Please Forgive Me, Jane

No one has been a bigger fan and supporter of Firedoglake since it exploded on the blog scene. If Jane Hamsher were the head of the Dems, this country might have a chance. That said, she recently said something I wish she would think through far more clearly in her treatment of Fred Rogers testifying for PBS in response to possible funding cuts in the 1971:

Fred Rogers makes a very direct and compelling case for public funding of children’s shows and it serves as a great model for progressives/liberals as we try to learn how to clearly state what we believe in, what our "values" are and what we think the role of government should be.

As I have noted in previous posts, this is exactly wrong. Fred Rogers was a wonderful human being, and his prescription for the world was absolutely correct, if the world and this nation were Sesame Street or his Neighborhood. Unfortunately for all of us, the world and particularly this nation right now are Republican Back Alley. I can't stress enough how the view of how to deal with what we have faced, frankly, since Rogers made his appeal to stop Nixon's cuts, that PBS and those children's shows have espoused to our kids has contributed mightily to our inability to fight it effectively. It might have been a very good thing for Rogers to have lost that battle and saved 35 years worth of children from thinking that the best way to stop a steamroller is to understand it and ask it nicely.

Rolling out Misterrogers as a PR move in 1971 was, as Jane states, good strategy, and he was effective. But, as she also notes, PBS has won the battles for the most part without Rogers since. It does have virtual "Social Security" status, especially Big Bird. He's PBS' "Bambi." So, even if Rogers was effective at messaging then, it's not clear that he should be a model now. We really need one more "let me explain how we should all get along" person out there?

If we have to have for "role model" today a small guy with dark, slicked-down hair, I have a different suggestion, went by the name of Bogart. Imagine if he'd been the one staring Nixon down in 1971, or Bushnev down today. Face these neo-Politburo types straight up, get them in their cages, and then let Fred Rogers and Big Bird bring their blessings. Until we get this ship turned around, though, praise them for their dreams, but do not let them do more damage to the perspective of the progressive side until the hard, confrontational work is done.

Since there is no one better at confrontation than Jane right now, I know she knows this. I'll just chalk her homage to Fred up to her better nature, which will hopefully have a chance to live in the Neighborhood some day. In the meantime, since there are no Bogarts among the Dems right now, I'll settle for someone who already does the best job of knowing "how to clearly state what we believe in, what our "values" are and what we think the role of government should be." Her name is Hamsher.