Rodney McFarland, Sr., in Denver by CHS.
So Hurricane Gustav has made landfall. As it does, the rest of us outside its path should pause for a moment to reflect on those inside it.
Meet Rodney McFarland, Sr., of Louisiana. I met Rodney in the hallway of the Pepsi Center in Denver, grabbing a quick snack and chatting with fellow delegate, Senfronia Thompson of Texas. I had to snap a picture of that fabulous hat.
Rodney had a smile a mile wide, and I spoke with him about some of the work that has been done locally to help folks rebuild their lives after Katrina. He was touched that someone outside Louisiana would care to ask. I was appalled that more people hadn’t been doing so all along.
Both delegates were energized and excited about the days ahead — I met Rodney on Tuesday. But as the week wore on, a worry about the impending potential of hurricane Gustav began to creep in to conversations with every delegate I met from around the Gulf Coast region. Most of them were on the phone to change their flight home by mid-day Wednesday — including Donna Brazile, who was in Denver reporting for CNN.
The WaPo profiles delegates to the RNC in Minneapolis, having the same fears and worries about their homes and families. As I watch footage from the Gulf Coast on the news this morning, I can’t help but worry right along with them for all of our friends and readers in harm’s way.
Shaila Dewan has a fantastic piece on NOLA’s efforts to evacuate the poor, sick and elderly who didn’t make it out of the city when Katrina hit.
Denise Grant, for one, wanted no replay of the four days she spent amid corpses on an overpass after Hurricane Katrina, nor did she want her daughter or grandchildren to have a similar experience. “What my eyes caught — if they could see what my eyes caught, they wouldn’t want to go through it either,” Ms. Grant said….
If nothing else, I’m guessing the GOP will be serving up more than just cake for their cronies today, eh? Although, as Michael Scherer reports, the McCain campaign sees Gustav as a wholesale rebranding bonanza attempt for the GOP. Who says you can’t find a silver lining in someone else’s misfortunes?
Meanwhile, the Obama campaign will quietly mobilize its e-mail lists and supporter contacts to get volunteers, donations, and whatever else is needed as the storm progresses. Not exactly a security-laden, photo-op, in-the-way and taking resources away from the folks who really need them bonanza like McCain seems to be planning…but that’s the point, isn’t it?
I know Rodney will be busy with his church today, helping folks who have evacuated north and trying to provide whatever comfort he can for family and friends as they wait out the storm. We have readers all along the Gulf Coast who will be doing the same. According to an MSNBC caller, some of the levees have been overtopped by storm surge in NOLA. Stay safe, folks, and know we are thinking of and praying for you.
Athenae and Scout Prime have more here, here and here.
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I have been wondering if a greater effort has been made this time to evacuate less mobile residents?
Sounds like the hospitals are doing more.
I *SO* want this storm to peter out, mostly for the right reasons, but I confess to also being a bit hopeful that while McCrazy will be in the south, it becomes painfully obvious that there is not only nothing he ever *could* have done, but also that there is nothing he can do now.
Meanwhile, his convention has gone all to hell, and McCrazy will be shown to have made the wrong decision – AGAIN.
I am sure the delegates to the rethug convention are all concerned as they visit the mall of amerika.
This is just plain awful. This is an area of the world that just gets…hammered, hammered, hammered by this kind of weather. And the federal agencies in charge of keeping these folks safe are, generally speaking, just not up to the job at all. Maybe the National Weather Service is about it, but after Katrina, no one is under any delusions about what is going to be done or even what CAN be done. Obama is doing the right thing – all we can do is try to help these folks.
Its that catch 22 of it all….. I agree with jayt…. want McBush to be shown up as the opportunistic person that he is…… that the GOP convention is in shambles reflects the McCain campaign…
but also would like to show the world how badly they rebuilt the levees but by doing that the levees would need to break which I don’t want because of all the damage….. All across the gulf coast many of the common people were screwed by the rebuilding or lack of rebuilding….
I hope they get it right this time!
Hannah is heading for Savannah, GA
Digg this post
In thinking back on Katrina there was a whew moment before it became apparent that the levees had broken
yup.
Dugg, neuro!
If Neal and JEB’s levies break, McCain is in a world of sh*t.
That was all a PR stunt……. the levees were leaking while they were denying it…
Sarah Vowell has a great opinion piece in yesterdays Sunday NYT. She writes about the usefulness of government, except when it is in the hands of idiots and true believers of the Rethug party. This point was never more obvious than during Katrina. I hope those still on the fence about this election take note.
On a related matter, speaking of that “human element” (Provided of course one accepts the notion that Republicans are human, rather than Lectroids From Planet 10.)
Meanwhile, the Obama campaign will quietly mobilize its e-mail lists and supporter contacts to get volunteers, donations, and whatever else is needed as the storm progresses. Not exactly a security-laden, photo-op, in-the-way and taking resources away from the folks who really need them bonanza like McCain seems to be planning…but that’s the point, isn’t it?
Yes, but:
You obviously didn’t see Larry King do a side-by-side (!!) interview in 2005 with the Dalai Lama and a fundie mega-church preacher, in which King asked each what they were doing for the Katrina victims. The fundie guy listed a whole bunch of very admirable things – money, food, volunteers, etc. Then King asked the Dalai Lama, who replied “praying for them”.
Larry King then proceeded to treat the Dalai Lama like a piece of crap for the rest of the interview – and that’s the last time I ever watched Larry King.
I’m afraid that Obama is in a similar Catch-22 position, where good deeds will possibly be off-set by a “not good enough” national response.
What a load of B.S. from CNN. Biased polling, biased results, anyone?
OT
don’t forget to keep checking Campaign Silo for the ongoing attack on protesting the RNC
If Neal and JEB’s levies break, McCain is in a world of sh*t.
Oh yeah, I’m sure that the Corporate Media will be all over The Bush Connection. /s
Thanks for the reminder!
I caught the Gov of Texas “briefing” Bush on how they were handling the crisis–talk about making your stomach turn–it was all about patting himself on the back–with the ultimate “Texas can show them how it’s done”.
Bush immediately made it political by stating that *this* time things were better because the governors worked together better totalling negating his administration’s actions (or inaction) for what happened in 2005.
And the thing is, at that particular moment, Gustav had barely landed. It wasn’t over, and they were patting themselves on the back. Good Grief.
Bravo Toby. And maybe, JUST maybe if Obama’s people and the rest of us can do ENOUGH, maybe he’ll see fit to just gut and get rid of FEMA all together. That’d save the nation some money, put it all into NoLA reconstruction, send Skeletor off packing, maybe a prison system somewhere can take him….
and the dreamin’ goes on and on and on…..
Submitted and Dugg!
Bring on the shovels!
Oh, OT, but I meant to ask if anyone noticed that Bob Geiger had a new column up today?