OPINION:
On Jan. 16, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer published an op-ed in the New York Post laying out the legal precedent for a U.S. president to fire members of presidential boards and commissions. Mr. Spicer sued the Biden administration for firing presidentially appointed boards. He lost when two courts upheld the right of any president to fire members of presidential boards.
Thus, when President Trump fired the board of the Kennedy Center, a reporter asked whether the members would oppose his actions. Their answer? No. Mr. Trump’s actions were legal under the 2021 Spicer v. Biden decisions.
Despite that legal precedent, the firing of the Kennedy Center board was almost revolutionary. The fireworks from this unprecedented action are just starting, so grab a large popcorn with extra butter and prepare for a show we’ve never seen before.
Heavily dominated by liberal, elite power brokers, the arts have seemed “politically untouchable” until now. Predictably, the reaction from the cultural elites was as loud as a Broadway star belting out a high G.
Shonda Rhimes, an Obama appointee, resigned as the center’s treasurer. Opera star Renee Fleming and musician Ben Folds stepped down as artistic advisers, and Issa Rae canceled a show. It’s the same song, second verse, because the last time Mr. Trump was elected president, several Kennedy Center honorees threatened to boycott the ceremony if he or first lady Melania Trump were in attendance. So much for inclusion.
For far too long, the gatekeepers for the arts have pushed an agenda that excludes a large swath of the American public. Broadway elites have been tone-deaf to most Americans as they belt out their tunes in a liberal echo chamber. This underlying agenda is smartly crafted. The lyrics are clever, the melodies soar, and the rhythms race as the orchestra comes to a grand fortissimo. Even children’s musicals are colorful and funny as they subtly and sometimes overtly promote liberal, woke and LGBTQ agendas.
Despite their genius, the New York elites have destroyed a vital component of artistic magic: trust. For decades, the average American has been cautious about attending live theater because they never know when or how the liberal propaganda will be preached.
Art is not “good” simply because it’s on stage. In his article “Restoring American Culture,” Roger Kimball asks, “In the cultural realm, is it common sense to celebrate art that is indistinguishable from pornography or some other form of psychopathology? … Is it common sense to transform higher education from an institution dedicated to the preservation and transmission of the highest values of our civilization into a wrecking ball aimed at destroying that civilization?”
“Artistic expression” without the guardrails of aspirational decency and morality has taken us down a dangerous road. As the fine arts departments of our colleges and universities have long been left unchecked, it’s time we pull back the reins.
Almost 10 years ago, in a traditionally conservative Eastern Bloc country, a member of the national parliament shared his concerns with me: “We want to trade with you, but, please, stop exporting your liberal morals. It’s ruining our young people and changing our culture. We love our culture and our traditions, but your entertainment doesn’t support our national values.”
Entertainment is America’s second-largest export, but who decides what content we export? In a way, we all do, but it begins with those in political and academic leadership, including those who fund or produce artistic projects, academic fine arts programs and film companies, as well as the consumer who purchases the content.
President Trump finally shouted, “The Emperor has no clothes!”
I’m glad he did. I think the parents who fought for their daughters to have the opportunities promised to them in Title IX, the teachers who refused to infuse their kindergarten lessons with sexually explicit material, the coaches who were fired for praying with their sports teams, and the artists who expressed conservative points of view in class or at rehearsal have grown tired of the intimidations and threats and are finally pointing out the naked truth about the “emperor” as well. These are the people cheering on the firing of the liberal board of an out-of-touch institution and celebrating the return of common sense and basic morality.
Average American citizens can’t fire the board of a performing arts center, but we can use discernment in choosing artistic endeavors to support. The arts are powerful. A quote attributed to the Scottish statesman Andrew Fletcher reads, “Let me write the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”
It’s time to reengage in the arts because Hollywood and New York entertainers have pushed an agenda that has hurt our children. Why have we listened to them? Why have we paid to watch things that elevate violence, foul language, illicit sex, drugs and alcohol? The philosophy the academic and artistic elites push is part of the problem. Still, we must remember that “we, the people,” hold the solution in our back pockets.
Let’s return to a society where all beliefs and opinions are respected and welcomed. Free and unhindered public dialogue is the greatest strength of our free society in the arts and every other sector.
Bravissimo, President Trump!
• Christy Chavers Stutzman is a mother, a former state legislator, the author of the book “The Spiritual Price of Political Silence,” a musical theater composer, a speaker and the wife of Rep. Marlin Stutzman, Indiana Republican.
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