NY Daily News: FEMA packed with W's pals

[brooklynite]

DAILY NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Campaign pros get top jobs

By KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - The three top jobs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Bush went to political cronies with no apparent experience coping with catastrophes, the Daily News has learned.

Even if Bush were to fire embattled and suddenly invisible FEMA Director Michael Brown over his handling of Hurricane Katrina, the bureaucrat immediately below him is no disaster professional, either.

While Brown ran horse shows in his last private-sector job, FEMA's No. 2 man, deputy director and chief of staff Patrick Rhode, was an advance man for the Bush-Cheney campaign and White House. He also did short stints at the Commerce Department and Small Business Administration. Rhode's biography posted on FEMA's Web site doesn't indicate he has any real experience in emergency response.

In addition, the agency's former third-ranking official, deputy chief of staff Scott Morris, was a PR expert who worked for Maverick Media, the Texas outfit that produced TV and radio spots for the Bush-Cheney campaign. In June, Morris moved to Florida to become FEMA's long-term recovery director.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/story/344004p-293718c.html

[riverwalker]

1. and not just FEMA

http://www.fecwatch.org/bush/ambassadors/hunter.asp

How does a North Carolina magazine publisher become ambassador to Finland? Ask Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, President Bush's pick for the post. (NOTE: AND NOW HEADS THE AMERICAN RED CROSS)

McElveen-Hunter is the founder and chief executive officer of Pace Communications, one of the largest female-owned companies in the country. But it wasn't her publishing experience that got her the job in Helsinki. It was her financial support of the Bush campaign.

McElveen-Hunter was reported to be one of just 15 people who raised more than $1 million for Bush's presidential run. She headed Bush's effort to raise money from women, a campaign called "W is for Women."

She personally gave $102,750 to Republican candidates and party committees during the campaign, including $100,000 in soft money to the Republican National Committee. She also contributed $5,000 to the Bush-Cheney recount effort.

Prior to helping Bush, McElveen-Hunter was the chief fund-raiser for Elizabeth Dole's presidential campaign.

*Figures represent contributions from the individual and his/her immediate family in 1999-2000. Total includes donations made to Republican candidates and party committees, as well as the Bush-Cheney recount fund, transition foundation, and inauguration committee.

from the Center for Responsive Politics.

[ramapo]

2. Ambassadorships are typical payoff positions

These generally work out ok as long as it's not the Ambassador to Russia or something important. The staff does all the work, the Ambassador entertains.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Exception: When Raygun appointed former actor, John Gavin, to be

ambassador to Mexico, he knew how to speak, understand, and write Spanish fluently and he had some knowledge about the foreign country to which he was assigned.

On the other hand, the ambassador of the Iranian Embassy and most ot its employees did not speak or understand Farsi when the compound was taken over by revolutionaries in October, 1979.

Giving away ambassadorships is a bad move diplomatically. I'm not saying other countries don't, but some counties understand the concept of representating our interests in a foreign land: the whole purpose is to keep open communication rather than to resort to hostilities and war.

[EFerrari]

3. And there is the Red Cross - GOP link.

Thanks. This morning, an idiot from the Heritage Foundation said on "Washington Journal", "My organization is no more partisan than the Red Cross . . ."

[blue sky at night]

7. could you elaborate on the GOP Red Cross Link.......

I am curious, as I support the Red Cross, give blood and I don't like the sound of this.

[Roland99]

13. The Chairman (Chairwoman?) of the Red Cross is a HUGE GOP donor

Something like $150,000 in the last few years.

[MADem]

36. Marty Evans???? Really????

I'm shocked. She does not seem like a GOP Bushbot, at all. Do you have a source for that???

[riverwalker]

41. McElveen-Hunter is Chairman

Marty Evans is CEO.

Interesting transcript from Larry King:
http://talkleft.com/new_archives/012104.html

"Joining us now in Washington is Marty Evans, the President and CEO of the American Red Cross. She traveled with the president today. The Red Cross is not in New Orleans, why?

