Republican Response Bashing Thread

[Tyson]

Here's a thread for all the Republican bashing over their retarded (literally) response to the complete destruction of a major US city.

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Bush:

I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.

New Orleans Times Picayune story from June 8, 2004:

"When levees are below grade, as ours are in many spots right now, they're more vulnerable to waves pouring over them and degrading them," Naomi said. "We're not below storm-surge elevation yet, but we will be if we stop raising our levees as they subside."

Bush budget falls short

The Bush administration's proposed fiscal 2005 budget includes only $3.9 million for the east bank hurricane project. Congress likely will increase that amount, although last year it bumped up the administration's $3 million proposal only to $5.5 million.

"I needed $11 million this year, and I got $5.5 million," Naomi said. "I need $22.5 million next year to do everything that needs doing, and the first $4.5 million of that will go to pay four contractors who couldn't get paid this year."

FEMA in 2001:

New Orleans is sinking.

And its main buffer from a hurricane, the protective Mississippi River delta, is quickly eroding away, leaving the historic city perilously close to disaster.
So vulnerable, in fact, that earlier this year the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked the potential damage to New Orleans as among the three likeliest, most castastrophic disasters facing this country.

The other two? A massive earthquake in San Francisco, and, almost prophetically, a terrorist attack on New York City.

The New Orleans hurricane scenario may be the deadliest of all.

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New Orleans: FUCK! I'M UNDER WATER! SHITTY SHIT!
Bush: I'm a country star!

Take 2:

New Orleans: FUCK! UNDER WATER! HELLOOOO? ANYONE?!
Bush: MMmm.... Cake! I like cake. Yummy yummy.

Meanwhile, at a press conference (emphasis mine):

REPORTER: There's a lot of discussion going on about the funding of projects prior to this, whether projects in New Orleans in particular were underfunded because of the Iraq war or for other reasons. Do you find any of this criticism legitimate? Do you think there is any second guessing to be done now about priorities given that [a disaster in] New Orleans was sort of obvious to a lot of the experts?

MCCLELLAN: As I have indicated, this is not a time for politics. This is a time for the nation to come together for those in the Gulf Coast region and that's where our focus is. This is not a time for finger-pointing or politics. And I think the last thing that the people who have been displaced or the people who have been affected need is people seeking partisan gain in Washington. So if that's what you're talking about, that's one thing. Now, if you're talking about specific areas, I would be glad to talk about some of those, if that's what you want.

REPORTER: I'm talking about policy

REPORTER: One project, for instance, is the one where people felt they needed $60 million in the current `06 fiscal year, and they were given $10 million. Those types of projects. And a lot --

MCCLELLAN: Which project is this?

REPORTER: Southeast Louisiana Flood Control.

MCCLELLAN: Flood control has been a priority of this administration from day one.

Take 3:

New Orleans: Jesus. Fucking hell. I'm giving up with you morons.
Rice: I like shoes! Pretty shoes!

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Summary: A major US city is underwater, thousands are refugees, and everything in the region is in a bowl of shit. The nation's leaders are off pretending like nothing has happened. Their respose is too little, too late. Bush said looting food and supplies is just as bad as looting Nikes and Sony DVD players and he's saying that the people in New Orleans should just sit tight until he decides when he wants to get relief in to the area.

[RottingCorpse]

All this shit will come back to haunt him when and if normalcy returns.

You can bet that the republicans in the '06 congressional races will do their best to distance themselves from Bush, not just because of statements like the looter nonsense he spouted this morning, but also for Iraq and gas prices.

And if there's a terrorist attack on U.S. soil between now and 2008, the festivities will begin in earnest.

All that said, I feel sorry for Bush. Next time you see him speak on TV notice how old, worn, exhausted and emotionally drained he looks.  The guy is haunted and it's almost heartbreaking.

[Tyson]

All that said, I feel sorry for Bush. Next time you see him speak on TV notice how old, worn, exhausted and emotionally drained he looks.  The guy is haunted and it's almost heartbreaking.

Almost. I have very little sympathy for him. He had an incredibly priviledged upbringing and has no one to fault for his incompetencies than himself. However, in the same way Clinton looked shot after the blow job scandal and I felt bad for him, I can feel bad for Bush and his current situation. Kind of.

Of course you're going to be worn and tired when all you do is defend your lies and mistakes all day. That's all he does anymore. Defends the Iraq quagmire. Defends his failed Social Security thing. Go on vacation. And soon: defend his Katrina response.

And remember, this isn't just his response, it's the Republican-controlled White House response that is severely lacking. Of course, he's the biggest part of it.

I think the Republican chances of success in '08 depend on two things: Convincing people that Bush wasn't of their party and working the "Bible belt" in to another falsely-moral superfrenzy.

The Democrats' chance of success depends on growing fangs against the far-Right while putting on a oh-so-pettable layer of fur for the middle.

[yotoc]

I'll tell you what.  If you have something constructive to say, by all means say it.  When you spend 10-15 minutes putting together a thread just to bash the president you really should just shut the fuck up.  

Especially since you fucking know for a fact none of you would be flapping your fucking yaps if this happened under Clinton.

I'll say it again.  Constructive or interesting = good.  Posting just to bash the administration = shut the fuck up.

[RottingCorpse]

It was a "Republican response bashing" thread, so I responded.

But really, you can't blame Bush for the way things are going down there. He's bent over backwartd to get as much aid down there as soon as possible, and it's a logistical nightmare. It's simply going to take time which is a horrifying reality when people are dying. Bush is trying to do all he can within realistic bounderies.

Still, saying the guy that steals the water and diapers is  as bad as the guy stealing plasma TVs is stupid and wrong.

[Tyson]

Does everything on GS have to be purposed with building for the common good? I sure hope not. It's nice to just bitch about something every now and then. That's why I started this thread: to keep all the bitching and moaning out of the other Katrina threads.

[yotoc]

But you haven't.  This is nothing but typical democrat whining.  I knew I should have just deleted the entire thing.

[Tyson]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050902/ts_nm/weather_katrina_bush_dc

Even a broken clock is right twice a day:

President Bush, facing scathing criticism of the government response to Hurricane Katrina, conceded on Friday it had been unacceptable as he visited the ravaged Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans.

Anarchy and looting have broken out in flooded New Orleans, tens of thousands across the area remain stranded and without adequate food and water, and local officials are warning of a death toll that could number in the thousands. Only half of the 30,000 National Guard and military troops so far dispatched are in place.

Hairy stuff.

The blog at http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/ has some amazing pictures on it.