Clinton Criticizes Bush Over Hurricane Katrina
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in General Politics, Hurricane KatrinaThis is pretty significant. I agree with Clinton about the response to Katrina and the funding of the aftermath, but is this going over the line?
The Moderate Voice has this to say:
Indeed, this may be yet one more indication that Bush is in serious trouble, now that Clinton, more diplomat than adversary through Bush’s first 4+ years (last year’s election campaign notwithstanding), has emerged as one of his more forceful and credible critics.
And furthermore, from the NY Times:
Mr. Clinton’s comments in an interview on the ABC News program “This Week” could prove awkward for the White House, given President Bush’s eagerness to involve his Democratic predecessor in a high-profile role to raise money for the hurricane’s victims. His remarks came days after the president gave a televised speech from New Orleans, trying to seize the momentum amid other attacks on the administration’s performance.The White House has been under siege from critics, assailed first for the effectiveness of its response to the storm, and challenged more recently by questions about the long-term fiscal implications of its plans for rebuilding in the Gulf states.
Mr. Clinton argued that lower-income Americans had done better under the economic policies of his administration than they are doing now, saying the storm highlighted class divisions in the country that often played out along racial lines.
Honestly, this is a bit “Jimmy Carter”, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. The same thoughts are on the minds of many, and Clinton spoke for a lot of us.
More about the response from Clinton.
Noting statistics that showed a significant drop in poverty during his presidency, Mr. Clinton said, “You can’t have an emergency plan that works if it only affects middle-class people up, and when you tell people to go do something they don’t have the means to do, you’re going to leave the poor out.”
Again, is this taking advantage of the situation or does Clinton have valid points? You know where I stand, but I’d like to hear your thoughts.
This entry was posted on Monday, September 19th, 2005 and is filed under General Politics, Hurricane Katrina. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 19th, 2005 at 7:55 am
If you watched the actual interview, Clinton was very careful not to mention Bush’s name or reference the administration. He was asked questions about Iraq and the defecit, and he usually referred to how “we” as Americans were doing rather than one adminstration versus the other.
His criticisms definitely didn’t seem politically motivated but were honest, thought-out assesments. As I watched Clinton speak, I remember being amazed at how intellectual and sincere his answers were, and I’m dissapointed to see an insightful interview spinned into “Clinton attacks Bush.”
September 19th, 2005 at 9:28 am
Clinton also was very careful to point out that his opinions on FEMA were clearly biased as “he like the way it was set up in his administration”. Well, of course he would…wouldn’t you? I wasn’t always his biggest fan but I still marvel over his communication skills. He manages to convey his thoughts in a way that seems so sincere yet he avoids the soapbox approach that tends to alienate the more balanced thinker.
September 19th, 2005 at 12:34 pm
“Mr. Clinton argued that lower-income Americans had done better under the economic policies of his administration than they are doing now, saying the storm highlighted class divisions in the country that often played out along racial lines.”
Is he claiming that the poor in New Orleans weren’t black during his administration????? Come on!!! This is pure BS! New Orleans has been under Democrats for 60+ years, the city is mostly black and has a black mayor…. the racism is in your head!!!
I am so sick of hearing this crap, I guess it is just beyond you to question why there is such a high percentage of poor people in New Orleans, especially since it has been a Democrat City for 60 years…. could it be your policies of creating a dependant population???? Wouldn’t want to give that any consideration would you…. of course not.
September 19th, 2005 at 12:55 pm
Waht Debsay said and raise you one – the poor white residents of Mississippi have gotten exactly nothing in the way of media attention to the way their lives and homes have been flattened. There is a lot of truth to all this talk of racism – it is racist to get all preachy about the plight of black people in this country and at the same time ignore the plight of equally disadavantaged people of other ethnicities. It is racist to talk about “the racial divide” and mean the division between blacks and whites as if that sums up the entire inter-ethnic situation in this country.
September 19th, 2005 at 2:30 pm
debsay, if you REALLY think institutionalized racism is ALL in our heads, then I fear you simply aren’t paying attention.
And let it be clear, Bush himself has said similar things, but since it’s not a popular topic with his base, he talks about it a lot less frequently.
If you’re sick of hearing this crap, then address the problem. There is a racial divide between blacks and whites and it’s not fixed. Be the change you wish to see in the world, debsay.
And to Jim’s assertion about poor white residents of Mississippi have gotten media coverage, I’ll say that just because you didn’t see the coverage doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. But of course the poor black residents of New Orleans have gotten more because that is where the most dire crisis was. What makes me weary is when people bring up these arguments. People, isn’t it just about dead OBVIOUS that when New Orleans has essentially been turned into a lake it is a MUCH more important story? People were left stranded in wretched conditions for days.
If you truly think some poor white person who lost their house is just as equally deserving of coverage as the New Orleans situation, I have no idea what I could tell you to believe differently.
But I woud urge you to not throw racism around so loosely. Because covering New Orleans instead of the poor white Mississippians isn’t racist. It’s simply the reality.