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The campaign website of Senator John McCain declares that the arrival of Hurricane Gustav is a moment for "Serving a Cause Greater". (Whatever that means.) The GOP--which for eight years demonstrated what columnist Paul Krugman described as "an ideological hostility to the very idea of using government to serve the public good" --has now reshuffled its convention, talked of fundraisers, phonathons, and volunteers--and told America it's above partisan politics and is putting the country first.
On Monday, the McCain campaign website ran a quote from the candidate himself smack-dab on the homepage: "I pledge that tomorrow night and if necessary throughout our convention, we will act as Americans and not as Republicans because America needs us now."
Darn right--you better not act like Republicans if you want to help America.
As Christopher Hayes wrote in his excellent post today, "Volunteers and fundraising isn't the solution for the Gulf, competent government is, and John McCain has hardly lifted a finger to make that happen." Hayes points out that McCain warned against over-spending in support of Katrina's victims; voted against establishing a Congressional commission to examine the response to Katrina in mid-September 2005; voted against allowing up to fifty-two weeks of unemployment benefits to people affected by the hurricane; and in 2006 voted against appropriating $109 billion in supplemental emergency funding, including $28 billion for hurricane relief.
McCain's newfound "concern" for the plight of disaster victims is as cynical as some of his recent campaign moves (think, Palin). Consider that in a visit to New Orleans in April McCain said he wasn't sure whether the Lower 9th Ward should be rebuilt:
We need to go back to have a conversation about what to do: rebuild it, tear it down, you know, whatever it is.On the same visit, he wouldn't comment on the disparity in funding for the War in Iraq versus funding for Gulf Coast rebuilding. (Senator James Webb said in 2007, "If we're putting all of this money into Iraq and ignoring New Orleans, then we're doing something wrong.") New Orleans and natural disaster preparedness aren't even mentioned as issues on his campaign website.
In contrast, Senator Barack Obama has a five-page plan on Gulf Coast rebuilding and preventing future catastrophes here. He introduced legislation requiring disaster planners to take into account the specific needs of low-income and special needs hurricane victims. He has spoken out on the need to streamline the reconstruction process--authorized monies have been slow to arrive as "Louisiana officials have had to fill out more than five million forms to get reconstruction money from FEMA."
ABC News reported Monday, "Just one-third of the levees have been repaired in the last three years and an additional 350 miles of embankments still need to be fixed. Eighteen pump stations along the levees have been repaired, but 12 more have not been improved." Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal--once on McCain's shortlist for VP before the selection of Governor Sarah Palin--told the Wall Street Journal that the Army Corps of Engineers "is not nearly done with levee work that was supposed to have been done."
No matter what happens with Gustav, the GOP response to Hurricane Katrina continues to be an epic failure.
When Obama was speaking out about levee rebuilding that was "piecemeal and disorganized," and "major sections of the city remain nearly as vulnerable as they were before the storm," where were McCain and the Republicans? Or, when he was writing to Donald Powell, the Federal Coordinator of Gulf Coast Rebuilding, describing the severe mental health implications of Hurricane Katrina on Gulf Coast children--urging more resources to help those suffering and a coordinated plan that addresses children's mental health needs for future disaster response and recovery--where were the Republicans then? Beyond Katrina, where have the Republicans been as Democrats pushed for a focus on infrastructure improvements and the US became "the only major industrial society that is not...renewing and expanding its public infrastructure."
The GOP was MIA, as the lead editorial in this week's Nation argues, "they were scorning the very government they were elected to lead."
So McCain can mosey on down to the Gulf region for a photo op as he views emergency preparations (Obama felt his entourage would be a disruption and opted to speak to officials by phone), and Republicans can try to whitewash eight years of failing the American people with a song and dance about shaking up their convention for a higher cause. But the American people won't be fooled. "Not this time," Obama might say.
This is a defining moment. It's going to take a lot more than Gustav to blow away eight years of Republican neglect.
