Was Katrina A GOP-Created Stom?

[scribblet]

I knew it, there really is a hurricane generating machine in the Bush whitehouse.

[jdobbin]

It is funny to see Republicans get all angry at New Orleans after the election. They lay the blame at local and state officials which do deserve plenty of scorn but obviously when a disaster hits, people look to their national government for leadership. They found it lacking in this case.

[jbg]

It is funny to see Republicans get all angry at New Orleans after the election. They lay the blame at local and state officials which do deserve plenty of scorn but obviously when a disaster hits, people look to their national government for leadership. They found it lacking in this case.

What many canadians don't realize is that disaster handling, in the case of Katrina, is actually Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin in Louisiana's responsibility and jurisdiction. Anyone who watched news footage of the post-911 cleanup saw not Bush, but Giuliani and Pataki at the podium, speaking and communicating with the public. Unlike Louisiana, New York has a functioning state and local (New York City) government. Expensive, but functioning. Louisiana's and New Orleans' governments effectively do not function.

You're going to mention the so-called "New Federalism" that sprang up after Hurricane Agnes. FEMA is designed as a supplement to state and local efforts. We even have laws preventing the use of the National Guard for local law enforcement.

[jdobbin]

What many canadians don't realize is that disaster handling, in the case of Katrina, is actually Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin in Louisiana's responsibility and jurisdiction. Anyone who watched news footage of the post-911 cleanup saw not Bush, but Giuliani and Pataki at the podium, speaking and communicating with the public. Unlike Louisiana, New York has a functioning state and local (New York City) government. Expensive, but functioning. Louisiana's and New Orleans' governments effectively do not function.

You're going to mention the so-called "New Federalism" that sprang up after Hurricane Agnes. FEMA is designed as a supplement to state and local efforts. We even have laws preventing the use of the National Guard for local law enforcement.

We've gone over this before and the historical record on disasters has been that the federal government has been at the ready when state and local governments haven't been able to handle it.

If it helps the Republicans to blame New Orleans in all this, by all means...

I think that Katrina ranked in the consciousness of Americans as being a failure on all accounts of government to respond. The Republicans paid a price for that during the mid-terms.

[jbg]

We've gone over this before and the historical record on disasters has been that the federal government has been at the ready when state and local governments haven't been able to handle it.

If it helps the Republicans to blame New Orleans in all this, by all means...

I think that Katrina ranked in the consciousness of Americans as being a failure on all accounts of government to respond. The Republicans paid a price for that during the mid-terms.

Certainly, the Feds are responsible for not causing a hurricane to slam into poor black areas.

[jdobbin]

Certainly, the Feds are responsible for not causing a hurricane to slam into poor black areas.

Never said they were.

I said their response to a hurricane causing disaster was found wanting.

[jbg]

Certainly, the Feds are responsible for not causing a hurricane to slam into poor black areas.

Never said they were. I said their response to a hurricane causing disaster was found wanting.

I'm agreeing with you. I'm adding that the way the hurricane was steered showed the power of racists and central bankers.

[jdobbin]

I'm agreeing with you. I'm adding that the way the hurricane was steered showed the power of racists and central bankers.

I don't think I've accused Bush of ever being racist. I know some people have done so but I think they're wrong.

Bush's problem on the hurricane was that he passed the buck on responsibility.

Republicans will continue to make jokes about the New Orleans at their own expense.

[bush_cheney2004]

Republicans will continue to make jokes about the New Orleans at their own expense.

Democrats and Republicans have been making jokes about New Orleans for decades. So what?

[jdobbin]

Democrats and Republicans have been making jokes about New Orleans for decades. So what?

Jokes yes, but not the blame game. The blame game boomerangs pretty much every time.

[kimmy]

Republicans will continue to make jokes about the New Orleans at their own expense.

It's not the tragedy in New Orleans that's being ridiculed in this thread.

-k

{Crying won't help you, Praying won't do you no good.

Crying won't help you, Praying won't do you no good.

When the levee breaks, Mama you got to move.}

[bush_cheney2004]

Jokes yes, but not the blame game. The blame game boomerangs pretty much every time.

The blame game? Mayor Nagin was still re-elected anyway. He protected the school buses!

http://www.snopes.com/katrina/photos/buses.asp

[sunsettommy]

JBG:Nonesense!!!! You're going to have to prove to me that this wasn't aimed at the African-Americans, and that the flooding devices weren't pre-set. This was a controlled, man-made flood, irrigation on a mass scale.

