Inside the Beltway: The yearn to return to 1950s-era culture

NEWS AND OPINION:

There’s some hearty applause out there for President Trump’s recent decision to defund the nation’s large-scale cultural providers that have held sway over public broadcasting, environmental film festivals and other creative outlets for decades. Those opposed to the idea have already staged multiple public rallies and organized public petitions. MoveOn.org has taken on the cause. Those who will lose their funding now fear that America will revert back to the dark ages — or worse.

“So Trump’s arts funding cuts will take us back to the 1950s. Good. The people screaming about PBS, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities are the same people who helped tear down the arts in favor of the counterculture,” writes Robert Tracinski, senior writer for The Federalist, who notes that many of these organizations were founded in the tumultuous 1960s, when fashionable creatives dismissed anything from a previous era.

“Not only did art and culture exist before 1965, it was generally better, more beautiful, more meaningful, more sophisticated. In the 1950s mass audiences tuned in to opera on the radio and Shakespeare on television, and publications like the University of Chicago’s Great Books series became commonplace on the shelves of earnest, aspirational members of the middle class,” Mr. Tracinski continues. “Then the counterculture of the 1960s came along and chucked them all out as the dead remnants of the past.”

The counterculture, he says, never succeeded in creating a vibrant and appealing new high culture. Meanwhile, defunded organizations now warn that cultural collapse is imminent.

“For them to complain that culture is dying because the feds aren’t doing something about it comes across as crocodile tears. If we’re concerned about the survival of culture, we don’t need political slush funds like the NEA, the NEH and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We need our own attention and effort. Culture, like charity, begins at home,” Mr. Tracinski concludes.

STILL SEEKING ENGLISH

For the third year in a row, Sen. James M. Inhofe has reintroduced S. 678 — the “English Language Unity Act” — which establishes English as the official language of the United States.

“The power of language is to unify people of all walks of life; by establishing English as the official language of our nation, we will become further united,” reasons the Oklahoma Republican.

The legislation would require the federal government to use English when acting with binding, legal authority. Naturalization ceremonies would also be required to be conducted in English. The bill also makes “common-sense exceptions” to permit the feds to use other languages in cases of national security, international relations and trade, tourism, public safety and health and protecting the rights of victims.

Co-sponsors include Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Johnny Isakson of Georgia.

HERE’S WHO LIKES TRUMPCARE

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise has assembled a handy-dandy list of over 50 insurers, industry providers and interest groups publicly supporting the American Health Care Act, or “Trumpcare.” Just a few examples of those who have sent in their letters of support: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, American College of Cardiology, Catholic Medical Association, Medical Device Manufacturers Association, National Retail Federation, National Association of Manufacturers, National Restaurant Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Citizens Against Public Waste and National Tax Payers Union.

Meanwhile, economic policy gurus Steve Forbes, Larry Kudlow, Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore have released a joint declaration of support, deeming Trumpcare “historic legislation,” and noting: “We are on the cusp of one of the sweetest victories for free market conservatives in many years. It will be one of the few times in history that a federal entitlement program has been repealed. Government will be rolled back. And government spending will be lowered by hundreds of billions of dollars. That’s an astonishing achievement.”

WHAT CPAC-ERS THINK OF TRUMP

He was there among the thousands who attended the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference — CPAC — last month. Peter Ingemi, a meticulous blogger known as “Da Tech Guy,” conducted 90 video interviews with attendees, seeking insight on their political leanings, sentiments about President Trump himself and predictions for 2018 and 2020. Most agreed that the media was out of line.

“As to what this data means? Here’s my conclusion: Everything you’re seeing highlighted on TV and in the papers right now by the press is meaningless [expletive]!” the blogger wrote, noting that the CPAC attendees simply don’t care, and are not moved, by “meaningless” press chatter that Mr. Trump or his staff had dalliances with Russian officials, or journalists’ complaints about his presidential tweets.

“The only thing that matters in the long run is this: Is Donald Trump going to deliver on these big issues (Obamacare and the Wall) that he highlighted during the campaign?” Mr. Ingemi continues.

“If this administration can’t answer yes, he is in danger of losing these folks and risks a primary, but if Donald Trump, in the end keeps his eyes on this prize, then these grass-roots activists are going to be with him when he needs them no matter what anyone in the media says,” the blogger continues. “As long as President Trump understands this fact, he’s going to do fine — and I have the distinct feeling that he does understand.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 95 percent of Americans say the public feels “angry about Washington politics”; 97 percent of Republicans, 96 percent of independents and 96 percent of Democrats agree.

• 68 percent of Americans say the Democratic Party does not pay enough attention to “hot button social issues”; 77 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of independents and 48 percent of Democrats agree.

• 48 percent of Americans overall say the Republican Party does not pay enough attention to social issues; 33 percent of Republicans, 46 percent of independents and 64 percent of Democrats agree.

• 65 percent overall say the Democratic Party does not pay enough attention to “everyday economic issues”; 77 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of independents and 48 percent of Democrats agree.

• 63 percent overall say the Republican Party does not pay enough attention to the economic issues”; 42 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of independents and 42 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: Monmouth University poll of 801 U.S. adults conducted March 2-5 and released Tuesday.

• Murmurs and asides to jharper@washingtontimes.com