It was an interview with Wolf Blitzer in the very loud and splashy Situation Room. Howard though was calm and in total control of the interview.
He tied John Roberts record to the lack of caring about 80% of our population. When asked if the Democrats should approve of him, he said “no.” Very clearly.
The other day Howard Dean tied the rescue in New Orleans to skin color, age, and economics. Laura Bush said that was disgusting.
Wolf asked Howard if he thought President Bush cared about people, and Howard Dean said no. He said it did not matter what one said, it mattered what one did.
He did not back down, and he stood for most of America today. Actually in my mind sometimes, I still think he is my president.
http://www.cnn.com/video /
Scroll down to Politics section.
Also benburch at White Rose has the Jay Marvin interview with Howard Dean archived here….interview is an hour and 30 minutes in.
http://www.whiterosesociety.org/Marvin.html
Scroll down to the Sept. 9 interview.
It’s about time we started to stand up for ourselves!
I’ve written it up here for anyone who is interested:
http://shadowbfa.blogspot.com/
WOOT! Thanks for the link.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4839291&ft=1&f=11
News & Notes with Ed Gordon, September 9, 2005 · Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, talks about the controversial comments he made earlier this week about race and Hurricane Katrina aid efforts. The former governor of Vermont told members of the National Baptist Convention on Wednesday that “skin color, age and economics played a deadly role in who survived and who did not.”
Haven’t listened yet, but he has been all over the place today.
Good comments. It’s especially good to hear Dean talk about race in light of how much he was criticized about racial issues during the primaries — criticisms that were, IMHO, nothing more than political opportunism.
I don’t think that anyone can look at the coverage of looting in NO and not conclude that racism is alive and well in this country. It’s a bit more subtle than in the past, but it’s still there.
I agree with your assessment…floridagal, on most of the interview. However, Dean faltered when Blitzer tried to call into question the actions of local and state officials. I honestly didn’t feel he was trying to shift blame, but instead to at least bring the issue on the table.
Dean fairly choked with his words as Blitzer remained persistent.
I for one am sick of democratic leaders getting a free pass, particularly on this issue.
On the local level, here in Baton Rouge, I am going to work to insure that local and state officials answer for their decisions made: they are also accountable to the people.
I agree. Country before party. Blanco should not be protected from attack. I’m not saying Dean should go after her, but when confronted by a question like that, say something like:
“BOTH PARTIES have made mistakes. The difference is that we are willing to face them. We are willing to have open and independent investigations to fix blame and find corrective measures, even those of us who made mistakes. Democrats are willing to accept responsibility, Republicans aren’t.
Howard Dean differentiated very clearly about that, in spite of Wolf’s butting in.
Wolf was spouting right wing talking points. He was blaming the state and local officials while saying let’s not blame FEMA or Bush. It’s called “don’t play the blame game, but I’ll blame you.”
I think Dean was biting his tongue on part of the interview, and let’s face it….a part no one else in the party even deigns to address.
His point was clear, though. I agree with him. He said that the blame of preparedness before the storm lay with everyone all down the line. But he said that after the storm there was only one agency to blame.
Of course when I said total I was engaging in a bit of exaggeration, total is never really total. But he said things not another person in our party is addressing yet, and he said them well.
Here is the transcript, and here is the most important part about the blame game…you know where Wolf would not let him finish a thought.
DEAN: You’re holding the mayor —
BLITZER: On Friday they knew this could potentially hit New Orleans, and that it could be a Category 4 or 5.
DEAN: You’re holding the mayor to a different standard. This is a Republican spin machine stuff. You’re holding the mayor to a different standard than you are holding FEMA.
BLITZER: No. I think there’s plenty of responsibility to go around. There were screw ups and people’s lives were caused as a result of it. I’m just pointing out that not only a Republican administration, but Democratically elected, Democratic politicians also screwed up.
