From Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films…and the folks still struggling to recover from Katrina. You can sign the petition in support of the Gulf Coast Recovery Bill, and let them know they are not alone…
It is now almost two years after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, and people all across that region are still struggling to get back on their feet — navigating a maze of bureuacratic incompetence and outright failure. Take a look at this video that Scout Prime shot just last weekend in NOLA’s Lower Ninth Ward, and compare to video shot two years ago.
And then think about being one of those homeowners, as Robert Greenwald’s video above makes abundantly clear, trying to juggle a mortgage payment on a home that is uninhabitable, afford to rebuild with no insurance and/or federal FEMA money payout that is tangled up in a never-ending paper trial, and pay rent on a dinky apartment in a dank neighborhood all the while trying to keep your kids safe from an ever-rising crime rate and a despair that is sinking everyone around you.
These are our fellow Americans.
Douglas Brinkley had an op-ed in the WaPo called Reckless Abandonment that is worth a read and then some. In it, he says the following:
Bold action has been needed for two years now, yet all that the White House has offered is an inadequate trickle of billion-dollar Band-aids and placebo directives. Too often in the United States we forget that “inaction” can be a policy initiative. Every day the White House must decide what not to do. (emphasis mine)
The Bush White House has made inaction a government initiative of the highest order in the Gulf Coast. With Michael Chertoff leading the Administration’s charge to nothing doing.
The fishing industry and coastal recovery efforts are still struggling to regain their footing. Local artists and writers have been putting together benefits for folks in need, and the emotional hurt that everyone in the region is still trying to deal with remains all to close to the surface with little to no counseling help available in a whole lot of communities. There are stories of hope — but for every one I read or hear about, it comes with a contrasting one of struggle and despair. (NPR, btw, has done some fantastic follow-up stories and profiles the last two years across the Gulf region.)
Rick Perlstein points to an outstanding video produced about the devastation in NOLA, and the failures of the Bush Administration and others to provide the help that was promised in the aftermath of the storm. Do watch it. It truly is worth a thousand words, as Rick says.
But for my money, to really feel the despair and the heartache that I hear in e-mails and notes from readers who live in the region still, you can’t get any better than this performance from Terance Blanchard. (YouTube) His music echos the difficulties that so many musicians up and down the Gulf Coast have been having getting back on their feet…just like so many of their peers from all walks of life.
The scars from this mess are still with us, both in the concrete slabs and still-abandoned houses and debris piles, and in the racial divide that was exposed in a raw few days on television screens across America. Take a little time today to read this piece from Digby, and to peruse the Voices from the Gulf project. These are our brothers and sisters here in America — before you settle back into the routine of your day think of this: next disaster, this could be you.
PS — A big happy birthday to Robert! (Thanks to David E. for the reminder.)
Related posts:
- If Anyone Knows About Lying to the House, it’s Gingrich
- Right-Wing Extremists Protest Health Care Reform: “We Hate the United States!”
- Health Industry Mogul Rick Scott Still Can’t Explain Billions in Fraud
- Tehran Protests: Her Name Was Neda (Warning: Extremely Graphic Video)
- Rick Scott “Crows” That Delay Will Kill Public Option
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Christy!
Good morning Christy.
rats ; )
I hope that W is surrounded by booing crowds no matter where he goes in NOLA. Despite the usual security practices of isolating any protesters out of his view. (*spit*)
drats!
(sorry, where ARE my manners? ‘morning, christy! good article there…)
Didn’t Turdblossom get rave reviews from all the Repugs on his management of the Katrina Solution?
Shorter Repugs: “Chalk up ‘nother Red State. Atta boy Turdblossom! Yous worth every nickel we can steal.”
The political implications of Katrina are clear. It moves Louisiana from purple to red. Does anyone think that this fact escaped the minds of Rover and Bush?
They don’t want NEW ORLEANS to ever return to what it once was- a warehouse for democratic votes.
Better to have those democrats scattered among red states where their votes will all be buried.
Christy,
Sports Illustrated issue dated August 27 also has a long article on New Orleans and Katrina recovery, using the sports hook to address the larger issues involved.
dakine at 9 — I’ll have to wrestle that issue out of Mr. ReddHedd’s hot little hands, then, and take a peek. Thanks for the heads up!
peanutbutter @ 4
I wonder how many appreciative spectators will be shipped in for this event?
heh.
