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Ray Nagin Pulls A Kerry on CBS: "50 Percent" of Americans Live On Gulf Coast
NewsBusters ^ | 2/2/06 | Michael Rule

Posted on 02/02/2006 9:59:47 AM PST by frankjr

As was reported yesteday on NewsBusters, Democratic Senator John Kerry wasn't challenged on the Today show after he claimed that 53% of Americans don't graduate from high school. Well on this morning's Early Show, New Orleans Democratic Mayor Ray Nagin made an equally silly claim, "50% of all residents in the United States live along the Gulf Coast." I listened to the soundbite several times to ensure I heard him correctly.

The claim came during an interview with Harry Smith about President Bush's State of the Union Address and the challenges in rebuilding New Orleans, but was Harry Smith even listening to Nagin? One would think a competent journalist would have picked up on such an outragreous claim and challenged Nagin on it, or asked Nagin to clarify his remarks. Would Smith had let that slide if it were a Republican making such assertions?

A transcript of the exchange in question follows below.

Harry Smith: "That's quite all right. Let me ask you a question here. The President paid scant attention to New Orleans, the whole Gulf Coast in general and Katrina during his State of the Union Address two nights ago. What is your reaction to that?"

Ray Nagin: "Well, you know, my reaction is similar to most people along the Gulf Coast. We were very disappointed. We thought that the President would come out and reaffirm his commitment to rebuild in the Gulf Coast, which is a very important portion of the country. 50% of all residents in the United States live along the Gulf Coast. So, you would think that he would demonstrate a firmer commitment to rebuild than what we heard."

Nagin’s exaggerated claim wasn’t his only inaccurate statement of the day. At the very beginning of the interview, after he is introduced, he calls his host by the wrong name, "David." The transcript follows:

Harry Smith: "A new congressional report on the poor federal response to hurricane Katrina notes "a lack of leadership." It suggests the White House and the Homeland Security office both failed to take decisive action. Meanwhile, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was on Capitol Hill to answer some questions too yesterday. Mayor Nagin joins us this morning from the crescent city. Good morning Mr. Mayor?"

Ray Nagin: "Good morning David how are you?"

Smith: "It's Harry Smith here, but that's all right, we'll keep going."

Nagin: "Harry?"

Smith shrugged it off after correcting him, but what else could Harry do? It’s not like Harry hasn’t forgotten names while conducting interviews before.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: earthcallingnagin; katrina; nagin; offthehook; outoftouch; overthetop
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Ray Nagin: "Good morning David how are you?"

Smith: "It's Harry..."

LOL!!

1 posted on 02/02/2006 9:59:49 AM PST by frankjr
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To: frankjr

Facts are stupid things.


2 posted on 02/02/2006 10:00:34 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: frankjr

150 million people live on the Gulf Coast?

wow.....

I had no idea....


3 posted on 02/02/2006 10:01:07 AM PST by MikefromOhio (Tread's #1 priority - getting you to read HIS trash. His second? Reread the first.)
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To: frankjr

Democrats have ALWAYS had a problem with numbers....for example they fail to see the math that "W" won the last two elections......Nagin is a welfare pimp, Kerry is is Socialist pimp.


4 posted on 02/02/2006 10:01:44 AM PST by Meadow Muffin
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To: frankjr

150 million Americans in the Gulf Coast.....


yeah....


5 posted on 02/02/2006 10:01:59 AM PST by finnman69 (cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestu s globus, inflammare animos)
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To: MikeinIraq
150 million people live on the Gulf Coast?

Not any more (after Katrina).

6 posted on 02/02/2006 10:02:22 AM PST by My2Cents (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell)
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To: MikeinIraq

"150 million people live on the Gulf Coast?"

Yes, the Chocolate City (Nagin's terminology) is larger than NYC, LA and Chicago....combined!!!


7 posted on 02/02/2006 10:03:00 AM PST by frankjr
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To: finnman69
150 million Americans in the Gulf Coast.....

Nagin must be using the metric system of counting.

8 posted on 02/02/2006 10:03:02 AM PST by My2Cents (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell)
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To: frankjr
Mandrake: "Are the Russians involved, sir" ?
General Ripper: "Its pretty hairy."
9 posted on 02/02/2006 10:03:04 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (BTUs are my Beat.)
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To: frankjr
Ray Nagin: "Good morning David how are you?"

Jabba the Ted had informed Ray that David's last name was Alioto

10 posted on 02/02/2006 10:03:37 AM PST by tx_eggman (Unforgiveness is like eating rat poison and expecting the other person to get sick.)
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To: frankjr

So do half of the nation's congressmen represent gulf coast districts then?


11 posted on 02/02/2006 10:03:53 AM PST by Koblenz (Holland: a very tolerant country. Until someone shoots you on a public street in broad daylight...)
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To: Meadow Muffin
Who needs numbers, they have the entire news-media.

And if its on TV, it must be true!
12 posted on 02/02/2006 10:04:03 AM PST by roses of sharon ("I would rather men ask why I have no statue, than why I have one". ) (Cato the Elder)
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To: MikeinIraq
150 million people live on the Gulf Coast?

Yes...

...and according to Nagin the rest live on Sugar Mountain.

13 posted on 02/02/2006 10:04:23 AM PST by PBRSTREETGANG
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To: frankjr
"There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics!" - Mark Twain.
14 posted on 02/02/2006 10:05:40 AM PST by llevrok (I don't know the difference between latter and former - and I don't care !)
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To: My2Cents
Nope he is using the "million man" method of counting. He was taught by professor Farrakhan.
15 posted on 02/02/2006 10:05:49 AM PST by reagandemo (The battle is near are you ready for the sacrifice?)
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To: Gabz
Ray Nagin"...50% of all residents in the United States live along the Gulf Coast. So, you would think that he would demonstrate a firmer commitment to rebuild than what we heard."

What is it with dems like Nagin and Kerry....??

16 posted on 02/02/2006 10:07:07 AM PST by tioga (Speaking out from the god-forsaken frozen tundra of the Hildebeast.)
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To: frankjr

It's within Nagin's margin of error. Especially when he's tanked.


17 posted on 02/02/2006 10:08:27 AM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: My2Cents

Most of NOLA is in my Great State of Texas.


Many of them need to go back to NOLA, get a job and help to clean up their own city. But why would they, many have lived off NOLA for their whole life and they do not understand the self gratification one gets from providing for themselves.


18 posted on 02/02/2006 10:08:45 AM PST by JFC (W, I am with YA)
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To: frankjr
Nagin:

"Uh, States. Yeah! I meant Gulf Coast States. Oh, and States that boarder the Gulf Coast States. And, um, you know, States that boarder some form of water, either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, or the Great Lakes. And of course the States that boarder those states. Now, you take all those areas, and I'm sure you'll easily reach half the population of the United States."


19 posted on 02/02/2006 10:08:48 AM PST by Yo-Yo
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To: frankjr

Maybe he meant 50% by weight. There's some big folks down there.


20 posted on 02/02/2006 10:09:28 AM PST by SBprone
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