Friday, September 16, 2005

Frustrated by Roberts

Link

But Democrats are keenly aware that they risk being labeled obstructionist if they vote in a bloc against a nominee like Judge Roberts, whose legal qualifications are impeccable.

Is this somehow worse than being called traitors? Appeasers? How about bible-stealers?

But, but, they might say bad things about me!

I have no advice on how they should vote, but worrying about what "they" are going to say is just dumb.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Katrina and Urban Liberalism: Both bad

Howard Kurtz linked to this article in the The New Republic. The excerpt in his article seemed dubious, so I went ahead and read it. Allow me to comment.

During the years preceding the hurricane, New Orleans indulged many of the worst tendencies of urban liberal politics--and on the day Katrina made landfall, it was the poorest residents of the city who paid the price.

...

Even as crime rates have fallen throughout the country, the number of violent crimes in New Orleans was rising well before the storm.

For the following reasons, this is the fault of liberals. On second thought, let's skip the reasons and simply move on.

Yet apparently no one had devised a plan to move these citizens [who had no access to any form of private transportation] out of town in the event of an emergency.

This is also the fault of liberals. Let's continue.

In addition, New Orleans relied upon the leisure and hospitality sector to provide 13.3 percent of its jobs; in Houston, the tourism industry has a hold on only 8.7 percent of the city's jobs.

It is our position that this is bad, and the fault of liberals.

Like many cities, its leadership gambled that the arts, nightlife, and a tourist economy could build prosperity, or at least a semblance of it. ... San Francisco, despite all its natural advantages, has lost jobs and much of its middle class, mutating into a playground for young, affluent liberals.

San Francisco sucks! Fucking queers, I mean, liberals.

...the economics of tourism leave huge segments of the population behind.

And here we approach something resembling a point. Our point is that there are problems with a tourism-focused local economy. Which, clearly is the fault of liberals.

What's that? Perhaps a strong union could help low-wage job-holders in that industry? Let's address that. On second thought, let's just close with:

contemporary urban liberalism has to take its share of the blame.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

BushCo.

Today, New Orleans' streets are under military occupation; its property is guarded by hired guns; and the corporations of the whirlwind are pouring into town.

You won't see this stated so explicitly in the corporate media. But is there any doubt that it's an accurate description?

Link

Monday, September 12, 2005

"Run like a business"

Link

The denial and the frustration finally collided aboard Air Force One on Friday...One by one, the lawmakers listed their grievances as Bush listened. Rep. Bobby Jindal, whose district encompasses New Orleans, told of a sheriff who had called FEMA for assistance. According to Jindal, the sheriff was told to e-mail his request, "and the guy was sitting in a district underwater and with no electricity," Jindal said, incredulously. "How does that make any sense?" Jindal later told NEWSWEEK that "almost everybody" around the conference table had a similar story about how the federal response "just wasn't working." With each tale, "the president just shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing," says Jindal, a conservative Republican and Bush appointee who lost a close race to Blanco. Repeatedly, the president turned to his aides and said, "Fix it."


"Fix it" is the direction from President Bubble Boy. But, how much can we read into those two words? Plenty!

"Fix it" is something one would say if he had no idea how his organization actually works. It means, "I have no specific recommendations, because I don't know how my agencies interact, and frankly I probably couldn't name the agencies anyway."

"Fix it" is something one says when he expects that people in his organization can do the job, and only need his go-ahead to do so. No consideration is given to exactly how competent those people are, and if one of those people may be fucking up. Bubble Boy appointed people, therefore they are competent, and therefore only need to be told to "fix it."

And doesn't it matter who he gave this insightful direction to? The article only says "aides." But is he telling Rove the political guru, for example, to go and improve the communication systems that are being used in New Orleans? Is he giving the right people this order? Can these aides actually improve the situation, or are they just going to pick up a phone and look busy?

Clueless CEO, President Bubble Boy.