Where is the Dem. Plan for long/short recovery?

[bluedawg12]

How come I am hearing Rep. Vitter talk of jobs and Gov. Blanco giving excuses about her and Bush's handling of the storm,etc?

We will never appeal to any new voters unless we have a concrete plan.

Now, where is it?

[FloridaPat]

1. Where is the Dem plan for anything? Probably with those plans

[rodeodance]

3. didn't the Dems put the plan the first days for recovery. I believe they

did.

but being the minority--it is probably pushed aside.

[bluedawg12]

5. If they did I haven't heard it and I listen all the time

They need to get out there and talk about solutions.

[bluedawg12]

2. We can't win by simply dumping on shrubber

we saw what happened in 2004 with that.

[bowens43]

4. No one was dumping on bush in 2004.

The truth is , as long as republican extremists count the votes, we're not going to win. 82% of the votes in the 2004 general election were counted by corporations lead by Bush Pioneers.

[bluedawg12]

8. Then we need to make changes in federal election laws,now

we can't go through this again.

Diebold, paperless votes, we all know the drill.

We need solutions.

[AndyTiedye]

14. We Can't Have a Recovery Until We Dump the Shrub!

As long as they are in power, ALL money we allocate to recovery will
be looted by Halliburton and the like. Just like in Iraq, billions
will be spent to rebuild and repair but nothing will be done.

These people don't know how to do anything except steal and murder.

[senseandsensibility]

17. Oh yes, we can

We didn't even begin to dump on "shrubber", as you call him , in 2004. With the material we had, we could have obliterated him. But, hey, it's nice of you to be so concerned about "shrubber." I'll save ALL my synpathy for his victims. As for a Dem plan, we have one. But it was "shrubber" that caused this. It is HIS responsibility. Where is little "shrubber's" plan? That's what you should be asking. Interesting that you're not.

[crispini]

6. Here's MY plan.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4735427

Let's push it and see if we can make it the Dem plan. :D

[NYCGirl]

7. Here it is, and it's pretty comprehensive:

http://democrats.org/a/2005/09/senate_democrat_13.php

You might want to visit the DNC website once in a while.

[bluedawg12]

9. Really? And how many Americans will go

to the DNC web site?

I hear Howard Dean speak last week, it was still all about being re-active to ***.

Media age--mass appeal. Word out on a mass scale, with an identifiable spokesperson.

[NYCGirl]

10. No matter what we say the right will always say

"They don't have a plan".

Right at this moment, it's important to get immediate help to the evacuees.

[bluedawg12]

13. Getting help to the evacuees requires a plan.

The DNC plan from 9-6-05.

Almost everything on that plan has now been done by the existing governemt.

Where are our leaders talking about jobs for survivors?


Getting them re-patriated to La. by proividing federal jobs for rebuilding?

The have been rescued they are now in limbo.

I want a visible democratic leader who is going to appeal to Americans who know that something has gone terribly wrong with this admin., someone who will lead people when they are ready for a change.

This is Sunday morning, a powerful time to get out the message and all I am hearing are post-disaster replays.

[NYCGirl]

15. I'm not hearing anything because here in NYC everything has been

pre-empted for 9/11 ceremonies.

[bluedawg12]

23. NYCGirl- yea, THEY will use the media to divert

back to their own message- strong, safe leadership.

As if 8-30-05 never happened.

[Wilber_Stool]

11. Two separate (but equal) governments

under one roof. Which one to listen to?

That was one of my best typos.

[stlsaxman]

12. Here it is- IN FULL

Advance: Senate Democrats issue relief plan for Katrina

09/05/2005 @ 3:21 pm

The following release, prepared by Senate Democratic leadership and acquired by RAW STORY, will go out to the mainstream press Monday afternoon.

#

Katrina Relief Plan for Senate Action This Week

Although the Congress last week appropriated $10.5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Defense Department, it is clear much more will be needed given the enormity of this disaster. While government authorities and others assess the scope of the problem and decide how much additional funding will be needed to address specific problems, there are a number of legislative items the Senate can and should promptly approve that can help Katrina’s victims. After the Senate has completed action on this emergency legislation, we hope the Senate will quickly provide significant new funding, and consider other substantive proposals that could help address short- and medium-term needs. These proposals must be followed by a much broader, long-term effort to rebuild and rehabilitate the Gulf Coast region and substantially improve efforts to prevent, mitigate and respond to future disasters.

