Need data to refute statement - New Orleans was 50 year liberal experiment

[NewJeffCT]

I'm trying to come up with an LTTE to respond to this statement (part of a long RW rant)

"New Orleans should be a model of Democrat utopia. It's been run by Dems for well over 50 years. Take a good long look at the realities of liberalism means. New Orleans is the picture of the results of what the Democrats would have us all live like - utter chaos."

[NewJeffCT]

1. kick

falling off the page...

[Armstead]

2. Don;t know much about New Orleans but..

From what I do know, it is a model of corruption, not the result of liberal policies.

And, on the contrary to the freepers spin, it is also an example of what happens when "benign neglect" of racism and festering poverty is ignored in favor of free market Social Darwinism.

[FVZA_Colonel]

6. I'd say it is more the focus on free market social darwinism

that led to these problems, as if they had been more focused on social welfare there would have been a much lesser amount of people stuck in the city. To say that it is all the liberals fault shows that these people have no idea of what liberal policies are.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Yeah, Right After 200 Years As A Center Of Slavery

What an idiot.
The Professor

[NewJeffCT]

5. pretty good response

but, that leaves out 1865 to 1950 or so...

[snooper2]

4. Both parties have shit ass politicians...

New Orleans sucked ass before the storm, and still sucks ass. Rush initially started that spew about "New Orleans has been Democratic for 50 years (which is basically true)". The false premise is that the policies enacted by those "Democratic party members" were "democratic" or "liberal".

It is an example of what happens when a bunch of fuckwads run the local government. I.E., if they really gave a shit about liberal policies, the schools wouldn't be in such shitty condition with horrible scores. They would have done more for poverty. Many examples....

The point being, it is not an example of what liberal/democratic policies would bring to a community/city whatsoever.

[Ignacio Upton]

11. It's Dixie

Many of them "Dems" down there are DINOs (like Bush-endorsing/Jindal-endorsing Nagin) or have become Republicans. The few good Dems left need help in cleaning up their city and state.

[0rganism]

7. Wasn't Democrats who took the ACoE levy maintenance out of the budget

It wasn't Dems who fucked up FEMA by putting a lying used horse salesman in charge of federal disaster relief operations.

After 4 years of complete republican party dominance, they've created the federal government that's every bit as lousy as they said it was.

[Mr_Spock]

8. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard

That's my rebuttal!!

[NewJeffCT]

9. that's not very logical, Spock

I would prefer to beat them by being rational and fact-based, though I know the Republicans don't go for that reality-based stuff.

[LoZoccolo]

10. The statement doesn't need refutation.

It's too general to be disproven because they haven't proven anything to begin with. They don't say anything specific about how the liberal policies led to the disaster. They just make a vague and tenuous connection with the mayor.

[AlabamaYankee]

12. Democratic does NOT mean Liberal

Particularly in the South. My limited understanding of New Orleans politics is that it is basically a crony system (sound familiar?) and, if typical of the deep South, is controlled by a small group of kingmakers.

I would challenge anybody who thinks of it as liberal to come up with both a definition of "Liberal", and some documented evidence to support the case.

[DS1]

13. I'm not even going to dignify that trash with an attempt to refute

[NewJeffCT]

14. the problem with that attitude

is that the RW keeps repeating it and repeating it until it sinks in - no matter how many times it is debunked, the idea that Clinton was offered Osama's head on a platter 3 times by the Sudan, but turned it down - is that the RW has been repeating it so often that many don't know or don't hear the truth.

[DS1]

15. I think the only believe junk like this are already turned

[NewJeffCT]

16. I think you'd be surprised

I've found plenty of reasonably open minded folks out there who dislike Bush, but believe a lot of bad shit about Clinton - raped Juanita Broderick, f-ed up with Osama and the Sudan, etc, etc. I mean, Drudge had Clinton having so many affairs, many figured "where there is smoke, there is fire." Granted, many didn't care about that, but it led to the belief that Clinton was amoral.

[Bridget Burke]

17. Googling "New Orleans" & "Liberal Utopia"

Freerepublic & Limbaugh came up; I don't click there. Here's a representative gem:

www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5...

The identical phrases popped up on numerous brain-dead sites. My first thought would be to ignore the ranter because of the crap he parrots & the company he keeps.

What "utter chaos" did we see in NOLA? The tales of widespread murder & rape where mostly lies. The Republican-run Federal Government was unresponsive while people begged for water, food & medicine.

Looking at the big picture, Louisiana's many strong points have rarely been their politicians. And few of them would qualify as "Liberal"--whichever party claimed them.

[NewJeffCT]

18. thanks

what a shock, the RW using the same talking points. Who would have thunk it?