DEAN: Everybody screwed up in terms of getting the pre- positioning stuff, nobody did that. Not the federal government, not the state government, not the local government. The job of FEMA is to come in after the fact, immediately.
When you have the head of FEMA talking on national television saying they had no idea people were in the convention center, after it had been broadcast on your station 24 hours earlier, that is a problem. When you have people in the emergency management business saying that people are getting two hot meals a day in the Superdome, that is a big problem, because those were lies.
BLITZER: But that was after the floods occurred.
DEAN: After the floods —
BLITZER: But in the days leading up to the hurricane, with hindsight, and all of us are obviously a lot smarter with hindsight, and you speaks a former governor, you know there are things a governor and mayor can do to get — to take charge.
DEAN: What I’m saying is everybody could have done a better job ahead of time, including the last three or four presidents, who didn’t put money into the levees. After the fact, however, it was very clear what everybody’s job was, and there was one group of people who didn’t do their job.
He is once again the first to say what everyone should have been saying out loud. He did it over Wolf’s blatant attempt to twist his words, and Wolf’s use of the RNC talking points was just so obvious.
This was from the CNN Transcript.
CNN transcript
I forgot to include this in my last post. I think it was the show about the same time as the interview. Since Dean referred to the spin Wolf was using, they must have had a copy of them.
I do agree with you there is enough all down the line to blame. I hope also that our Democrats have enough courage to push for an investigation, and that the media will be forthright about this.
I don’t think Florida was well-prepared last year either, I think Jeb just got a lot of photo-ops with big brother. I think there will be no investigation here though, though one is warranted.
There is a difference in coverage by local news from national news during storms, and there was so much outrage. Only one example is a truckload of ice and supplies in Hardee County just sitting and going to waste because “appropriate” volunteers were not available. People were crying and angry and cars were turned away by police.
Dean—“one group of people did not do their jobs”…
In my view, it was more than one group. But I guess you have to live down here and be acutely aware of how local and state politicians are trying to spin this. Blanco’s leadership in all of the has been less than exemplary.
On last night’s NBC special on Katrina, a former FEMA official blamed FEMA, than went on to say that Blanco should have called in the national guard immediately, and couldn’t understand why she didn’t.
There needs to be investigations all the way around. I don’t see anyone credibly letting the federal government off the hook, but I see many who simply won’t look at the state and local officials’ culpability in this because of they are democrats.
I think this is bullshit. But maybe you have to live here to feel this way. They represent us…not you. I can tell you that many locals I have spoken to here want answers also.
BTW, I don’t attach blame, as I went through 3 hurricanes last year. 3 eyes close by and much devastation…not like New Orleans, but 3 of them in 6 weeks. I understand your anger and pain.
Dean differentiated between before and after. That is pretty fair. I think we are saying the same thing here. That before the storm state and local and federal officials all share blame for what is not done. That is what he said.
But after is a different matter. State resources may be wiped out, and the federal government must not fail. We must attach blame there to FEMA.
Here is a timeline. Blanco did request aid and national guard on the 26th of August.
Think Progress Timeline
“Friday, August 26
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA [Office of the Governor]
GULF COAST STATES REQUEST TROOP ASSISTANCE FROM PENTAGON: At a 9/1 press conference, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force Katrina, said that the Gulf States began the process of requesting additional forces on Friday, 8/26. [DOD]
Here is an audio from NPR yesterday about planning that went on. Part 1 is there also. There is rumor now that Bush wanted any effort answerable only to him, and Blanco refused. As I say, I understand your pain, just trying to point out that Dean said there WAS blame in pre-planning for everyone. I am agreeing.
NPR Audio
“Just days before Hurricane Katrina hit, officials from state, local and federal agencies were hearing that this could very likely be the big one — the one they knew could devastate the city.
They spent the weekend in almost non-stop conference calls — making sure all the plans for food, water and security were in place. But even before the storm hit, some of the plans started to fall apart.