Christy, I want to thank you yet again for continuing to bring this to the front page. We are caught in a real bind, with the bursting of the real estate bubble, the slow pace that everything in New Orleans has been forced to, the breaking of promises of help, the contractors who take our money and don’t deliver, the tripling (at least) of homeowner’s and other insurance, the INABILITY to get insurance on some properties (unless someone can pay cash for a property, they’re usually stymied in the attempt to acquire property by the inability to purchase insurance), the doubling of utility costs, the high price of fuel, George Bush’s broken promises that the labor of rebuilding would go to the residents of New Orleans…I could go on and on. Anyway, thank you.
there’s a law somewhere that has the phrase “Criminal Neglect” in it. can’t imagine a more appropriate application of it than what the Bush Administration hasn’t done for the New Orleans/Gulf Coast area.
NO will be rebuilt with weekend condos for out of state wealthy people who want to breath in the air of history. They may have to import some african americans for color.
morning Christy…eminent domain and the below sea level land grab by the NOLA murdering, loyal-booshy, spitoon boys.
Lindy at 12 — It is heartbreaking, and that’s just for starters. I keep thinking about my favorite professor in law school – she was from the region and attended Tulane for law school. This would have broken her heart to see what has happened to her beloved NOLA. I can hear that Southern belle lilt in her steely voice in the back of my mind every time I write one of these posts. We lost her several years ago to a brain tumor — so she never had to see any of this devastation. Every time I see something in the news or get an e-mail or what have you on this, I think of Anne — and I keep talking about it because, first and foremost for me, she would never have let the Bush Administration forget what they had not done. And I’m so sorry for what y’all have had to go through the last two years, too…so very sorry.
rwcole @ 8
I heard this on the radio yesterday too. Can anyone demonstrate this with authority?
The idea that Rove et al would kill/let die an historic city for political purposes is …un-American.
Employees of Disney currently designing condos that look remarkably like New Orleans- to be built in New Orleans- decorated with picures of Mickey and Minnie celebrating Mardis Gras.
Last week, at the end of the US/Mexico/Canada summit, the three leaders held a brief press conference. I caught a little of the opening, and about spewed my coffee all over the living room when I heard this from Bush in his opening statement:
I can only imagine the reaction from Calderón — “Gracias, but we’ll be just fine. Please, please, please keep FEMA north of the border.”
Thank you, Christy.
Scout Prime’s videos, watched side-by-side, are devastating. How can this still be happening in America?
albert fall @ 17
That is one hell of a way to redistribute the votes…
Doesn’t surprise me….
Fall- pure speculation on my part.
So is the prez gonna show his face in N.O. for the anniversary or not?
John Edwards was just on the Ed Schultz show talking about New Orleans, among other things. It’s clear that he’d take some mighty big and quick actions to help it.
He also said that once he’s in the WH,he’d have someone report to him every day re what was going on there.
Couldn’t find a link to Schultz yet, but here’s one from Edwards’ web site on the subject:
http://johnedwards.com/news/pr…..index.htmlhttp://johnedwards.com/news/pr…..index.html
Mauimom @ 24
First time I’ve seen Big Ed….
He’s good…
Real good….
That Terrance Blanchard video is incredible. Devastation,Dispair and willful neglect of NOLA tragedy explained in just 5:08.
Social engineering at work here.
Thanks for your focus on this CHS.
Grover Norquist was right. The rethugs will drown this government … the culmination of 27 years of Reaganism.
BTW,
I am an Historian and Anthropologist. Virtually the only thing historians CAN AGREE on is that the income disparity since 1980 is reminscent of the Gilded Age. The rich get richer, and the rest of us lose via healthcare and wage depression, et al…
votus was wondering at the end of the last thread if he/she could post more about the meeting with Baird. Christy might want to leave a note there for votus.
Peterr, you asked about a cumulative graph of US deaths in Iraq to go along with the yearly one I had prepared.
The cumulative one is here:
http://www.netrootsmass.net/Hu…..Iraq_2.htm
The yearly one is here:
http://www.netrootsmass.net/Hu…..Iraq_1.htm
ShytBouquet at 26 — Blanchard has a CD out that is his requiem for Katrina that will, literally, rip your heart out. It is an amazing piece of work.
And for an amusing aside, I had to share this link to a Sky News piece on “coffee art” with everyone. Too fun! A reader sent this along to me this morning, and I thought everyone could use a little island of inanity and giggles…
Mauimom @ 24
One item missing: he needs to consider how to repair the ecological damage in the ocean around NOLA in order to lessen the impact of hurricanes in the future. That’s a very long term project, but if we’re going to rebuild below the levees, that’s an essential component, or else Katrina will just happen again.
The Dow Jones industrials dropped more than 140 points as investors awaited minutes from the Fed’s last meeting that could provide insight into whether it may cut rates.
