BIAS ALERT: Media that ripped Bush on Katrina ignores Obama on La. flooding

roughdraft274 said:

You're "point" is as sharp as a door-knob.

Let me summarize for you.

"As long as you don't give a **** about what help the people going through the disaster get, and only focus on the photo-op's, Bush did a better job!"

Hang your hat on that. I hope if your family is ever in a disaster and without shelter and clean water and warm food for weeks that you will be able to manage to be incredibly happy when your president flies by and does a photo-op rather than send people that actually know what they are doing.

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You have no point at all. Bush didn't care about photo-ops, the media did.

sangha said:

This is exactly the sort of partisan hackery I was referring to. You think that people getting food, shelter and clean water is just an "excuse" for not criticizing the govt's response to a disaster

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The whole Katrina things was partisan, so this is as well. You damn write it is and ought to be. Obama needs a huge beat down for this, and he's not getting it. Why? Because the media bias out their asses.

roughdraft274 said:

Speaking as someone that has lived through Katrina and the current flooding, the differences are extreme.

Fema royally ****ed up at every possible turn during Katrina. There was a massive failure at every stage by nearly every politician (local and federal) during Katrina. The people that Bush appointed to lead FEMA during Katrina were woefully underqualified and did a terrible job. Granted, he was working with morons on the local level. But never the less, the response was terrible. A photo op doesn't change that.

With this flooding, FEMA and LA have been on their game. Supplies are steadily flowing in to those who need them, shelters have been setup to more than adequately take care of those who are stranded, information on where the floodwater is at, the stages, etc has been superb etc. I'm not sure how much credit goes to the federal government and how much to the state government and how much to just the good people of baton rouge and the surrounding areas, but there have been so few misteps with this disaster that I think it should be studied by FEMA and other states as how to get **** done in the even of a flood.

I'd much rather a president send competent people who do a good job than one who will come and visit and tell me how much he cares while the ignorant **** bags that he has taking care of everything ****s up at every possible turn.

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I think the **** up from Katrina was very much a lesson to the local and state and federal governments. Bush wasn't to blame for a woefully corrupt system that constructed weak levies and stole money from important projects to reduce the flooding to the area.

Glad I live in Florida. We know what a hurricane is and we know to be prepared.


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American said:

You have no point at all. Bush didn't care about photo-ops, the media did.

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The photo-op was to make up for the terrible response. The media started the "Where is the president" chant after a horrendous response by his people and his FEMA director, a guy who had no experience in project/program management or disaster relief.

It's less than a week after the flooding and there are already FEMA workers going through flooded houses assessing damage for aid and they are talking about people being paid disaster relief within the month. But I don't know how they are going to manage unless Obama does a photo-op.

blackjack50 said:

I think the **** up from Katrina was very much a lesson to the local and state and federal governments. Bush wasn't to blame for a woefully corrupt system that constructed weak levies and stole money from important projects to reduce the flooding to the area.

Glad I live in Florida. We know what a hurricane is and we know to be prepared.


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Agreed. The ****up was from the very local level all the way up. I would never ever say it's all Bush's fault or that he didn't care. But when he sends people that have no experience in disaster relief down to a horrific disaster, you're going to be criticized. If you need to give a buddy a job, make him an ambassador to an unimportant country. Don't put him over FEMA for ****s sake.

SHOOTER said:

it is called respect,just a fly over would at least show that.with this president you can bet would be there if this was CHICAGO and not BATION RUOGE.the people of LOUISIANA are AMERICANS too,half of our state went under water.
the most racist white house in the history, of our great republic,i feel like i should add the word evil also.


run don run

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I tried googling to see if I can find a statement he has made...I don't think he has has he?


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Tanngrisnir said:

LOL! More hilarious fail.

The Governor of the state essentially asked him not to come just now as it's not a good time yet.

Glad I could clear that up for you:

John Bel Edwards: Now is not the best time for President Obama to visit | NOLA.com

""I am not complaining about our federal partnership in any way" Edwards said, responding to comments about the president not coming to Louisiana. "The president is welcome to visit whenever he wants to visit."

Edwards said a presidential visit could cause additional problems for flood recovery efforts. Obama's motorcade requires many roadways to be shutdown -- and many local streets are still closed because of the flooding. Also, a presidential visit puts a strain on law enforcement. First responders shouldn't be pulled away to deal with Obama, when they are needed for search and rescue missions still, Edwards said."

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That! Exactly. If Obama, the Governor of Louisiana, FEMA, state and local emergency services people have the right response plans in place and working then there is not a great deal Obama can do at this point.

Disaster response is local, the state, then national. That's is the way it is planned and drilled. Been there and done that. Murphy always shows up no matter who else may or may not. And there are contingency plans to handle SNAFUs. However well planned and practiced the people responding are busy as hell and by now they are worn slap out. The last thing they want is to spend unnecessary time, energy and resources on a dignitary who can do nothing more at the present than be in the way. Obama is doing the right thing.

