Newt Blames The Victims of Katrina - called 9th ward "uneducated and unprepared"

[ariesgem]

(Newt Gingrich, speaking at CPAC) blamed the residents of New Orleans' 9th Ward for a "failure of citizenship," by being "so uneducated and so unprepared, they literally couldn't get out of the way of a hurricane."

And he called for a "deep investigation" into this "failure of citizenship."

Here's the full quote:

How can you have the mess we have in New Orleans, and not have had deep investigations of the federal government, the state government, the city government, and the failure of citizenship in the Ninth Ward, where 22,000 people were so uneducated and so unprepared, they literally couldn't get out of the way of a hurricane. (emphasis original)


http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/04/newt-blames-the-victims-of-katrina/

:mad:

[Beelzebud]

1. More compassion from the party of hate.

[cspanlovr]

2. That man makes me sick. He's despicable.

[tanyev]

3. A lot of presumably educated people tried to leave Houston

and vicinity when Rita was rolling in, and an awful lot of them didn't get very far because the traffic jams were so bad. Many of them ran out of gas and were stranded on the highway. If Rita had been as bad as Katrina, it would have been very ugly.

STFU, Newt.

[Disturbed]

4. I strongly suspect that he will announce his run in Sept.

He will be the front runner for the RWing.

[Nite Owl]

11. Good.

Hope he wins the nomination. He would be the easiest of all for any of ours to beat, he has an actual voting record and a slimey past.

[Selatius]

7. Newt's response: They should've taken Amtrak or purchased an airline ticket to leave.

At least, that's what I think he would've said about that.

[pitohui]

42. this is because new orleans has a good evac plan, houston doesn't

short answer: newt's an embarrassment to tulane, to himself, and to all who know him, he's a classic fuckwit

long answer --

80 percent of new orleans evacuated safely by car, 80 percent

this is not possible for houston or for many areas of florida -- there just ain't enough road compared to the population

when people shit on new orleans for not evacuating -- keep in mind -- 80 percent evacuated and NO ONE was killed because they were stuck on a bridge in their car, a routine occurrence in evacuations in florida and we now know people will be killed stuck in their cars if a hurricane hits texas as well

the people in the 9th ward were poor, they did not have money, in many cases they didn't even own cars

nothing to do w. brains, everything to do with poverty and resources

southeast louisiana/western mississippi actually has an EXCELLENT contraflow evacuation plan for leaving the area by car, this is why we lost around 2,000 people to the storm -- instead of the predicted 60,000 dead for new orleans ALONE

people who shit on people from louisiana for being stoopit don't have their facts straight

if this storm had hit miami or houston there would be tens of thousands dead, if not a hundred thousand dead period end of sentence


the flights were booked, you could not buy a flight for love or money after a certain point, there are relatively few flights out of new orleans each day, as far as amtrack, it's a fucking joke, i wouldn't count on them to get my dog out of town

[Leopolds Ghost]

46. And why was there no evacusation plan for people not in cars?

Or do millions of Americans assume only the poorest of the poor don't have a car?

Is that why pedestrians attempting to leave the city on foot were shot at?

[Leopolds Ghost]

47. As for amtrak being "a fucking joke", try it some time.

It's your train system. You own it. I'm sick of people bitching about clogged roads and environmental degradation and then insisting (like numerous Dem officials of late) that everyone get a drivers license.

[TommyO]

5. Hey, he knew to get rid of the wife with cancer

Why shouldn't he attack those who had no choice but stay. If he could get out, so could they.

As if you couldn't tell: :sarcasm: and contempt for the former speaker.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. "Uneducated and unprepared"?

If they were uneducated, could that be because the public schools have been underfunded by Republicans who don't want to spend money on educating kids -- especially poor kids?

If they were unprepared, could that be because nobody did anything to tell them how to prepare, or because they were too poor to afford cars with which to leave town before the hurricane came, or because they had nowhere to go if they did leave?

But in any event, it's always easier for the Party of Personal Responsibility to blame the victims than it is to admit their policies resulted in a colossal fuckup.

[Leopolds Ghost]

48. They shouldn't need cars

Especially not simply in order to evacuate the city.

In Louisiana -- it was a legal requirement --

persons attempting to leave the city on foot were shot at.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Ohh please let him run for president

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Go to hell, Newt

[Midlodemocrat]

10. Hey Newt! If the GOVERNMENT had done its job and

erected the levees PROPERLY, this wouldn't even have been an issue. The issue was the flooding fuckhead.

You suck on all levels, but mostly as a person.

[CTyankee]

12. Maybe he'll be KO's "Worst Person in the World" this week

with that remark...

[skipos]

13. I'm rooting for Newt in 08

I think even Hillary could beat this guy.

[TommyO]

15. The Unknown Comic from Gong Show fame

could beat Newt.

[AX10]

14. We've found him, we've found the IDEAL GOP Candidate for 2008!

[in_cog_ni_to]

16. That's outrageous! That man doesn't have a chance in hell of EVER being President. I hope he runs!

What a cold-hearted rat bastard!

[WinkyDink]

17. I know what Bush is, but what are the citizens of New Orleans?

Apologies to PeeWee Herman.

[sakabatou]

18. Blame the victim

Newt, YOU FAIL!

[blues90]

19. It's always easy to blame people

Especially when some freak like Newt has no experience with that sort of situation . I truely hope one day soon Newt winds up in a poor area and a hurrican or tornado comes whipping through and wee will see just how well he does .