The following are just some examples of proposals that Senate Democrats believe deserve immediate Senate action this week:

Ensuring health care for all displaced victims

* Immediate access to Medicaid for displaced victims.
* No need to prove residency or assets
* No copayments
* No penalties for failing to sign up for Medicare Part B in time.
To ensure access to medical care, we should ensure immediate access to Medicaid for displaced victims. Paperwork requirements should be streamlined and asset requirements waived to ensure that victims, many of whom have no legal documents in their possession, can enroll in the program with little red tape. Residency requirements for participation should not apply to these victims to allow them to obtain health care services around the country. In addition, copayments should be waived for these people as they struggle to meet other needs as well. The Federal government should bear the full cost of these changes, and ensure that no affected state suffers a reduction in Federal Medicaid funding (their “match rate”) for other populations. This proposal is based on a similar successful initiative after the September 11 disaster.

We also should provide compensation to health care providers who provide a disproportionate share of the care for these victims.

Displaced victims should not be penalized for late enrollment in Medicare Part B because they have become newly-eligible or have lost coverage from another plan during this time. Similarly, everyone from the affected states should have an additional year to enroll in the new Medicare drug benefit and its low income subsidies. The automatic transition of dual eligible beneficiaries from Medicaid to Medicare drug coverage should be delayed in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, with the Federal government bearing the full cost of those people continuing Medicaid drug coverage.

Getting victims housing

* Emergency housing vouchers for displaced victims
* Expedited application procedures with no red tape.
* No tenant contributions until they find work.
* Tax incentives for private families to take in victims.
* Identify federal facilities that can house victims.
* Relief for homeowners facing threat of foreclosure
FEMA has said that up to 1 million people may need housing assistance. The Senate therefore should immediately authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create and distribute temporary emergency housing vouchers to victims, without many of the restrictions that apply under the existing Section 8 low-income voucher program. For example, victims should not have to document their income levels, and tenant contributions should be waived until they find work. HUD also should be authorized to increase existing limits on allowable rents given the likelihood that rents in Gulf Coast areas will increase substantially for the foreseeable future. HUD needs to take over primary responsibility for distributing vouchers since many of the region’s local housing authorities are not functioning at full capacity, if at all.

Given the scarcity of rental housing, we will need to rely on private individuals and families to provide free room and board to victims. To encourage this, we should immediately approve a tax subsidy for those who provide such assistance to Katrina’s victims.

To help identify locations to house victims, the Administration should be required, within 10 days, to release an inventory of federal civilian and defense facilities that can be used to provide emergency housing, or as locations for the construction or deployment of temporary housing units.

We should increase aid to owners of damaged homes by waiving current law caps on home repair assistance (now $5200) and home replacement assistance (now $10,200). In addition, we should waive a requirement that individuals leave their home to qualify for home repair assistance, a rule that threatens to exacerbate an already massive demand for shelter in the region.

We should reestablish the Temporary Mortgage and Rental Program, which has been used in the past, including after the September 11 disaster, to provide assistance to homeowners and renters facing financial hardship. This could be important for many victims who otherwise could lose their homes through foreclosure.

Getting victims to family members and friends

Many of Katrina’s victims have little or no access to transportation. Although FEMA has legal authority to address this, the agency seems overwhelmed and has proven unable on its own to meet the compelling needs of countless numbers of stranded victims. We therefore need to make this a White House priority and direct the President to lead a broad effort to quickly ensure that displaced victims can get to family, friends and others who can provide them with room and board.

Getting students into school

Many of Katrina’s victims are children who need to enroll in a new school. To encourage schools to accept these victims, and alleviate some of the resulting burdens, we should provide funding to school districts that accept displaced children. This funding could be used to hire additional teachers, teachers’ aides, or counselors, or to provide temporary expansions of classrooms. A similar program should be provided for institutions of higher education that admit displaced students.

Bringing victims’ families together and placing them with other families

The government should establish a toll free “800” number and web site through which victims could access a national victim database and information about available assistance. Displaced individuals could register and provide contact information, so that separated family members and friends could find each other. The database also would allow volunteers to sign up if they are willing to provide free shelter to victims.

