Barbara Boxer: 'Vendetta Against Elmo' Behind GOP Assault On PBS (VIDEO)

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) alleged that a "vendetta against Elmo" is motivating Republican attacks on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday.

"I believe they use deficit reduction as an excuse to carry out political vendettas," said the California Democrat. "We fund fifteen percent of public broadcasting, but now they want to zero it out. A vedetta. Against Elmo."

The remarks come in the wake of a spending cut proposal introduced by House Republicans targeting PBS for elimination along with other programs.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) recently sought to explain conservative efforts to defund the organization.

"Make no mistake, public broadcasting's furry friends are political animals," he said taking aim at the "Muppet Lobby" in a statement. "Elmo has been particularly busy. Elmo has testified before Congress about the need for more funding for the arts and participated in other press conferences to increase spending on public broadcasting. Elmo even went on the lecture circuit last year with Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genochowski to promote government-funded broadband Internet."

According to the South Carolina senator, "Inside the Beltway, Sesame Street turns into K Street and Elmo is a lobbyist."

Boxer also suggested Republicans hold "vendetta[s]" against health care and clean energy.

Via the Daily Caller comes a clip of the remarks.

Comments

[ITankResevoir]

02:37 PM on 03/14/2011

Barbara Boxer was very polite to me when I have spoken to her. She could work well with anyone in reason - California is the 6th largest economy in the world. The issues of responsibility if not provided leave many with these fractured issues today.

It is not communication, it is that money for life and money for death are the only two economies in the world and they need to be separated with "No" - that is all I can get from any of it personally.

The casting out of Jesus Christ for the new church is effecting the table and dream of American liberality and intelligence to be productive instead of so many graves in America with broken bones, yet a declared peace, yet war is defined in many bodies in paleontology as broken no matter what the words are at the history of the day.

Why don't you make a corporation with the constitution of the US and the Declaration and respond with it as a corporate vote to the Supreme Court? A -5 hand with a +5 hand is a wall against itself.


Joseph Jeanes (hon) DDiv

[loudneighbor]

02:46 PM on 03/03/2011

I've found my band's new name: Vendetta Against Elmo.

Thanks Ms Boxer!

[Brenda Gertsch]

01:48 PM on 03/03/2011

Elmo is voiced by a Black man....

[Brenda Gertsch]

01:46 PM on 03/03/2011

I knew it. It IS racist. The man who does Elmo's voice is BLACK. Yep, this isn't about Bert and Ernie' living arrangement or Big Bird, or Snuffy, or Oscar-NO IT IS ABOUT ELMO!!!!

[Hamletrules]

01:45 PM on 03/03/2011

So President ELMO what do you think is next, the dismantiling of the poor stuffed animals.

[bmike]

12:16 PM on 03/03/2011

The kids may have to march to stop Republicans.

[demorick]

11:38 AM on 03/03/2011

Sure...cut funding to PBS...my mother and every other older lady in the country will be on the steps of the Capitol because they can't watch "Antique Roadshow" any more...

[schnauzergirl]

10:13 AM on 03/03/2011

A lobbyist?

If he had been teaching kids that corporate welfare was a good thing and that women should stay in the kitchen, the GOP would be calling him a "goodwill ambasador" for the government

[Kevin1961]

10:25 AM on 03/03/2011

Schnauzergirl, if we lose public broadcasting where we can get viewpoints from everyone, we'll only be left with commercial broadcasting which is privately controlled and we'll only be exposed to the viewpoints of those few in control. Maybe that's what you want, but I can promise you that it's not a good thing. Nobody's getting rich off public broadcasting.

[StevenevetS]

12:20 PM on 03/03/2011

Wow Kevin!
I think you need to read Schnauzergirl's post again.

She is defending PBS. Get a cup of coffee and turn on your best reading comprehension. Then try it again.

[nermz345]

09:40 AM on 03/03/2011

this is getting ridiculous. they spend so much time nit picking the wrong things. ELMO IS A LOBBYIST? come the heck on!

[gypsynomad]

09:01 AM on 03/03/2011

Why this is even a political issue ? How are they planning to raise their kids by denying them this easy acess while the parents are otherwise occupied. I am at the Public Library in a very red State, I see folks come with their kids and borrow a handful of S.Street DVD`s , seems that`s all their children wanted, or other PBS programme now available in DVD form .

