The president on Thursday unveiled his budget, which led not only to the predictable hand-wringing over the plight of the poor in America, but even inspired some dystopian short fiction for those who just finished “1984” and needed something to tide them over until the cable premiere of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
But it’s the proposed defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts that (again) has reporters on the defensive. As Twitchy reported, the Los Angeles Times decided one way to get across to the masses the importance of the NEA was to have readers imagine Broadway without “Hamilton” … which they did, quickly easing any lingering guilt over pulling the plug on taxpayer money.
What is the National Endowment for the Arts? Without it, we wouldn't have 'Hamilton' https://t.co/acOwG7usWv pic.twitter.com/v1b2raYVYh
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 16, 2017
Or stories about Hillary Clinton attending performances of Hamilton. https://t.co/rq9sG2a6Am
— Sam Valley (@SamValley) March 16, 2017
Give writer Libby Hill a break, though; regardless of who wrote the tweet, Hill provided readers a no-nonsense history of the NEA and the NEH and what distinguishes one from the other.
But really … “Hamilton”? Hill writes that we can thank the NEA for steering taxpayer money to what would eventually become the cultural and box office juggernaut “Hamilton.” But a lot of taxpayers likely don’t remember asking the cast to perform at the White House at the #Bam4Ham event, which was allegedly a performance for school children.
"We wanted to share this incredible musical with folks who might otherwise not get the experience" —@POTUS on @HamiltonMusical #Bam4Ham
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) March 14, 2016
Our tickets must have been lost in the mail, then, ’cause we still can’t afford several hundred bucks for admission alone.
"Hamilton is not just for people who can score a ticket to a pricey Broadway show.
It is a story for all of us—about all of us." —@POTUS
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) March 14, 2016
Thank the NEA, too, then, for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s freestyle rap with President Obama, who held up nonpartisan prompts like “Obamacare” and “immigration” for the rap-lite treatment.
Wait for it… ?⬇ #Bam4Hamhttps://t.co/vpwTuNf5zn
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) March 15, 2016
And then there was the “Hamilton” performance added to the show’s already sold-out schedule so that Hillary Clinton could sell tickets as a campaign fundraiser.
"Hamilton" will have an extra show to fundraise for Clinton's campaign https://t.co/Ouzz0FHybj pic.twitter.com/47JgYQ7p6G
— The Hill (@thehill) June 26, 2016
Thank the NEA for that too, and for the “discussion” the cast had with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was singled out from the stage and booed roundly by the audience before being lectured.
Now, what was the Los Angeles Times saying about how we wouldn’t have “Hamilton” without the “generosity” of the NEA?
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Related:
'Hamilton' summary: Mike Pence got a lecture while FALN terrorist gets special performance by Lin-Manuel Miranda https://t.co/KazlmoiJMS
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) January 18, 2017
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