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Today Obama will be making an extremely short stop in New Orleans. Or what my favorite NOLA blogger calls a “tinkle-stop tour.” In New Orleans, he’ll be visiting a charter school and participating in a town hall meeting in the Lower 9th Ward.
In contrast, his next stop will be San Francisco, where he’ll be spending four times as much time–16 hours. This has caused Harry Shearer to say,
Total elapsed time in SF: sixteen hours. They must have experienced a hell of a federal disaster there. Four times worse, you figure?
But the four hours Obama is spending in New Orleans means he won’t:
*Be seeing any of the rest of of New Orleans’ devastated areas–more of that city was damaged by the Federal Flood than merely the Lower 9th;
*Be checking out the work on New Orleans’ levees–considered vitally important by New Orleanians and anyone else concerned about New Orleans’ safety from future flooding. This is something he should keep abreast of as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers;
*Be flying over Louisiana’s disappearing coast, which has been washing away at a rate of a football field every half hour;
*Be visiting Alabama, Mississippi and the Louisiana areas still struggling to recover from Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike–an omission which has been one of the most controversial things about the briefness of Obama’s visit. Stan Tiner even goes so far as to ask,
Is the Mississippi Coast invisible?
Indeed, Obama’s “Tinkle-Stop Tour” is being compared to Bush’s “fly-over” trip when he couldn’t be bothered with visiting the disaster zone.
Some may blow what I have to say off by saying Obama as a Senator and a candidate made five visits to New Orleans–but nothing can match the prestige of a meaningful presidential visit with its symbolism of a presidential commitment to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
It is a shame that while Bush of that first fly-over and his empty promises managed to visit Louisiana and Mississippi 13 times and made it to all three 8/29 anniversaries in both states, Obama is just making this “Tinkle-Stop Tour” after not having made it to the anniversary of Katrina and the federal flood. And the fact that Teddy Kennedy’s funeral happened to take place on that day is immaterial–the point is that even had it not taken place, Obama had made no plans at all to visit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, instead planning to stay at Martha’s Vineyard where he was on vacation.
So, he owes New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Region one–and it’s time for him to get some skin in the game and live up to his promises there.
18 Comments
Visiting a charter school is disturbing. His advocacy of privatizing public education is one more example of Shock Doctrine implementation. Naomi Klein has a whole chapter on New Orleans in The Shock Doctrine. Milton Friedman urged to use the disaster to privatize the schools and that’s what they are doing. They don’t care about levees or disappearing coasts and certainly not Mississippi. Where’s the money there?
This is a ridiculous. The question is not whether he is spending time there but are things getting done. He has delegated several depts. much responsibility. He knows what the problems were are they getting solved. He is going to be in SF for 16 hours is any of that sack time? Lets not bitch for the sake of bitching.
Don’t forget that since June, when DOJ delivered its report of its investigation confirming a whistleblower’s complaint that the three levee pumps must be replaced or the levees will fail in another major storm because the pumps can’t keep up with rising waters, Obama has failed to take any action.
I don’t know what it will cost the Army Corps of Engineers to replace the pumps or how long it will take, but I think his inaction speaks volumes regarding his so-what attitude about New Orleans. Fortunately, we haven’t had a big storm like Katrina this season, but he didn’t know that back in June and today’s trip presented a great opportunity for him to reassure people that he cares about them and their city by announcing new pumps are on the way and will be fully operational in ten days.
One of Obama’s major flaws is his over-confidence and exclusive reliance on using his communication and speaking skills to solve problems, usually at the last minute, after they have festered and become too big to solve and too important to fail to solve. Pretty speeches without actions to back them up cause credibility problems that lead to cynicism and declining support.
Of course, in his case almost all of his actions are inconsistent with his pretty speeches — so much so that citizens may reasonably believe his speeches are nothing but lies.
Will He apoligies for the fact that we could have raised New Orleans above flood stage, and built a new city for what was spent on flood walls that didn’t work, and replacing what was damaged. All while they kept the people who lost suffering and fighting to rebuild.
No! He will talk, promise, and things will stay the same.
No public appearances set for SF, just a big fundraiser at the St Francis Hotel. Being cast in the media as “afraid of Code Pink.” Not sure the trip here is any more beneficial than his trip to New Orleans.
“No public appearances set for SF, just a big fundraiser at the St Francis Hotel” ; thank you Teddy, as I was about to write “follow the money”.
Politics is WAAAAYYYY MOOOORRE about money than it is about representing the people or living up to the Constitution.
Obama is too important for America and Americans.
He talks to us but can’t hear us. We mean nothing to him, except that we give him money and vote for him.
Jesus, even Richard Nixon gave a rat’s ass about America and Americans.
Wow. With the exception of foothillsmike’s comment, it’s like I’m on one of those reichwing sites.
Geeezlouizeee, folks . . . if the Prez spends too much time in NO the reichwing will crucify him for pandering to his peeps, or whatever nonsense they choose to call it, and if he doesn’t spend enuf time there, they’ll slam him for ignoring them.
And, how about asking the right questions for a change? — like, where’d all the wheelbarrows full of money go that they were shoveling out the door to private contractors when FEMA finally showed up? How much of that was spent on rebuilding the city — and how much went to building the private contracting companies’ CEO’s vacation homes? or whatever they ended up spending it on???
No, the prez isn’t above criticism, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be beat over the head 24/7 either.
It occurred to me while reading the report on PO’s trip that he was telling them all the things that were in the works and that more was coming…and I thought “If that were true, they why would he have to TELL them?”
Wouldn’t the good folks of NOLA *see* for themselves the improvements and construction and other works in progress?
What a crock. Another photo-op is what it was. Just like W.
