Bush Is Said to Seek More Money for Arts [$15 million to $20 million for NEA]

New York Times ^ | January 29, 2004 | ROBERT PEAR

[yonif]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 — President Bush will seek a big increase in the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts, the largest single source of support for the arts in the United States, administration officials said on Wednesday.

The proposal is part of a turnaround for the agency, which was once fighting for its life, attacked by some Republicans as a threat to the nation's moral standards.

Laura Bush plans to announce the request on Thursday, in remarks intended to show the administration's commitment to the arts, aides said.

Administration officials, including White House budget experts, said that Mr. Bush would propose an increase of $15 million to $20 million for the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. That would be the largest rise in two decades and far more than the most recent increases, about $500,000 for 2003 and $5 million for this year.

The agency has a budget of $121 million this year, 31 percent lower than its peak of $176 million in 1992. After Republicans gained control of Congress in 1995, they cut the agency's budget to slightly less than $100 million, and the budget was essentially flat for five years.

In an e-mail message inviting arts advocates to a news briefing with Mrs. Bush, Dana Gioia, the poet who is chairman of the endowment, says, "You will be present for an important day in N.E.A. history."

Mr. Gioia (pronounced JOY-uh) has tried to move beyond the culture wars that swirled around the agency for years. He has nurtured support among influential members of Congress, including conservative Republicans like Representatives Charles H. Taylor and Sue Myrick of North Carolina. He has held workshops around the country to explain how local arts organizations can apply for assistance.

Public support for the arts was hotly debated in the 1990's. Conservatives complained that the agency was financing obscene or sacrilegious works by artists like Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano. Former Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina, repeatedly tried to eliminate the agency.

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.

New York receives a large share of the endowment's grants. But under federal law, the agency also gives priority to projects that cater to "underserved populations," including members of minority groups in urban neighborhoods with high poverty rates.

The president's proposal faces an uncertain future at a time of large budget deficits.

Melissa Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, an advocacy group, said, "We'll be fighting tooth and nail for the increase."

Some conservatives, like Representative Tom Tancredo, Republican of Colorado, vowed to oppose the increase. Even without support from the government, he said, "art would thrive in America."

Representative Louise M. Slaughter, a New York Democrat who is co-chairwoman of the Congressional Arts Caucus, said she was delighted to learn of Mr. Bush's proposal.

"There's nothing in the world that helps economic development more than arts programs," Ms. Slaughter said. "It was foolish for Congress to choke them and starve them. We should cherish the people who can tell us who we are, where we came from and where we hope to go."

Mr. Tancredo expressed dismay. "We are looking at record deficit and potential cuts in all kinds of programs," he said. "How can I tell constituents that I'll take money away from them to pay for somebody else's idea of good art? I have no more right to do that than to finance somebody else's ideas about religion."

The agency has long had support from some Republicans, like Representatives Christopher Shays of Connecticut and Jim Leach of Iowa.

"Government involvement is designed to take the arts from the grand citadel of the privileged and bring them to the public at large," Mr. Leach said. "This democratization of the arts ennobles the American experience."

[Hunble]

Bush has scored 6 for the LIberals and 2 for conservatives.

I would rather agree with your current score and would not question that statistic.

Bush is doing his job as President of the United States.

I will respect what he has done, in an effort to represent ALL Americans.

Democrats hate him for helping Congress to pass new laws, doing exactly what they have been asking for.

[inchworm]

Wisely put, But only in the NEA case. I don't think this kinda strategy can be applied to CFR, Medicare entitlements, and his idiotic illegal immigrant proposal.
All of which will be costing us dearly.

[F16Fighter]

"Not all NEA supported stuff is trash. Government support of the arts will always be controversial..."

True, but this is a political maelstrom issue NOT based on money, but principle.

ANY support of the NEA was sure to bring Dubya more than a migraine -- and how could he NOT know this would p*ss off an already riled up constituency??

The logic defies common sense.

[nopardons]

You and me ? LOL

I usually eschew crowds as well. :-)

[rwfromkansas]

I am going to try to get in touch with a WH spokesman and ask "In light of the current deficit and growing discontent among conservatives, what purpose is served by just tossing money at an organization considered immoral by many...rather than cleaning it up with requiring stiffer standards or simply removing all funding?"

It will be interesting to see the response if I get through.

