Compassionate Conservatism part 2 and the Rove slime machine rears it's head.

Sen. Rick Santorum ( in a weekend interview) : (about the victims of Hurricane Katrina) "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 on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving."

On Tuesday he later he clarified his remarks to exclude those who don't have transportation. In other words It took him three whole days to realize he sounded like an elitist, racist ass. Is it any wonder his poll numbers are dropping as fast as Bush's?

Speaking of Republicans making elitist assinine comments, here's a fun quote from that matronly icon of motherhood Barbara Bush after visiting the Houston Astrodome.
"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this (she chuckled slightly)--this is working very well for them."

I wonder if she went right back to her mansion and Estateafter this?


Here's an excellent photo essay showing the difference between what the people in New Orleans were going through and what George Bush was going through.
And finally, Karl Rove is back in the picture providing new ideas for photo ops with firefighters and crafting a new zero-sum-debate about who's fault this whole mess was. His strategy is to blame the local officials at every turn.

The sad thing is that the 30% of this country that still believes in him will buy this "noise," hook line and sinker.

Compassionate Conservatism

From the AP:

"Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld toured a medical facility at New Orleans' international airport. He spoke and shook hands with military and rescue officials but walked right by a dozen refugees lying on stretchers just feet away from him, most of them extremely sick or handicapped. "

"Most of Katrina's victims were black and poor, and some black leaders have said the federal government would have moved much more quickly if rich, white people were suffering.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected the claim on a tour of Mobile, Alabama. "Nobody, especially the president, would have left people unattended on the basis of race."
But it looked different from the disaster zone.

Tell this to the black voters in Florida in 2000, and Ohio in 2004. And just for the record, over 90% of the people who voted for George Bush in 2004 were white.

"Newsweek reported that former Louisiana Democratic Sen. John Breaux whom it called a close ally of Bush, rejected the president's claim that nobody anticipated the failure of New Orleans' levees, saying the two talked about it last year. "


Could the Bush Administration have stopped this? No, of course not. But who knows what would have been the result if A) The entire National Guard and their equipment were in the US instead of Iraq. B) He hadn't cut millions and millions of dollars from flood control money to help fund the War and his tax cuts. C) And finally,He hadn't allowed developers to drain the wetland that were the natural barriers to Hurricanes in that area.
And what kind of President takes a five-week vacation during a war anyway?

Amd almost last but not the the least (sadly) :

From this CNN video of Bush in Biloxi..........
Bush to women: "There's a Salvation Army center that I want to, that I'll tell you where it is, and they'll get you some help. I'm sorry.... They'll help you.....
Woman 1: "I came here looking for clothes..."
Bush: "They'll get you some clothes, at the Salvation Army center..."
Woman 1: "We don't have anything..."
Bush: "I understand.... Do you know where the center is, that I'm talking to you about?"
Guy with shades: "There's no center there, sir, it's a truck."
Bush: "There's trucks?"
Guy: "There's a school, a school about two miles away....."
Bush: "But isn't there a Salvation center down there?"
Guy: "No that's wiped out...."
Bush: "A temporary center? "
Guy: "No sir they've got a truck there, for food."
Bush: "That's what I'm saying, for food and water."
Bush turns to the sister who's been saying how she needs clothes.
Bush to sister: "You need food and water."


And Finally, true Compassionate Conservatism in action:

from The Daily Kos:
"Senate Finance Committee members were informed this morning that Sen. Bill Frist will move forward with a vote to permanently repeal the estate tax next week, likely on Tuesday, ThinkProgress has learned.
One stands in awe of Sen. Frist's timing. Permanently repealing the estate tax would be a major blow to the nation's charities. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has "found that the estate tax encourages wealthy individuals to donate considerably more to charity , since estate tax liability is reduced through donations made both during life and at death." If there were no estate tax in 2000, for example, "charitable donations would have been between $13 billion to $25 billion lower than they actually were."

I said it before. To Hell with these people. To Hell with them.

If it was the Garden District that was destroyed.....

Then I have no doubt that the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert would have never suggested that we should not rebuild. But since it's only poor folks' housing well that's just expendable. Isnt it sick that George Bush rushes back in the middle of the night to help a dying white woman with a feeding tube, yet takes 5 days to respond to this devastation. To hell with him. To hell with Condi who didn't want to cut her shopping trip short to organize the international relief effort. And to hell with Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Scott Mclellan and every other Republican parrot who dares to say that you should shoot people on sight who are "looting" food and diapers for their families.

Oh yeah, and some Old rich racist judge died. Pardon me while I try to think of a reason why this is bad.