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Katrina vanden Heuvel
Thoughts on politics, current affairs, riffs and reflections on what’s in the news and what’s not--but should be.
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"This is a defining moment."
posted by Katrina vanden Heuvel on 09/01/2008 @ 8:15pm
Nope.
The public's memory is short, and tends to be forgiving when one appears to have learned one's lesson.
A nice low grade Cat 3 hurricane just popped New Orleans square on the nose, and.....nothing happened.
Most all will be forgiven now. That's just the way it is.
Posted by Benchrest at 09/01/2008 @ 8:42pm
Most all will be forgiven now. That's just the way it is.
Posted by Benchrest at 09/01/2008 @ 8:42pm...
Not so fast...
The exception proves the rule.
Posted by ttr at 09/01/2008 @ 9:35pm
Actually, an exception could be made out of the Dems shit house job at Katrina, when looking at Jindal and the reaction by the feds after Katrina, where lessons learn were shown to have worked in pracftice...all to the dems, Obie, and the MSM loss.
Posted by JOMAMMA at 09/02/2008 @ 12:29am
The problem with this line of thinking is that people evacuated FEMA trailers to get out of the way of Gustav.
Posted by skeletonman at 09/02/2008 @ 01:08am
is subject to failures, even iPods! Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 8:34pm
BLASPHEMY!!!! The Ipod does not fail!
Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/02/2008 @ 01:23am
To Politicize something like this, seems rather...swampish! Still, The nation is doing a good job stirring up the Moonbats! Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 8:30p
What you think the Republicans who argued constantly against helping New Orleans because it wasn't the feds business who are now going on and on about help in Gustav aren't politicizing this? I don't know how you can be so partisan that someone your age becomes as naive as someone my age.
Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/02/2008 @ 01:25am
You'd think the Republicans and their apologists had never heard of "E pluribus unum," or even "in God we trust," which to thinking Christians has always evoked the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Beloved Community, not Thomas Hobbes's State of Nature.
No, you'd think THEIR version of the nation's motto is "Every man for himself!" or perhaps "Head for the hills!"
Posted by JakobFabian at 09/02/2008 @ 02:51am
The REAL problem with Katrina was that of an almost cat-4 hurricane landing squarely on a city parts of which are BELOW sea level.
Why the press chose to make Katrina political contines to baffle. To add to the confusion, it was only the right's fault. The left's mayor and governor bore no responsibility.
But then again, american idol is our most watched television show.....
Posted by bleedingheart at 09/02/2008 @ 09:16am
KvH must have missed the lates news.....all the Republican Governors mobilized their states' resources and Gustav has been `defeated'.....
Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 8:30pm
yeah,
and gustav slammed right through cuba,
and there were NO fatalities.
thank god they've got republicans, too.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/02/2008 @ 09:45am
An urgent conversation this country needs to be having is on maintaining and repairing infrastructure. Here are two links from Civil Engineering(published by the American Society of Civil Engineers)(I worked for an civil engineering firm for 8 yrs but no longer do):
The Infrastructure Crisis http://pubs.asce.org/magazines/CEMag/2008/Issue_01-08/article1.htm
Levee Leader http://pubs.asce.org/magazines/CEMag/2007/Issue_04-07/article1.htm
Posted by hvmiller at 09/02/2008 @ 10:53am
WELL KATRINA
You've been milking this Katrina thing for about three years now. TGFG, huh! You must be running out of material by now
BTW, During all that time I don't recall seeing a whole lot of Dems taking much action either.
If there is any one lesson to be learned from Katrina, its don't wait for the Government to bail you out of your problems (no pun intended) It doesn'nt matter whether your "ideologically opposed" to Government help or not. The mentality inherent, indeed driven, into those people in '05 to wait for help from already incompetent institutions was a major reason N.O never recovered completely like everyone else has.
The next time something like this happens, N.O should look to the Iowans for inspiration, not FEMA for help.
Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 09/02/2008 @ 11:12am
Once again the Neo-Cons spout their illogical and inane dogmatic babble. Once again the spreading of non turths and half-truths are the method the Neo-Cons continue to use to spread their self-absorbed greed inspired rhetoric. The response to Katrina was and is a Republican directed debacle of unmatched preportions. The issue is defenseless just like the invasion of Iraq.
Posted by mbuck at 09/02/2008 @ 11:36am
katrina was only a cat 1 when it hit N.O., gustav was 2, it was storm surge and ROTTEN INFRASTRUCTURE which doomed N.O....NOTHING has changed, you can go online to non-msm sites and view levees all leaking right now...looks like it could be in cuba or haiti.....not in the US.....
Federal incompetence led to just reopening new apartmenst for SOME refugees returning LAST WEEK which is slated for demolition in March 09!!!!! all at a mere cost of billions to clueless taxpayers...
if you actually go to N.O. EVEN TODAY, you will see french quarter and tourist section rebuilt...then drive out of N.O., and it is a wasteland out of mad max thunderdome, which is what everything will look like in a mcsame presidency and continued reliance on fossil fuels...
NOBODY is paying attention...N.O. exists ONLY because of gas/oil; destroyed wetlands, created the katrina disaster...now these SAME big oil cos have deserted NO and went to Houston, etc....WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by jrs112 at 09/02/2008 @ 11:39am
it was also a matter of economic and environmental justic, putting poorest people below sea level below failing levees AGAIN...fed govt. is throwing a bone to poor people to TRUST THEM and go back to the SAME PLACE which was just destroyed....ALL SCIENTISTS for fifty years said levees alone will FAIL...govt. didnt' listen....bush hasn't learned anything, FEMA hasn't learned anything, they are all stubborn and refuse to learn anything....all at OUR EXPENSE...so......let's CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!kick the bums out!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by jrs112 at 09/02/2008 @ 11:41am
Haven't heard much repug response to the billions of dollars that simply "disappeared" over in Iraq in the heartfelt effort to "help" the Iraqi people. Nor much response to the contractor ripoffs exposed after Katrina. To the repugs these things just "happen" around war & natural disasters.
Posted by Sorelish at 09/02/2008 @ 11:45am
Actaully Gustav spun down and went "just far enuff" west to not sucker-punch NOLA. However, there is a line of tropical depressions marching westward right now. Hannah, Ike, and a yet-to-be named "big-un" that just spun off the coast of W Africa
http://tinyurl.com/2o8v67
Posted by leftofcenter at 09/02/2008 @ 11:52am
"katrina was only a cat 1 when it hit N.O"
That line is WRONG!!
Posted by bleedingheart at 09/02/2008 @ 11:57am
Well, the Repubs need SOME distraction...
Walt Monegan may appear on a morning show if there's no BIG news!
heheh
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/02/2008 @ 12:06pm
HEYMBUCK
I'll take a non TURTH over a liberal truth any time :)
Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 09/02/2008 @ 12:08pm
Mr. Thornton that is truly sad. I am continually amazed at the complete ignorance of those who choose to put thier head in the sand and hope "it" goes away. "It" won't "it" has to be made to leave. The Neo-Cons continue to seerve themselves and big business not the country and the constitutuion they swore to protect. You must ahve significant investments you are trying to protect. Bush and Cheney have committed acts that catergorize them as the most impeachable leaders since Andrew Johnson.
Posted by mbuck at 09/02/2008 @ 12:18pm
I think that there is enough blame to go around for New Orleans. If it wasn't for oil the democrats or republicans wouldn't give a sh@#. Where does all the oil royalty money go. Senator Obama made the most sense. There should be enough oil money floating around to build the levees out of gold, twenty feet high.
