Dean: Washington Republicans "Disturbing Inability" to Relate...

[MaineDem]

(This is long but it consolidates a lot of information. Great for LTTEs and for adding to our arsenal.)

For Immediate Release
September 14, 2005
Contact: Josh Earnest - 202-863-8148

Dean: Washington Republicans "Disturbing Inability" to Relate to Working Americans

Washington, DC - In the wake of the largest natural disaster in American history, Republicans in Washington, DC have repeatedly shown just how out of touch they are with the concerns of everyday Americans - particularly those whose livelihoods were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

>From House Republican Leader Tom DeLay likening the experience of evacuees at the Astrodome to summer camp and Rep. Richard Baker saying that Katrina "cleaned up public housing", many Republicans' failed attempts to relate to the survivors of Katrina illuminates their party leadership's failure to comprehend the decisions and challenges that America's working families face on a daily basis.

"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Republicans in Washington, DC showed that they unable to respond effectively to the destruction along the Gulf Coast," said DNC Chairman Howard Dean. "Now, it's becoming clear that this failed leadership may be the result of their disturbing inability to relate to the concerns of everyday Americans who suffered terribly because of this devastating hurricane and the federal government's failure to prepare and implement an adequate response.

"These same Republicans in Washington, DC, who lack a basic understanding of the daily lives of Americans, have also put policies in place that have benefited their high-dollar campaign contributors, but left Americans working harder and longer just to make ends meet. That's why Democrats' efforts to unite our nation and fight for policies that benefit working families have never been more important," said Dean.

See below for a new document from DNC Research:

President Bush told the nation in 2000 that times of crisis are the times you're tested. Five years later, the Bush Administration has failed Katrina's test by bungling the Federal response to the largest natural disaster our country has ever faced. Republicans and the Bush Administration seem to not understand the enormity of the situation, probably because they are too busy slapping each other on the back and pointing fingers to realize the extent of this tragedy. And whenever they depart from the pre-approved talking points, their comments clearly illustrate the fact that they are out of touch with the challenges facing the American people.

IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT IF YOU DON'T LEAVE

Brown: Residents Bear Some Responsibility for Climbing Death Toll. FEMA Director Michael Brown said those who ignored the city's mandatory evacuation order bore some responsibility. "I think the death toll may go into the thousands and, unfortunately, that's going to be attributable a lot to people who did not heed the advance warnings," he said.

Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff Blamed The Poor For Not Being Able To Leave The City: "Some people chose not to obey that order. That was a mistake on their part."

Sen. Santorum Called For Those Left Behind To Be Punished. Sen. Rick Santorum, said Sunday on WTAE-TV: "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties, candidly, on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving."

At Least 100,000 People Lacked The Transportation To Get Out Of New Orleans. Just before the hurricane hit New Orleans, the Associated Press reported that some residents who wanted to leave lacked the means to do so, saying, "at least 100,000 people in the city lack the transportation to get out of town. Nagin said the Superdome might be used as a shelter of last resort for people who have no cars, with city bus pickup points around New Orleans. 'I know they're saying 'Get out of town,' but I don't have any way to get out,' said Hattie Johns, 74."

George Will: Poverty In New Orleans A Result of Single Parents. Will argued that there are "three not-at-all recondite rules for avoiding poverty: Graduate from high school, don't have a baby until you are married, don't marry while you are a teenager. Among people who obey those rules, poverty is minimal. * Liberalism's post-Katrina fearlessness in discovering the obvious -- if an inner city is inundated, the victims will be disproportionately minorities -- stopped short of indelicately noting how many of the victims were women with children but not husbands. Because it was released during the post-Katrina debacle, scant attention was paid to the National Center for Health Statistics' report that in 2003, 34.6 percent of all American births were to unmarried women. The percentage among African American women was 68.2. Given that most African Americans are middle class and almost half live outside central cities, and that 76 percent of all births to Louisiana African American
s were to unmarried women, it is a safe surmise that more than 80 percent of African American births in inner-city New Orleans -- as in some other inner cities -- were to women without husbands. That translates into a large and constantly renewed cohort of lightly parented adolescent males, and that translates into chaos in neighborhoods and schools, come rain or come shine."
NEW ORLEANS NOT WORTH DEFENDING OR REBUILDING

Speaker Hastert Doesn't Think New Orleans Should Be Rebuilt. "Lawmakers have to ask themselves if it's worth sinking possibly billions of federal dollars into rebuilding New Orleans, a low-lying city which would remain a vulnerable hurricane target even after clean up, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said Wednesday. 'It doesn't make sense to me,' said Hastert during an interview with the Daily Herald editorial board. 'And it's a question that certainly we should ask.'"

