Big Hollywood Report Card: NEA Chairman Landesman's First 12 Weeks

When Broadway Producer/Theatre Owner Rocco Landesman took the reins of the National Endowment of the Arts last August, he told the NY Times:

“I wouldn’t have come to the N.E.A. if it was just about padding around in the agency,” he said, and worrying about which nonprofits deserve more funds. “We need to have a seat at the big table with the grown-ups. Art should be part of the plans to come out of this recession. If we’re going to have any traction at all, there has to be a place for us in domestic policy.”

An odd assertion considering the job description of the role he’s filling at this non-partisan, independent, government agency is, basically to “Worry about which nonprofits deserve more funds“. Seriously, that’s the job, always has been. And when one reads the original legislation creating the agency Landesman now runs, there is nothing to be found about being a part of domestic policy. But, the same party who can read “Promote the General Welfare” in our Constitution and re-interpret it to mean that Barbara Boxer can decide which doctor I can visit, can easily over-reach with the NEA legislation too, I suppose.

It seems that in 1965 the Congress decided to create the agency for a variety of reasons, my favorite one being:

The world leadership which has come to the United States cannot rest solely upon superior power, wealth, and technology, but must be solidly founded upon worldwide respect and admiration for the Nation’s high qualities as a leader in the realm of ideas and of the spirit.

Ha! American Exceptionalism was one of the reasons for the creation of the NEA? Funny that Rocco’s new boss probably wouldn’t agree with this premise.

I made one prediction back in August when I commented on Rocco taking the reigns of the agency.

He will have the highest profile of any NEA Chair before him. It has often been said that the most dangerous place on Broadway is between Rococo Landesman and a microphone.

Jeez.. when I’m right, I’m right. The past 12 weeks have seen this NEA Chairman granting more interviews than Balloon Boy’s dad. In light of Rocco’s recent debacle of a speech in Brooklyn to “Grantmakers for the Arts” and the ongoing obfuscation regarding the NEA Conference calls exposed by my colleague Patrick Courrielche, we here at Big Hollywood felt this was a good time for a quarterly evaluation of Rocco’s first 12 weeks as the Chairman of the NEA.

A report card, if you will.

Subject: ENGLISH

His use of the language is halting if not grammatically correct. He still speaks in the vernacular of a Broadway Producer, so I’m used to his inherent, knee-jerk narcissism. (In trying to explain the “Facts” regarding the NEA Conference Calls, he felt compelled to add this paragraph):

Although my time here has been brief—in fact I arrived at the agency on August 11th the day after the conference call—I am proud to lead the National Endowment for the Arts, proud to work with its capable and energetic staff, and proud to play a role in enhancing the quality of life for the people of our great nation.

Pssst: Hey, Rocco… It’s not all about YOU! My big bone to pick comes in the form of his slogan for the agency: “Art Works.” It’s as elegant as Tom Delay on “Dancing With the Stars.” I thought the Lefty Boomers were supposed to be the hip and creative ones. “Art Works” sounds like something a bureaucrat from the New Deal would come up with. Couldn’t Yosi think of something a little more “Hip-Hop” before he was forced to leave?

GRADE: C

Subject: HISTORY

Much has been said about Rocco’s assertion that President Obama “is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar.” He now contends that this was a joke (I will take issue with this claim when we discuss his grades in the “Citizenship” category). For him to sycophantically joke about something like this, knowing that the obnoxious delusion of grandeur President Obama holds (or is thrust upon him by his most fervent, cult-like followers) is probably the most widely-recognized Achilles’ heel of his personalty, shows either an error in judgement or just plain ignorance of not only history, but Obama’s place in it.

GRADE: F

Subject: MATH

In Rocco’s first interview (with the NY Times, naturally) he lamented the NEA’s budget size:

Though he would not put a dollar figure on his own fiscal goals, he called the current appropriation of $155 million “pathetic” and “embarrassing.” …. “We’re going to be looking for funding increases that are more than incremental,” he said.

$155,000,000. Pathetic and embarrassing. Hey Rocco: Take it from a Republican who actually FAVORS the NEA (that would be me)… when your President is calling this economy the worst since the Depression, unemployment is hitting 10% and we have the largest deficits in the history of our great nation… don’t refer to $155,000,000 as pathetic and embarrassing. It suggests you don’t have a good handle on numbers. Feel free to lobby for more funds, just don’t do it through the NY Times, it actually HURTS your cause.

GRADE: D

Subject: SOCIAL STUDIES

Rocco seems to have a penchant for talking down to small-town, rural America (I know, seems shocking that someone associated with President Obama would come across as an elitist, urban snob, but just go with it for the sake of argument). In explaining his plans to move away from the Bush Administration’s policy of even-handedly and democratically spreading NEA grants out across all congressional districts, Rocco said:

“I don’t know if there’s a theater in Peoria, but I would bet that it’s not as good as Steppenwolf or the Goodman,” he said, referring to two of Chicago’s most prominent theater companies.

This caused a bit of a firestorm from small-town Illinois as I reported back in August. Rocco’s oh-so-clever response was to announce that his upcoming Art Works Tour of regions of the USA would kick-off with a viewing of “Rent” in the afore-maligned Peoria. Even though this reeks of the “Big Broadway Producer” deigning to grant an audience to the little people of Peoria, he seemed to stifle the impression of elite snobbery, until last week’s speech:

I know firsthand that great art can come from the unlikeliest of places. A few years ago, I visited Eric, Oklahoma, where a museum was being dedicated to one of my idols, the great country music songwriter and singer, Roger Miller. He wrote the music for my first show, “Big River.” While driving the 140 miles from Oklahoma City to Eric, you pass the hometowns of Sheb Wooley, one of the creators of rock and roll, the songwriter Jimmy Webb, and Garth Brooks. What is in the water there? There are certainly no music conservatories, probably precious few music teachers, no colleges, no arts centers, nothing. Just an inexplicable concentration of genius.

