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Posted By TimALoftis 1 year ago in Political News

Hurricane Katrina not only pulverized the Gulf Coast in 2005, it knocked the bully pulpit out from under President George W. Bush, according to two former advisers who spoke candidly about the political impact of the government's poor handling of the catastrophic natural disaster.

"Katrina to me was the tipping point," said Matthew Dowd, Bush's pollster and chief strategist for the 2004 presidential campaign. "The president broke his bond with the public. Once that bond was broken, he no longer had the capacity to talk to the American public. State of the Union addresses? It didn't matter. Legislative initiatives? It didn't matter. P.R.? It didn't matter. Travel? It didn't matter."

Dan Bartlett, former White House communications director and later counselor to the president, said: "Politically, it was the final nail in the coffin."

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  • 71%
    TimALoftis1 year ago

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    Within a couple of short hours after Katrina hit on that Monday morning, Bush left his Ranch and headed for a political event in Arizona to have birthday cake with John McCain before heading to the White House to 'Monitor' events surrounding the hurricane.

    Four days later he refers to the FEMA chief as 'Heck Of A Job Brownie'. It was at this moment on live TV that I knew the remaining of Bush presidency was doomed.

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      Teech1 year ago

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      When being questioned about his stand on abortion:

      "Mr. President, what is your opinion on Roe vs Wade?

      "Well, I don't care how them people get out of New Orleans as long as they all get out....."

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        ConsAreNonGrata1 year ago

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        It's funny because you have to check to see if it's not true.

        See, Cons, even I can find a reason to miss Bush.

        LOL@Cons.

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          DropkickaLib1 year ago

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          Funny, I cry when I see Libs. The tragedy of their igorance saddens me.

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          mrreality1 year ago

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          sure whatever you say liar,,i mean teech,,,pathetic is what you are,,,,heres one for your future dillusions teech,,,,brown vs board of education,,,did you hear what obama said,,,dont hit anyone brown with a board,,it wont educate him any better,,,we quit doing that back in the fitties i think

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          DropkickaLib1 year ago

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          ...and you supported him prior to then? Yeah, right.

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        • 83%
          crespi1 year ago

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          I saw "President" Bush on television saying, "No. I didn't watch any coverage of it for the first three days..."

          It was well known our Fundamentalist Christian "President's" Fundamentalist Christian base hated New Orleans for its "immorality" (drunk spring break college student breast exposures) and the region's heritage of "voodoo." On the Christian programs I watched thousands of hours of during the 1990's there was a trend to add New Orleans to San Francisco and New York as American cities that the Fundamentalists openly prayed to GOD to DESTROY.

          New Orleans was settled in large part by the French. The Neocons who took over our government openly HATED the French (remember the "Freedom fries" crap?) In part because France was the first country to try to establish a Democracy like ours, and of course they gave us THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, a hated symbol to those now led by a man who said "the Constitution is just a goddamned piece of paper."

          Then there is the racist component. Most of the black residents were flooded out and the rebuilding is mostly for wealthy whites.

          Katrina was allowed to happen ON PURPOSE.

          For truly un-American ideology, hate, and greed.

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            DropkickaLib1 year ago

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            So the Christians were to blame for Katrina, not the sinners, right?

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              mrreality1 year ago

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              werent the 1990s on clintons watch,,,let me now,,immorality,,public nudity voodoo religion,,yea that should make all americans proud,,you idiot,,,,freedom fries, were a result of the spineless french being unwilling to help in the gulf war,,not because of moral ideology,,but because they were involved with the crooked oil for food program,,raking in millions illegally,,kind of like jimmy carter against the war,,but getting 500,000 in oil vouchers from saddam,,cant figure out their opposition,huh?? notice how you lefties always speak of the hate of the other side,,you seem to know alot about hate,,,slingers

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              vettenut1 year ago

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              Of course, we know by now that Bush and Cheney PERSONALLY manipulated the course of Hurricane Katrina, using Right-wing Christian Neo-Con hate-based white magic, so that it headed for N.O. instead of toward another (more acceptable and more Republican) coastal area.

              Crespi said it best, above: "Katrina was allowed to happen ON PURPOSE."

              And, we know that Bush and Cheney definitely "strategerized" to have the CIA blow a hole in the side of the Industrial Canal, allowing the water to spill into a (mostly-non-black) N.O. neighborhood, because they knew that the water would eventually end up in the (mostly-black) neighborhoods they wanted to vacate and have re-built so expensively that blacks could not afford to live there!

              If you need proof, just ask the world's supreme authority on how to use nature to accomplish political ends-- Mr. Kanye West! He's the one who opened our eyes on this situation!

              (End of Sarcasm)

              Gees, you guys who posted your foolishness mixed with Bush-hatred above are so transparently pathetic!

              I have only one question for all you Bush-haters: What will you guys say if ANYONE DARES to attempt to smear, vitriolize, besmirch or otherwise destroy the American Public's view of BHO the way you and your ilk have done (all those things) to GWB?

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              • 100%
                chevydog1 year ago

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                I had the occasion to be a a meeting with (pollster) John Zogby back in September 2008. He made the comment that the biggest approval hit that GWB took during his entire Administration was from Katrina. And that it never recovered from that.