Today is Robert Greenwald’s Birthday.
George W. Bush won the second battle of New Orleans.
The people who once lived there are now transplanted- most will not return.
Louisiana is red.
John Edwards has addressed the severe inequities of the post-Katrina solutions and negligence in NOLA and the Mississippi estuary longer and in more detail than any other Democratic Party presidential contender. Mike Gravel hasn’t addressed the problem in any detail (he’s in alaska right now – about time he came back!), and I can’t find much on Kucenich. And WTF was Obama trying to articulate on Sunday? He said less than usual.
People who are attracted to gooperism should visit red states- particularly the gooperiest red states- visit Mississippi- there you see the gooper dream full blown.
rwcole @ 36
“Gooperism” just sounds so…disgusting…
rwcole @ 22
Unfortunately, not unthinkable with this group. In fact, completely credible, they just retreat back to a “let the free market sort out whether New Orleans should live” meme.
TeddySanFran @ 20
Oh, TSF, you know how. Kanye West nailed it during the telethon- George Bush doesn’t care about black people. Or brown people. Or any people but his people- the haves & the have mores, didn’t he call them? The rest of us can go to hell.
We’ve all dug deep to help as much as we can financially & spiritually to support the reconstruction efforts in NOLA & aid all those in the area who are suffering. I know many who are still, still housing & feeding relatives & friends 2 yrs. later.
I wish when GWB makes his photo op tour this week some brave folks get past the screeners & security of his presidential travel cocoon & let him know how it’s really going for them…
butter
Yeah- smells bad too!!
rwcole @ 32
The markets are jittery because they know that the housing debacle is not over, they don’t know how bad it will get, and they don’t know if the government will continue to bail out their mistakes and risk taking.
Hugh
Many thanks. That cumulative graph has quite the steady slope to it . . . and there’s no sign of things leveling off any time soon, sad to say.
rwcole @ 34
Of course RW,
The first batle of New Oreans was fought after the peace treaty was signed(at Ghent as I recall), but Andrew Jackson, the common man was the benificiary of the battle legends culminating in his election in 1832(think spoils system).
Yet I would have liked to attend the inaugural ball in 1833.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 30
Wow. That is really something to see!
rwcole @ 36
Would be interested in what you are thinking about Ms. Thanks
Hugh
Yep
This is a long way from over.. Took bout 10 years to recover from the last real estate crash.
albert fall @ 38
I still think that the end result was truly convenient regarding changing the political map in Louisiana….
Twain
I believe that Mississippi has one of the biggest spreads between haves and have nots in the nation- poorest education – poorest health care- etc.
But I could be wrong.
yellowsnapdragon @ 44
It’s GWB in my coffee!
twolf1 — I love the third one in — the saturn and stars and such. Beautiful stuff — and it’s a latte. *g*
rwcole @ 46
Bonddad has predicted that 1)if the peak in the downturn in financial services coincides with 2) the downturn in construction trades that could peak next spring means we could be in for a ride.
Add to that the inflation numbers as opposed to the pressure to ease credit and hedge funds and Edwards may ride the wave.
New Orleans, St Bernard Parish and the surrounding areas are doomed to a repeat — because no one is willing to make the hard call. And the Bush admin has no leadership or willingness to take on the real challenges.
First, not all areas should be rebuilt. East New Orleans and St Bernard Parish each have more levies per capital than the other areas. The Army Corps of Engineers built miles and miles of levees protecting areas that were targeted for future growth (because they have to perform cost benefit analyses and creating potential home sites is always a way to make it pencil out). These levies are very vulnerable.
Second, there is the MR-GO, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. This is the funnel that will cause (did cause in Katrina) the storm surge to blow out the levies in the 9th ward and the lower 9th (this was the explosion everyone heard). The Corps wants to build a “dutch type” gate at the mouth of the funnel to protect the city of New Orleans. But that gate will sacrifice St Bernard, Chalmette and East New Orleans. But the citizens are not being compensated or supported. The mayor of St Bernard (or equivalent) said that if the Corps builds it, he will personally blow it up (a terrorist threat?). We are now being asked to spend $15 billion to rebuild the levies (up from $7 billion already approved). Yet this money will be wasted unless we restore the wetlands and marshes that have been dying because we have channelized the Mississippi River (because it wanted to relocate 50 miles west of New Orleans in the early 1900s — and that would have damaged commerce in the city).
This is a big, near impossible problem. With the dying of the wetlands and barrier islands, the rising ocean due to global warming, and the lack of political will, New Orleans will be gone. And if precedent rules, who will be willing to build the levies to protect Miami (3 ft above sea level), or lower Manhattan (6 feet above sea level). I suppose we could relocate everyone to the newly available real estate in Greenland once the ice sheet melts.