Getting victims cash to meet other basic needs

To ensure that victims can get cash for their basic needs, we should strengthen and expand the Disaster Unemployment Insurance Program and automatically extend any expiring UI benefits that victims are receiving. We also should give the President authority to increase the $26,200 statutory cap on cash assistance through the Individuals and Households Program, and should waive the 25 percent matching requirement for States in the Gulf region. In addition, victims should be allowed to withdraw funds from individual retirement accounts (IRA’s) penalty-free, with extra contributions permitted later.

Providing financial relief to victims and National Guard

Katrina’s victims, and National Guard involved in disaster operations, should not be obligated to make payments to the Federal government in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. There should be a short term moratorium on obligations such as:

? Student loans ? Individual and corporate income taxes ? Small business loans

In addition, disaster victims filing for bankruptcy should be treated differently under the bankruptcy code in recognition of their particular hardship.

Ensuring victims have access to food

We should ensure that the many victims of Katrina who are struggling to obtain food have access to food stamps through a streamlined application process. States should be provided relief from the additional costs associated with administering the food stamp program for victims.

Restoring order

We should provide law enforcement funding where needed to help protect innocent citizens from crime and to ensure that there are places in which to imprison dangerous criminals. In addition, we should authorize federal courts to convene outside of their ordinary location in the event of an emergency, such as the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Helping victims get jobs

Private employers should be given an incentive to hire displaced victims by temporarily qualifying them for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which can reduce an employer’s tax liability by up to $2400 per qualified new worker. In addition, the Federal government should establish a temporary preference for hiring displaced victims who are qualified for jobs.

Moreover, many displaced workers now lack the documents they need to secure employment under Federal law, such as passports and birth certificates. This law should be relaxed temporarily so that victims can legally obtain work without such documents, so long as they can provide a valid Social Security number.

Supporting the National Guard

We should ensure that Guard units serving in the Gulf Coast effort be considered to have been mobilized under Title 32 (they are currently mobilized through the states). This would qualify them for federal benefits and ensure that their service counts as active duty for the purposes of retirement, health care, and other benefits. It also would make them eligible for the Family Separation Allowance if separated from their families for more than 30 days, and could provide relief from creditors and foreclosures.

Requiring accountability

We should require the President to submit regular reports to the Congress on the status of recovery efforts, the number of victims who remain without decent housing, jobs, etc., and any additional resources or action needed to address the crisis.

[bluedawg12]

18. That DNS plan is out dated, has been done

by the present govnernments, and offers no log term pans to get jobs and repatriation of Louisianans!

This should no be #1:
***Helping victims get jobs
Private employers should be given an incentive to hire displaced victims by temporarily qualifying them for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which can reduce an employer's tax liability by up to $2400 per qualified new worker. In addition, the Federal government should establish a temporary preference for hiring displaced victims who are qualified for jobs. ***

Get some of the 51 billion to pay displaced workers in helping rebuild their state(s).

The rest has been pretty much done>>>

Ensuring health care for all displaced victims

Immediate access to Medicaid for displaced victims.

No need to prove residency or assets.

No copayments.

No penalties for failing to sign up for Medicare Part B in time.

To ensure access to medical care, we should ensure immediate access to Medicaid for displaced victims.


Displaced victims should not be penalized for late enrollment in Medicare Part B
Getting victims housing

Emergency housing vouchers for displaced victims.

Expedited application procedures with no red tape.

No tenant contributions until they find work.

Tax incentives for private families to take in victims.

Identify federal facilities that can house victims.
Relief for homeowners facing threat of foreclosure.
FEMA has said that up to 1 million people may need housing assistance. The Senate therefore should immediately authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create and distribute temporary emergency housing vouchers
Getting victims to family members and friends
Getting students into school
Bringing victims' families together and placing them with other families
Getting victims cash to meet other basic needs
Providing financial relief to victims and National Guard
Katrina's victims, Student loans
Individual and corporate income taxes
Small business loans
Ensuring victims have access to food
Restoring order
Supporting the National Guard
Requiring accountability

[Pepperbelly]

20. what you saw was ...

from my perspective, the carrying out of the Democratic Plan. That is what has been successful in this clusterfuck. IOW, they wheezed on our gig but that's okay. It got help rolling.

