Big Hollywood is suggesting the answer is yes:
On August 25th 2009, Big Hollywood’s Patrick Courrielche broke the story of a conference call he attended with other “rising artist and art community luminaries”:
On Thursday August 6th, I was invited by the National Endowment for the Arts to attend a conference call scheduled for Monday August 10th hosted by the NEA, the White House Office of Public Engagement, and United We Serve. The call would include “a group of artists, producers, promoters, organizers, influencers, marketers, taste-makers, leaders or just plain cool people to join together and work together to promote a more civically engaged America and celebrate how the arts can be used for a positive change!”
The email invite came directly from Yosi Sergant, then-Director of Communications at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and it advised this hand-picked group that the call was about laying “a new foundation for growth, focusing on core areas of the recovery agenda – health care, energy and environment, safety and security, education, community renewal.”
Courrielche describes the call this way:
Backed by the full weight of President Barack Obama’s call to service and the institutional weight of the NEA, the conference call was billed as an opportunity for those in the art community to inspire service in four key categories, and at the top of the list were “health care” and “energy and environment.” The service was to be attached to the President’s United We Serve campaign, a nationwide federal initiative to make service a way of life for all Americans.
It sounded, how should I phrase it…unusual, that the NEA would invite the art community to a meeting to discuss issues currently under vehement national debate. I decided to call in, and what I heard concerned me.
Within 48 hours of this phone call, 21 arts organizations endorsed President Obama’s health-care reform plan. Within days, Rock the Vote started an all out blitz that included a “health care design contest.”
That's just the beginning... there's more at the link, with a promise of much more later today.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Others blogging include:
More to come... guaranteed.
UPDATE II: Can we say illegalities are clearly involved as a government agency is being used to advance a leftist agenda? Yes we can... key excerpts below, audios at the link:
Buffy Wicks, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement:
“I just first of all want to thank everyone for being on the call and just a deep deep appreciation for all the work you all put into the campaign for the 2+ years we all worked together.” “We won.” “I’m actually in the White House and working towards furthering this agenda, this very aggressive agenda.” “We’re going to come at you with some specific asks here.” “I hope you guys are ready.”
...
Yosi Sergant, former Communications Director of the National Endowment for the Arts:
“I would encourage you to pick something, whether it’s health care, education, the environment, you know, there’s four key areas that the corporation has identified as the areas of service.” “And then my ask would be to apply artistic, you know, your artistic creative communities utilities and bring them to the table.” “Again, I’m really, really honored to be working with you; the National Endowment for the Arts is really honored.” “You’re going to see a lot more of us in the next four and hopefully eight years.”
Much more at Big Hollywood.
Hallelujah! People of intelligence entering the debate.......
Posted by: Tom B. | Monday, September 21, 2009 at 11:12 AM
You mean propaganda, don't you? Like the Soviet propaganda, or 1984?
Posted by: Mommynator | Monday, September 21, 2009 at 12:16 PM