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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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To: dfwgator
And these figures are on the high-end, and that's still only about 50 million out of 300 million.

Hey, give ol' Ray a break. What does it matter if it's 50 percent or 50 million, at least he got the number part down, just not the measurement scale. That's close enough, right?

61 posted on 02/02/2006 11:24:17 AM PST by OB1kNOb (Aiding, abetting, or harboring illegal aliens is itself illegal and punishable by law.)
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To: dfwgator
It's that Calypso Louis "Million Man Math."

Nah, he was using the New Orleans voter registration total...

62 posted on 02/02/2006 11:43:07 AM PST by talleyman (Kerry & the Surrender-Donkey Treasoncrats - trashing the troops for 40 years.)
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To: frankjr

"50 Percent" of Americans Live On Gulf Coast.

OK,, then Mayor Chocolate must have the biggest tax base on the planet. What's he doing asking for money??


63 posted on 02/02/2006 11:47:40 AM PST by JoeSixPack1
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To: frankjr

If liberals could do math, they never would have become liberals. ;)


64 posted on 02/02/2006 11:49:35 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves ("When the government is invasive, the people are wanting." -- Tao Te Ching)
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To: Phantom Lord

The environmentalist exagerate pretty well too. I remember statistics many years ago on how many acres of rainforest are burned every year. By now there should not be one green leafy tree left in the Amazon basin.


65 posted on 02/02/2006 11:54:35 AM PST by tertiary01 (Dems ..the party that repeats history's mistakes over and over and....)
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To: OldFriend

Did he say he's bringing back his family from TX. to chocolate city.


66 posted on 02/02/2006 12:19:18 PM PST by Unicorn (Too many wimps around.)
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To: OldFriend

Did he say he's bringing back his family from TX. to chocolate city.


67 posted on 02/02/2006 12:19:27 PM PST by Unicorn (Too many wimps around.)
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To: frankjr
Nagin must have a huge ass. With him pulling whoppers like that out of it.

150 million people? Does this idiot even think about what comes pouring out of his mouth or is he like a magic eight ball? Shake his head and what ever floats to the surface first comes spilling out?

New Orleans, you have my pity.
68 posted on 02/02/2006 12:23:54 PM PST by Dr.Zoidberg (Mohammedism - Bringing you only the best of the 6th century for fourteen hundred years.)
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To: Unicorn
If his actions weren't so deadly, I could feel sorry for him.

Stupid doesn't begin to cover it.

69 posted on 02/02/2006 12:27:57 PM PST by OldFriend (The Dems enABLEd DANGER and 3,000 Americans died.)
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To: frankjr
The sad news for Nagin, Blank-o and the MSM, the public is all wrung out about NOLA and Katrina. We don't see people in trouble any more we see a sucking bottomless money pit that the locals seem to want to fill with chocolate.
70 posted on 02/02/2006 1:09:45 PM PST by Mike Darancette (Condimaniac)
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To: My2Cents

I think Nagin is using the Drunken system of counting- the Democrats are quite fond of it.


71 posted on 02/02/2006 1:12:15 PM PST by Diva Betsy Ross (Embrace peace- Hug an American soldier- the real peace keepers.)
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To: Diva Betsy Ross

There you go...the same system that results in 110% voter turnout in certain Philadelphia precincts.


72 posted on 02/02/2006 1:22:35 PM PST by My2Cents (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell)
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To: My2Cents
Hehe.. they have no self control-do they?
73 posted on 02/02/2006 1:24:25 PM PST by Diva Betsy Ross (Embrace peace- Hug an American soldier- the real peace keepers.)
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To: frankjr

"50% of all residents in the United States live along the Gulf Coast."

Wow, who knew?

Are they chocolate, too? ;)


74 posted on 02/02/2006 1:26:41 PM PST by maggief (and the dessert cart rolls on ...)
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To: JFC
"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."

Only if you take back your mexicans that are over in New Orleans doing the clean up!

75 posted on 02/02/2006 1:30:27 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum.)
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To: Unicorn
Did he say he's bringing back his family from TX. to chocolate city.

Who cares? You are really obsessed with that aren't you?

76 posted on 02/02/2006 11:29:40 PM PST by Saints fan
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To: Saints fan

"who cares" me for one,I'm just keeping it in front of the public to remind them what a bozo this jackass is.


77 posted on 02/03/2006 6:02:19 AM PST by Unicorn (Too many wimps around.)
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To: Unicorn

No one needs to be reminded of that. lol


78 posted on 02/03/2006 9:57:10 AM PST by Saints fan
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To: frankjr

Now THAT is funny! LOL!


79 posted on 02/03/2006 10:00:44 AM PST by kx9088
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To: My2Cents

Well...don't dead people in New Orleans still count as living folks? If you go out and count all the dead dudes since 1800...I think you might get up to 70 million just in Louisiana alone. The thing about this...is that Zombies ought to count for something. You don't build a major city in the US on Voodo...and just wipe the slate clean on dead folks. Something has to count. And the big thing...is that you need to hire and pay them dead folks....as seen with the Police dept there in Chocolateville. But...paying taxes is illegal...even by IRS standards...for dead folks. So someone did alot of thinking and realizes the value of hiring dead folks and registering them to vote as well.


80 posted on 02/03/2006 11:03:13 AM PST by pepsionice
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