Feasts for Fires; Famines for Floods.

Many on the right are comparing Katrina to the California wildfires and coming to the conclusion that the Republicans will benefit from the "succesful" handling of the more recent tragedy, the wildfires. Mark Shields, for one, said as much during an interview with Brooks and Lehrer.

But they've got it wrong. The party of W. succeeded in New Orleans. As I wrote yesterday, the destruction of the city seems to have destroyed the Democratic party in New Orleans. "Failure to Thrive" is a condition that can cause the death of an infant. The vulnerable child does not get the attention and nurturing it needs in order to live.  That's an accurate description of the federal response to Katrina. Bobby Jindal is the Governor Elect today because the city has been depopulated, and the NRO brags about it. The federal response to fires in heavily Republican Orange and San Diego counties has been, and will continue to be, completely different.

Three days after California's governor declared a disaster, President Bush was in San Diego County. He took the opportunity to insult the Louisiana governor, saying:

"It makes a significant difference when you have someone in the Statehouse willing to take the lead."

Four days after Louisiana's governor made the declaration, President Bush also left Washington - to go to San Diego County. (photo above) He did fly over New Orleans on his way back home.  As Donna Brazile said yesterday about his insult to Governor Blanco while he was in California this week:

This is a President who flew over the state while people were on their roofs. The  president, of all people, should be very careful not to criticize and reopen that wound, a wound that was so deeply felt by the people of Louisiana.

I also have to disagree with Bush's statement: the occupant of the Statehouse is not the "significant difference."

As the NY Times pointed out, a much bigger difference lies in the scope of the tragedy.

So far, there have been roughly 1,875 homes destroyed by the California wildfires; a White House report says 300,000 homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the storm. In California, fires consumed roughly 475,000 acres; more than 52 million acres were affected in the Gulf Coast.

Still greater significance lies in identifying who was harmed. Orange and San Diego counties have an awful lot of white, rich, Republican residents. New Orleans had a lot of poor, black Democrats. The Republicans of Orange County contributed far more to their own plight than the people of New Orleans. In 2005 they voted down a request for newer and more equipment from their firefighters.  The money was available, but those anti-government Republicans were afraid that the firefighter union might benefit.

You can be sure that the Bush administration will pull out all stops for the residents of Orange and San Diego counties. I guarantee that those made homeless by the fires will all be made whole and be ready to vote Republican in 2008, while those made homeless by the floods will still not be back in their homes.  Race matters in the GOP USA.

(memeorandum)

 

Comments

[rick]

Of course, one need not look any further away than next door to Mississippi to contrast the difference between efficient local and state government and inept, corrupt local and state government. I guess it’s not easy to make an intellectual argument when there is nothing but racist and liars and Halliburton in ones magazine. Nice try though, the building number 7 folks will buy it. And, Lord knows, there’s lots of those folks around.

Generation after generation lives 17 feet below sea level and the best plan they came up with was to have and axe in the attic and wait to get rescued. Now that’s government dependency raised to the level of an art form. Democrats are rightfully proud. I don’t keep a sheet in my attic that says ‘help’. I sorta help myself.

[bbbustard]

Thanks for the comments, and sorry to have missed your recent ones. Also sorry that your trip was canceled - I'd be fascinated to know more about it and what you do.
I am always amazed at the faith you have in government, except when you don't. You seem to think that a guy from Blackwater can do no wrong, while a guy from the agency who hired Blackwater, ie State, can do no right. To have such faith in former soldiers from South Africa or Peru astounds me.

I hate to admit that I don't get your reference to Bldg number 7 - but I don't.

As you no doubt remember Haley Barbour was Gov of MS at the time that it received much more money for restoration per capita than did LA. From the Times:
"the package gave Mississippi about five times as much per household in housing aid as Louisiana received - a testimony to the clout of Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, a former Republican National Committee chairman, and Senator Thad Cochran, chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

I am not trying to argue that the governments of New Orleans and Louisiana were not corrupt. They were. But I do think your suggestion of governmental competence is undermined by one of the great talents of the Bush administration - the greatest politicizing of our governmental institutions that we have seen in a long, long time.

I'm sure that you do help yourself, but I'm talking about the people of a few of those Counties who fought against additional funding for their firefighters, and who then demanded help from the rest of the state, as well as neighboring states, and even Mexico.

[faigejanee]

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