Which party wil be hurt by this joke of an effort to save lifes

[DarthKosh]

Neither, because the other party will look terrible if they say anything about it. I'd advise you not to try, because it is not considered right to make political points off of people dying.

Bush does not have the military and patriotis to hide behind this time.  It will hit him like a ton of bricks.

[The Duke]

If Democrats want to make this into a political battle, they can, but they'll pay for it.

People won't like it any more than they liked what they saw at the Wellstone funeral.

In any case, Kathleen Blanco, who unlike Bush has to run for re-election, will not compare favorably to Haley Barbour who also unlike, Bush, has to run for re-election.

The fact is that Blanco has been a catastrophe herself in this whole thing.  Crying on TV she has appeared weak, and apearances are not decieving.  When all is written, it will be that Blanco was weak, and that her weakness and indecisiveness let looters destroy what was left of the city and made rescues more difficult.

Mayor Nagin gets off the hook.  He told those people the levees wouldn't hold, that the pumps wouldn't pump, that the food would run out, and that the buildings would collapse.  He was right.  Many people didn't listen.

I saw Shep Smith on Fox and Nagin's press conference on MSNBC when I was flipping back and forth before the storm actually hit.  New Orleans is full of people who refused to listen to the hard truth, and when the truth hit decided to blame whitey and shoot rescuers.  There's Nagin on MSNBC, saying get out.  Then flip to Fox, where guys are arguing with Shep about how, no, the storm won't be so bad.  We lived through Camille, after all.  Idiots.

As for Bush, his problem is that he's doing the ususal disaster thing for something that's not a usual disaster.  A city has been lost, forever in all likelihood.  They've given up on plugging the 17th St Levee last I heard.  You can't rebuild a city if you can't rebuild a levee.  New Orleans is done, and timnes will be rough for years, not just down there but nationally.  Depression time.  Think 1836-40 type depression.  Bad stuff.  A half million people need to be relocated.  Port facilities need to be replaced, expand Baton Rouge, Houston, Galveston, and Miami to accomodate ships.  Move the refugees to permament homes in the deppulating midwest.  Serious, large scale stuff.  Expensive but necessary stuff.  Hardcore.  This response from Bush is like the one for all the other hurricanes, but this isn't all the other hurricanes.  This one is different.

Bush's flaw is that he doesn't get that yet, but who besides a handful really do get the fact that New Orleans is the new Crete*?  Not many.  Blanco's response is inadequate for any level of catastrophe.  Haley Barbour is great, though.  Shoot the looters, damn straight.

Both or neither.

you cant blame nobody when people have died.

He just did.

[Smash255]

I wonder what Rick Santorum thinks about this matter. when he said about Terri Schavo..

'the killing of terri schiavo is a brutal execution.'

So what is this Rick?

Rick Santorum obviously supports the actions of Hurricane Katrina.

If rick thinks terri schiavo is a brutal execution what does he think about this? he thought terri schiavo was more important considerring his response. he was in florida within 4 days. we haven't had the president come after 4 days. and now he comes today.

Rick Santorum applauds Katrina's actions.

In all seriousness, moron, I am signed up for emails from the Santorum for Senate campaign and got one today concerning donations to the Red Cross.

Today???  I hope that wasn't the 1st e-mail from him..

I have gotten several e-mails from Kerry, Feingold, the DNC & several other Democratic organizations going back since Monday

[Speed of Sound]

I wonder what Rick Santorum thinks about this matter. when he said about Terri Schavo..

'the killing of terri schiavo is a brutal execution.'

So what is this Rick?

Rick Santorum obviously supports the actions of Hurricane Katrina.

If rick thinks terri schiavo is a brutal execution what does he think about this? he thought terri schiavo was more important considerring his response. he was in florida within 4 days. we haven't had the president come after 4 days. and now he comes today.

Rick Santorum applauds Katrina's actions.

In all seriousness, moron, I am signed up for emails from the Santorum for Senate campaign and got one today concerning donations to the Red Cross.

Today???  I hope that wasn't the 1st e-mail from him..

I have gotten several e-mails from Kerry, Feingold, the DNC & several other Democratic organizations going back since Monday

The YPSL (Young People's Socialist League) sent me something on Monday as well.

[ag]

Let me put out my 2 cents. I will not be partisan, just analytic.

Both will be somewhat damaged, but Republicans will fare far worse, even if (in fact, especially if) Democrats do not do anything to exploit it.  So, on balance, in a "zero-sum game" of US politics Democrats will gain, Republicans will loose.

The fact is, Gov'nor Blanco is a local figure (and not a very popular one within the Democratic party, for that matter), and Mayor Nagin is only on the screen because of the disaster.  You can legitimately argue, how much they could be doing given their local authority and responsibility (Republicans) and the natural limits on the resources of a poor state and the poorest and most stagnant large metro area in the South (Democrats). Of course local leaders are not coming out of it smelling roses.

However, it is irrelevant. Outside of Louisiana in 2 months few people will be able to recognize their names, still less recall their party affiliation. Whatever happens, neither of them is a symbolic face of the party - if needed,  they can be dumped as unfortunate screw ups. Few in the Democratic party nationwide would shed tears over the fate of Kathleen Blanco.