This makes sense to me too but when you start looking into Katrina it gets sickening real fast. I decided not to look at Katrina in any great detail because I'm already dealing with enough bad things done by the US government.

New Orleans in many ways was the a$$hole of the USA to many people - the "religiously pure" neocons probably decided to wipe it clean.

Conspiracy is your middle name.

I wonder when the CIA,FBI,ATF and other nasty government jackboots will smash your door down at 3:00 am and drag you away never to be seen again.

[sunsettommy]

Jokes yes, but not the blame game. The blame game boomerangs pretty much every time.

The blame game? Mayor Nagin was still re-elected anyway. He protected the school buses!

Prolly got the flood damage money because of it.

[jdobbin]

The blame game? Mayor Nagin was still re-elected anyway. He protected the school buses!

http://www.snopes.com/katrina/photos/buses.asp

I don't think I ever said the mayor was blameless. Perhaps if conservatives and Republicans had not voted for Nagin in 2006, he would not have been re-elected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_m...lection%2C_2006

The strong white conservative and Republican Party turnout for Nagin, however, may have been the factor that tipped the balance. Defeated primary candidate Rob Couhig led the Republican rally behind Nagin. The Nagin campaign sent out flyers to heavily white Republican neighborhoods quoting some local black leaders calling him "Ray Reagan", a reference to Ronald Reagan intended to be insulting, but which was seen more sympathetically among Republicans.

Were you aware how significant the Republican support was to him winning?

[bush_cheney2004]

Were you aware how significant the Republican support was to him winning?

So what...voters can do as they please (see Sen. Joe Lieberman). Ray Nagin use to be a Republican!

Did the "Republicans" elect governor Blanco as well?

[jdobbin]

So what...voters can do as they please (see Sen. Joe Lieberman). Ray Nagin use to be a Republican!

Did the "Republicans" elect governor Blanco as well?

If Republicans are going to blame Nagin, it would help if they actually voted against him.

I wasn't aware that Blanco had faced the election polls following the flood. This news was from a few days ago. It looks like the election is October 20.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258781,00.html

Perhaps Republicans can show what they think of Blanco's efforts in the hurricane and vote against her.

[bush_cheney2004]

I wasn't aware that Blanco had faced the election polls following the flood. This news was from a few days ago. It looks like the election is October 20.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258781,00.html

Perhaps Republicans can show what they think of Blanco's efforts in the hurricane and vote against her.

Who said she did? I was referring to her first election. Or do Republican dirty tricks only apply after natural disasters?

[moderateamericain]

HAHA, funny post, I think i remember something similar to this about the year Flordia had several hurricanes blow through. It was a map of Flordia by county, color coded red or blue by voting district. The storms paths cut through all the red districts, the joke was gods wrath at Floridians voting republican.

[jdobbin]

Who said she did? I was referring to her first election. Or do Republican dirty tricks only apply after natural disasters?

I would suggest that normally conservative and Republican votes went to Blanco rather than electing Jindal who would have been the first East Indian heritage governor in the U.S.

So, in a nutshell, yes, Republicans did elect Blanco.

[bush_cheney2004]

I would suggest that normally conservative and Republican votes went to Blanco rather than electing Jindal who would have been the first East Indian heritage governor in the U.S.

So, in a nutshell, yes, Republicans did elect Blanco.

And Democrats helped to elect President Reagan. Sue them.

[jdobbin]

And Democrats helped to elect President Reagan. Sue them.

This is going round and round. My point originally is that the blame game boomerangs.

It would be nice if instead of blame there was some actual work done on solving the problem.

[bush_cheney2004]

This is going round and round. My point originally is that the blame game boomerangs.

It would be nice if instead of blame there was some actual work done on solving the problem.

That's what a boomerang does. Solving problems is secondary to winning elections. Nobody waited for the government to save the day during 1997 floods in my neck of the woods.

New Orleans was an armpit long before Katrina.

[jdobbin]

That's what a boomerang does. Solving problems is secondary to winning elections. Nobody waited for the government to save the day during 1997 floods in my neck of the woods.

New Orleans was an armpit long before Katrina.

What part of the country were you living in that the government was not there in 1997?

[bush_cheney2004]

What part of the country were you living in that the government was not there in 1997?

Government was there....just not very effective, from flood stage predictions to flood plain management over many years. Neighbors filled sandbags in the Red River Valley. National Guard came to watch.