The rubber hasn't met the road on defunding NPR

The rubber hasn't really met the road on the defunding of NPR. As Fox News is reporting, the GOP effort to defund the NPR by congressional vote has failed;

House Democrats on Thursday rejected a GOP proposal to cut federal funding to National Public Radio, which has been under fire ever since it sacked Juan Williams last month. 

The proposal, which was the winning entry this week in YouCut -- an anti-government spending program started by House Republicans earlier this year -- failed by a vote of 239-171.

You can't possibly imagine that wasn't the expected result. While the congress may be in lame duck mode, the Democrats are still in control. They don't want NPR defunded. The real question is whether the GOP want it defunded. After all, if this vote meant something to them, just like the earmark debate, they would wait until they controlled the chamber before bringing the matter to a vote.

That leaves only two plausible conclusions. Either the GOP doesn't really want to defund NPR - they just want to look like they do for voter consumption OR they are bringing it to a vote so that they look like they are doing something right now. In the latter case they could bring the matter back up for a vote again after the new congress is sworn in. In the meantime, it's just window dressing.

The rubber will meet the road after January 3rd, for this and other issues too. If the Republicans are serious, this won't have been the only attempt on this. Window dressing is fine and all, but people ARE indeed watching. Getting the vote out of the way prior to having the vote carry meaning won't fool anyone. Well, not most people.  This is why I've argued a few times since the election results came in, another TEA PARTY, January 3rd, is critical to prove the Tea Party was not a flash in the pan, was not one-side and is not gone.  It helps to hold the GOP's feet to the fire in case they get cold feet.  Expecting them to keep their promises is not an option.  I hope and expected that they will.  But hoping doesn't get us anywhere (ask Obama supporters about that one), while effort does.