Interesting that gooperism- the language of the industrialists- is most commonly spoken in rural america- states where the biggest city is the one with the cotton market.
rwcole @ 48
No, you’re not wrong. One of the problems is that there’s not much for anyone. The richest in Ms are not nearly as well off as richest in other places. It has such a small tax base and the state is really poor. It has less than 3 million people, poor state gov’t. and some of the most wonderful growing soil in the world and it’s not growing anything. If people ever realize what can grow there maybe the population will increase and things will get better.
Peterr @ 42
It’s linear but there is a slight increase in the slope if you compare the first part to the last part. It was a good idea though because until you asked I had no clue as to how it would look.
It’s certainly logical that someone would look around Mississippi and say:
“What this place mostly needs is lower taxes and less programs for the poor”.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 29
Thanks!!! I just ordered it. So excited!!!
A good reminder of what is coming as the conservative/libertarian YOYO agenda is pushed further into all our lives. Minnesota? A harbinger of further crumbing infrastructure. “Katrina”s will be all over the place and “government of, for and by the people” will be a dim memory.
rwcole @ 55
Haley Barbour is a disaster for the state. He’s a crook by any definition.
Twain @ 54
That’s what I’ve never understood. Just looking at its resources, it should be in a good position.
“See programs fer the poor creates more POOR- but tax cuts fer the rich raises all boats and we don’t have no poor no more- come on down ta Mississippi and see how we did it”
Haley Barbour.
Mauimom @ 24
We watched “Bobby” the other night and were thoroughly spellbound by the found footage of Bobby Kennedy’s speeches.
Edwards, in many ways, reminds me of RFK.
peanutbutter @ 60
One problem is that Ms does not have the population to support industry. Several towns have been looked at for auto manufactuing plants and they have gone to other states. Don’t know how they are going to dig themselves out of this hole. I hate going back to visit and see all of this.
As usual, Digby nails it. Thanks for the link, Christy!
Brian Williams said last night that NBC Nightly News is going back to NOLA this week, for something like their 12th or 15th time. I’d love to see the Dem presidential candidates give NOLA some primetime coverage as well — perhaps a debate.
Or picture this: imagine what would happen if the candidates agreed to a schedule — covering maybe for a month, where they took turns campaigning in NOLA. They could do almost anything while there, but they each would take turns standing up and saying “Had enough? We need more and better Democrats in Washington, starting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
They could spend time swinging hammers with Habitat for Humanity. They could meet with small business owners, examine the rebuilding of the levees with the head of the Corps of Engineers, look into the plight of renters (almost completely overlooked by everyone except the renters and those who tended to employ them). They could gather with volunteers who’ve come to help in NOLA from other states. They could go south of NOLA into the swamps and talk about environmental degredation. They could . . .
You get the idea. The first candidate takes a three day shift, then greets the next one at the airport to pass the baton, with each one taking the Bush administration to task with as big a hammer as they can find.
Would it happen? I doubt it. But if there are any highlevel staffers from the presidential campaigns lurking here at the lake right now, maybe you could kick the idea around with your bosses and each other.
Wouldn’t it be great to see a bunch of high-profile Democratic leaders, leading the fight against the GOP on the battered banks of the Gulf Coast?
Edwards COULD be a bit like Bobby- but he lacks the “edge”. I keep waiting for it to appear- but it never does- always hidden in the buttery smoothness
peanutbutter @ 60
I’m wondering if this state is in a position to grow alternative energy sustaining crops like hemp? (I know it’s illegal but if it works who gives a sh*t…)
Or that other bio fuel crop sugar cane?….
Wouldn’t that be a really great angle to get these people out of this cycle of poverty?…
rwcole-I left you a link, EPU’d on the previous thread. Hint: “al-Anbar”
The next disaster is happening now. It’s the flooding in the upper midwest (Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa). August 2007 now ranks the 7th wettest month in Iowa recorded history. We’ve had more rain in this month than August 1993 (remember the Great Floods of ‘93??). The northern couple of tiers of counties are expecting up to 4 more inches of rain tonight. It’s so waterlogged that firefighters are highly suggesting people up there that have propane tanks to disconnect from them and ‘cap off’ before it starts raining tonight. As there have been a couple of propane tanks that have exploded in the past couple of days from the past couple of days of rain, destroying a few homes.
Dems could really use a model governor in the south- one who could turn a state around in a measurable way- improve education- create a “UC Davis” type agricultural think tank- turn the place green and full of wine grapes and Latte.
