The state-syndicated radio program hosted by Moon Griffon needs to be scrutinized and FLOODED with Democratic response phone calls.
Today, of course, they aired the usual right-wing parrot-listeners with comments such as "this wouldn't have happened if Bobby Jindal were governor," and "why did Blanco take 24 hours to answer the White House's request to take control of the situation on the ground?"
We have to start paying more attention to this program, and when necessary, callign in and answering to these charges. WHY on WHY do Democratic office-holders not INSIST they get on?
These folks are already orchestrating their efforts to bury blame for casualties and calamity after the hurricane on Governor Kathleen Blanco. What HAS tobe asked is...
- Did the feds ask the governors of Florida, Alabama or Mississippi to take control of the situation?
- If FEMA and Homeland Security had to 'wait' on a governor's giving up of power to assist New Orleans under such a circumstance, why did New Orleans end up GETTING the assistance anyhow, WITHOUT the governor ceding control in her own state? Seems to me that they were obligated to do what was asked of them whether the order came from the Oval Office or Baton Rouge.
- I talked with a woman today on MY radio show who was among the dozens of ambulances and the state National Guardsmen who were heading in IMMEDIATELY after the hurricane struck (which was of course BEFORE FEMA arrived). So APPARENTLY the state was better prepared to move into New Orleans than FEMA was, am I correct?
- With about 40% of her state's guard not even in the COUNTRY, who else was she supposed to call on? Neighboring Mississippi and Alabama needed their guardsmen for their own messes, so we had to wait on Arkansas, Texas and Colorado (?) troops to come in. That, of course, took many days.
Let's face it. Bush only wanted CONTROL of the situation (in LOUISIANA, ONLY, mind you..) because his approval rating NEEDS him to ride in like the cavalry and be the hero. He needs another postcard moment like holding the megaphone atop the rubble at Ground Zero. He realized (FOUR DAYS AFTER THE HURRICANE STRUCK, and TWO DAYS AFTER HE MERELY FLEW OVER AND LET AP PHOTOGS TAKE THOSE OH-SO-POIGNANT PHOTOS OF HIM STARING OUT THE WINDOW LIKE A GOLDEN RETRIEVER IN A PICKUP TRUCK) that the media was ALL over New Orleans' situation, and it provided him the OPTIMUM opportunity to swoop in and win some points with Americans.
Because until things got bad (note; not BEFORE), Bush didn't care enough to even leave his vacation any earlier.