MARTY EVANS, RED CROSS PRESIDENT AND CEO: Well, Larry, when the storm
came our goal was prior to landfall to support the evacuation. It was
unsafe to be in the city. We were asked by the city not to be there and the Superdome was made a shelter of last resorts and, quite frankly in retrospect, it was a good idea because otherwise those people would have had no shelter at all.

We have our shelters north of the city. We're prepared as soon as they can be evacuated, we're prepared to receive them in Texas, in other states, but it was not safe to be in the city and it's not been safe to go back into the city. They were also concerned that if we located, relocated back into the city people wouldn't leave and they've got to leave."

[Roland99]

50. Here are her donations

http://www.newsmeat.com/washington_political_donations/Bonnie_McElveen-Hunter.php

hmm...link not working...ok, try this:

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=McElveen-Hunter&txtState=%28all+states%29&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&Order=N


That doesn't show the big soft money donation of over $100,000, though.

[MADem]

54. OK, I would have been shocked

I failed to note the distinction between chair and President/CEO. My bust!

Marty got her best promotions and assignments under Clinton and Boorda, and neither were GOP, obviously. Well, not so obviously with Boorda, but in my personal opinion I do feel he was a Dem...most of his pals on the Hill were on our side of the aisle.

Also, when she ran the Girl Scouts, she took a major beating from the fundies, who called her a radical feminist who made the GS too PC....

[chomskysright]

37. Carpetbagger Senator E. Dole (NC-R) was Red Cross CEO:

x several years. Her salary was $500,000 w/ benefits. Current Red Cross CEO salary: $651,000.

Is THAT who you want to have money?

[leQ]

44. wasn't elizabeth dole head of ARC for a while? (eom)

[riverwalker]

43. this is creepy

right after Katrina, this page was available, now I can't open it. Regarding Hunter's more recent political contributions. Is it being scrubbed as we speak? Creepy.

www.newsmeat.com/washington_political_ donations/Bonnie_McElveen-Hunter.php

[SOS]

4. This is an administration

of, by and for Bush cronies. The people are an irrelevant afterthought.

[54anickel]

15. And the media and legislature were "complacent" the entire time all

of this was going on. They said nothing, did nothing, ignored all reports and dire predictions of the few who did speak out. Those that spoke up were labeled worry-warts, conspiracy nuts, and out of touch with reality. None of this is "new" to folks who were paying attention, but we sure had to dig deep to find any information.

This entire administration has been based on nothing more than greed, cronyism and the rush to privatize as much of the government as possible. They were out to make hay for as long as they could.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

32. Busheviks

[DeepModem Mom]

5. My God, this is infuriating.

:grr:

[NashVegas]

8. The #3 Guy

Is probably the most qualified of them all. At least media people understand deadlines.

[young_at_heart]

9. Someone should check ALL Bush's appointees

I wonder just how many are qualified for their jobs. Since he isn't qualified it makes sense that he'd choose others like himself.

[Stinky The Clown]

27. I proposed that as a common task for DU ......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2069490&mesg_id=2069490

[chomskysright]

38. GREAT Idea. we could send it to www.jabbs: journalists against Bush's BS

[Clyde39]

46. The results should be interesting

Maybe it would send a message to the die-hards.

[UpInArms]

10. this freak of nature administration is disgusting in its obvious

disregard for the welfare of this country.

[BlueJac]

11. Bush always.....

promotes the fools that have help his rise to power, at the cost to the American public! Way to go GW you fucking incompetent fool!

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. So we can all agree that it takes more than an MBA and a country club

connection to run a government agency?

[Pirate Smile]

18. Run a government? They hate government and governing. They

just want to get richer with government contracts. That is the goal of everything.

Governing? That is for policy wonks who actually care about how policies effect people. They mock policy wonks - like Al Gore and John Kerry.