Posted by lachatte at 09/02/2008 @ 12:48pm
MBUCK,
Please call me Chip. I havn't been called Mr Thornton since I Student Taught
I agree compltely with you on Bush & Cheney, can't wait to see them go. They've ruined our reputation, our finances and our armed forces almost simultaneously. But there are issues out there that I agree with that by coincidence THEY agree with, but that doesn't put me in their camp. For example, I think we should drill. Not because I want to stay dependent on oil, but because we will need a bridge to get us 30 years down the road till alternates come on line. Otherwise we'll be paying $10 a gallon by the time we switch. I consider Government incompetent 90% of the time no matter who is president. Its a problem of bureacracy, not party. That said, yeah Bush's gov screwed it up totally, but if you think that FEMA clown wouldn't have been in that store still looking for that shirt under Clinton too the night the levees broke, you are kidding yourself.
I'm a conservative,believing in the Founding Fathers original ideas, not a neocon. There's a difference.
Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 09/02/2008 @ 12:59pm
Otherwise we'll be paying $10 a gallon by the time we switch
you can drill all you want.
it will not affect the price.
canada already exports tons of oil to the u.s.
and i pay more for gas than you do.
the u.s. exports oil to japan, now.
so,
unless you are ready to nationalize,
you will continue to pay more and more.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/02/2008 @ 4:20pm
Posted by JOMAMMA at 09/02/2008 @ 5:18pm
MAASCH, question...
The Repubs controlled EVERYTHING from 2003 to 2006...
why no move to THEIR view of energy independence?!??!!??!
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/02/2008 @ 7:50pm
I thought this was absolutely the funniest thing I have heard yet in this campaign (well...except for the announcement of Palin...which caused some pretty good laughter)...
McCain, in response to Gustav "...we will act as Americans and not as Republicans because America needs us now."
See, the unspoken but rather obvious 'rest' of that statement contains a rather central and extremely obvious fact.
That there is a VAST difference between 'Americans' and 'Republicans'.
See, when tragedy strikes and our friends and neighbors need help, 'Americans' WANT our governemnet to pitch in and help out. You remember our goverment, right?...that is composed of to all those 'emergency response' agencies that were built for this specific purpose...to "insure domestic tranquility" and provide for, and "promote the general welfare"...
...you know...the same government the Republicans have been trying to 'drown in the bathtub' for the past 8 years.
.
See, Republicans would be the ones who want the government to do 'nothing'...and let the free market forces gouge...er...'profit', from the misery and misfortune of their friends and neighbors. And we CAN'T have them all ACT like Republicans at a time like this...when everyone is watching and stuff.
Much better to ACT like Americans when the world is watching.
They can go back to acting like Republicans when there are less people paying attention.
Posted by Lillian at 09/02/2008 @ 8:10pm
Frosty, oil is fungible, it doesn't matter where it comes from or who ships what from where...
Posted by JOMAMMA at 09/02/2008 @ 5:18pm
FINALLY, YOU UNDERSTAND!
it doesn't matter where it comes from or who ships what from where...
FINALLY, YOU UNDERSTAND!
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/02/2008 @ 10:07pm
sure JM,
i know we pay more gas tax.
but not that much more.
plus,
our bridges don't collapse (i hope).
so you see,
you can drill all you want.
the price won't go down.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/02/2008 @ 10:18pm
and if you put more oil on the market,
someone else will take some off,
thus rendering the oil process null.
save the oil for plastics.......
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/02/2008 @ 10:18pm
"we are awash in crude"
hahahahahaha!
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/02/2008 @ 10:19pm
Maybe he's vacationing in Prudhoe Bay?
Posted by Malcontent at 09/03/2008 @ 01:29am
PRUDHOE BAY, Alaska -- Oil keeps flowing through a maze of aging wells, pumps and pipelines that poke through the snow on this desolate North Slope tundra.
But this vast field is ailing: Output has fallen by nearly 75 percent from its peak in 1987 and is expected to continue dropping.
<<<<>>>>
like swimming in lake st. clair.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/03/2008 @ 3:34pm