Congressman celebrates popularity of NPR before noting 'commercial demand does not exist' for NPR

In a column for The Huffington Post yesterday Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) responded to comments made by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on NPR's Diane Rehm Show last week.

While on the show, Rubio said he had "concerns about spending money on public broadcasting" and said private donations rather than taxpayer dollars should support outlets such as NPR.

"Public broadcasting, made up of 1,300 locally owned and operated stations, is beloved by countless Americans and serves as the country's premier source of news and educational programming," Bluemauer raved in response. "Public broadcasting has the support of more than 170 million Americans."

And then, exhibiting the symptoms of bipolar disorder, Blumenauer wrote:

"If there were a strong market in commercial radio for programs like The Diane Rehm Show, wouldn't we see them all over the country? We don't see them because commercial demand does not exist."

Don't make any sudden movements. There's no telling what someone with this type of mood swing will do when provoked.

[Huffington Post]