[Dulcinea]

56. We have a winner! *ding*ding*

Rip off the taxpayers!

[RaRa]

14. You know, when I worked in DC during the Clinton/Gore years

I worked within political hirings for one of the Departments. Certainly, people usually (really, not always) had to show some support with the campaign or party. But they always had to be experienced in the relative field (unless they were fresh out of college entry level, and even then alot still had appropriate experience).

I had friends in that department who were also career and had worked under Bush senior. They recalled the cronyism back then too; how those people had no experience. Like father, like son. Like repuke, like repuke.

[brooklynite]

23. There is an old distinction in patronage

Let's be honest: patronage will never disappear from the civic arena. But, there has been for over a century been an important distinction (which I learned in my Urban Studies classes at college), between clean graft and dirty graft. Clean graft assumes that, all other things being equal (need for the job to be done, comparable qualifications among candidates, etc), you should hire your uncle/daughter-in-law/old friend, in part because you want to take care of them, and in part because you know them, and know they'll do the job responsibly and adequately. Dirty graft means you hire your friends/relatives/cronies without regard to their qualifications for the job or you put them on the payroll in jobs you don't actually need to fill. I'd say the category the Administration falls into is obvious...
- - -
For an informative reference, take a look at Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, published in 1905 by one of the most seasoned practioners of the art.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2810

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. Bush filled these agencies with freepers

who do not care for other human beings. They only care about money and power.

[cthrumatrix]

20. if they had qualifications --it's part of the spoils ...HOWEVER this

is not the case and absolutely criminal to put people in charge that have no experience

[Penndems]

17. No surprise here - his old man did the same thing

Under Bush 41, FEMA was a dumping ground for political appointees. You might remember that it took that agency OVER A WEEK to get FEMA reps to Miami-Dade after Hurricane Andrew struck.

Republican example: Elizabeth Tamposi. She was Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs under Daddy. Tamposi was the Bush official who, during the '92 campaign, ordered the removal of Bill Clinton's, Virginia Kelly's and Ross Perot's passport files from the National Records Center in Suitland, Maryland. Guess what her prior experience in consular issues was? Running a lumber mill in New Hampshire! (and that woman was dumber than a sack of rocks, BTW.)

Democratic example: Before he became Deputy Secretary of State, Strobe Talbot was Ambassador-at-Large for Russia and the New Indepedent States. He's written numerous books on Russia and was Moscow correspondent for Time Magazine.


See the difference here? :)

[savemefromdumbya]

21. Dumber and Dumbya - exactly

Republican example: Elizabeth Tamposi. She was Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs under Daddy. My cat could have done better!

[Penndems]

22. Your cat probably has a better personality, too

She was the poster child for the term "Rich Bitch".

[MannyGoldstein]

19. Experience Unneeded - God Will Prevent Problems

I suspect that Shrub assumed that FEMA would become superfluous upon his ascension to the Presidency, as The Lord would prevent all disasters. And smite the Iraqis. And so forth.

Thus, competence is not necessary - only a proper belief in whatever bizarre divinity that Shrub believes his powers come from.

[chomskysright]

39. under Bush II FEMA was moved out of cabinet position...

[savemefromdumbya]

24. GOP FEMA Chief waited until AFTER storm hit

Doesn't this make your blood boil!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050906/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/katrina_disaster_response

WASHINGTON - The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region — and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.

Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims

[Up2Late]

25. Disgusting. This begs the question, what is FEMA now?

I would have to say they have turned it into a pseudo-FEMA, who's main mission now is FRAUD!

Take the Billions of Dollars allocated to the agency, but offer only "smoke and mirrors" in return. Then hope nothing "bad" happens, and if it does, use you PR skills to point the blame at someone else.

[savemefromdumbya]

28. FEMA - What do we do in a large scale terrorist attack?

My cat could have done better than the whole of FEMA.