Fair or not, but the perceived national screw up is going to be put at the feet of the feds, and the feds are Republican, and George Bush is a symbol.  When things go well, they collect accolades, when they don't they are damaged. Namely, Bush is damaged personally, and he is a symbol that can't be easily "dropped" - not until 2008, when the new nominee is clear, at least.  The only thing that would avoid it, is if from this moment on everything goes remarkably well and well-organized. But this is not happening, unfortunately. 

Democrats being seen "exploiting" it could, paradoxically, somewhat mitigate the damage to the Republicans.  The best advertisement for the Dems right now are the news (from Fox to CNN to the broadcasters).  People perceive the screw up (fairly or not, is irrelevant here) and imagine that but for the will of God it could have been them. Even if they personally don't intend to blame either Republicans or Bush, these things impact consumer confidence, trust in government, etc., and these things are always worse for the incumbents.  In the future, it would be enough for the Dems to remind ever so indirectly of NO floods for the unhappy feeling to go through many heads, taking with it a point or two of generic Republican support.

To sum up, fairly or not, this has been perceived as a screw up, screw ups of these proportions hurt the incumbents, and nationally the incumbents are Republican.  Case closed. No need to break chairs arguing details.  The only thing Republicans can do is somehow miraculously do everything "right" (and be perceived as doing it "right" - doubly hard given the initial impression) from now on. The only thing Democrats have to do is stick to the "patriotic good citizen" line and let the Fox News, for once, do their propaganda job (NB people like Mayor Nagin exempt from this last requirement - he is not a national Democratic figure, and he is allowed to be histerical given the situation: in this news story, he is a victim and not a politician - again, fairly or not is irrelevant).

[??????????]

Neither, because the other party will look terrible if they say anything about it. I'd advise you not to try, because it is not considered right to make political points off of people dying.

Bush does not have the military and patriotis to hide behind this time.  It will hit him like a ton of bricks.

Are you even a Republican? Umm, never mind i just saw the name. ha

[Keystone Phil]

I wonder what Rick Santorum thinks about this matter. when he said about Terri Schavo..

'the killing of terri schiavo is a brutal execution.'

So what is this Rick?

Rick Santorum obviously supports the actions of Hurricane Katrina.

If rick thinks terri schiavo is a brutal execution what does he think about this? he thought terri schiavo was more important considerring his response. he was in florida within 4 days. we haven't had the president come after 4 days. and now he comes today.

Rick Santorum applauds Katrina's actions.

In all seriousness, moron, I am signed up for emails from the Santorum for Senate campaign and got one today concerning donations to the Red Cross.

Today???  I hope that wasn't the 1st e-mail from him..

I have gotten several e-mails from Kerry, Feingold, the DNC & several other Democratic organizations going back since Monday

Uh...yes, it was. His campaign website should not have to send out more than one email on this topic.

If John Kerry is sending you several emails on this topic, it proves that he's really bored when he's not running for President.

[J. J.]

AG, let me be clear, I have posted some of the problems that Blanco and Bush caused.  Neither gets off unscathed.  They both, however, got more right than the did wrong.

I can't say that about Nagin; this is one of the worse performances I've seen in a public official.  It's almost like on August 25, his IQ dropped 50 points.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

AG, let me be clear, I have posted some of the problems that Blanco and Bush caused.  Neither gets off unscathed.  They both, however, got more right than the did wrong.

I can't say that about Nagin; this is one of the worse performances I've seen in a public official.  It's almost like on August 25, his IQ dropped 50 points.

I heard Nagin caused the Crash of '29 too.

[??????????]

AG, let me be clear, I have posted some of the problems that Blanco and Bush caused.  Neither gets off unscathed.  They both, however, got more right than the did wrong.

I can't say that about Nagin; this is one of the worse performances I've seen in a public official.  It's almost like on August 25, his IQ dropped 50 points.

I heard Nagin caused the Crash of '29 too.

Yes, I bet you would have blamed Bush for that as well if you could.

[ATFFL]

AG, let me be clear, I have posted some of the problems that Blanco and Bush caused.  Neither gets off unscathed.  They both, however, got more right than the did wrong.

I can't say that about Nagin; this is one of the worse performances I've seen in a public official.  It's almost like on August 25, his IQ dropped 50 points.

I heard Nagin caused the Crash of '29 too.

Yes, I bet you would have blamed Bush for that as well if you could.

You are assuming that he will follow the laws of causality in assigning blame.  To quote Master Shake, "Why wouldn't he?"

[J. J.]

AG, let me be clear, I have posted some of the problems that Blanco and Bush caused.  Neither gets off unscathed.  They both, however, got more right than the did wrong.

I can't say that about Nagin; this is one of the worse performances I've seen in a public official.  It's almost like on August 25, his IQ dropped 50 points.

I heard Nagin caused the Crash of '29 too.

You know, you've complained that Nagin use to be a Republican and that he wasn't Democratic enough for you; in all fairness, he has supported a number of GOP candidates over Democrats.  I just posted that the most partisan Democrat in this "got more right" than she did wrong.  You innane partisan spinning is amply demonstrated by this.