Southern Fried Cabernet!!
Twain @ 63
Interesting. One thing I’ve been hearing is that many hispanics were imported to do work along the hurricane damaged areas (yes, I know, but I’m not going to get started on that for now). But it occurs to me that in the future, immigration to Mississippi might change much of that, especially if there’s good farming land…
Ron
Thanks
I’ll check it out.
Me also – I hope he stays out of pantries and small aircraft.l
He’s taking the plutocracy – if he appears to be succeeding, I expect they’ll try to assassinate him.
Hope he stays safe and well and wins power – and frees America from the megacorps and their elected servants.
christine at 68 — The coverage on the flooding across the midwest has been really spotty, and it’s been tough for me to get a handle on how widespread the devastation has been. If you have some links to coverage in your area, I’d love to see some. I know Minnesota’s been dealing with a huge mess, but again, it’s tough to find good links to local coverage there.
Hey there!
How about this. Screw all the words. You all remember what happened during the good old glory days of the Bremmer regime! You all remember the reports of the Pallets of Preshrunked and airtight sealed bundled of US Currency!
And what was the total missing? somewhere about 20 bounds pretty fair toillion bucks! Right?
Well, what say folks? How about some pallets for New Orleans! Why not divide it up- oh lets say 5 billion for the folks- how many houses can be built for 5 billion bucks. That leaves 15 billion bucks for the infrastructure! Sounds pretty fair to me. They just reported on the missing 200,000 small arms in Iraq. Well, whats the cost of that?
What say you all?
ticktock @ 66
But someone – maybe the governor – needs to start a program, make a speech, do SOMETHING to help but that’s not a Republican thing to do and one or two people can’t do anything.
rwcole @ 65
Where’s Marilyn Monroe when you need her? *g*
In all seriousness, Elizabeth is providing quite a bit of “edge” herself. But I get your point, a bit more fire out of John himself would be nice once in a while. I mean, calling Coulter a “she-devil?” C’mon, tell us something we don’t know.
christine @ 68
Why hasn’t the media covered things like propane tanks exploding? It might be a really good thing for people to know.
Mc
As my dear departed eldest aunt would say:
“He wouldn’t say ’shit’ if his mouth was full of it”.
US preparation for massive attack on Iran:
http://rawstory.com//news/2007….._0828.html
Peterr @ 64
That is such an extraordinary idea, Peterr!
rwcole @ 78
*spew*
Dear departed aunties have the best sayings…
rwcole @ 78
A southern boy like Edwards maybe lacks the edge because he was raised to be respectful in tone and manner.
BTW, I think more fire outa come from him as well.
kdh22 @ 80
I love this idea! I plan to forward it to my congresscritters…
butter
Yeah- and a dedicated lifelong dem as well.
BTW votus has more posts in the last thread from the Baird meeting. Excellent reporting.
Clausen
Hmm- are you from the south? I’m not but I lived in Texas for a long time.
Southern BOYS are taught ta say “ma’m an sir” and to be polite- but they turn into outspoken adults in many cases..
Could be that Edwards used this “polite middle class white boy” act with juries and it worked great. Don’t see it workin quite so well in national politics.
rwcole @ 69
Well I don’t know about coffee, but I think MS would be too damp for good wine grapes. However, I think any number of “green” crops would flourish there if given half a chance.
Maybe they could be at the forefront of sustainable agriculture. I would think they would have ideal conditions for any number of crops without relying on fossil-fuel-based fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
LS @ 79
Excellent link, LS. Thanks.
Edwards is running as a populist- it almost NEVER works- but if it’s GONNA work- it would seem ta need some fire breathin.
A populist who only appeals to academics ain’t worth the powder ta blow it ta hell.
I think it would very nice if Joltin’ Joe Lieberman’s committee brought Rove in to ask him how his administration of the recovery had gone in the two years he was responsible for it.
… boy, am I naive. :)
The guy that said “Go fuck yourself, Mr. Cheney!!” after the devastation
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wwNiVZWuQpE
rwcole @ 86
Worked and lived in Texas as well.
I agree that Edwards is too smooth by half. I wish I could trust his buttery smoothness. Almost as if he would rather charm than engage.
montag at 90 — HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….
Oh yeah. That was a good one. *wipes eyes, giggles again*
Lizard
Yeah I was kinda jokin bout the wine grapes- but I still like the idea of someone showing that there can be an approach to the south that actually ends up producing some results- not more corn pone bullshit.