These asses should be forced to live the hard life after they open their enormous mouths .

[Agony]

20. Hey cmon' its all just part of the "Contract on America" plan... run with it Newty!

[jimshoes]

21. Well he's got the proper credentials

for continuing the neocon tradition. Accept no blame and always pass the buck.

[merh]

22. What about those Enterprise victims,

Oh wait, never mind - that is a town full of white, middle class christians that vote republican.

And btw Newt, Katrina didn't just impact Louisiana. :grr:

[Jamastiene]

23. Nothing like blaming the victims.

Even if what he said was true, which I don't necessarily believe it's true, who's fault would that be if they were uneducated? The US Government is supposed to provide quality education to all people, not just the rich uppercrust of society. When they stop doing things for the rich only in this country, we'll have a better educated society. Until then, what they did leaving Katrina victims to drown and starve and thirst to death down there was selective genocide after the fact. Plain and simple.

[Cass]

24. A deep investigation into the failure of citizenship?? WTF?

I hope this is f*ing satire cause I'm about to bust a vein here.

:nuke:

[marmar]

25. KREPUG....Your 24-hour source of racism, homophobia and sexism....

I'm so sick of Republican scum. I'm with Mike Malloy: They're nothing but filthy degenerates. Every single one of them.

[napi21]

26. You know, I've thought about myself in a situation similar to Katrina.

I'm 63, can't drive anymore, and can't walk very far either. I live in Ga, and we HAVE had some devastating hurricanes here. I've asked myself "What could I do to prepare for a devastation like that? I have plenty of food in the pantry and freezer, but what if the house was destroyed? I can't think of anything except that I would have to depend on others. The Gov't, neighbors, the Red Cross, or some others.

If I lived in the 9th Ward in NO, and was in the same condition as I am now, my survival wouldn't depend on me not being educated or unprepared, and I have NO IDEA what the hell he means by failure of citizenship!

[TommyO]

30. Dontcha know, you just call for the limo and the private plane

to whisk you to safety at a moment's notice - it's what Newt would do to show good citizenship.

[napi21]

31. Sorry. The only time I was in a limo was when my Grandmother died

and the family was in the funeral director's limo, and they don't even do THAT anymore!

[TommyO]

34. I guess you know where you stand in Newt's

Brave New World. Thankfully, with his history, he doesn't stand a newt's chance in hell of getting elected president.

[salin]

33. Funny thing that almost no part of the country is ammune to some

sort of natural disasters. Right now I live in a tornado zone. I have lived in other tornado zones, and in an earthquake/mudslide zone. An earlier Du discussion asked if anyone lived in an area not prone to particular natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, blizzards, tornados, earthquakes, etc.) Newt's comments suggest that anyone who has died, or lost their homes to any natural disaster - is at fault for not being smart or educated enough. This is the contemporary republican party.

[napi21]

36. I can't even say that's the contemporary Pub Party idea.

I grew up in a suburb a bit nort of Pittsburgh Pa. We NEVER had anynatural disasters, and to be honest,believed none would ever happen there.

Within 5 years, there was a tornado that destroyed a hundred homes, and a flood that took several lives and destroyed businesses and homes too. I remember the night of the flood very well, because I was trying to get home from work and ther was no access! All the roads were closed! I spent from 5:30PM to about 11PM at a small restaurant called the Cossroads. The only good thing was that I met a lot of very nice stranded people there too.

Nobody can ever be sure there will never be a natural disaster where they live!

[Contrary1]

27. Hey Newt...

Run on down to LA, and spout that crap to the good folks there. Especially, the
ones that tried to flee across bridges, and were turned back.

Oh, and when you do, please take Junior and the Big Dick with you. Stand right
between them. I imagine a lot of the residents would like to thank all three of
you...up close and personal.

[kestrel91316]

28. Well, he just lost the black vote if he runs for president.

[Catherine Vincent]

29. I doubt that bastard ever had it.

I hate republicans.

[kestrel91316]

38. Yeah, but he's really sealed the deal with this remark. What a moran.

[baldguy]

32. They should have got in their SUVs & moved to their hilltop cabins for the duration.

[walldude]

35. That's how the GOP tries to get the poor people vote...

you know.. insult them.

[uppityperson]

37. Yup, the more outrageous he gets, the worse for him.

What a nasty piece of work. End of message.

[omega minimo]

39. He's trying to start a third party--- the Nazi Party

[jus_the_facts]

40. IT WASN'T THE HURRICANE THAT FUCKED UP THE 9TH WARD....IT WAS FAILED LEVEES...N/T

[Dammit Ann]

41. bastard.

:mad: :grr::nuke:

[fortyfeetunder]

43. I hope Spike Lee has a smackdown for Newt's comments

Spike, with his excellent HBO commentary, I would expect him with a smackdown in return.
Additionally, Newt's comments should be denounced by the GOP...or is this wishful thinking?

[The Backlash Cometh]

44. Newt Gingrich is going to go to hell.

God gave us the poor to test us, to see if we have the compassion to distribute the wealth and resources properly so that all people can lead a respectful life. And if we fail in showing that compassion, we'll never be allowed through the gates of heaven.

At least, that's how I understand the Christian belief that Gingrich subscribes to. Maybe there's a Republican loophole in the bible?

[Hubert Flottz]

45. Newt wanted to steal veggies out of kids school lunches.