On Special Report, Hume, Liasson, and Krauthammer distorted New Orleans mayor's evacuation, re-entry plans
During the "All-Star Panel" segment of the September 19 edition of Fox News' Special Report, host Brit Hume and Fox News contributors Mara Liasson and Charles Krauthammer distorted New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin's evacuation and re-entry plans for the city in response to Hurricane Katrina.
First, Hume suggested that the call for a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans "came from Washington," to which Liasson, who also is National Public Radio's (NPR) national political correspondent, readily agreed. Yet according to a September 15 New York Times report on former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Michael D. Brown's version of events, on the morning of August 28, Brown and President Bush discussed the possibility of Bush approaching Nagin about a mandatory evacuation, but Nagin decided "apparently on his own" to announce the mandatory evacuation in a press conference that day. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco stated during the press conference that "just before" it began, Bush had called her to ensure that such precautions would be taken -- casting further doubt over the suggestion that Bush's phone call triggered the decision to evacuate. As Media Matters for America has documented, on September 5 Hume baselessly claimed that Nagin called for the evacuation only after Bush "pleaded" with him.
Then Krauthammer, a Washington Post columnist, speciously characterized Nagin's re-entry plan for New Orleans as a proposal to "let the good times roll and have everybody return, which is obviously impossible." In fact, prior to rescinding his re-entry plan in response to another potential hurricane -- Tropical Storm Rita -- Nagin had called for only a partial repopulation of New Orleans in areas deemed safe. The New York Times reported on September 19, when Nagin's re-entry proposal was still active: "The mayor's plan to reopen parts of New Orleans could bring back as many as 180,000 residents, about a third of the population."
Along with mischaracterizing the mayor's re-entry plan, Krauthammer derided Nagin as a "piece of work," apparently offering as evidence that Nagin "spent Saturday [September 10] in Dallas setting up his family in their new house." But Nagin has said he will remain in New Orleans while his children go to school in Dallas for six months, and he did not, in fact, purchase a house in Dallas as originally reported -- he rented a condominium, as the New Orleans Times-Picayune clarified in a September 16 correction.
From the September 19 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:
HUME: Let's take a flashback here to several weeks ago, when the idea was, here comes Katrina. You need to get the city -- you need to get the city evacuated, on a mandatory way. That came from Washington, right?
LIASSON: Yeah. He [Nagin] eventually gave a mandatory evacuation order, and it wasn't able to be fulfilled for the people who didn't have their own transportation out of town.
[...]
KRAUTHAMMER: The mayor is a piece of work. I mean, he just spent Saturday in Dallas setting up his family in their new house, and then he returns when he's got to be making life-and-death decisions and decides he wants to let the good times roll and have everybody return, which is obviously impossible.
Normally, residents are allowed back into hurricane devastated areas as soon as possible in order to check on their property, salvage belongings, etc. Sometimes they're allowed in for only a few hours, but it's a standard thing.
One would think that the Republicans have gotten New Orleans confused with Falujah. Not surprising, since lots of brown people they consider "undesireable" live in both towns.
Sagra,
Must you race bait in order to make nearly every point of yours?
I've hear Republicans griping about the "undesireables" from New Orleans coming into our area every day. Like it or not, the racism is real.
Sagra,
I never said that some Republican's or Democrat's aren't racist, of course some people are....but to continue to say that this is the reason for Bush's failures is a far different and inflammatory accusation
[link to www.cnn.com]
Sagra,
Just because some people continue down the path of victimhood and yell racism whenever convenient is hardly proof that it was sanctioned by this administration.
So black people think that race played a factor because they're too stupid to know any better? Wow! Thanks so much for the enlightening information!
So black people think that race played a factor because they're too stupid to know any better? Wow! Thanks so much for the enlightening information!
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Do you feel it necesary to distort what I said because you have no argument? I didn't say anyone was stupid, but to suggest that Bush somehow sat back and said "Ya know, these are just poor black people and who cares anyway.........." is just stupid.
Besides, if you are going to be consistent in your argument then due to the poor planning and slow response from Nagin and Blanco, as first responders that they should have been, then are you prepared to lay the same racist charge on them?
Doubt it, they're Democrats, they can't possibly be racists?
This hurricane hitm three states, so the federal government needed to take charge. DHS says that it will do so in a time of emergency. The issue of incompetence has been discussed at length on this website already, so why bring it back up, especially when another hurricane, Rita, is bearing down on Texas.
And no, Nagin cannot be racist because he is BLACK.
And no, Nagin cannot be racist because he is BLACK.
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But it wasn't just black people being discriminated against, it was also poor people right? So it was rich white people and that covers just about everybody they despise?
Got it.
And no, Nagin cannot be racist because he is BLACK.-by blueblood
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From someone who normally posts logical and well thought out arguments and comments I must say this is a disappointment blueblood
It is ludicrous, and factually inaccurate, to say Nagin can not be racist simply because he is black. This is not to say he is a racist…I don’t know enogh about him to judge. But you can nit claim he can’t be one simply because of his color.
C'mon Tommy. This is a progressive site. If you want to get away with using code words like "victimhood," take your ass back on home to freeperville.
And the "blame the locals" canard? Very tired. The more we learn the worse it looks for FEMA.
Victimhood isn't a code for anything except for people who refuse to take charge of their own life and look to blame anyone and everyone else for their situation. Too bad if the truth stings a little.
Why, are you a victim?
Don't worry, Tommy. The truth doesn't sting. I knew you were a racist already.
Sagra,
I am really not offended by your bogus racist charge because you throw it with such regularity, it really goes more to your reprehensible credibility than anything.
Too bad you are so miserable in your own circumstances. I feel more sorry for you with each post.
Stay asleep, Tommy. When you wake up and look in the mirror you're going to get pretty damn sick.
Sagra - you have to remember whenever Republicans are in charge, bigotry and racism are accepted norms. Whenever you call them out on it they'll call you racist just for trying to get them to accept the truth of their own bigoted attitudes.
They continue to stick their heads in the sand about it. To me it's clearly bigoted to be dismissive of Black persons' opinons just because they are in contrast with conservative views. This shows me once again that the Repubs are nothing but a bunch of dog and pony show types. Let's see Mehlman go talk to the Urban League and the NAACP now...
Understanding that this poll is based on perceptions. When your party has a bigoted history, how far are perceptions from the truth? And no, the old "Party Of Lincoln" cliche doesn't hold water either (if you will pardon the pun)
you have to remember whenever Republicans are in charge, bigotry and racism are accepted norms. Whenever you call them out on it they'll call you racist just for trying to get them to accept the truth of their own bigoted attitudes.
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The sad truth about this thoroughly stupid and unfounded inflammatory statement above is it is actually blatant racism in it's most disguised form.
Get a new schtick, this is old and tiresome.
They definitely aren't capable of seeing the racism when you point it out to them. To them it's totally natural to be frightened of black people. If it's taboo to state their fears outright, they simply change the words they use: "thugs", "looters", "victimhood", "Little Somalia."
The examples are all over the post I made on the other thread: [link to mediamatters.org]
OK Sagra, that's fine. But that doesn't mean that they are correct in their assessment. For instance, this question ten years after the fact:
Q1: From what you've heard, do you think O. J. Simpson murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman?
Total White Black Other
Yes 77% 87% 29% 68%
No 22
Who do you think is correct? I would bet my life that the 87% are correct in this case, but that is my perception.
Oh geeze.. Like OJ is the first person of wealth to get away with something? I see, it's a crime because OJ is Black, but someone like a Ken Lay can kill his company and will probably get off scott free?? Even if he does get "convicted" how much do you want to bet shrub pardons him? If i had money to put on it in Vegas, I'd make a million bucks on that bet..
Let me tell you something - I remember that day the OJ verdict came in (i was at work and everyone went to watch it on TV) and when it came down the whites their were cursing and moaning and the people of color cheered.
Talk about perceptions..
If this is flagged, so be it - I couldn't let the post I am responding to go un-challenged.. thank you
by spintronic - Wednesday September 21, 2005 02:08:54 PM --------------------------------
What exactly were you responding to? The fact that the verdict in the OJ trial was viewed so differently by blacks and whites was exactly my point. If only 20-odd percent of blacks actually think OJ was guilty then they obviously weren't paying attention to the evidence, they only saw the LAPD. Why were blacks cheering the acquittal of a guilty man? Because the LAPD had a racist detective? Thats what it boiled down to and if you think jury nullification was warranted in that case then so be it.
So Nagin really did not even buy a house in Dallas. So much for "abandoning" his city. You have to hand it to the right-wingers for continually peddling this demonstrably false piece of information, that Bush was responsible for the evacuation declaration by Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin. Nothing will get in the right's way of revising history to suit their political agenda.
Expect more lies about Nagin. He's a marked man, now. Just like Joe Wilson.
If only Rove was in prison already and we could limit his phone calls to the RWM.
It just proves the total desperation of the repug. party, when they're going down the tubes quickly. Where is the king liar, flip-flopper and spinner Rove?? Maybe worried about his own pending indictment coming up, not unlike most of his corrupt repug. buddies currently in the senate and congress.
Special Report...the Lies and Liars show on Faux.
Special Report = Spastic Retort.