SufiLizard @ 87
Almost anything will grow there – not grapes for wine, I think. Wheat, rice, soybeans, cotton, corn etc. have all been successfully grown there. Huge opportunity for flower growing. They could rival California in vegetables.
Jim Clausen @ 92
Is there any way to genetically modify either Kucinich or Edwards to get some of the other one’s qualities?
Edwards always looks all scrubbed up fer sunday school.. Most southerners would probably take his demeanor as reflective of a poor and humble background..he’s respectful of his betters….
The act has some high points- but I don’t see it as a winner in the end.
It has been mentioned before but the NYT has an article entitled “Poverty Rate Falls, but More Are Uninsured” by Abby Goodnough saying the poverty rate fell in 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08…..ref=slogin
Now what is really weird about this article is that it never mentions what the poverty rate fell from. And only incidentally says what it fell to. So here is what the Census Report actually says:
http://www.census.gov/Press-Re…..10583.html
or more generally:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www…..rty06.html
We are talking about a .3% change and I will be interested to see what the figures for 2007 will be but I will have to wait another year for those.
Here’s a link to my local ABC network for stories related to flooding this August:
http://www.kcrg.com/results?ke…..chType=gen
CBS station:
http://www.kgan.com/news/index.shtml
NBC station:
http://www.kwwl.com/Search/search_articles.php
Here’s a link to the only story about the propane tanks that I could find:
http://www.gazetteonline.com/a…../1006/NEWS
Mind you Iowa is doing ok, comparatively speaking. The rivers are very high, lots of low level flooding. Nothing as bad as Gay Mills, Wisconsin or in Ohio.
Here’s a link to photos from SE Minnesota:
http://sevenels.net/flood/07flood.html
Hugh
Is the data inflation adjusted? If not the fall in the poverty rate is a statistical confusion.
Sort of off-topic, but still topical….
Another installment from the Warped Johnny Cash Songbook:
Abu’s Gone
[to the tune of “Delia’s Gone”]
Abu, oh, Abu
Abu most all my life
If I hadda given him privilege
I’d-a had him for all my life
Abu’s gone, one more round
Abu’s gone
I went down to Crawford
And I met Abu there
Sat him in the parlor
And I tied him to a chair
Abu’s gone, one more round
Abu’s gone
He was low down and scheming
And he was dumb and mean and weak
Kind of evil make me want to
Kiss him on the cheek
Abu’s gone, one more round
Abu’s gone
He said he had to go
Said his wife’d kick his ass
Hard to watch him grovel
I smirked and passed some gas
Abu’s gone, one more round
Abu’s gone
But Leahy, oh, Leahy
Pat, I just can’t sleep
‘Cause all around my office
I hear the patter of Abu’s feet
Abu’s gone, one more round
Abu’s gone
So if your AG’s your bagman
You just can’t let him go
`Cause he’ll spill the beans
And hurt you more than you know
Abu’s gone, one more round
Abu’s gone
rwcole @ 97
RC,
I do not have the time to engage often. Thanks for the discussion.
My view,
Populist views did not work for Bryan in 1896, did work for FDR in 1932. Edwards only chance, an economic downturn in the spring.
Thanks much Jim C
rw at 97 — I know a lot of folks who know both John and Elizabeth Edwards fairly well — as in, for a long, long, long time. And I am told by a number of quite reliable folks that they are both “what you see is what you get” sorts of people. In other words, you may turn the charm offensive on in public in terms of star wattage or red carpet smile and such, but that the persona you see is who they are. I’ve heard that repeatedly from a number of folks — some of whom are regular readers and commenters here and who have known one or the other of them for years. And I’ve heard from lawyers who worked with and against John Edwards that his advocacy came from the heart with the cases that he took on — which is what made him so effective with juries.
Jane had something the other day that linked up hiw talk about the fellow from Wise, Virginia. He was very passionate in talking about that man’s struggle to get surgery for his cleft pallete. Don’t confuse limited media coverage of a candidate and useof selective clips as an adequate portrayal of who they realy are — the media spins them to their advantage on all sides of the aisle for the benefit of the meme of the day and for ratings far too often for me to trust anything but live — and extended — discussions these days.
rwcole @ 97
I see your point. All have their flaws, however. In your opinion, who’s got the winning schtick?
rwcole @ 65 – the “buttery smoothness” nails it. As a yankee from PA living in NC, this is what puts me off Edwards. In the 20 years I have lived in NC, my experience with the southern culture of “welll howww niiice” has jaded me to the point of not trusting anyone. It is all appearance & no substance.
rwcole @ 100
Good point. I don’t know.