Now, I suspect that they are indeed working on a plan for the economic recovery of the affected states. You don't just cobble bullshit together in a week for something that complicated. That would be rather incompetent in my mind and wholly unable to do all of the things that need doing.

[msongs]

16. ha ha ha ha ha ha...your are joking right? nt

[bluedawg12]

19. Me joking? n/t

[bluedawg12]

21. It's easy to ciritcize and hard to lead,

we have lost two presidential elections, we have lost the Congress, we are about to screw the pooche with the supremes...I don't want more of the same.

I want a core group of visible progressive leaders who can reach across party lines, reach the undecideds, independents, apathetics. on a national level.

When I close my eyes and imagine the nightmare of Katrina I don't want the images to be of Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, I want to be able to think of the faces and words of strong progressive leaders who give a message of hope, strength, truth, that will appeal to people in red and blue states from cities to suburbs to farms.

[oneold1-4u]

22. People are the plan!

The right people! They need to be the most forward looking, progess loving, honest and intelligent people that can be found with a willingness to LEAD, listen and act for the benefit of the nation!
The American people have had the worst of people in government and private political profiteering, for even more than the past 8 years.
They won't give a damn,(04) if there isn't more than the same old schisims, cliches, and huge donations to the party. If Kerry's name came up again, thousands would change parties or never bother to vote at all. In 04 people saw no real difference in standards on the political scene, and Kerry and a lot of other elected Democrats proved them right. It will have to be better than that, and not just one leader, but many. A new leadership will have the job for many years to clean up and out the mess of this administration.
Like the trash from the hurricane, it will be hard to find a big enough DUMP for the trash of the last four years and party liners who have perpetuated it!

[bluedawg12]

24. Our opponent is strong, wealthy, and organized.

They have been honing one conservative message for 30 years!

They have made Raygun into a saint.

They have used churches like "cells" to get into each community on a grass roots level.

They have a finely worded message and they stick to it.

They have tremendous access to the media.

They are pro's.

We need a proportionate response!

We do need people with fire in their bellies, people who are camera friendly, speak with poetry in their soul and the cadence and music of a southern preacher, people with energy, and above all a love for this country and not a love of multinational corpse-orations.

Well, sh*t, maybe we need another guy like the young Bill Clinton.
He had the charisma and the brains.

That's what I am getting at.

[bluedawg12]

25. Main Political Supports of Bush Presidency Seriously Weakened

Here is some good info. on what people want and where to forge the message:

http://www.emergingdemocraticmajority.com/pow/powjuly_27_2005.cfm

"In fall of 2003, 62 percent said that Bush was trustworthy and just 32 percent said that he was not, a thirty-point positive margin. Today, however, it’s almost an even split—49 percent say that he’s trustworthy and 46 percent say that he isn’t. Similarly, he’s slipped from 56 percent he does/38 percent he doesn’t on “cares about people like me” to 48 percent/49 percent today.

The biggest shift has been on “able to get things done,” which has fallen from 68 percent/26 percent to 50 percent/42 percent today. And even characteristics like “a strong leader” (68 percent/29 percent to 55 percent/41 percent) and “warm and friendly” (70 percent/23 percent to 57 percent/37 percent) have declined substantially"

[bluedawg12]

26. New TIME poll: 61% say cut back on Iraq spending

in order to focus on rebuilding after Katrina.

Now, that is a start for an initiative that has broad appeal.

[AnnInLa]

27. What we have to watch out for

Your points are well-taken....but, like another poster suggested, it's only been a week. There will be a plan from the leading local and nat'l Dems.

Vitter is an Extreme, RW, PNAC Repuke. He has vowed to replace Senator Landrieu with a Repuke in her next election, and has an organization on the ground in LA (financed by the nat'l Repukes) ACTIVELY focused on getting her out. He would like nothing better than deliver LA as completely red, with a repuke Governor and both repuke Senators.