National Guard troops in other states sat ready, waiting for orders that never came. Instead, they were told to wait for an official plan and a chain of command to be established. NPR’s Daniel Zwerdling and Laura Sullivan report.”
There is much yet to learn about this. I’m willing to listen to all sides. It is difficult though not to fault our local and state leaders, because of this:
a failure of local and state officials to provide any evacuation means for the poor, including the failure to use city buses, school buses or trains. I heard Nagin state several times that people could, if they tried, find a means out of the city. He has tragically been indifferent to the extreme poverty of many of the citizens in his own city, and this incident is a sad example. Blanco should have over-ruled him and ordered the use of buses to get the people out.
a failure to provide food and water to the evacuees at the dome. As I said, I heard Tony Ebbert, Homeland Security Chief of New Orleans say that evacuees to the dome would not be supplied with food or water. They were told to bring everything. This is ludicrous, as everyone knew New Orleans might flood, and people trapped in the dome for days, possibly weeks. For local and state officials to allow this inhumane treatment is tragic.
The national guard remained under Blanco’s control, from my understanding throughout this ordeal. She refused to relinquish that control to Bush. There were 100 national guard troops in New Orleans at the time of the unfolding tragedy at the dome and convention center. NBC aired the FEMA worker quote that Blanco could have ordered more troops into the city. Why didn’t she?
a failure of Blanco’s, if she indeed was blocked by Bush, although I doubt this, to send out her version of an SOS, as Nagin did, as her people were dying before the eyes of the world.
In case you are interested, Skinner put an interesting update at front page DU about a summary of the two NPR segments.
NPR: Bush to Blanco: He’ll send the troops but only if they answer to the White House
Interesting rather heated discussion going on.
“only if they and the national guard answer to the white house”—the national guard at that time was still under Blanco’s control.
Listen, I’m for breaking down barriers that prevent us from seeing the well-off elitism that has been the attitude of local and state politicians, all over the country, for a long time now, echoing the national trend.
You oughta take a drive around Baton Rouge and see the squallor that passes for housing in many areas, in our state capital.
Have any of your local and state politicians spoken out about the elimination of low income housing after the florida hurricanes? I’m really curious.
Here is one:
Low income housing most likely won’t be built.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/9/8/211510/4901
Here is another about 95% of low income housing destroyed when Charley came ashore as a Cat 1 last year.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/8/30/098/14848
I saw your diaries and appreciated them very much.
What I asked though is wether any state or local officials spoke out against the loss of low income housing due to the storms that hit Florida, or spoke out for low income housing period.
None I bet.
There are plenty of politicians masquerading as saints these days, but few saints masquerading as politicians.
None of them get a free pass from me anymore.
I’m involved with the C3 Coalition in New Orleans, and we recently fought back the city elites from getting their hands on Iberville Housing Development. I can tell you that this battle, to preseve low income housing after this storm, is going to be the truly difficult one.
And this is why Horrible Hillary and Biden the Bastard and Reid the Rotten come out so strongly against Dean. Because he’s a major roadblock on the highway to the goals they share with the Republican party. (Getting rid of rights for the poor, especially poor women and minorities)
Wolf asked Howard if he thought President Bush cared about people, and Howard Dean said no. He said it did not matter what one said, it mattered what one did.
That’s almost enough to make me weep. I have been so starved for someone, anyone, in a prominent position to just come out and say it. I am so tired of bland Washinton-speak. Out in the real world, people lie; they don’t misrepresent themselves. Specific people make mistakes; stating it in the passive voice — mistakes were made — still doesn’t mean that things screwed up on their own despite the intended implication. Being plain-spoken doesn’t necessarily mean telling the truth. And the President isn’t having trouble getting his message out or educating people; he just hasn’t been successful in hiding his essential nature, which is that he is a self-centered, arrogant lackwit.
Thank you, Howard Dean, once again, for having the integrity to show people what’s on the end of the fork.