Matt Yglesias

Neko Case and the Department of Education

It seems that a new, hipper era of governance really has arrived here in the nation’s capital. Seyward Darby explains:

Spotted: Secretary of Education Arne Duncan introducing flame-haired indie goddess Neko Case at the 9:30 Club last night. But … why? Is the Cabinet member a devoted Neko fan, or is she a big supporter of education reform? (A friend who was at the concert said she put in a good word for Obama’s education plans.)

As it turns out, the backstory proves, yet again, just how tied the administration is to the Chicago scene. Last week, the Department of Education hired Tim Tuten, co-owner of The Hideaway, a hip Chicago club, as assistant secretary for communications and outreach. (He’s also been a schoolteacher in the Windy City.) Tuten is friends with Neko, a fixture in recent years at The Hideaway, and he set up Duncan’s introduction. “That’s all Tim making something like that happen, connecting those two things [education and music],” Duncan told The Chicago Tribune through a spokesman on April 1. “No one thinks like him. We need more of that here.” And Tuten’s not the only music promoter on board at the DOE: He was brought on by Peter Cunningham, “a Chicago musician and media specialist,” according to the Tribune.

Good times. That said, I always find it slightly annoying when bands come to DC and bring a political message to an audience that inevitably contains a huge number of people working professionally in the political game. I remember especially being at a Death Cab show in October 2004 and listening to Ben Gibbard explain how important it was to help John Kerry get elected. As if political apathy is a big problem among young professionals in the DC area or something.

But churlishness aside, I think an innovative public relations approach is welcome. Especially as it pertains to government agencies trying to bring messages to people outside the Beltway. One important task for progressive governance is making people more aware of the positive role government programs play in many people’s lives, and of the importance of engaging in the political and policy process. That’s harder to define than “pass a health care bill” but over the long run I think its equally important.