does Katrina permanently change the calculus of electoral politics...

[villager]

...in the deep south?

Won't Repubbies *have* to support "big government" and rebuilding efforts now? Will the GOP be able to get away with their usual demagoguery when people have no homes, no food, no infrastructure?

When even Wal-Mart closed over 100 stores?

To be clear, the needs of the survivors are paramount right now -- political discussions of the "fall out" from all this are for another day. Still, I've been wondering...

[phantom power]

1. The GOP hasn't been burdened by consistency.

they happily milk big-government behind the scenes, then turn around and publicly trash it as their "official" party position.

[villager]

2. no question, but that's exactly my point...

...they'll have to publicly support this stuff now, because their constituents will demand it: No one's being raptured away -- everyone's still here, with collapsed houses, schools, freeways -- and churches -- around them...

[phantom power]

6. I guess the short answer is:

most voters aren't burdened by consistency, either.

[villager]

10. no, but I'm wondering if this could be a "New Deal" type shift

...if enough people are affected. Remember, there will be more hurricanes -- and more hurricane seasons...

[phantom power]

11. I'm also hoping something like that will happen.

It's a shame that things will have to get so bad, before people start to remember why we invented the "New Deal" in the first place. But there it is.

[villager]

13. yes -- the "last possible minute" way humanity has,

of making changes. As the margins get ever thinner...

[calimary]

12. Especially if we can remind as many of them as possible about this:

Bush has slashed Clinton's Disaster Mitigation Program. (unbelievable)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4482567

[villager]

24. yes -- if the MSM will touch it... although...

...if Bush faces an unprecedented confluence of troubles puncturing his callousness and his teflon, maybe Americans will start to ask long -- vastly -- overdue questions

[second edition]

3. Good point! this would be an example of Bush's Ownership

Society, you are responsible for it all, including devastating circumstances.

[vi5]

4. Uh.....It's always been that way....

I mean wasn't this looked at leading up to and after the '04 election? The fact that the state's that were most adamantly likely to pay lip service to independence from big government and vote accordingly were the most likely to not foot the bill for those expenses, and the ones that most voted for politicans in favor of government support used it the least and footed the bill for the rest.
It's always been that way. It's just times like these where it comes into focus. But this is too big a tragedy to bother looking at it through a political lense. Especially for me. Not saying it's not a valid point though.

[villager]

7. I understand... not trying to reduce it to politics...

just think this is "big" enough to perhaps have myriad unexpected consequences...

[vi5]

14. I don't think so....

..again, not to speak ill of people going through a tragedy...but there has always been that disconnect. Many of those areas have always voted republican and always paid lip service to not wanting government intervention in their lives, while at the same time reaping the benefits of government intervention financially. And they've never admitted that disconnect to themselves. I don't think this will change anything.

[villager]

15. maybe not, but see above viz. the "New Deal" moment..

...part of the denial was because of a certain material infrastructure around them. When that's stripped away, they have to "face the face" -- at last...

[mitchtv]

5. Oh don't worry, they'll complain abut ir

When something happens to California or WA. Why are we always bailing them out etc...(conveniently forgotten, Katrina, Andrew et...)

[1932]

8. It could change it in another way: where are the Democrats from N.O.

going to go now?

If they leave La., Bobby Jindal will win the next statewide election.

[villager]

9. Jindal will still have to rebuild!

Or he could sell off parts of the city to Wal-Mart for "sponsored" rebuilding, I guess...

[BamaLefty]

16. You Kidding Me?

Nobody will even notice that. Nobody even thinks about that down here anyway. Or, anything for that matter.

[wli]

17. Dems should go for the jugular

Time to crush the Republican Party across the board in elections, then prosecute/litigate them literally out of existence (e.g. declare the Republican Party a terrorist organization or similar).

Let the Libertarians and Greens take up the spot Republicans stood in (with a bit of proportional representation to ensure one-party rule never happens again).

The two obstacles I see here are martial law and election fraud.

[villager]

20. yes -- they should, but that hasn't happened since the New Deal

either!

[wli]

22. sad, it's like 90% of dems are GOP moles n/t

[CANDO]

18. Florida was hit by FOUR hurricanes last year...

and it didn't change a thing come election time. They even went further to the right! Katrina changes nothing.

[villager]

19. but as the hurricanes get worse and worse...

people will have to notice. And do something.

Again, the possibility of a "New Deal" moment -- which wouldn't have been possible a few years before it happened...

[bobbieinok]

21. that's assuming (BIG assumption) that there was no FL 'funny business'

[villager]

23. exactly

In all likelihood, Kerry won Florida -- just as Gore did, last time

[formernaderite]

25. Except the storm hit the blue areas of those states...

so to Bush it's just a bunch of dems whining.

[villager]

26. well, big enough blue parts

...to take the "red" with them, I think...

But yes, Bush will sociopathically ignore this to whatever degree he can, in order to keep up with his Oedipal tasks in Iraq...

[loudsue]

27. Until Americans get off their asses and DEMAND fair elections

there will be no earth-changing fallout for republicans at the polls.

If you didn't vote them in to begin with, you can't vote them out. Even if they allow a Dem to win the white house in '08 (so they can blame the sorry state of the country on someone besides a republican), they will NOT allow a Dem controlled house or senate, that could bring criminal charges against the biggest bunch of criminals to ever show up in the United States government..

It's not who votes...it's who COUNTS the votes.

:kick::kick::kick:

[villager]

28. Stalin had that right, about the vote-counting...

...and the Republicans took note. And you're right-- now we need the whole country to wake the hell up...