I don’t think that even the most ardent art-lings would regard arts support as the litmus test for supporting a Presidential candidate.
Still, when it comes to the Culture Test, the Republican Party platform (which I discussed last week) flunks and its standard-bearer has repeatedly announced his intention to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and PBS.
By contrast, the Democratic Partly Platform, just released, gets an A. Here’s the relevant passage from the latter (pp. 50-51):
Arts and Culture: Democrats are proud of our support for arts funding and education. We are
committed to continuing the policies and programs that have already done so much for our creative arts
industry and economy. Investment in the arts strengthens our communities and contributes to our
nation’s rich cultural heritage.We will continue to support public funding for the National Endowment
for the Arts, for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and for programs providing art and music
education in primary and secondary schools [emphasis added].The entire nation prospers when we protect and promote
the unique and original artistic and cultural contributions of the women and men who create and
preserve our nation’s heritage.
Will Rockin’ Rocco get a second term?