Chambliss Breaks With His Party, Opposes Defunding NPR: ‘It Provides A Very Valuable Service’

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Chambliss Breaks With His Party, Opposes Defunding NPR: ‘It Provides A Very Valuable Service’


Conservatives have made National Public Radio (NPR) the target of their next defunding campaign after conservative prankster James O’Keefe released heavily-edited videos that showed NPR executives using impolitic language to describe radical conservatives and tea partiers. GOP Sens. Jim DeMint (SC) and Tom Coburn (OK) have already introduced legislation to cut off federal funding to NPR and other public broadcasting.

Yet an unlikely voice has risen in defense of the station’s federal funding. During an interview with Atlanta Public Broadcasting on Friday, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) — who has a 96 percent rating from the American Conservative Union — said that it would be unwise to defund the station because it provides a very valuable service. The senator explained that he actually knows a lot of conservatives who listen to NPR and that while it may have to have some of its funding cut as part of wider deficit reduction efforts, completely cutting off funding is the wrong move:

O’HAYER: Since we’re talking about funding and we’re on an NPR affiliate, I can’t let you go without asking you what you think about the idea of defunding NPR.

CHAMBLISS: If you look at NPR versus particularly the overall public broadcasting issue, NPR doesn’t generate income like the public broadcasting side does. You know, an awful lot of conservatives listen to NPR. It provides a very valuable service. Should we maybe think about a reduction in that? Again, I think the sacrifice is going to have to be shared by NPR as well as others. But I think total elimination of funding is probably not the wisest thing to do.


Listen to it:

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/15/chambliss-npr-valuable-service/#

[babylonsister]

1. Pigs DO Fly! nt

[juajen]

2. Yeah, I keep waiting for the CEOs, corporations and the rich

to make a sacrifice. Anybody heard of any of them sacrificing during this financial crisis?

[bobbolink]

8. Of course not. There's no outcry to demands to make poor people sacrifice, so it is

business as usual.

the deaths won't matter.

[grahamhgreen]

3. Wow! He must have read my email!

LOL

[bullwinkle428]

4. Quite frankly, I'm surprised Chambliss is intelligent enough to recognize

that NPR goes out of its way to give a voice to wing-nut/corporatist viewpoint, despite all of the latte-drinking, Volvo-driving, hippie stereotypes associated with it!

[Donnachaidh]

5. he knows npr is heavily rightwing in it's coverage

not surprising

[Teaser]

6. what...what...MY HEART...Elizabeth....I'll be with ya soon Elizabeth

*collapses*

[Tatiana]

7. Sweet Baby Jesus!

SAXBY Chambliss?

The semi-incoherent virulently right-wing curmudgeon from Georgia?

Quick, someone check the temperature in hell. It must be freezing.

[Glorfindel]

9. He's right about NPR, but he's still the ultimate piece o' shit

n/t

[malmapus]

10. So he DOES get my emails / voice mails.

Although, I also brought up PBS (being a parent).

[Scurrilous]

11. K & R

:thumbsup: