The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

D:

At times I get frustrated with our people. All the while that they are cheering for what appeals to them in their aggrieved state they don’t seem to appreciate that these words were said to stroke them rather than to provide for a pathway forward in which they will not be vulnerable.

It is my conclusion that until the BLACK COMMUNITY holds any politician that presides over them ACCOUNTABLE for producing a certain result….things are not going to change for our community.

As I listen to Obama on various subjects the more I see why he appeared at the bottom of my list when I took two separate evaluations as to which candidate matched my beliefs. He and Dennis K were at the bottom.

I was given a link to a fuller context of Obama’s statements. This really is a classic case of being taken out of context.

See my blog. I won’t do the link since, I think, things get lost when I put a link in comments.

But you are right about the Dems and New Orleans.

Obama is a lightweight.

I read it already but the context IMO is still empty. Everything that he said in that “extra” part has already been mentioned by other Dems in some form or fashion (nationalized health care, prison to work, raising of the min. wage, blah, blah, blah).

Again, until he begins to hold his own party into account for their incompetence instead of putting all the blame on Bush, he is doing nothing but giving a verbal bubble bath to folks who are looking for an MLK/JFK incarnate.

I’ll link to your post for you.

[quote]Again, until he begins to hold his own party into account for their incompetence instead of putting all the blame on Bush[/quote]

Duane – Think about it!!!

When a certain METHOD rakes in 90% of the Black vote WHY DOES THE POLITICIAN NEED TO CHANGE?????? Their goal is to gain power and get elected.

The change needs to come in the EXPECTATIONS FROM THE BLACK COMMUNITY PROJECTED OUT TO THOSE WHO ARE CHOSEN TO REPRESENT US.

The truth of the matter re: New Orleans, poverty, and Hurricane Katrina is gov’t — on every level and of both parties — failed its constituents, to catastrophic effect. No town in America is ‘run’ unilaterally by its local government; there’s a state and Federal role in gov’t's various functions.

Sen. Obama makes a fair point in attributing a great deal of the liability for the socioeconomic conditions along the Gulf Coast, and specifically New Orleans, to widespread bureaucratic negligence of public agencies in multiple jurisdictions. He’s also on solid ground to emphasize the WH’s failure to respond since Katrina, particularly in the context of a candidate seeking the presidency. Like a number of people reading this article, I believe Obama’s remarks have been presented out of context to instigate racial tensions, if not just to stir up a false controversy in order to sell news.

No town in America is ‘run’ unilaterally by its local government; there’s a state and Federal role in gov’t’s various functions.

You are right, however it is State and local levels that act as first responders to situations like a Katrina. Both institutions failed miserably and have tried to pass their incompetence on the the federal level (another big stinking bureaucracy ever since.

Before Katrina, it was the STATE and LOCAL governments who were responsible (and mind you were provided funding by the Feds) to provide adequate housing for its poor. They failed at that and the Feds had to take over HUD org a few years ago.

Crime has been out of control for years in that city and if you have not noticed already but the National guard is still practically in control in New Orleans.

If I an not mistaken, I believe the state had to take some control over the school system in New Orleans at one point before Katrina (it might have been afterwords, I would have to check)

I am not excusing the Feds not one bit here, but as you can see here the city (first line of defense so to speak) have been failing those folks for years. It is not the job of the Fed gov to do the job of local govs.

“… however it is State and local levels that act as first responders to a situation like Katrina.”

Again… you’re begging the question.

You’re taking Obama out of context, here. He’s running for president; not mayor of New Orleans, or governor of either Louisiana or Mississippi. Criticizing the incumbent on the basis of his actions (or lack thereof) is legitimate in itself exclusive of implicating or exonerating others.

[quote]New Orleans, poverty, and Hurricane Katrina is gov’t — on every level and of both parties — failed its constituents, to catastrophic effect.[/quote]

MIB:

I fundamentally disagree with you.

All that you say “sounds good” until we check out the reality of the situation. New Orleans requires a cement slab to be placed upon the graves there – WHY? Clearly there is a long history which provided knowledge of the threat imposed by living close to the most powerful waterway in North America.

But that is not all – consider all of the battles and conspiracy theories that took place in the construction of the levees and canals. The steel “I” beams were the result of a compromise. The original design called for an earthen levee which are stronger. This would have required several rows of homes close to the barrier to be razed because the earthen levees are wider. The various community actor-vists and political hacks fought against the plan. You heard charges of “Land Theft of Black Property” and other expected charges. MIB – where is this choice to cave in factored into your claim about “government failure”?

Fast forward to today. If we accept “Global Warming” as a fact we also know that the sea level will rise over time. A climatologist reported that in 100 years the waters on the Gulf Coast will rise inland up to Baton Rouge, LA, there by engulfing New Orleans. However, any plan that calls for no reconstruction of New Orleans as it factors this FACT into the equation will be met with the usual charges of Racism, Classism and Capitalism.

You can’t pretend that the state of New Orleans prior to and after Katrina is not a product of decades of confrontations and economic truth.

This country is a disbursed set of pillars which make it strong, not a centralized government that is the great provider. Every major city in this nation was formed around some commercial interest, natural resource and transportation confluence. Atlanta – railroads; Detroit – Autos; Charleston – sea ports; the list goes on. In my view just as cities are incorporated when the citizens feel that they have enough resources to build a greater whole in receiving a charter…..there are times when a city is likewise no longer viable as a going concern and it needs to be dis-incorporated.

We will never be allowed to have an honest debate in this country about the viability of New Orleans with respect to its geographic location and the threat that this imposes upon all of those who live while bordered by 3 sides water and BELOW SEA LEVEL. Race and class issues will always be thrown in thus preventing such a dialogue.

Finally – we talk about all of the Black people who were left behind in the storm. I have first had experience living in the South that more of them got out before the storm and drove to other cities.

I challenge all critics to take some time and write out a scenario in which you detail THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO KATRINA THAT WOULD HAVE MADE YOU PROUD. I have little doubt that this would contain a reasonable scenario that is based on logistical realities.

The fate of New Orleans was defined long before Katrina and the response of FEMA. The “FEMA As The Bad Guy Tale” simply makes for better journalism. Sadly – play the same scenario back 20 years from now and there will be little difference.

You’re taking Obama out of context, here. He’s running for president; not mayor of New Orleans, or governor of either Louisiana or Mississippi.

But yet he finds it convenient to blame the president for stuff his own party has failed repeatedly locally while at the same time touting how important the grass roots (folks on the local level) is to his campaign.

Nagin did not give the order to use the buses to help get those folks out of there—Bush let them down. The local HUD system had to be taken over by the feds because of gross mismanagement—Bush doesn’t care about Black people. William Jefferson used vehicles that could have been used to get some of those folks to safety in order to take care of his bidnes–you guessed it, all blame points to Bush. What has been the number one thing folks in places like New Orleans, Los Angeles etc. has been complaining about? The lack of money. Yet when news gets out that the problem is not money but how its managed at the local level all of a sudden America is seen as a autocracy. When votes are needed, it becomes a democracy.

CS, what is the basis of your fundamental disagreement with me? Are you saying that public safety isn’t a primary function of government? Or, that disasters — whether natural (as in the case of Hurricane Katrina) or man-made (e.g.; attacks on the Pentagon and WTC) — should not be addressed by gov’t policy/action?

Your points about New Orleans’ geography and topography are immaterial to the question whether or not to: a) protect (by way of a well-designed and maintained flood control system, then b) rebuild the area given its importance to the nation’s economy. Besides, I was under the impression while Americans generally value freedom of movement throughout the country, whatever risks we entail by choice of residence are somewhat buffered by our institutions, both public and private, local and national. Again, it’s plainly evident in the example of New Orleans government on every level hasn’t been functioning properly primarily as a result of poor leadership — the basic theme of Obama’s speech.

Where I disagree with Duane is on the context of Obama’s speech. It wasn’t an anti-Bush harangue; neither was it (as the commercial media insinuated) a case of race-baiting. In fact, New Orleans was only cited as one example in a larger indictment of political incompetence across the country.