Redd,
Thanks,
I’m an Edwards fan- voted for him in the last primary and will probably do so again- but I do think that the “golly oh shucks” stuff limits him. It may be genuine- but it’s not what many people are looking for- especially in what they see as dangerous times.
hackworth @ 104
So much depends on context. If the housing and financial markets crash this year, that could catapult Edwards. If we invade Iran, that might catapult Clinton (not that she needs much). And so on.
Jim
Thank YOU– nice talkin to ya.
rw at 107 — As someone who went to MA for college, and had to learn to train out some of her WV twang in order to be taken seriously by some of my peers, I hear you.
But someone’s accent is the least of our worries in the upcoming election. W’s is altogether faux, just like the rest of him. And look where that has gotten us. SIGH
christine – that sounds awful. I hope the skies clear after tonight.
i’m an ignorant city kid – why would rain make the propane tanks explode (or do they float off the ground and the ruptured connection explodes?)
random thought – with global weather this badly disrupted, I wish the telepreachers would start weather prayer (or spell) hour – viewers in drought areas pray fro the rain to come from the upper midwest… viewers in flood zones cast circles and call for the rain to move to drought….
even if it didn’t help, it would be better than stirring hatred….
rwcole @ 107
BTW RW I also am an Edwards fan and alot of us Iowans recognize genuineness versus buttery charm. I however bow to Chrisy for her wonderful comment about Edwards.
I too like you am waiting for Elizabeth and him to catch fire.
hackworth
Well I really like Richardson- but his schtick is pretty short..
I’d have to say (surprise to me) it’s Hillary– she’s got it down- confident- confrontational without being overly unpleasant- sharp on the issues…she’s damned good in my opinion.
New thread…
Edwards mannerisms I can tolerate, whether geniune or contrived. I believe that he wants to make America better for most of us.
I was taken aback by Hillary’s War On Cancer. She might as well say that she will lead a Global War On Cancer. How about a War On Stupid?
Next thing you know Hills will be biting the heads off of small animals.
Bingo.
rwcole @65:
Yes, Edwards needs more ‘fire in the belly’ — I’d like to hear him rally a crowd not seduce it. That said, I do like the positions and programs he’s taking and advocating.
Isn’t time we revived “All we have to fear is fear itself?”
hack
Didn’t catch the cancer wars–the “war on” theme is pretty worn out- still- I’m surprised every time I watch her at how good she’s gotten at campaiging and debating..
There’s no subsitute for brains and the Clintons are in the top 1% for sure.
Hillary was quite good at the Ykos forum, I have to say. But, in truth, all the candidates were good there. I think it was the more relaxed atmosphere of the forum, perhaps, that allowed them to let their guard down and be a little less coached and more human. The jokes were fun to watch among the folks on the stage, and the knowledge was well distributed across the candidates.
Digby, Taylor and I sat together to watch it and we were all very pleased with how everyone fielded questions and got in a dig or two at the others based on facts and not petty, contrived crap (like we’ve seen with Guiliani and Romney, for example). The Dems are a good bunch this year — which is far more than I can say for the entire GOP field. Makes me smile just thinking about it again. :)
kirk murphy @ 111
Yes, they float off the support platforms and the connection is ruptured, which get ignited. Propane tanks are cylinder shaped and usually rest on concrete blocks that don’t always match the shape of the tank. The tanks are usually not fastened to the supports. The tanks hold anywhere from a couple hundred gallons to 600 gallons, maybe more, but not likely.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 103 –
i really want to believe that what edwards is saying now is for real. if only he hadn’t been such a lame senator – that’s what makes me doubt.
it took me about 5-6 years to warm up to gore… so i’m probably just to slow to figure things out.
that said, i’ll probably vote for edwards in the primary (if he’s got a chance, otherwise it’s kucinich), but only because i’m so unimpressed by the alternatives.
mostly, i’m just handing out on the fence here…
rw, I’m an Edwards fan myself, and I expect to vote for him. From a West LA perspective, he seems sincere enough on the teevee, but the gain on my BS meter may be wrong.
Joshua Holland at Alternet makes me think Edwards finaally caught fire. I sure hope so.
Edwards Goes After the ‘Corporate Democrats’ — Is This a Turning Point for His Campaign?
Last week, John Edwards fired a broadside against corporate America and, more significantly, “corporate Democrats,” the likes of which hasn’t been heard from a viable candidate with national appeal in decades.
Edwards is en fuego right now, and if he keeps up the heat, his candidacy will either be widely embraced by the emerging progressive movement or utterly annihilated by an entrenched establishment that fears few things more than a telegenic populist with enough money to mount a credible campaign.