Seriously, does ANYONE from the middle of our country proof these speeches? (I know, I know, Rocco will be the first to tell you he is from Missouri.. listen real close: He’s a New Yorker, OK?) Oklahoma Blogger Meredith Dake at her Pointed Observations blog does a thorough, Oklahoma-style fisking of this paragraph, including an actual explanation of what IS in the water there. My favorite observation:

The next point that he makes is that he didn’t find anything from his drive from Will Rogers to Eric, Oklahoma. To be quite honest, he didn’t pass through the major metropolis areas (though, having been through the Brooklyn area, I’m not sure how much of Brooklyn has “artistic merit”). He was driving to a place that has a population of 1,076 people and maybe has 3 stoplights. But, what he did pass by was USAO. Rocco, if you would have looked to your right, you would have seen the University of Science and ARTS of Oklahoma!

She also points out that in describing the amazing wonder of great musicians coming from this “unlikeliest of places” Rocco seems to be providing the best argument for the disbanding of the NEA:

We also have the Oklahoma Arts Council, which is locally funded and receives few federal dollars. The only federal dollars that I found that the OAC received was from the stimulus. Do you know what this means, Rocco? We don’t need you.

GRADE: F

Subject: ECONOMICS

Rocco seems to be all about the arts as “Anchor Store” in the great “Mall” that is “Downtown America“:

Any discussion of policy for coming out of this recession, any plan that addresses economic growth and urban and neighborhood revitalization has to include the arts. We know, and we can prove, that when you bring art and artists into the center of town, that town changes.

I’m going to be generous here, because this concept is actually reflective of supply-side philosophy straight out of Jack Kemp’s playbook (dare I say “trickle-down” arts policy?). But, the big problem with this whole approach is: It’s not the JOB of the NEA! I’m sorry that Rocco is already bored with the position that he admits he lobbied to get, but just because he has professional ennui’ doesn’t mean we need to grant new powers to the NEA that the Congress never intended. Rocco, YOU take the grant money and give it to the most worthy grant recipients. CONGRESS decides if urban revitalization needs to occur via the arts… or, more correctly, LOCAL governments will make those decisions, not the producer of “Carrie: The Musical” who happened to get a new gig because his friends bundled a big pot of donations for the President.

GRADE: Incomplete

As with any report card, the student isn’t just graded on his ability in the academic demands of the school. He also must excel at the basic citizenship requirements; sharing, truthfulness, playing well with others, etc. How is Rocco doing in CITIZENSHIP?

• In responding to Mitt Romney’s criticism of stimulus money going to the NEA, Rocco said: “”The arts are a little bit of a target. The subtext is that it is elitist, left wing, maybe even a little gay.” I see. Is this a new spin on an old tactic? If you are against the President’s health care plan, you are a racist. And if you are against stimulus money going to the NEA, you are a homophobe. Love it, Rocco, love it.
• In reacting to the NEA conference call debacle, Rocco issued a smarmy recitation of “Facts” which dripped with condescension and intolerance toward anyone who thought that perhaps the calls were slightly irregular. His “Facts” never mentioned his employee, Yosi Sergant, by name, only that he had been re-assigned. He never explained what his new job was, and within two weeks, Yosi was gone.
• When recently ridiculed for his sycophantic suck-up of the President he claimed he was only making a joke and he doesn’t REALLY think Obama “is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar.” OK, Rocco, we believe you, why would you lie?
• He recently lashed out at critics in newspapers, the Internet and on cable news as “quote-un-quote journalists“. Now, the left-wing choir he was preaching to took him to mean Glenn Beck and me and my colleagues here at Big Hollywood. What Rocco and his devotees aren’t acknowledging is that journalists (without the quotation marks) at the Washington Times, Wall Street Journaland NY Post have also criticized the call and the NEA’s efforts associated with it. Now, I understand that Rocco’s folks don’t LIKE these newspapers, but does that mean they can just reject them and question whether they are “real” journalists? Oh, well, since that’s what the administration is doing to Fox, I guess the answer is “yes.”

These incidents and Rocco’s reactions to them call into question his ability to “play well with others.” But, knowing Rocco, I suspect he will wear this particular critique as a badge of honor.

Given his performance over the first 12 weeks of his chairmanship, his overall grade for the 1st quarter is, unfortunately, less than impressive.

OVERALL GRADE: D-

But, how do things look for the future? Is Rocco interested in turning his grades around? I don’t hold out much “hope” for that “change.” Let’s take a look at his wrap-up of last week’s speech:

And will we “advocate” for the President’s agenda as well? If it’s a particular program – e.g. health care reform – no, of course not. But the President picked me for a reason and I decided to go to Washington and sign on with a federal bureaucracy – ugh! – for a reason. And that reason is that within the ethos of this White House, where words like change and hope and aspiration have real meaning, the arts can play a starring role.

If I read this correctly, Rocco is saying that he and the NEA won’t advocate for policies per se, but because of his belief in Obama and what Obama stands for (“where words like change and hope and aspiration have real meaning”) he intends to have his agency “play a starring role” in promoting the IDEA of Obama. Advocating for the White House itself, if not for their individual policies. He defiantly continued:

“Whatever might be said on television, radio or blog sites, I have no intention of walking away from the compelling themes of this presidency…”.

Rocco, if you are hell-bent on re-defining your role from “Chief Grant Maker for the NEA” to “Chief Advocate for the Obama White House,” you better start caring about what might be said on the Internet and television.

Don’t believe me? Ask your former employee, Yosi.