It just shows this BUSH administration is full of smoke and mirrors.

[superconnected]

29. Just further proof of his incompetence.

He's failed at everything.

Why would he select competent people for these positions? The Repugs prefer to elect/select people of their own level.

[jokerman93]

26. Unqualified?

Starting with Commander KuckooBananas, we need to start at the top and work down, eh?

What were Condi's qualifications again?

Anyway, I've been thinking about this. Since the aim of the corporate fascist agenda is to privatize all functions of the government, seems they don't see any need for appointing qualified people. The plan is to literally empty the public coffers into privately held corporations that will take over and render redundant or meaningless, most of the functions of FEMA, Homeland Security, the Pentagon, FDA, EPA etc.

In that case, why not keep up the facade as long as you need to for the cameras by filling these positions with do-nothing pals, toadies and enablers? Everyone's on a boondoggle while the government infrastructure slowly circles the bathtub drain.

The longer this goes on, the more I think the deplorable response to Katrina, if not outright calculated, served the purpose of the Neocons quite nicely. Too bad for them they're losing the "reality war" on this one.

[katinmn]

30. FEMA needs to be investigated now! Seize all their computers!

It's just a place for Bush-Cheney operatives to collect a big fat paycheck while they work on Repug races and spread disinformation throughout the country.

People died because of Bush's cronyism.

Indict. Impeach. Imprison.

[genieroze]

31. Really? Are you surprised?

:eyes:

[Joey Liberal]

33. Bush does not care about America n.t

[JPZenger]

34. The Rescuers Who Didn't Wait for FEMA Approval

There was a good story in today's Allentown PA Morning Call about a group of volunteer firefighters trained in water rescue from the Lehigh Valley, PA. As soon as New Orleans was flooded, they prepared to go help. Most other rescue organizations and cities asked FEMA for the OK to go. They waited and waited for days for the OK, and therefore didn't arrive in time.

However, this group of PA. firefighters sent an email to the New Orleans Mayor's Office. The Mayor's Office responded that they were needed. They left immediately and rescued a couple hundred people. They just returned.

[JoFerret]

35. Pals aka incompetent cronies

.

[FighttheFuture]

40. Proving once again that inbreeding is not just a genetic problem...

I've seen this happen in corporations, too. The "good 'ol boy network" which empowers the Peter Principle. If there is a good, competent leader, you there will be good, competent lieutenants. When money and power become the only measure, this always create rot and destroys competency from the top on down.

That has happened with many corporations, Sears being the latest example going through its death of a thousand cuts, and is now happening to our own country. The result of 25 years of conservative economics, since Reagan, has drained the wealth from our country and is destroying its infrastructure and ability to regenerate and grow toward a just future.

What can stop this? When all our lives become threatened, and people start dying, then the focus on life comes back into view. I suspect Katrina is a true gift if we take it correctly and use it as a tool against these criminals that have infected all levels of our society with their mad lust for power and greed.

[MellowOne]

42. No surprise

BushCo has relatives and friends placed all over the country in just the right places.

[KamaAina]

45. Looks to me like they're his pals from summer school

:dunce: :dunce: :dunce:

[complain jane]

47. Oh, hey, suddenly the media decides to take a look at Bush.

Good morning, media, you're just as incompetent as Bush.

[Protagoras]

48. Of course it's packed...and where were the screams before

I'm over the edge in my anger toward this administration and their grotesque subversion of EVERYTHING I was taught this country stood for.

I'm sick to death of seeing Bush openly...yes OPENLY RULE this country like a 2 cent Despot...

all while the band plays on.

I can't believe how deeply corrupt our whole...yes WHOLE government has become...INCLUDING our own democrats who at least 90% take their payoffs and sit like good dogs while Bush does this. One doesn't need a damn national emergency to know that some Ass from Hell Bushhole is endangering EVERYTHING by putting all his incompetent cronies and toadies in positions of power. NO one needs a Ph.D. in politics to know that Joe Idiot with ZERO experience in relief is an INSANE choice for the job.