[for-q-clinton]

I've been a bush supporter for a long time. In fact, I'm even on board with his amnesty plan (but let's not change the topic). This one has me ready to call it quits and not vote this year!

I would rather have Clinton at least he passed welfare reform and grew gov't at a slower pace. I'm really starting to believe we need a split congress and exec branch. When one party has it they spend too much money.

[nopardons]

Yada, yada, yada...and then some. Call that a refutaion ? LOL

[rwfromkansas]

just curious what scores you put in each column?

[COEXERJ145]

I think Bush felt the problems with CFR would be solved by the Supreme Court so he took the easy way out and punted. Problem is he was thinking of the Court that ruled in Bush v. Gore and not the E.U. Court we now have.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I disagree. This move will play well with moderate Philly suburban voters, some swing moderate suburban FL voters, some swing moderate suburban voters in NH, MN, IA, WI, MO, NM, NV, AZ, OR, and WA. All potentially close states. They, especially the female portion of them, don't want extreme, they don't want abolishment of the NEA. This helps send the message that Bush is 'safe'. I want the NEA abolished, but given the political situation right now, I'll glad increase its funding to get 3-4 USSC nominees, majority of Fed judicial appointments, prevention of gay marriage, overall budget spending cap of 1% growth(excluding security), tort reform, social security reform and privatization, medical savings accounts, medicare withering on the vine, future tax cuts, sensible energy policies, support for Israel, standing up to the UN, and a continued war on terrorists and the nations that aid them.

[DoughtyOne]

Frankly no, that's just a faint memory at this point. You know, we have kids leaving high-school that have no idea what a conservative is. It'll most likely be another five years before they'll get a chance to see one in the oval office, if then. What a shame.

[Hunble]

BINGO

I'm really starting to believe we need a split congress and exec branch.

RED ALERT!

Perhaps that is what our Constitutional form of government was all about?

About freaking time!

[DoughtyOne]

BTW, I agree with your thoughts.

[Map Kernow]

I guess GW hasn't run out of fingers to stick in the eyes of his conservative base, has he? Only this one is more like a Robert Mapplethorpe bullwhip....

[Torie]

Of course the dirty little secret, is that red meat types only get REALLY upset about government spending on stuff that they cannot relate too. I haven't read anyone getting upset about below market rate lease rates to ranchers who rent land from the feds for cattle grazing. I really haven't read much about government spending on the big ticket items either, ie medicare, medical subsidies, and social security, that made any sense. I haven't read any rants about spending on ethanol, and agricultural subsidies in general. I haven't read much about the maintenance of wasteful domestic military bases.

This isn't about spending. It is about folks' splenetic over-reaction to a culture war they want to fight, with targets that prove so ever elusive, that they really can't get satisfaction from the fight. So they seek enemies anywhere that they can possibly be found, and then go ballistic.

[rwfromkansas]

I could see where you are coming from, if, at the end of the day, those swing voters will be thinking of this at the polls. But, they won't.

It is such a small issue it will barely even merit a mention for more than a day or two in the news.

People will forget that he did this. It is like PBS and NPR....people don't know how much money there is involved there. Heck, most people probably don't know NPR is even given govt. money. It is not an issue that ultimately matters.

It is not an issue that can win votes because it does not have the NECESSARY VISIBILITY.

Well, it does on one side.....conservatives....and it's not a good thing to give more funding in a conservative's mind.

[for-q-clinton]

Trust me I'm no environmental wacko, but I know many Bush supporters that are. And they say Bush is horrible for the environment.

If he's going to waste money on making libs happy why not do it for an issue that libs are beating him up on? He could send that money to the environment clean up funds (which I think is a probalby a waste too, but better than art). When was the lsat time you hear someone complaining that there isn't enough gov't funded art?

[Joe Hadenuf]

And people on this board are asking me Why I am now supporting the Constitution Party. Here is another reason.

Seems to be a never ending line of "single" issues.....

[Torie]

What you might miss, is that there is a political upside to Bush getting the red meat cultural warriors upset from time to time. You can take that to the bank. Pat Buchanan where are you? Bush wants to pistol whip you.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Bull. See post #90. All are stated goals of President Bush, all have seen him attempt to either bring them about, or lay the groundwork to enact them when the political situation changes. Those changes can't happen if we don't retain the Presidency in 2004.

He's far from a liberal, he's just not in a position to ram through everything we want right now and still get reelected.