It was different under Bush in many ways. It was a different disaster. Different areas were affected. Local planning in many cities was inadequate given the disaster faced. Brownie was not the man they needed from Washington. FEMA was ill prepared. Read the after action reports. Most are available to citizens.

This time Louisiana was better prepared and it shows. It remains desperate in some areas, but the response has been much better from local to state to national.

cpwill said:

View attachment 67206032

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You think a single one of the leftwingers who've come into this thread to defend Obama to the death, will address this obvious difference and bias by the MSM? NO.

roughdraft274 said:

Agreed. The ****up was from the very local level all the way up. I would never ever say it's all Bush's fault or that he didn't care. But when he sends people that have no experience in disaster relief down to a horrific disaster, you're going to be criticized. If you need to give a buddy a job, make him an ambassador to an unimportant country. Don't put him over FEMA for ****s sake.

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"Fix Everything My Ass", said signs and t-shirts after Katrina.

American said:

You think a single one of the leftwingers who've come into this thread to defend Obama to the death, will address this obvious difference and bias by the MSM? NO.

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You think the guy that created this thread will ever understand that obviously the differences in the way the disasters were aided would obviously change the way the media reports on them?

roughdraft274 said:

You think the guy that created this thread will ever understand that obviously the differences in the way the disasters were aided would obviously change the way the media reports on them?

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No, because that isn't the reason. Where is Obama? Why can't you answer that?

American said:

No, because that isn't the reason. Where is Obama? Why can't you answer that?

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The way a disaster was handled doesn't change the way it's reported? Are you ****ing kidding me? Then why was Obama raked over the coals for the gulf oil spill which was handled poorly by all accounts and not for this one which was handled well?

This entire thread is a monument to the seething but unintelligent, borderline retarded, unyielding hatred that some on the right have for Obama. Finding something to bitch about and if nothing exists they'll make something up.


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American said:

No, because that isn't the reason. Where is Obama? Why can't you answer that?

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Where was Bush during Katrina or as American heroes were dying in Iraq and Afghanistan? A commander in chief must be physically present at all events during his tenure, right?

RabidAlpaca said:

Where was Bush during Katrina or as American heroes were dying in Iraq and Afghanistan? A commander in chief must be physically present at all events during his tenure, right?

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Bush visited the troops many times, how many times did Obama go? Where is Obama not during the floods?

American said:

Keep making excuses, you're proving my point.

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And your point is??? The fact is that FEMA is light years ahead of the response they had to Katrina. And that trumps Presidential visits that only slow real help down.

American said:

Bush visited the troops many times, how many times did Obama go? Where is Obama not during the floods?

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Bush was personally responsible for 1000's of U.S casualties that we now know were for nothing. I don't care how many visits he made it won't bring those soldiers back. Bush is hiding in the shame he deserves.

American said:

Bush visited the troops many times, how many times did Obama go? Where is Obama not during the floods?

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Obama made 4 trips to Afghanistan and 1 trip to Iraq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_presidential_trips_made_by_Barack_Obama

Bush made 2 trips to Afghanistan and 4 to Iraq.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_presidential_trips_made_by_George_W._Bush

Naturally you like to warp facts to support the "Obama hates the troops" meme, but you still didn't even attempt to address my question. Does a Commander in Chief need to be physically present at all events during his tenure or is it just fun to cherry pick things to fit your narrative?

American said:

BIAS ALERT: Media that ripped Bush on Katrina ignores Obama on La. flooding | Fox News


So what's the reason for the different treatment?

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According to this article, the governor of La. has stated that:


The lack of Federal support was what Bush (or really, Bush's appointments) was charged with, that he waited to long in order to get FEMA and related organizations to help support the area. I have no idea when Obama will come in to visit, but all things being equal, I think he should follow the governors advice, as the local elected leader. That being said, there is Federal money helping out the citizens of La. right now. That was not the case with Katrina, so this is a false comparison.

SHOOTER said:

it is called respect,just a fly over would at least show that.with this president you can bet would be there if this was CHICAGO and not BATION RUOGE.the people of LOUISIANA are AMERICANS too,half of our state went under water.
the most racist white house in the history, of our great republic,i feel like i should add the word evil also.

run don run

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LOL! What's racist and evil about this White House?

Money where your mouth is, sport.

Harshaw said:

Would have been better with a current (today) photo of Obama on the golf course instead of an old one.

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He probably would, if he could find one. The press hasn't released the pics yet of Obama having a swell time golfing on the Vineyard while people are dying in Louisiana.

FieldTheorist said:

According to this article, the governor of La. has stated that:

"But Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, brushed aside criticism of Obama being on vacation during the floods. 'I don't feel forgotten by the federal government,' Edwards told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Thursday night, adding that he would prefer Obama wait at least a week to visit. 'We have what we need from the federal government.'​

The lack of Federal support was what Bush (or really, Bush's appointments) was charged with, that he waited to long in order to get FEMA and related organizations to help support the area. I have no idea when Obama will come in to visit, but all things being equal, I think he should follow the governors advice, as the local elected leader. That being said, there is Federal money helping out the citizens of La. right now. That was not the case with Katrina, so this is a false comparison.