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                  Endoscopy1 year ago

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                  Could that be because of all the lies that liberals like you kept repeating?
                  Sequence of events.

                  Katrina was heading for New Orleans.
                  Governor issued a proclamation of disaster before the storm hit.
                  The center of the storm then steered east so New Orleans was only brushed by the edge of the hurricane.
                  The governor removed her proclamation of disaster and everybody was relieved.
                  The storm ground inland for a few hundred mile devastating a wide swath of land. Blocking roads and downing power lines and trees.
                  the rain kept up and over 20 inches dropped around the lake.
                  The lake slowly kept rising.
                  People began to worry about the dikes holding.
                  Finally after days a dike broke and the area was flooded.
                  The governor waited a couple of days before issuing a new proclamation of disaster. Bush had to personally beg her to do that. FEMA could not act without that proclamation.
                  Finally the relief started flowing towards New Orleans. Could not come from the closest areas to the east because the hurricane damage prevented it. It had to come from the Midwest and West. Travel time in days.
                  When the people and supplies started coming in a lot of them were turned back by the state police and confusion reigned.
                  Bush sent a general there to create order out of chaos.

                  But the liberals started the lies and kept repeating them. The big lie syndrome that the left has developed. Tell a big enough lie and people will not beieve someone could lie about anything that big. Hitler wrote about that in Mein Kampf. The idea is little lies are easily caught but the big ones will get by because people will not check up on the big lie.

                  Keep the lies coming libs. Bush leaves in a few days. There is a shooting war going on and Obama is on vacation. He needs to be on top of it because what happens next is up to him. Why is he ignoring it libs. Our turn is coming. It is going to be fun. What big lies can we make up about Obama?

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                  • 67%
                    Will13131 year ago

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                    yep the financial crisis is a LIE..

                    the war in Iraq .. IS A LIE...

                    the HUGE BUDGET DEFICITS ARE A LIE..

                    everything is wonderful in ENDOSCOPY LAND...

                    LIBERALS WHO HAVE HAD NO CONTROL SINCE 1995 CAUSED ALL THE PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD...

                    LIBERALS AND MUSLIMS SHOULD ALL BE KILLED...

                    oh .. I forgot all the SUBPRIME problems were caused by Jimmy Carter .. and ACORN.....

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                    • 50%
                      Will13131 year ago

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                      What big lies can we make up about Obama?

                      ---

                      he's a racist muslim that isn't a natural born American who was elected by voter fraud...

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                      • Neutral
                        DropkickaLib1 year ago

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                        The fact that he's winging it and hasn't voiced clear opinions about key foreign policy issues disturbs me.

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                        • Neutral
                          mrreality1 year ago

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                          so wheres the lies in any of that,,lying anti christian muslim,,not born in america,,and is an absolute fraud,,,,you got it right mr emanuel,,,,

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                      Teech1 year ago

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                      FTA....."Dan Bartlett, former White House communications director and later counselor to the president, said: "Politically, it was the final nail in the coffin." "

                      And SO MANY nails !

                      It was G. W. Bush at his very inept best ! It finally convinced many of what others had known for years.....Dumbya is a buffoon, a booze and drug addled fop, an idiot, and the most incompetent failure that ever held high political office.

                      And a role model for Republicans everywhere.

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                        mrreality1 year ago

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                        geez so tell us teech, what do you think of mao tse obama,,,,let me see,,someone named teech liking a communist,,,not surprising education in the new america,,,socialists and vile nasty teechers need only apply

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                      • 50%
                        kfolive1 year ago

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                        bush was not intelligent enough to run a country and everything he did showed that. thank goodness we are on our way to 2009 and a bright new future for this country. of course it will take a while to clean up the mess bush and cheney made but i am optimistic that now after 8 years of foolishness, greed and self interest we have a chance for recovery as a nation. stop your protesting of Barak Obama and let him get in there and do his job when it starts!

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                        • 33%
                          mrreality1 year ago

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                          dont cast any blame on the real ones responsible,,,,nagin,,leandreau,, corrupt police,,,corrupt congressmen,,,,yea just old bush is the problem,,,,i guess you will to wait for a wildfire in hollywood for the elitists and media to judge obama,,,,when oprahs place burns,,,youll have to come up with a dodge for obama,,,let me see,,something like,,,bush cut funding for the removal of debris from the hillsides of the rich and famous,,,the mayor of new orleans failed,,so did the governor or louisianna,,and its police force,,and its representatives,,,funny how they are all predominantly democrats,,and whining and blaming,,,typical snapshot of crackpot america down there

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                          • 33%
                            lloydm651 year ago

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                            Why can't the Bush Haters get it right.The president called the Louisiana Gov.four days before Katrina,and ask what she needed,her reply was didn't need anything.The mayor on the same day flew here to Dallas to ride out the storm.Four hundred school buses were never cranked.Of course anybody with one eyed bat sense knows why people didn't get out, the checks hadn't been cut yet.Are you stupid or what.When you get your self and your familey out by yourself you don't get to pass go and pick up your check.

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