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In my day, never was longer.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

I really should read my own blog.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Let the Games Begin

Let the Games Begin

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Two headlines at the NY Times:

Former FEMA Chief Blames Local Officials for Failures

Leader of New Orleans Police Resigns

A partial transcript of Brown’s testimony can be found here. It is hard to decide on the high point or the low point, but I think I will settle on the exchange in which Brown was taken to task for not providing enough ice so that hamburger meat won’t spoil or so that bodies would not rot.

Blanco testifies tomorrow.

Reader Interactions

30Comments

  4. 4.

    Another Jeff

    Ya know, I’ve said before that I supported hearings because i feel all three levels of gov’t screwed the pooch during Katrina.

    but, seeing as how New Orleans and most of the rest of the Gulf is still FUBAR, and a lot of the people who have testimony that might be useful are still down there actually helping and really don’t have time to go to Washington and sit in front of a bunch of grandstanding congress-critters, couldn’t they have waited a bit to hold these hearings?

    That being said, I thought Brownie did a heck of a job. (Wow, left-wing humor is fun sometimes, theraputic even.)

  6. 6.

    Frank

    I see so John thinks it is too early to start blaming people until someone employed by the administration kicks off the blame game, nice.

  8. 8.

    John Cole

    I am in the pro-nonperishable foods category.

    And if you think people were using FEMA ice to keep bodies from rotting, well, I got a bridge to sell you.

    Frank- Hunh? Seems to me hearings are the place people are supposed to be blaming people. Not a day into the tragedy when no one knows well, anything.

  10. 10.

    Narvy

    I heard a fragment of Brown’s testimony on NPR today. He became angry and defensive (not that he didn’t have cause), but the Reader’s Digest version of what he said is Yes, his job was to coordinate the evacuation, and he called Nagin and Blanco, and what more was he expected to do? He’s not a super-hero. (He really said that.)

    Sorry if everybody already already knows this from the transcript, which I haven’t looked at yet, but I thought it was worth posting.

  11. 11.

    Narvy

    The thing is a circus.

    And all the clowns wear business suits. I can hardly wait for the performing Arabian horses.

  12. 12.

    jg

    He’s just repeating the same blame everyone else talking points that have been sown in the blogosphere the past 4 weeeks. Rovacity at work.

  13. 13.

    Narvy

    jg —

    Yes, but the whining and complete lack of understanding that maybe action is required in additon to phone calls are what caught my attention. Heckuva job, Brownie, especially considering you’re not a super hero.

  14. 14.

    Jack Lindahl

    My summary of Brown’s testimony:

    Democratic governor – bad.

    Republican governor – good.

    (And he is whisked off stage right to collect his next FEMA paycheck.)

  15. 15.

    The Comish (sic)

    John Cole:

    Seems to me hearings are the place people are supposed to be blaming people. Not a day into the tragedy when no one knows well, anything.

    I won’t hold my breath on my opinion getting too much traction around here, but I’m kind of inclined to blame the hurricane.

    Yes, some things were screwed up (at all levels) and some things could have been done better (at all levels), but we’re dealing with a natural disaster that covered an area the size of Great Britain. I personally don’t expect the government to be able to provide personal pick-up service before a disaster, and pillows and blankeys and comforting backrubs to all its citizens after a disaster, over an area that large. Nor do I expect them to be anything other than human in their response.

    If a hurricane/earthquake/tsunami/tornado hits your town (along with 3 other states), then you’re going to have to deal with some hardship. People are going to die. Stores and restaraunts aren’t going to be open. Telephones won’t work. The police, firefighters, and ambulance drivers are probably going to be too busy with other things — like pulling their own homes and families out from under rubble — to come to your aid. It’s going to suck.

    But guess what? That’s life. Sometimes, Mother Nature throws you a bitchslap. And that’s not the government’s fault.

    I’m saying this as someone whose family lives up and down the Gulf Coast, in all 4 of those states, and almost all of them are very poor. Life sucks sometimes, and bad stuff happens. It’s not the government’s job to fix everything in our lives. And when things go wrong, blaming the government’s response for our misfortune is ridiculous.

  16. 16.

    jobiuspublius

    I heard a clip where Drownie says his mistake was in not doing a better job informing the media. ……

  17. 17.

    CaseyL

    I heard a clip where Drownie says his mistake was in not doing a better job informing the media. ……

    But I thought Brown was extra special proud of his ability to make phone calls!

    This “everyone to blame” excuse-making is just ridiculous.

    The man’s job was Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response.

    Not “Assistant to Whoever is Really Supposed to Do That.”

    Not “Telephone Operator in Charge of Making Conference Calls.”

    He was the “Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response.”

    Aren’t there some specific skills and responsibilities associated with that job title? Like, oh, actually knowing how to prepare for emergencies and responses to emergencies?

    Ya think?

  18. 18.

    Geek, Esq.

    Brown perjured himself in front of Congress. He’s now a criminal, in addition to being an incompetent crony.

