November 01, 2011 10:16 PM UTC

Doug Lamborn: Support Rocky Mountain PBS (No, Really)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Via Allison Sherry of the Denver newspaper: not a misprint, not a satire piece, this is actually Rep. Doug Lamborn, nationally-recognized mortal enemy of Big Bird and the face of the GOP’s campaign against public broadcasting, encouraging locals to become sponsoring members of Rocky Mountain PBS. In a TV spot with Rocky Mountain PBS President Doug Price.

Folks, we’re not going to tell you how to interpret this. Reactions we’re hearing run the gamut from simple perpetrator’s remorse, to monstrous hypocrisy, to a genuine ideological preference for private giving to charitable institutions over public funding. If the latter is true, Lamborn is putting his money where his mouth is and we suppose it’s commendable.

The Colorado Independent’s John Tomasic is obliged to note, however:

Lamborn introduced two bills to zero out funds for public TV and radio this year. His HR 68 would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit federal funding for public broadcasting after fiscal year 2013. His H.R. 69 separately targets National Public Radio funding…

“You may have heard about the recent firing of NPR News Analyst Juan Williams and the $1.8 million donation by liberal activist George Soros to hire 100 NPR reporters,” Lamborn wrote to supporters. “These two actions make it clear that public broadcasting is a friend and protector of liberal issues and political correctness, at the expense of free speech and balanced news reporting.”

Do you think Lamborn feels the same way about Frontline? Either way, Rocky Mountain PBS is budgeted for almost $1.3 million in Community Service Grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in FY 2011–that is, the funding Lamborn wants to zero out.

So hopefully he’s ponying up in a big way.