McClellan Calls Questions About Flood Protection Funding Cuts "Finger-Pointing" And "Politics." Asked about the Bush Administration's cutting of flood protection funding McClellan said: "This is not a time to get into any finger-pointing or politics or anything of that nature," McClellan said. "This is a time to make sure all our resources available are focused where they need to be, and that is on the people who have been displaced."

Sen. McCain Said Funding for Flood Control Levees Was "Pork." In 2000, when Sen. Mary Landrieu worked to get funding for flood-control levees on the Mississippi River, Sen. John McCain listed this project on his list of Congressional "pork" projects.

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN, AND YOU'RE BETTER OFF!

Chertoff to New Orleans: "Good Luck." In a briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff insisted that the government was doing all it could do. In his remarks, he stated that "All of us wish, I know, Godspeed and good luck to those who are suffering."

IT WASN'T REALLY THAT BAD IN THE "SEWERDOME"

Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff Called Superdome Crisis a "Small Soda-Straw View" of What Happened. NBC's Mike Viqueira reports that in the closed briefing Cabinet officials gave House members last night, homeland security chief Michael Chertoff contended to members that what the members saw on TV from the Superdome "was a small soda-straw view of what was going on" in terms of the crisis, and not representative of the true situation. Per Rep. Elijah Cummings (D), after Chertoff said that, some members got up and walked away.

HURRICANE ACTUALLY A GOOD THING

Rep. Baker: Katrina Is God's Way Of Cleaning Up Public Housing In New Orleans. "Rep. Baker of Baton Rouge is overheard telling lobbyists: 'We finallycleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did.'"

IT WASN'T OUR FAULT: BLAMING STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS

Rove Is Directing White House Smear Campaign To Direct Blame At Local And State Officials. "Under the command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. The effort is being directed by Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove... In a reflection of what has long been a hallmark of Mr. Rove's tough political style, the administration is also working to shift the blame away from the White House and toward officials of New Orleans and Louisiana who, as it happens, are Democrats."

And White House Officials Question State and Local Efforts Behind the Scenes. "In public statements and even more bluntly behind the scenes, Bush administration officials have questioned local efforts to rescue thousands of people who were stranded for days without food, water and shelter, resulting in death of an unknown number of Americans... As president, Bush typically has been loath to admit mistakes, and this situation is no different."

While Tom DeLay Does His Part to Help Out. " that the onus for responding to emergencies fell to local officials. "It's the local officials trying to handle the problem. When they can't handle the problem, they go to the state, and the state does what they can to, and if they need assistance from FEMA and the federal government they ask for it and it's delivered," DeLay said. He added that Alabama and Mississippi did a much better job of responding quickly than Louisiana. Alabama and Mississippi have Republican governors." DeLay announced later that House hearings examining the Federal response to Katrina had been canceled.

BESIDES, EVERYTHING'S FINE! JUST TAKE A DEEP BREATH

DeLay: Life for Hurricane Refugees is "Fun." A "Houston Chronicle blogger who had watched House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) tour the Astrodome, where children evacuated from New Orleans were playing" reported "that DeLay 'likened their stay to being at camp and asked, 'Now, tell me the truth, boys, is this kind of fun?'' The blogger said the youngsters 'nodded yes, but looked perplexed.'"

Chertoff: FEMA Doing "Magnificent Job." "Terry Ebbert, New Orleans' homeland security chief FEMA's response to the disaster has been an 'embarrassment.'...Yet, back in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told CNN Thursday that he believes FEMA and other federal agencies have done a 'magnificent job' under difficult circumstances to deal with the unprecedented disaster, citing their 'courage' and 'ingenuity.' Insisting that aid is coming as fast as possible, Chertoff said, 'You can't fly helicopters in a hurricane. You can't drive trucks in a hurricane.'"

Brown Tells The Nation To "Take A Deep Breath." "Michael D. Brown, FEMA's director, offered an emphatic defense of the federal response, saying that his agency prepared for the storm but that the widespread, unexpected flooding kept rescuers out of the city. He urged the nation to 'take a collective deep breath' and recognize that federal officials are doing all they can to save people."

Governor Barbour: Bush And FEMA Have Been Great. Governor Haley Barbour told President Bush: "The federal government's been great. FEMA and all of your people are on the ground, were on the ground before the storm hit... Secondly, we're getting water and food, and your people have been great."

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Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

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[napi21]

1. Great that our leader is putting all the Pub BS in one memo!

I think that's important! All of us have heard each one of those Pub statements, and slammed them at the time they were made. It's much more enlightening when you see them all listed together!

Thanks you Dr. Dean!

[bluedawg12]

2. The ray of hope is that Americans saw through the B.S. n/t

[MaineDem]

4. I certainly hope so. (nt)

[Guaranteed]

3. Holy shit. Dean went on a rant. nt

[shance]

5. This is excellent.

Great detailed examples and proof that reveal the very consistent patterns of the Congressional Republican mentality.