Just blew up at Kerry's office & Nelson's office

[graywarrior]

Kerry's people trying to tell me something about passing a bill. I wanted to get my point across about standing up against this administration and help those people. Kerry is in Iraq.

Nelson's people said he is helping. I said, you'd never know it. No one is standing up, so one is taking leadership. Cowards, all of them. I totally lost it.

Now I'm trying the white house. Busy signal for an hour.

[TayTay]

1. Ah, What do you want legislators to do?

They are not in the executive branch. They are legislators.

I wrote to Kerry, Kennedy and everyone else as well and screamed about the dying, the suffering, the callous lack of response from the government. But what do you want them to do? They are legislators, they pass bills. They don't have the legal authority to call out the Guard, send in troops or food or water.

What do you realistically want them to do?

[John Q. Citizen]

12. Stand up enmasse and call for impeachment, That's all. I know it

won't magically make it happen, but it would get the topic on the table for discussion.

[Mass]

2. Happy to know where Kerry is - at least, he is not in vacation -

But you are right to remind them what to do.

And if you hope to see any dems in the media, you hope too much of the media.

[LittleClarkie]

6. If we don't see them, I think it means they don't have time for photo ops

Boxer, someone said, is busy finding ways to help that bypass the executive branch, since they're damned useless.

I submit that if you don't see them, it's because they're actually busy helping instead of making excuses like the Republicans.

[kerrygoddess]

23. No press on the trip

So I was told.

[graywarrior]

3. I know they don't have the power to actually DO anything.

Their power is in making statements that this entire thing has been mis-managed. It's frustrating to call their office and get the standard message.

[TayTay]

4. We all feel right now like we have been kicked in the stomach

We are Democrats on this board. This is our worst nightmare. There is a beautiful American city that is screaming in pain and agony and we can't do anything to ease the pain. We all want those poor poor people to get help. We want it so bad that we can't sleep, can't eat, can't think. (Ferchrissakes, we're Democrats for a friggin reason here.)

But we can't. What we can do is raise our own tsunami of anger at the ones who screwed this up. But that has to wait for this stage of the disaster to pass. First, help those people. Then, beat the ever loving crap out of anyone who had anything to do with the fuckup.

[LittleClarkie]

5. I'd heard he might be headed for Iraq

Bad timing for home, but good for him. He's on a reassessment tour. May he make it home safely.

[Dr Fate]

7. Fuck Iraq. FUCK IRAQ. GET OUT!!!!

I did not know kerry was in fucking Iraq- he needs to be on a plane home NOW.

[TayTay]

8. Fuck lack of planning, fuck doing everything on the fly

Fuck people who can't see beyond their own fingertips and fuck people who rush around from one crisis to the other without stopping to think, plan, assess and do things that might actually help.

In other words, what's wrong goes back years and Dems rushing back and standing around in NOLA holding their own dicks right now wouldn't help at all.

Gawd, think this through. Be a Democrat, not a shithead Rethug who can't see beyond his own asshole and a tax cut.

[kerrygoddess]

14. He is on a plane home now.

The trip was scheduled before Katrina. I just spoke with his press office. It was an official CODEL (Congressional delegation, referring to a trip abroad). There was no press coverage of the trip.

[Dr Fate]

16. Good. That is the right thing to do. I reserve all criticism at this point

n/t

[EVDebs]

9. Seems like they've privatized NO disaster relief...when that didn't work

after about four days they finally got it in gear. Sins of omission can have consequences just as dire as sins of commission.

[mzteris]

10. they're hiring mercenaries

to go in and help restore order!

[graywarrior]

11. I just need to know if there are adults in charge of this operation

Talk about inmates running the institution...

It reminds me of my dysfunctional family when a crisis happened...everyone just stood there with their mouth open, watching and waiting for someone else to step up to the plate so they wouldn't be blamed for sticking their neck out. Duck and cover. Let someone else do it...and DON'T say anything, either.

[CWebster]

13. Kerry has bad timing

not an asset to a politician.

[graywarrior]

15. and his staff needs sensitivity training on the phone

[kerrygoddess]

19. They are receiving a lot of phone calls...

not an excuse... just some reasoning. They are just as frustrated as we are about what is going on.

I spent a little time talking to a press staffer today, they're all upset by this and it's tough because JK is not there and his trip was not a publicized trip so they can't really talk about it.

I actually called yesterday and asked if we could get JK on the airwaves to speak out and I was not told he was in iraq. Whoever you spoke with may have blundered in saying he was. Regardless he's on his way home and I was able to get some info about the trip today, when I called after seeing your post.

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. They work for the people of MA, not

people from other states.

[kerrygoddess]

22. Actually...

although elected as representatives of the State in which they reside, Senators and members of the House work for all of the people of this country. When they sponsor bills and ammendments most are bills and ammendments that affect the entire country.

[kerrygoddess]

18. Under the circumstances...

Of there being troops in Iraq who are wooried sick about their families in the Gulf Coast, it's actually wonderful that someone was there to listen to their concerns.

The trip was scheduled before Katrina. I just spoke with his press office. It was an official CODEL (Congressional delegation, referring to a trip abroad). There was no press coverage of the trip.

[graywarrior]

17. I hope he has something to say when he returns.

[kerrygoddess]

20. Here's the word from my contacts in his office -

"Senator Kerry was in Iraq in January and wanted to go again to thank our troops for their service, talk with military commanders about the situation on the ground and meet with Iraqi government officials as they work to establish a democracy in Iraq."

No doubt we will hear from him on this.

I think his first concern will be Katrina when he gets back.

[graywarrior]

24. Like everyone else, I have reached the limit.

Watching human suffering is unbearable..he knows first hand. It's tough not hearing a voice of reason throughout this whole thing. We are a very emotional nation right now.