The "whiteness" of Chimpy's speech tonight...

[Ravy]

I nearly spewed my drink...


"Tonight I propose the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama. Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment, tax relief for small businesses, incentives to companies that create jobs, and loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, INCLUDING MINORITY-OWNED ENTERPRISES*, to get them up and running again. It is entrepreneurship that creates jobs and opportunity; it is entrepreneurship that helps break the cycle of poverty; and we will take the side of entrepreneurs as they lead the economic revival of the Gulf region."


*emphasis mine

Isn't this like saying.. we now want to help so badly, we will even help blacks in the process?

I thought this was very strange, but I didn't hear any commentators afterwards pick up on this.

[stanwyck]

1. You're onto something

I also felt the speech had a very plantation mentality from old white massa Bush. It was very paternalistic and condescending. The speech was clearly written to pander to minority concerns. But it was so poorly written. Probably to "match" Bush's speech patterns, which I read that his speechwriters do -- so he sounds "natural". But the speech came off as written for elementary children, not adults.
It was "Big Daddy Bush" giving those little pickaninnies a few crumbs off the Halliburton buffet.
Badly written and delivered without conviction. Clearly, he was just hoping to pacify enough people to staunch more criticism of his handling of Katrina.

[ladylibertee]

7. Not trying to start shit, but Bush would not be wise to keep pissing off

blacks.I think he may be serious about helping because if they continue to be treated like they are not citizens,They might just start acting like a group of people that he is DEADLY afraid of.So, I think he knows he better start taking care of us.Can you say HOME LAND GROWN T'S ??? Just a thought. a scary thought.

[Conservativesux]

11. Been there done that: Black Panthers, Weathermen, ect. Just a good

excuse to crack down on more of our liberties and rights by the Bush crime syndicate.

[applegrove]

2. You guys are weird. That was the only decent part of his speech -

when he spoke directly to those who were traumatized and made them feel secure - that they would not be cut out.

Weird.

[walldude]

4. Really? Did you forget about that

lowering the standard wage thing? I worked all day and night and missed the speech but from what I see I translate that paragraph to mean "more no bid contracts for my buddies and I'll even throw a bone to people who were actually hurt by this catastrophe..."

[Conservativesux]

13. There will be NO Davis act to insure that workers are paid prevaling wages

just another scam brought to you by the B.C.S.

[applegrove]

15. Oh - I know. I have been writing about that too on these boards. It is

just that the traumatized need to start the journey of healing - and seeing some security in their future is a big part of not being more psychologically damaged. If they saw in the speech some words and commitments - let them have it. It is what is most important.

As to whether it pans out - well we all here will keep asking the questions and being skeptical. Journalists will do stories. It will be closely monitored.

I hope too that a discussion on America & Race results.

And yes - I worry a great deal that all the laws Bush is repealing will be rolled into one bill and made permanent along with school vouchers and the like.

yes - I don't buy **** from Bush. But I've got to hope that evacuees are feeling better about hope - if they say so. That is important too. Actually - the most important thing by far that is happening this week.

We will have time in the months to come & years to keep tabs on it all.

[aion]

10. I suspect the devil will be in the details.

'including minority-owned enterprises' is entirely vague. How many? What percent? Or will there only be a token few so as to be recorded in the history books?

[Conservativesux]

12. Made them "feel good" is all he did and will do. Bush lies and lies again

[applegrove]

16. i cannot stand the liar. People have no other choice right now.

[Not_Giving_Up]

3. The whole thing was scary to me

I did notice that he seemed to be having a hard time keeping a straight face during some parts of it. Shameful...the only word I could think of.

[displacedtexan]

5. Empowerment Zones = Gentrification

We have a lot of that here in Baltimore. Yes, it cleans up abandoned properties and provides more $ for the city in property taxes; however, it has its drawbacks: rents rise to the point that the poor can no longer afford to live in the only neighborhoods they've ever known.

[ladylibertee]

6. Now, I know who wrote his speech...The President of .....

MEXICO. HA HA

[fasttense]

8. Sooo... what are the haves and have mores going to do?

I mean he explained what congress should do (pass his laws and do their very partisan and useless investigations). He explained what we middle class and other poor folks can do (volunteer and send money). He even made it look like FEMA and HS might do something (investigate themselves and reorganize themselves again). He also made sure all those churches could get in on the free federal money. But nothing in there said what EXXON, BP, and Halliburton could do. I mean we all have to sacrifice, except them? What about all their profits? Shouldn't their profiteering off the war and this crisis be taxed? I guess everyone but his base the haves and have mores can help out them poor folks.

[punpirate]

9. It's probably a sop to the locals...

... but, his speechwriters may have felt to need to emphasize it, if only because the Bush administration has been fighting hard to squelch prior law which assigns a certain percentage of government contracts to minority-owned businesses. They managed to get a suspension of the rule for Homeland Security Dept. contracts, I think, and for some Defense Dept. contracts.

It could also be a red herring--a lot of very large corporations have been buying up minority-owned businesses and running them as subsidiaries to increase their percentage of government contracts.

Regardless of what's in the press, or in this speech, the White House has probably been working feverishly to create legislation which channels yet more tax dollars to corporate America--I can't think of a single reason for the Republicans to refuse to show Democrats the contents of the $50 billion spending bill recently passed except that it contains items which would not bear scrutiny.

These people have proven over the last several years that they can't be trusted to do the right thing--this nod in the direction of the poor of New Orleans could be just another head feint.

[mcscajun]

14. Key words in this quote...

"...I propose..." == makes me look good, may never happen.

"...we should provide..." == but we may not.

"...we will take the side of entrepreneurs..." (what ELSE is new?) == and screw those poor folk if they don't like what we build.

[bliss_eternal]

17. Oh brother!! During the election, it was education--

education was the answer for offshored jobs. Education was the answer for low income inhabitants of the US...NOW it's entrepreneurs!?!

:wtf:

Who the hell is writing these speeches? They totally suck ass!