    BUYER: I would like to ask some questions about the pre- landfall. So I’d like to know why did the president’s federal emergency assistance declaration of August 27th not include the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines?

    BROWN: Under the law, the governor makes the request for the declaration and the governors of the states specify what areas, what counties they want included in that declaration.

    And, based upon the governor’s request, that’s the recommendation that we make to the president. So if a governor does not request a particular county or a particular parish, that’s not included in the request.

    BUYER: All right.

    Orleans Parish is New Orleans. I was listening to my colleague, Mr. Jefferson’s, questions about when they talked about, you know, they asked for this assistance for three days and then president responded the very next day, not the day that it was made — the request — but the governor of Louisiana actually excluded New Orleans from the president’s federal emergency assistance declaration?

    BROWN: Again, Congressman, we looked at the request. The governors make the request by…

    BUYER: Let me ask this. Since you went through the exercise in Pam, was that not shocking to you that the governor would excluded New Orleans from the declaration?

    BROWN: Yes.

    BUYER: When that request came in excluding these three parishes, did you question it?

    BROWN: We questioned it. But I made the decision that we were going to go ahead and move assets in regardless because we have the ability to add those parishes…

    Sworn testimony before Congress.

    Liar, liar, LIAR!!!!!!!

    Did I mention that Brownie is a pathological LIAR?

    Under the provisions of Section 501 (a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5206 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR § 206.35, I request that you declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period beginning August 26, 2005, and continuing. The affected areas are all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting the thousands of citizens evacuating from the areas expecting to be flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

    Get that fucking pig a jail cell already.

  20. 20.

    Narvy

    I won’t hold my breath on my opinion getting too much traction around here, but I’m kind of inclined to blame the hurricane. [Etc.]

    You’re right (which is shorthand for I agree with your untestable hypothesis). But everything depends on the public’s perception. If FEMA had swung into action, or at least put on appearance of acting quickly and decisively, Brownie would be crushed under the weight of the rose petals that would shower upon him. But what we saw was a laggardly bureacracy with its thumb in its mouth making phone calls with its free hand. This does not play well. It’s likely that had FEMA jumped on it the damage would have been the same, but the public would be talking about how even our terrific disaster relief people were just overwhelmed by a storm beyond anyone’s capacity to mitigate.

    Oh, and Geek, don’t hold back, tell us how you really feel.

  22. 22.

    rayabacus

    but, seeing as how New Orleans and most of the rest of the Gulf is still FUBAR, and a lot of the people who have testimony that might be useful are still down there actually helping and really don’t have time to go to Washington and sit in front of a bunch of grandstanding congress-critters, couldn’t they have waited a bit to hold these hearings?

    Hear! Hear! I am in complete agreement. Not only that but I don’t think you can have a hearing to determine what went right and what went wrong until the task is complete. If all the committee is concerned about is the timeline from just before the hurricane up to the evacuees being removed from the Dome and Civic Center then I suppose this is OK. Just rather short sighted.

    Wait until the operation is over and people are available, then do an extensive forensic analysis of everything

  23. 23.

    Defense Guy

    I just want to check with everyone: now it is okay to play the blame game? Is that right?

    Yes, now is the time. I spun a 6… and landed on a freakin chute. Oh well, back to the beginning.

    Well at least no one panicked, our leaders on all levels kept calm heads and showed leadership and the press gave us inspiring tales of hope and heroism. Oh wait, that was another thing, farther north in a bigger city.

  24. 24.

    Birkel

    I thought the high point was when Brown stated he had trouble coordinating with state officials because the person formerly in the post (who would’ve handled the state’s end) was under indictment.

    Charges of corruption or some such.

  25. 25.

    Dave

    Geek, not purgery.

    Brown confused the request for aid from the damage due to the earlier tropical storm Charley(?) with that of Katrina.

    Not purgery, just plain old stupidity.

  26. 26.

    BillS

    Wait until the operation is over and people are available, then do an extensive forensic analysis of everything

    Yes, that should put the hearings sometime in 2015.

    Perfect timing for the “run-out-the-clock” Rove stategy.

  27. 27.

    Lines

    Brown should have just stayed out of it, taken his licks in the public forum, nodded his head and gently wept for the destruction of his political future and been able to go home. Now he has to worry about federal prison time.

    He can keep Delay company, at least.

  28. 28.

    Oh,Boy.Stupidity!

    I’ll ask again: Does anyone still want these people — the Govt. at all levels — to run the Health Care system of this country?

    Oh, and didn’t Brown handle dozens of disasters during his tenure at FEMA? Not that I’m defending him, because FEMA has NO right to exist in the first place.

  29. 29.

    DougJ

    Does anyone still want these people—the Govt. at all levels—to run the Health Care system of this country?

    They already do.

  30. 30.

    Jack Lindahl

    “Does anyone still want these people—the Govt. at all levels—to run the Health Care system of this country?”

    I’ll tell you, if it ever comes to that, I sure don’t want to see a horse trainer’s lawyer running it.

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