Posted on 09/16/2005 12:23:21 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
From: McLaren, Ellen [mailto:Ellen.McLaren@mail.house.gov] Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2005 7:07 PM To: Mamaux, Lale; McLaren, Ellen Subject: Wexler: Bush Exploits Tragedy and Dodges Real Inquiry
September 15, 2005
********EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:30 PM ********
Contact: Ellen McLaren
Phone: (202)225-3001
Wexler: Bush Exploits Tragedy and Dodges Real Inquiry
(
(Washington, D.C.) - Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) issued the following statement in response to President George W. Bush's address tonight from New Orleans regarding the federal government's post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts:
"It is disgraceful that President Bush, after dropping the ball in one of the most devastating catastrophes in this nation's history, has unconscionably decided to join Congressional Republicans in exploiting this tragedy and pushing a divisive right-wing agenda on communities desperate for federal assistance. As selfless Americans across the country offer heartfelt assistance and hope to millions of Katrina victims, the President's real priorities and motives have been exposed.
"Instead of assisting the needy and poor, as he is claiming to do, this President has decided to short-change the working class and to weaken environmental laws but shamelessly decided not to extend Medicaid to Katrina survivors. I only wish President Bush had used the same expediency in deploying federal assistance and troops to affected areas as he did in revoking Davis-Bacon, thereby striking the already-low prevailing wages in the ravished Gulf States. And now the President has chosen to make New Orleans a test-tube city for conservative ideology by promoting vouchers for low-income housing and public schools. The victims of Katrina needed support in preparing for the disaster, they needed the strength of the federal government in the immediate aftermath, and they will need a great deal more than partisan ideology as they rebuild. The one thing they do not need is to be made into a right-wing tabula rasa.
"As we undertake the enormous task of rebuilding, we must examine what went wrong in the federal government's planning process prior to the Katrina and the botched recovery in the immediate aftermath. It is critical that an independent, unbiased commission - similar to that which took place after 9/11 - investigate the federal, state and local responses to Katrina.
"I am deeply disappointed, but not surprised, that President Bush did not announce his support for an independent Katrina Commission. As the commander in chief of an Administration that rarely takes responsibilities for its failures, it is the clear that President Bush and Republicans are concerned more about political fallout from Katrina than about an honest assessment. We do know that if we leave the investigation to a panel seemingly chosen for its political bias, we guarantee that we will not learn anything from the tragedy of Katrina. America will be in no better position to respond to a disaster of this magnitude in the future, and that is unacceptable."
Congressman Wexler is a senior member of the House International Relations Committee and is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
What a maroon Wexler is.
How much farther can his nose curve upward?
Congressman Wexler is an example of public school decline.
Stick his embargo up his nose.
It's shameful the American Public hasn't ripped Wexler's tongue out - obnoxious little pr*ck
He is still behind Pete Stark for dick of the decade.
Isn't it funny that the very polls the dems are relying on to show Bush's approval ratings at "alltime lows" also show that the public believes it is the dems who are exploiting Katrina for political gain.
There simply isn't a printable response to this moron. Except perhaps "STFU, Bob"...
"rarely takes responsibility for its failures"
Jeez! You been outta town?
So ashamed Wexler "represents" my area - he's from Boca Raton - probably the most posh area of Fla outside of Miami Beach. He knows next to nothing about living with, dealing with, assisting with poverty.
Wexler is a Leftwing, extremist kook. Move on. Nothing to see here. Just the same old vomit that has been coming out of the DNC since the hurricane.
Well there is that 6 block stretch of Atlantic Ave in Delray Beach..................................................................................................................
You are right.
But it sure looks like some one stuck their large fingers up his nose and pulled upward for a while.
So, he writes a response to Bush's speech without seeing the speech. But he embargoes it until AFTER the speech so it looks like it is a real response.
At least the Democrat Leadership had the "honesty" to deliver their response to Bush's speech LIVE in the afternoon before he gave his speech, so we would know they were not responding to what he said.
Wexler was put forward as a mouthpiece many times during the Clinton impeachment fiasco. I used to get a kick out of watching then Congressman Joe Scarborough slice him to ribbons on "Crossfire".
How'd you get this email?
For more than 70 years Davis-Bacon has hurt black workers because of the racism of certain unions...but the NAACP hasn't made an issue of it because the labor movement is their ally on the left. Of course most of the public has never heard of Davis-Bacon and wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between Davis-Bacon and Dingell-Norwood.
IT SEEMS THAT THIS COUNTRY IS SO DIVIDED THAT EVEN DURING THESE TIMES BOTH PARTIES POSITION THEMSELVES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION. THE PRESIDENT'S RESPONSE TO THE DISASTER WAS OBVIOUSLY INADEQUATE...PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FIRED. THE PRESIDENT HAS ADMITTED RESPONSIBILITY. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE ISSUE IS REALLY NOT A REPUBLICAN DEMOCRATIC ISSUE. IT IS AN ISSUE OF INCOMPETENCE. THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION HAPPENS TO BE REPUBLICAN (WHAT IF IT WERE A DEMOCRAT HOW WOULD WE BE REACTING?) AND IT IS BUSH'S IDEA THAT LOYALTY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN COMPETENCE (NOT ALWAYS THE CASE IN PREVIOUS REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATIONS, LOOK AT REAGAN AND NIXON...INCREDIBLY COMPETENT FOLKS). SO SOME OF THESE ISSUES HAVE TO DO WITH THE PRESIDENT'S OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS. IT IS HOWEVER STUPID, TO UNQUESTIONABLY SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT AT ALL COSTS (HE REALLY DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS ONE, YET THE CONSERVATIVE TALKING HEADS KEPT SHIELDING HIM FROM ANY RESPONSIBILITY, I ADMIRE THE PRESIDENT FOR TAKING RESPONSIBILITY....HOW DOES THAT MAKE SOME OF US THAT BLINDLY SUPPORT ANYTHING ANY REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT DOES JUST TO KEEP GAY MARRIAGE AND ABORTION AT BAY...DOESN'T THAT COMPROMISE OUR STATUS AS THINKING PEOPLE AND CITIZENS?). I WISH FOLKS IN BOTH PARTIES WOULD BE BETTER CITIZENS AND BE CONCERNED MORE WITH THE COUNTRY THAN THEMSELVES. NANCY PELOSI FOR INSTANCE, REPRESENTS EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH THE OTHER SIDE. ANYBODY STARTS THINKING ABOUT LEGISLATION IMMEDIATELY SHE GIVES A PRESS CONFERENCE, ALWAYS REACTS PROMPTLY WITHOUT REGARD TO THE COUNTRY.
"He is still behind Pete Stark for dick of the decade".
True but the difference must be measured in, well--millimeters. and Wexler is a very ambitious guy. after Stark finally retires and Wexler supasses him is aiming for Moron of the Milinneum.
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