The Office of Public Engagement is headed by Obama’s confidante Valerie Jarrett, which suggests that it has more clout, and more of the President’s interest, than one would otherwise assume.

The Office’s Deputy Director is Buffy Wicks. Ms. Wicks is a professional political organizer:

Wicks has a long history in grassroots organizing and civic engagement. Most recently she was the Director of the Renew America Together effort, the call to service issued by then President-elect Obama.


Ms. Wicks was on the call as the official representative of the White House, [i]and it’s hard to read her comments as anything but a call for artists and arts groups to engage in a partisan campaig...

The Office of Public Engagement is headed by Obama’s confidante Valerie Jarrett, which suggests that it has more clout, and more of the President’s interest, than one would otherwise assume.

The Office’s Deputy Director is Buffy Wicks. Ms. Wicks is a professional political organizer:

Wicks has a long history in grassroots organizing and civic engagement. Most recently she was the Director of the Renew America Together effort, the call to service issued by then President-elect Obama.


Ms. Wicks was on the call as the official representative of the White House, and it’s hard to read her comments as anything but a call for artists and arts groups to engage in a partisan campaign on behalf of the Obama administration’s policy agenda. That’s her “ask,” as she puts it in the language of Washington lobbyists. She goes so far as to say that she wants to engage her listeners–”powerful voices for change in your own right”–”in really the process of governing, of being part of this administration.”

This extraordinary performance prompts several observations.

First, if Yosi Sergant was “reassigned” for sending out the email, how about Ms. Wicks? The NEA’s reassignment of Sergant was an acknowledgement that the effort by a government agency to enlist artists in support of a partisan agenda was improper [...] It was sponsored by the White House and was led by the deputy to one of President Obama’s closest friends and advisers. This was no marginal, rogue operation. It was, rather, an element of Barack Obama’s political strategy.

Second, the operation may well have been illegal. Public funds are not supposed to be expended to support partisan projects. Beyond that, it is unconstitutional to grant or deny federal funds on the basis of the recipient’s political actions or opinions. National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley.[i] The NEA is the single largest funder of the arts, and several participants in the August 10 conference call had recently

The NEA is the single largest funder of the arts, and several participants in the August 10 conference call had recently received NEA checks. It would have been entirely reasonable for those on the phone call to conclude that future NEA funding could be influenced by their willingness to play ball with the Obama administration’s political agenda. Moreover, the Hatch Act limits the ability of federal employees to engage in partisan politics.

Sergant’s sending of the email invitation to artists and arts groups, [i]using his government email account, could be considered a bright line violation of the act, as could his apparent solicitation of political support from any arts group that h...

The NEA is the single largest funder of the arts, and several participants in the August 10 conference call had recently received NEA checks. It would have been entirely reasonable for those on the phone call to conclude that future NEA funding could be influenced by their willingness to play ball with the Obama administration’s political agenda. Moreover, the Hatch Act limits the ability of federal employees to engage in partisan politics.

Sergant’s sending of the email invitation to artists and arts groups, using his government email account, could be considered a bright line violation of the act, as could his apparent solicitation of political support from any arts group that had an application for funding pending before the NEA. Likewise, Ms. Wicks’ participation in the call would appear to be illegal if she was “on duty” and if the call was deemed political in nature.

It would take a thorough knowledge of the facts and more legal research than I’ve had time for to draw a conclusion as to whether the White House or NEA violated the law in connection with the artist outreach, but at a minimum an investigation is in order.

Third, it is clear that some of the participants on the call viewed it as a call to support the administration’s political agenda. Thus, a few days after the phone call Rock the Vote, an ostensibly non-partisan organization, announced a “health care design contest.” The announcement was couched in highly partisan terms:

We can’t stand by and listen to lies and deceit coming from those who are against reforming a broken system…We need designs that tell the country YES WE CARE! Young people demand health care now.

UPDATE: Patrick Courrielche has more here.

…..and this from George Will

The NEA is the nation’s largest single source of financial support for the arts, and its grants often prompt supplemental private donations. He who pays the piper does indeed call the tune, and in the four months before the conference call, 16 of the participating organizations received a total of nearly $2 million from the NEA. Two days after the call, the 16 and five other organizations issued a plea for the president’s health care plan.

Read more: http://www.kitsapsu...

UPDATE: Patrick Courrielche has more here.

…..and this from George Will

The NEA is the nation’s largest single source of financial support for the arts, and its grants often prompt supplemental private donations. He who pays the piper does indeed call the tune, and in the four months before the conference call, 16 of the participating organizations received a total of nearly $2 million from the NEA. Two days after the call, the 16 and five other organizations issued a plea for the president’s health care plan.

Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/20/george-will-taking-artisticpolitical-license/#ixzz0RooLHDb3