IN ORDER TO DO THIS, he must turn New Orleans RED. In order to do this, he must control the voting population of the "new" New Orleans. In order to do this, he and the nat'l repuke party must control the RECOVERY effort of New Orleans. New Orleans is the only large solid blue area in Louisiana. New Orleans is the reason we have one Dem Senator (yes, a Centrist Dem, but the alternative is too horrible to consider.) South Louisiana is the reason we have a Dem Governor. (Yes, a Catholic-religious, Centrist Governor, but the alternative is too horrible to even consider.)

Louisiana is a schizophrenic state. In North LA, they are mainly Baptist, Pro-Big-Business, Conservative (hypocrites), but not necessarily PNAC worshipers. They vote according to "SOCIAL and MORAL and BIG BUSINESS values" and will NEVER abandon the repuke party. There is also a strong RACIST motive under the surface of everything that is done politically in North Louisiana.

South Louisiana is a mixture of the above Conservatives and mainly Centrist Dems. New Orleans has a small population of Progressive Dems, but with not enough numbers to defeat any Centrist Dem, at this point.

Repuke leaders in New Orleans, along with Vitter and the Nat'l Repuke Party will work hard to control the recovery aspect of New Orleans to ensure that the now dispersed Dem voters (1) do not return to New Orleans at all, or, 2. are totally marginalized and controlled by repuke "recovery projects." One of the reasons that Minimum Wage is being suspended in the area is to ensure that the repuke controlled companies in charge of recovery are able to bring in masses of workers from other parts of the country who owe no allegiance to Louisiana (and illegal aliens) and to discourage local people from returning to the area to work for a fair wage. Let them stay dispersed all over America, and their voting block is dissolved.

Make no mistake, our Dem Governor, Blanco, is a Centrist Dem. Many of us in LA believe that, at heart, she is a Progressive, but given the population of LA, she can be nothing else and still represent all of her constituencies. Vitter and the repukes will use the hurricane to try to defeat her (or any other Dem's) effort to retain the governorship. As you can tell, the effort has already begun. Blanco was Lt. Gov under our former repuke governor, and has a stirling reputation in a state that has a history of corruption. I have never heard a breath of rumor against her character or honesty.

Make no mistate, our Dem Senator, Landrieu, is a Centrist Dem. New Orleans is the reason we at least have one Dem Senator at all. She is Pro-Choice (with restrictions), pro Oil Companies (ugh) but, knowing that many, many of the people in South LA make their livings from the oil fields, these DEM voters appreciate her siding with those monsters...how can they not, making their livings in the oil industry?

Hurricane Katrina has given Vitter and repukes the opening they have been looking for to turn LA completely red. You will see many, many attacks against Nagin (he is Black and a new Dem, and wants to lead the recovery of New Orleans), and against Blanco (she is now vulnerable due to the hurricane and a Dem), and against Landrieu (she is a Dem, and a woman, and a Senator who enjoys an amount of power and prestige in the Senate). You will see that attack take many forms...in the media, by word of mouth. You will also see the attack here on DU (I have seen it already.)

But, I am here to tell you that attacks on Landrieu, Blanco and Nagin are not in the best interests of the people of Louisiana. These Centrist Dems cannot NOW be replaced by Progressive Dems. The Progressive Dems do not have a strong organization in Louisiana right now...it is in its infancy. This does not mean that we will let these Dems "slide" on important issues. This doesn't mean that we will not lobby them and hold them accountable for their actions or votes. It means that, because of the hurricane, the repuke PUSH to get them replaced by CONSERVATIVE REPUKES IS ACCELERATED, so we are in the position of defending and supporting these Dem leaders. For now.

The Dem plan for recovery will come. For now, we in LA are in the position of keeping and supporting the Centrist Dems that we have or giving up the state completely to the ultra Conservatives. What would you do?

[bluedawg12]

28. Keep the LA incumbent Dems & support them

No need to change horses mid-stream only to find you are riding an elephant!

I am looking for a push back from the Dems- more than just taking the heat for something they did not do.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4727968&mesg_id=4727968

I want to hear them talk about getting the displaced people back to La. ( aka voters) and getting them federally funded rebuilding work.

If there's no food on the table people don't think in terms of political futures. Plus, they are scattered in a diaspora. Get them back and give them housing, shelter, the NG can help set up tent cities and feds pay men and women to work - there is plenty to do.