This Can't Be Real, Can It?

At the New Ledger, Brad Jackson asks, “Why Does Nancy Pelosi Have a Problem With Patriotic Music?”

If you’ve ever been stuck on hold with a congressional office in the past, at least you’ve been able to enjoy some good patriotic music, as opposed to the lilting tones of generic smooth jazz that have been driving elevator users insane for decades. For years, congressional offices have played patriotic anthems as the background music during hold times.

Not any more. After we were startled by the hold music when we called a House office recently, sources on Capitol Hill informed us this week that the Democratic House leadership has made a sweeping decision that congressional offices now have the options of “smooth jazz” elevator music or no music at all.

Michigan Republican Fred Upton sent a letter to House Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Beard, who reports to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, this week to protest this decision:

Upon contacting CAO Telecommunications it has come to my attention that as of Tuesday, August 11th all “holding” music was changed at your request from the traditional patriotic songs to elevator music. CAO Telecommunications affirmed that congressional offices currently have no choice in the genre of music played, but merely are given the option between the elevator music on hold or no music at all, despite the fact that we’ve had the patriotic music for years!

According to Upton, no notification was sent to inform congressional offices of this change, and there was no monetary benefit to the taxpayers for making it. “Callers routinely express their delight in listening to a few notes of Americana while briefly waiting for their call to go through,” Upton writes, adding: “We should proudly embrace our nation’s patriotic songs, not callously shun them for elevator music.”

Clearly, this is the kind of change America was craving with the election of such a wide Democratic majority — out with the old musty tunes of patriotism, in with the jazz flute.

Why, it’s almost as if post-LBJ liberals and San Francisco Democrats have some sort of visceral discomfort with the history of this nation. But that can’t possibly be true, can it?

Meanwhile, a reminder of the impermanence of the seemingly indefinite from Deceiver.com.