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The same thing happened with Katrina. Blanco, the incompetent governor who burst into tears during a press conference, did not request federal help for several days. Until she did, there was nothing the Feds could do.

American said:

So what's the reason for the different treatment?

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With Katrina, the federal response was an unmitigated disaster.

With this flood, the federal response is doing pretty much what it's supposed to do.

This is also not the first time we've heard this nonsense. E.g. conservatives screeched about Katrina when Sandy hit, and it didn't work -- because the responses were night and day. Instead, they lost their minds because Christie actually worked with Obama, which most conservatives vindictively mischaracterized as a "hug."

So, as I wrote elsewhere:

FEMA has been on the ground, doing its job, from very early on. They've got at least 1000 people on the ground, medical resources are deployed, they have participated in the rescue of 30,000 people, and signed up 70,000 people for federal assistance. Almost all the displaced people have moved from shelters to temporary housing situations. They've already provided over 600,000 gallons of water and 800,000 meals to the state. The federal response is significant.

Louisiana's governor is pleased with the federal response. He also doesn't want Obama to show up for another week or two, since the logistics of getting the President around would complicate relief efforts -- e.g. diverting police to cover a President's driving route would be, to put it mildly, counter-productive.

Bush's incompetence was not that it took him a few days to show up and eat some beignets. It was a failure to prepare in advance; a failure to recognize the magnitude of the storm for several days; the failure to take it seriously; the failure to properly work with state and local governments; it was a continued failed response throughout the entire episode, resulting in a disaster of epic proportions.

Let's get real. FEMA, under Obama, has performed admirably throughout his term.

Let's also be accurate about the criticisms. No one on the ground is saying that the federal response is absent, that it's compounding the disaster. They primarily want media attention, which is lacking. NOLA wants the President there to raise the public profile of the flooding; the Advocate wants him there to express solidarity with the victims.

I do think these are valid criticisms -- but they are also minor ones. It is part of a President's job to bring attention to a major disaster, and for something of this scale comfort the victims. Comparing this to the inept response of the Bush administration to Katrina, though, is mere partisan nonsense.

Harshaw said:

The same thing happened with Katrina. Blanco, the incompetent governor who burst into tears during a press conference, did not request federal help for several days. Until she did, there was nothing the Feds could do.

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Incorrect. She requested assistance the day before landfall.

Local and state government did screw up, especially with the preparation and delayed evacuation. However, they were not the ones who screwed up the federal response.

Visbek said:

Incorrect. She requested assistance the day before landfall.

Local and state government did screw up, especially with the preparation and delayed evacuation. However, they were not the ones who screwed up the federal response.

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Who's to Blame for Delayed Response to Katrina? - ABC News

There's no question the federal government plays a major role in disaster relief. But federal officials say in order to get involved, they must first be asked to do so by state officials.

As one FEMA official told ABC News, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco failed to submit a request for help in a timely manner.

Shortly before Katrina hit, she sent President Bush a request asking for shelter and provisions, but didn't specifically ask for help with evacuations. One aide to the governor told ABC News today Blanco thought city officials were taking care of the evacuation.

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American said:

So what's the reason for the different treatment?

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Would you read and respond to it if a legitimate reason was given by someone who was actually there both ****ing times?

roughdraft274 said:

Speaking as someone that has lived through Katrina and the current flooding, the differences are extreme.

Fema royally ****ed up at every possible turn during Katrina. There was a massive failure at every stage by nearly every politician (local and federal) during Katrina. The people that Bush appointed to lead FEMA during Katrina were woefully underqualified and did a terrible job. Granted, he was working with morons on the local level. But never the less, the response was terrible. A photo op doesn't change that.

With this flooding, FEMA and LA have been on their game. Supplies are steadily flowing in to those who need them, shelters have been setup to more than adequately take care of those who are stranded, information on where the floodwater is at, the stages, etc has been superb etc. I'm not sure how much credit goes to the federal government and how much to the state government and how much to just the good people of baton rouge and the surrounding areas, but there have been so few misteps with this disaster that I think it should be studied by FEMA and other states as how to get **** done in the even of a flood.

I'd much rather a president send competent people who do a good job than one who will come and visit and tell me how much he cares while the ignorant **** bags that he has taking care of everything ****s up at every possible turn.

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American said:

The difference means nothing. It's a ****ing disaster, where is he? Answer up.

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Ah. I see. If a legitimate reason was given by someone who was actually there both ****ing times, your response will be to ignore the response and repeat the silly rant. Multiple people have answered your request for an "answer" (See also posts 25, 43, 47, among others), but you just can't address the answers.

Another trolling thread. It's getting boring, man.