Still Campaigning, or fiddling while Rome burns?

“Ice Storms Strike the Heartland: Where's Obama?” [sic] Where’s the Katrina-ish coverage?

“Last week a massive ice storm struck the heartland of America , leaving at least 42 dead and millions without power or water. Days later there are still over a million people in Kentucky who have no power, no water, and no communications. They could have to survive this way for weeks! The conditions are dire and getting worse, with some storm survivors carrying pails of water from creeks. Thousands more are living in shelters with no timetable for returning home. FEMA is nowhere to be found.

“Amid this catastrophe, where is President Barack Obama? While millions are struggling were struggling with the dangerous and deadly icy conditions President Obama had the thermostat in the Oval Office cranked up like a "hothouse" growing orchids. On Thursday — while millions in Tennessee and Kentucky did not have access to shelter or food — Obama hosted a cocktail party at the White House and served up fancy martinis and an appetizer menu that featured mouthwatering wagyu [Kobe and Mishima meats are brand-names of wagyu] steak costing >$100 a pound.

“Saturday night — as the governor of Kentucky called up the entire National Guard in his state to deal with the ongoing crisis — President Obama slipped into his black tie attire to attend the exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner, where lavish cocktails and fine dining were the order of the evening. And on Sunday — when millions in Kentucky and Tennessee still lacked the basic necessities of power and water — the Obama family threw an extravagant Super Bowl party!
“The devastating storm has been virtually ignored by the national media. The lack of coverage is a media blackout compared to the media onslaught and 24-7 coverage provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President Obama has been living it up in the White House while people have been suffering and dying. Five days after the storm, he still has not traveled to the area to provide aid and comfort to the victims.

“When President George W. Bush delayed traveling to the areas ripped apart by Hurricane Katrina in order to allow the recovery efforts to take place without distraction, the left denounced him for "not caring." Rapper Kanye West actually claimed that Bush did not do more to help because he "doesn't care about black people." The "Bush hates black people" theme was picked up and promoted by the anti-Bush mainstream media. President Bush was derided as the "bystander-in-chief;" as someone who had ideological hostility to those needing help; and as “‘staggeringly indifferent" to the plight of those in New Orleans because of the race of those who were most affected. Those were the more "moderate" comments from the supposedly "mainstream" columnists and reporters; the left-wing blogosphere definitively claimed that "Bush hates black people." They even had bumper stickers.

“The left-wing extremists suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome even went so far as to claim that President Bush "played golf" rather than help those suffering souls in New Orleans . It was, of course, a lie. But that lie persists to this day.

“The fact that President Obama is "living large" while Americans suffer is no lie. So where is the collective outrage over his callous disregard for the lives of those who reside in a state that does not worship "The One" and which did not deliver any electoral votes last November? Where are the calls for investigations from the Congress? Perhaps the Democratic Party leadership is too busy sharing cocktails with the president at the White House to notice the ongoing tragedy in "flyover country." Or maybe they just share his contempt for the "white people" living in those areas where people cling desperately to their guns and Bibles while their government ignores them.”[i]
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I am not into making excuses for GWB. He completely dropped the ball in New Orleans and with Katrina in general, but there are lots of lies and there was a horrendous amount of very slanted news propaganda aimed at him. Do you think maybe there is a lesson here somewhere? Why is congress legislating the spending of almost $1 Trillion passing a bill that NONE of them have even read, while BHO stays on the campaign trail, this time at tax payer expense with AF1? What’s he doing running all over the country on one-night-stands, giving campaign speeches? The election is over dip-stick, and you won. Remember the part about. “I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear, etc, etc, etc?” Hello, it’s time to go to work now. I think he is so hooked on large, cheering crowds, that he can’t get enough, and now we are paying for him to get his daily fix. Hell, the oval office is boooorrrring. It’s much more fun to be out there where thousands of people are fawning over you and drinking your Kool-Aid, while Rham stays home and does the work. Get over yourself Barack – it’s time to go to work now, or at least time to give the impression you are, even if you don’t know how.


By the way, speaking of Rham, what is a hired, west-wing paladin doing at a legislative conference committee meeting conforming two versions of a bill? Is that like Citibank consulting on bail-out legislation a few weeks ago? I don’t remember voting for him to do anything, or having the opportunity to.

[i] Unattributed via email from a friend.