror into the hearts of my Hollywood colleagues. I support a woman’s right to choose what movie we should see, but not that other one.”
I don’t begrudge Warren Bell his point of view or his political philosophy. What does anger me is his holier-than-thou, survival-of-the-fittest (read: richest) mindset.
Jeebus, what a DUMB@$$…and an asshole to boot.