Then he flies off to a fundraiser in SF? In Air Force One…? Using public funds for private political endeavors?
Greg Palast wrote a really good piece on the lack of progress and how Dr. Ivor Van Heerden got fired over sounding the warning bells on the levees.
On his website is a link to a documentary he did of the lack of progress there — “Big Easy to Big Empty” –the link is at the end of the article. It’s really hard to watch.
Van Heerden has been in the cross-hairs of Big Oil for awhile, according to Palast. And his contract term expiring in 2010 provided just the excuse LSU was looking for. technically they can “fire” him by simply not renewing his contract.
William David Constant, the Dean and Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department has received many personal grants from Texaco, Fluor, and other Petrochemical industry sources over the years (one area he has been involved in has been intensive oil extraction methods through the injection of waste water). More recently he’s been dipping deep into the pockets of the oil companies and other energy contractors to help fund more general LSU Campaigns.
I suspect that it’s not Federal programs that were under threat at LSU if van Heerden was retained…it’s that industry money.
I think it’s both. (Is there a difference?!)
From Palast’s article (Part 2):
Actually, this is in response to “formidable.” (Sorry “boogiecheck.” ) I used to watch every appearance Obama made on TV in such awe, but now I believe he is nothing but a “Con Man,” selling us another story. Some are still under his “spell,” but not me. After contributing more to him than to any other candidate in my lifetime, and working harder for his election than for any other, I am completely and totally deflated. I don’t believe a word he says anymore. He is all talk and no action, even worse than Bill Clinton. He is no better than G. W. Bush. Let’s see what he REALLY does for New Orleans, the economy, and stopping these eternal, unnecessary blood baths. LET’S SEE IF HE EVER STOPS DOMESTIC SPYING!!! No more money to any organized Democratic MACHINES, until POSITIVE ACTION IS OBTAINED!!!
Thank you so much for you Kind Kudos, Louisiana 1976!
I wasn’t sure how people would take my take on this, but to me it looked just like a staged medicine show boo’rah.
Obama just doesn’t get it. He still thinks Katrina hit New Orleans, still refers to that as the cause of the Flood of ’05.
All this build up and counter spin to try and wash away their Bad PR move, and all we got was 7 questions –with the last really not a question but a sho’nuff set-up with a cute little black boy who would remind everyone to stop hating Obama because God is Love. Oh Hell, we’re really done-for now Batman!
Of course his it talking points are making the rounds. I can’t believe it.
Well, there is always 2012, perhaps Hillary Clinton would give us another chance? Kucinich? Katrina the Clown? Anyone who doesn’t get: IT’S THE LEVEES STUPID!
Obviously New Orleans is not fertile ground for an Obama fund-raiser.
If he had any class, he’d hold one there to benefit the city [heck, he could get Brad Pitt and Harry Shearer to participate], AND send all the proceeds of the SF one to NO as well.
But no . . .
What he’s doing in San Francisco – note that, in eight years as president, Bush never visited the city. And that the reception outside the dinner was less than friendly.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School is the school initiated by Ninth Ward residents…it’s the only school in the Ninth Ward. An hour visit to the school and meeting for a substantial amount of time with Ninth Ward residents in a town meeting to hear their issues is precisely what needs to done on such a trip.
The additional leg to the fundraiser in Air Force One is paid for by the Democratic Party. That’s the law. Obama is not including any pseudo “Presidential functions” on that part of the trip (frequently done when Bush was President) so that it can be written off as “governmental need”.
When people criticize Obama I wish it would be on more than what I read on the right-wing blogs…sometimes I wonder if Seminal is regularly infiltrated by tea-baggers.
W. used AF 1 for fundraising throughout his presidency–it’s a legitimate question to ask who is paying for the expensive use of the plane. If what you’re saying is true, it does make me feel better that private funds are being used. (I don’t suppose you have a link for that?)
What doesn’t make me feel any better is the lack of awareness of how this looks to folks who are living in tents, or barely holding onto their homes, or lack the means for healthcare. Flying that plane is expensive. That money could otherwise be used for so much public good.
And as I type that, I’m thinking the natural response is that Dems need fundraisers to get the word out so people will vote for them. My response to that is: if Dems were out there using that money to finance the AF 1 trip, and the money raised at the fundraiser to actually go out to the masses to help them with buying food, making a housepayment, paying heating bills, etc., THAT would speak volumes and, IMO, do more good and raise more awareness of what Dems were about, translating into more votes.
But I don’t see that from them.
Ad hominem. Just because someone asks questions and criticizes PO does not automatically make them a teabagger. Obama is a great orator, but little action follows those fancy speeches. I think it’s understandable to be upset at the lack of follow up. Not to mention the continuation of W.’s policies.
Liberaltothecore. My sentiments, He’s a nice guy, but He is listening to those trusted advisers, that are stearing Him wrong on everything.
You see He wrapped Himself in Washington, and Washington is the problem.
They say He can get what He want’s from Congress, so He lets them set the agenda, and thinks what they come up with is right. The Recovery Act was the best example, He is still bragging it up, when everybody can see it didn’t work, won’t work, and was a waste, because many other things would ahve actually worked for the same money.
He, Like most of us, still believe in the Congress. It has shown what a disgrace it is, and how disgraceful the people are in it. It has caused every problem this Country has, and not fixed one. It caused the housing and banking crisis’s, and created the for profit Health Insurance System we are told we enjoy. The promoted these things, and allowed all the bad to happen. They haven’t re-regulated, or even attempted to reign in what was the problems, and we are seeing that the same things are starting over. The Markets up, and the Banks making record money should tell all of us this sounds a little fishy. A little my ass, alot fishy.
He’ and WE are looking to the Congress to fix the problem the created, and to do that after being bought buy what they are trying to clean up.