“It’s time to end the game,” Edwards told a crowd in Hanover, New Hampshire. “It’s time to tell the big corporations and the lobbyists who have been running things for too long that their time is over.” He exhorted Washington law-makers to “look the lobbyists in the eye and just say no.”
Real change starts with being honest — the system in Washington is rigged and our government is broken. It’s rigged by greedy corporate powers to protect corporate profits. It’s rigged by the very wealthy to ensure they become even wealthier. At the end of the day, it’s rigged by all those who benefit from the established order of things. For them, more of the same means more money and more power. They’ll do anything they can to keep things just the way they are — not for the country, but for themselves.
[The system is] controlled by big corporations, the lobbyists they hire to protect their bottom line and the politicians who curry their favor and carry their water. And it’s perpetuated by a media that too often fawns over the establishment, but fails to seriously cover the challenges we face or the solutions being proposed. This is the game of American politics and in this game, the interests of regular Americans don’t stand a chance.
It’s a structural argument, and Edwards didn’t pull punches in calling out his fellow Democrats, saying: “We cannot replace a group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats, just swapping the Washington insiders of one party for the Washington insiders of the other.” The rhetoric was a clear signal that Edwards is going to beat the drums of reform as a contrast to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the primaries.
oh merde – everything after the title should be in a quote block – my bad.
on another note, thanks to busted and christine for the propane answers…
if I ever find land I can afford here, I’ll keep the tanks uphill from the creek.
selise at 121 — Yeah, I haven’t made up my mind on any one candidate as yet either. Frankly, I wish that i could pull bits and pieces of all of them together and make one excellent whole that meets every one of my points on the wish list. But…alas…
I’ll just keep watching and listening and reading, and hopefully one will grab me by the heart and the mind and I’ll have a candidate to call my own. Until then, I’m doing the work I can do on congressional races — because we can make a huge impact there at this point in the campaign season with just a little work, and that is SO worthwhile.
A bit off topic and farther from home but I haven’t heard anything about our offering to help out Greece. That is a really awful situation.
this Salon.com article from a couple of days ago made some very good points about Edwards’ approach vs. that of Obama and HRC.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 124
hmmm…. i think the time you’ve spent playing mr. potato head with the peanut has affected your thinking about our candidates – in a good way! *g*
think you’re right about the congressional races – thank you (and jane and howie and everyone involved) for all you are doing. unless there’s something that bothers me, i’m trying to donate to most of the blue america candidates – even though it is only a little bit, i figure it helps to have one more supporter when they add up how many people have donated to their campaigns.
I’m an Edwards backer but I agree that he needs to be more visceral in his communication. I think if he could tap into that more he would take off. He has enough money to get the exposure but he needs to communicate the passion I believe he has and too often he doesn’t do that.
imo kucinich is the most passionate dem candidate right now… so of course people say he has no chance..
Twain @ 77
From Ohio:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20404925
I just made my (now) yearly donation to help those effected by Katrina. I usually try to pick a local food bank or charity and this year I chose the “Bay Area Food Bank”
You can read about who they are and what they do through Charity Navigator
http://www.charitynavigator.or…..d/7263.htm
I hope others will do the same and help our fellow Americans who are still struggling to put their lives back together.
rwcole @ 32
Waiting to see where Hurricane Bush is going to hit landfall?
mc @ 62
I think he’s very bright like the Kennedy brothers and like Jimmy Carter. You could easily imagine any of those men going to New Orleans and setting a plan into motion to clean it up and set things into some kind of working order. I can’t imagine a single Republican who might do that.
Jim Clausen @ 92
It sounds like he needs to do a great fire-breathing speech from NOLA, indicting the Bush administration and outlining a plan to get the job done down there. Sometimes a little moral outrage goes a long way to conveying your values to people.
I’m surprised Obama hasn’t done that yet. It would seem his oratorical skills would be ideal for it.
rwcole @ 97
I don’t know why you’d think it’s an “act”. Why isn’t it more likely he’s just like that — all buttery nice and sweet?
But, I do see your point that people might not realize what kind of grit he has.
Maybe it isn’t that he considers everyone his ‘betters’, but that his Christian upbringing taught him to treat everyone with respect and kindness. I wish we had a president with those qualities.
rwcole @ 113
The top 3 Dem candidates are all very good in presentation. We have to look at other things really to distinguish which is more likely to do the job well and in a way we like.
I think it’s also clear that they and some other candidates have all improved in their presentation as the campaign has worn on.
Moderators -
My quotations didn’t come out right on post 133. I wonder if you might straighten them out for me.
Pretty please!
[MOD: Refresh now MarkH]