But still we duck and cover...only yelping AFTER it bites us in the ass.

I'm Mad as Hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!

If only I knew what the heck I could do to make a real difference (besides contributing, volunteering, posting, emailing, protesting)...

As Bush once said (and always thinks)"Sure would be easier if I were a dictator".

bah...I'm beyond words.

[ClintonTyree]

49. This is so important for the American people to know......

that THIS is the way the bush administration runs our government. They ALSO need to know that bush took FEMA, a battle hardened and efficient agency during the Clinton Presidency, gutted it, privatized it (read; divide it up among his supporters) and crammed it into another giant bureaucratic mess called "Homeland Security".
The Right's pure hatred for "all things Clinton" was the deciding factor for these changes, NOT that FEMA was "some gigantic entitlement program" as they maintain. Their pure hatred for Bill Clinton drove this action because bush wanted to leave his handprint all over the Federal Government so his precious "legacy" would be as wide and deep as possible.
bush considered FEMA and many other government agencies trophies, spoils of a presidential election stolen from the American people. His "good 'ol boy" network was to be repaid handsomely with these spoils. But like everything else bush has touched in his lifetime, he's "spoiled" it with his mere presence.

[Jacobin]

51. Eventually, this crap catches up with them

Unfortunately it costs thousands of lives and hundreds of billions when these whack jobs actually have to do the job they were hired to do.

[liam_laddie]

52. Horses, Saudis and Brown of FEMA

Re: Arabian horse shows...anyone think that "Brownie" hung out with the Saudis at Keeneland and all the auctions around the world? The Saudis are big fans of equine flesh...and the Arabian
brand name in particular. I'll bet there's a link. Bush capos, Saudis, there ya go! FUCK THEM!!!

[PATRICK]

53. So when

will someone laugh or dismiss out of hand those great arguments the God president is entoitled to appoint duplicitous morons to positions of great responsibility and public safety- or the follow up of how 'great" these family guys and brilliant minds are. Most fantasies have a dark side. In Bushland there is NO real goodside in practice.

NO NEW BUSH APPOINTMENTS. Start getting rid of the dangerous failures now. The president and his crony party is incapable by the evidence of doing or choosing others to do what needs to be done for the nation.

Ake what your country can do for you and Bush pal, you'll get it. Then ask what you can do TO your country.

[Erika]

55. My friend says FEMA has many hard working professionals

who know their jobs and how to do it right. However, the top heads of the agency don't have a clue on what to to. They are W's political picks.

My friend works with FEMA with his job on our states first response committee.

[regnaD kciN]

57. Did anyone hear Al Franken interview the reporter from the Boston Herald?

It was hysterical...this was the guy who checked into Brown's background, and found that the experience which so qualified him to run FEMA came from eleven years as the coordinator of judges for the Arabian Horse Association.

That would be funny enough, but the reporter also found out that Brown left that post after he was "asked to resign" by the association's leader, due to excessive lawsuits against the association over the way Brown had mismanaged his job.

And that's the way it is in Bush's America...where, if you f*ck up a job coordinating judges at horse shows, that obviously makes you qualified to handle national emergencies where thousands of human lives are at stake.

:eyes:

[andino]

58. tag

[ladylibertee]

59. Well now, that explains the reason for the delay......

and INCOMPETENCE. We have RETARDS running the show.Now I get it :sarcasm:

[NYC]

61. No, THIS explains the reason for the delay:

The parishes are in alphabetical order. Note that Orleans, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Bernard are NOT in there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4692732

The list of parishes is in post #6.

The source was the White House.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

[pinniped]

60. No one ever told them nuts they might actually have to know...

something. They pulled that same trick on the POS*.

[nodehopper]

62. !!!! Daily NEws??? They are totally sensationalist right-wing...