“An awful lot of conservatives listen to NPR,” Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss told his local public radio station this week. The conservative Republican added: “I think total elimination of funding is probably not the wisest thing to do.”

Of course zeroing out government money for NPR is not wise. And we don’t just say that because Cokie has worked for the network for decades and Steve is a regular contributor. We say that as listeners – as some of the 34 million people who tune in every week to hear high-quality reporting from around the nation and the world. Those listeners are of every political persuasion, race, age and income level, as Sen. Chambliss knows.

In a time of huge deficits, every program can expect cuts in federal dollars – that’s an economic decision. But the proposal to end all subsidies for public radio has nothing to do with economics – it’s a political decision, aimed at pleasing those conservatives who rail at the “liberal media.”

An ambush video provided them with ample ammunition. NPR’s former chief fundraiser showed disdain for conservatives and Republicans in his meeting with fake funders. Even though it turned out that the conservative activist who taped Ron Schiller’s remarks also heavily edited them, the damage had been done.