[Grunty1]

02:05 PM on 03/03/2011

[Why this is even a political issue ?]
 
Because one party has come out against education, in order to drive the country to 3rd world status to lower wages for their corporate masters.
 
Really.

[gypsynomad]

02:41 PM on 03/03/2011

Well said, and the voters electing them are the foo ls here...

[kellygreen]

02:29 PM on 03/03/2011

Whenever you can't understand why Conservatives are doing something do one of two things.

1. Check to see who stands to profit from it.

2. Check to see who's worldview is being challenged.

Conservatives want PBS off the air, because it occupies broadcast frequencies that could be used by someone else (one of their cronies) for for-profit television.

PBS has the "nerve" to carry programming that does not re-inforce the conservative ideological view of the world.

In Conservative Bizzarro-world EVERYTHING is political, and EVERYTHING is ideological.

[gypsynomad]

02:43 PM on 03/03/2011

X2 and fave

[Helloise]

08:31 AM on 03/03/2011

Barbara Boxer was smart to use Elmo in her defense. Keep demonizing elementary school teachers and watch how fast they start school petitions to defend Arthur and his whole family, as well.

[Grunty1]

02:06 PM on 03/03/2011

Boxer mentioned Elmo because DeMented ranted about the puppet!

[Helloise]

03:40 PM on 03/03/2011

Is nothing sacred? He probably sees Elmo as another shiftless, public worker who isn't bringing him enough bacon. And that Arthur had to the gall to visit the President and they didn't reveal who that was and which party he belonged to, which clearly indicates liberal bias.

[Jonny38103]

08:21 AM on 03/03/2011

After all, we wouldn't have to have any news organization that's not owned by Big Business.

[jjtx]

06:20 AM on 03/03/2011

That's right, you little precious furry non-human - how dare you promote the arts?

And, while we are at it, how dare those little children learn concepts of letters, counting, near and far, big and little from the likes of you? And, what kind of parents would actually go and purchase a "Tickle Me Elmo" doll? Do they not realize it is a Communist plot to take over our country? And, what about all these different kinds of people living in harmony and neighborly consideration and care? Disgusting and certainly not in line with our Christian values.

These are exactly what these Dems sound like. Wouldn't it be nice to have them actually say these what they are thinking? Then, people would know them for what they are.

[modernman55]

05:15 AM on 03/03/2011

Yeah lets get rid of Sesame Street and their liberal agenda content that is bent on the latinization of this great country.

Seriously though the GOP has had their eyes on PBS for a long time. They do this every time they get a majority in congress.

[Helloise]

08:32 AM on 03/03/2011

Don't forget Dora the Explorer, that illegal. Right now I sincerely wish children could vote.

[gypsynomad]

09:03 AM on 03/03/2011

They ought to ask their children first...

[ChristianCooper]

03:53 AM on 03/03/2011

I like Elmo. And I really like PBS. I certainly do not have a problem with sending public funds to support it, though I do think that most of their money comes from donations, could be wrong on that one.

Now, I cannot stand Boxer.... Makes my eye twitch. And I think Republicans just going after these small items while not addressing the larger items (SS, Medicare, Military) is just hypocritical. You cannot balance a budget and reduce deficits by going after PBS, or other small little items. Sure they add up but not to the levels of the big three.

And as for arts in education. GO ELMO!!!

BTW, I am a libertarian.

[Sajwert]

07:57 AM on 03/03/2011

Most of their money comes from public funds and foundations, I believe. I do know that I have become a sustaining member of both NPR and PBS instead of a yearly contributor due to our short-sighted and biased Republican intentions to destroy whatever might be good and decent on TV just out of spite and anger that bigotry and narrow-mindedness isn't taught by Big Bird and Elmo, and ranting and raving and lying isn't part of the Jim Lerher News Hour as FOX news is.

[gypsynomad]

09:04 AM on 03/03/2011

X2..and faved..

[ChristianCooper]

06:44 AM on 03/15/2011

Only 15% comes from Federal money. So, the Federal government not funding it would not kill it.

Source:

http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/48836.pdf