Republicans Determined To Politicize Hurricane Gustav

[berni_mccoy]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/30/rnc.gustav/index.html

ASHINGTON (CNN) -- Officials with the McCain campaign and the Republican National convention are considering changing the event's agenda as Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast.

The Republican National Convention is set to kick off Monday in Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota.

Sen. John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, plans to meet with officials in charge of the party's convention planning in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sunday to review the latest news on Hurricane Gustav and what their options might be and then consult with the presumptive presidential nominee to determine what changes may need to be made.

"I wouldn't call it a nightmare, but it is a very perplexing challenge," said a GOP official planning the event.

A senior McCain source said Saturday that officials are considering turning the convention into a service event, a massive telethon to raise money for the Red Cross and other agencies to help with the hurricane.

"He wants to do something service-oriented if and when the storm hits and it's as bad as its expected to be now," the McCain source said.

They are also hoping to get McCain himself to a storm-affected area as soon as possible.

McCain had suggested to a Fox News interviewer that the convention could be suspended if it seemed that a festive gathering was inappropriate in light of the destruction the storm may bring.

How would 'getting McCain himself to a storm-affected area' help anyone but McCain?

This is sick and disgusting. And people need to be made aware that this is for politics not the people of New Orleans.

[ps1074]

1. Obama can preempt their effort

by asking his donors to donate to a hurricane relief charity. His email database shuold be huge. He also can record an ad asking for donations and run it in all 50 states.

[Tanuki]

3. Maybe some of the rock stars who support Obama

could have a real telethon at the same time. Most people would rather watch that than the RNC.

[GreenTea]

9. How much press will that get compared to McCain, Bush, etc. at the hurricane site helping people

bringing in government supplies, with all the bells & whistles, emergency vehicles, helicopters, boats, this is what television (viewers) want to see...Passing up the convention to help people Rove & the republicans will play this big time....Of course it's all staged bullshit but the majority of American people are stupid, gullible with short memories most and will eat it up.....Obama will get little press being somewhere else...

Just watch!

[liberalmuse]

2. I would not trust the RNC with a dime of my money.

I say all of the 'pubs who profited from the Iraq war, and Katrina should give their own goddamned money. They would just give it to some contractor who would stuff newspaper in the levee walls (??&%^&#*((%!).

I'll be giving my money to organizations who aren't corrupt and who have a proven record of using money to help people. The RNC is morally bankrupt when it comes to this.

On edit: I did not mean to put in the winky guy.

[global1]

4. McCain In A Storm-Affected Area Can Be The One Who Calls The RNC.....

wouldn't it look so noble and Maverick of him if he said - after being down here and seeing firsthand what these people are up against - I just can't justify holding a convention and celebrating me when they are facing this calamity. So I'm asking that my nomination be handled in the quickest manner possible and that RNC convention be canceled and we Repugs do everything possible to help these poor people that will be ravaged by this storm.

The MSM would just gush over this decision and he'd get both the maverick and pity vote.

Problem is if they turn the RNC into a fund raiser - it will compete with the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon.

[RagAss]

14. Yeh....Just Call 1800-KKK-ROVE

[MagickMuffin]

5. Where was their concern during Hurricane Katrina?.?.? oh that's right it wasn't an election year

John and Georgie were busy celebrating Johnny's birthday.

People drowning..... No concern. People having guns turned on them.... No concern. People without food and water.... No concern.

You know poor people don't rate very highly in the ReThugicon Party.

Where were they after Hurricane Katrina?.?.? They were busying blocking legislation to help the victims who were devastated by the after math.

I think this will backfire on them. Because most people will see this as electioneering and nothing more. I hope Obama points this out.

[berni_mccoy]

6. Exactly!

[redqueen]

7. Don't even compare this to Katrina. That wasn't an election year.

I don't know how these people manage not to make themselves sick all the time.

[RagAss]

13. You need a soul to question yourself.....

[tinrobot]

8. Raise money for the Red Cross or the RNC?

Seriously, they're just looking to pad their phone lists so they can solicit more money next week.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

10. I think they should probably do an ad together, like bush and clinton did.

Politics should be left out this.

[Imagevision]

11. After cutting birthday cake with Bush, now's the chance to show his true leadership?

[RagAss]

12. Put photos of Anne Coulter on the levees.....

That ought to scare the shit out of a Cat 5 !!!!!

[kikiek]

15. Big problem with Katrina was the year. Wasn't an election year for President. They had already

stolen it. Pigs.

[pdxmom]

16. We need to remind folks about the reaction of the Right to Katrina

in the aftermath. I seem to remember many on the right blaming the victims of the hurricane for basically being too stupid to leave.

[LaPera]

17. Right, that should do it....

That will really offset what the republicans have planned....The press coverage the republicans have planned will be enormous, huge - every conceivable government offer will be there and they will admit to screw ups with Katrina, but now with the McCain administration we would never let that happen, see all the help we are giving...the media and television will eat it up....You don't really believe this is the answer do you, trying to remind people?

[creeksneakers2]

18. Obama has to get out front hard and frame New Orleans quickly

McCain is planning to go the hurricane zone to grandstand from hurricane country as much as he can. He's already being briefed by governors and leading officials. McCain's record and his phony concern are an unbelievable opportunity for Obama to make devastating attacks and take away a week of glamorous photo ops for McCain. Obama has nothing to lose, since the media has already announced they won't have time for Obama next week.

McCain's record on Katrina is terrible. McCain did a birthday photo op with Bush while the hurricane made landfall. He went on Face the Nation the day before to promote the war in Iraq. The night the hurricane struck, McCain went on Conan O'Brien. McCain didn't visit the hurricane zone until March of 2006. Yet, this spring, McCain did a campaign event in New Orleans where he faulted Bush for not being present in New Orleans during the disaster.

http://mccainsource.com/homefront?id=0006

When appropriations bills for Katrina came up, McCain said we had to also be concerned for the deficit. McCain voted against extending unemployment benefits to hurricane survivors and granting them access to Medicaid. McCain also voted against an emergency $28 billion funding request for Katrina.

http://wwjv4.com/republicans/mccain-vs-mccain-katrina-2...

A Senate Committee was formed to investigate Katrina. The Bush administration refused to fully cooperate with the committee. A bill was offered that would have set up an independent commission to investigate. McCain voted against the bill. McCain later lied when he said he'd voted for every investigation of Katrina. McCain tried to lie his way out of that lie by saying the bill for the commission was loaded with pork. The bill had nothing in it other than funds to create the commission.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ng9q4L3_vU

http://www.newsweek.com/id/140233/page/1


McCain previously sought the support of Pastor Hagee, who said New Orleans was itself to blame for Katrina because they had sinned against God.

More recently, McCain refused a request by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and others to vote for a $5.8 billion reconstruction bill for Katrina. The bill included money for the Army Corp of Engineers to shore up flood protection. Now McCain has the nerve to go to the hurricane zone to make himself the hero of hurricane protection.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/06/mccain-...

This situation could either be an opportunity for Obama to devastate McCain or a game changing move by McCain. It all comes down to the to the way the issue is FRAMED and how hard Obama jumps on it out front. An early attack would give McCain the ugly choice between going ahead to the hurricane zone and having all the negatives brought up making him look like a phony or backing down and looking whooped and going through a week of little coverage at the convention with Obama on his case all week through the hurricanes.