Democratic political consultant and Gore presidential campaign manager Donna Brazile, writing in the Washington Post:
New Orleans is my hometown. It is the place where I grew up, where my family still lives. For me, it is a place of comfort and memories. It is home.
[…]
On Thursday night President Bush spoke to the nation from my city. I am not a Republican. I did not vote for George W. Bush—in fact, I worked pretty hard against him in 2000 and 2004. But on Thursday night, after watching him speak from the heart, I could not have been prouder of the president and the plan he outlined to empower those who lost everything and to rebuild the Gulf Coast.
Bush called on every American to stand up and support the rebuilding of the region. He told us that New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast would rise from the ruins stronger than before. He enunciated something that we all need to remember: This is America. We are not immune to tragedy here, but we are strong because of our industriousness, our ingenuity and, most important, because of our compassion for one another. We are a nation of rebuilders and a nation of givers. We do not give up in the face of tragedy, we stand up, and we reach out to help those who cannot stand up on their own.
The president called on every American to reach out to my neighbors in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Coast. The great people of this country have already opened their hearts in the immediate aftermath of the storm, and their tremendous generosity has done more than just provide extra comfort—it has saved lives. Now the crisis of survival is over. But the task of rebuilding remains, and the president made it clear that every single one of us has a role to play.
[…]
The president also laid out the federal government’s goal for rebuilding. It is unprecedented in its scope and ambition, matching destruction that is unprecedented as well. He made the challenge clear: This will be one of the biggest reconstruction projects in history. But he also made it clear that we can and will do this. New Orleans, Biloxi, all of the Gulf Coast will rise again. And the residents are ready to pitch in and do their part.
I know, maybe better than anyone, that there are times when it seems that our nation is too divided ever to heal. There are times when we feel so different from each other that we can hardly believe that we are all part of the same family. But we are one nation. We are a family. And this is what we do. When the president asked us to pitch in Thursday night, he wasn’t really asking us to do anything spectacular. He was asking us to be Americans, and to do what Americans always do.
The president has set a national goal and defined a national purpose. This is something I believe with all my heart: When we are united, nothing can stop us. We will not waver, we will not tire, and we will not stop until the streets are clean, every last brick has been replaced and every last family has its home back.
[…]
Mr. President, I am ready for duty. I am ready to stir those old pots again. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Good on you, Ms Brazille. And when we actually do get down to rebuilding, here are some ideas for how to proceed.
Now if we could just have you maybe speak to Senator Landrieu (D-LA) about getting on board:
Sen. Mary Landrieu refused on Friday to withdraw or apologize for her threat to punch President Bush if he criticized Louisiana officials—despite Bush’s magnanimous speech Thursday night and a federal downpayment of more than $60 billion dollars to rebuild her state.
“I do not take it back, I don’t apologize for it. I said I would punch anybody, including the president,” she told the Chicago Tribune.
[…]
“These local officials were heroes,” she contended, before saying she meant every word of her threat.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” four days after Katrina’s floodwaters swamped New Orleans, Landrieu complained: “If one person criticizes [Louisiana], or says one more thing, including the president of the United States, he will hear from me—one more word about it after this show airs and I—I might likely have to punch him – literally.”
After saying she stood by her ugly comments, the Louisiana Democrat also offered praise for the president on Friday, saying the Katrina reconstruction plan he outlined in his speech was “innovative and bold.”
Sure. But shouldn’t a US Senator be trying to figure out, with the rest of us, exactly why we’re in a position that forces us to be “innovative and bold”—and spend what will surely be close to a trillion dollars—if we’re going to rebuild New Orleans? That is, shouldn’t she want to find out exactly what went right and what went wrong in Louisiana so that we, as a nation, can learn from the successes and failures and prepare ourselves better for future catastrophies? Indeed, isn’t it her duty to support such investigative efforts, even if that means much of the blame might ultimately get laid at the feet of those “heroic” local officials, including Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco? Or is Senator Landrieu content to allow false and divisive narratives rooted in corrosively partisan racial politicking to take hold, all in order to deflect attention away from actual failures that need to be understood and corrected?
The evacuees from New Orleans seem to favor the former. Can’t we expect the same from our elected officials?
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(h/t Mark in Mexico, Kate, and Tom Pechinski)
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update: WEALTHY OPRESSOR! PARTY TRAITOR!*
If all Democrats were similarly open-minded to the idea that President Bush is multi-faceted and by no means the evil monolith of their dreams, perhaps we could all discover more points on which we could agree–and we’d all feel better about America than we currently do. Unfortunately, most Democratic politicians already know this but can’t resist the siren call of demogoguery.
Now, all I’m waiting for is a visionary black politician to step up and ask the people of New Orleans to ignore the inflamed rhetoric of the left, put past grievances behind them and join him in creating a greater America in the 21st century. I thought it might be someone like Barack Obama, but he turns out to be much smaller in real life than he is in his photos.
Donna Brazile has thrown down a challenge to the Democratic Party. She is an American first and accepts and applauds President Bush’s plan. She is a very brave woman. I hope she has the influence that she should for all the work she has done for the Democrats in the past.
Why couldn’t muster up such public support for, I dunno…the defense of the nation, maybe?
Then again, I suppose that’s to be expected when the President says the best way to support the war effort is by by going about our daily lives…it’s tough to achieve the same kind of “national unity” when, by and large, the ordinary citizen doesn’t actually have to do anything in support of the war effort. I can’t quite articulate just what seems wrong about that to me.
Maybe I’m just nostalgic for Victory Soap and aluminum pennies.
Or drunk.
I’m a little confused by some of the links, how can people who have nothing lose everything?
She is brave, Daily Kos diary is in full attack mode against the politcal agenda of a woman whose entire family was devastated by Katrina not the Repuplicans. Politics is local, just maybe she sees more from her vantage point.
Kos and his cloud of sycophants are so utterly predictable, it’s not even interesting.
So why do I picture her singing this ala Marilyn Monroe…
Maybe someone should talk to Senator Landrieu’s husband instead?
Donna Brazile? Wow!
Just goes to show that this woman does have a brain and an excellent education. Unfortunately, I have never seen her use either except to pander to ignorance in pursuit of a political agenda.
Go, Donna!
I don’t know her motives (which is not to say I question them), but it is wonderful to see her drop the pandering and truly display some race neutral common sense. I hope she reads all the ugly comments about her position in DKos, and really gets a personal feel for the kind of moronic rabble she has been courting for so long. I never thought I’d say this, but –
Thank you, Donna.
Transalation: Let me in on that good ol’ Louisiana pork barrel feedin’ frenzy. Show me the money!
I just about died of a heart attack when I read Brazile’s column. Had it been written by James Carville, well, I’d be pushing up daisies right about now.
The Kos Sacks hate Donna Brazile because she speaks intelligently. That really irritates them. Must be jealousy.
Though I remember Chuckie Shumer being similarly effusive when Dubya ordered up money for NYC after 9/11, I’ll give Brazile the benefit of the doubt until she slips back into her old race-baiting, nasty self. Remember, Brazile was fired from the Dukakis campaign for calling George the Elder a “racist, whore, and philanderer.” As Al Gore’s presidential campaign manager, she vowed not “to let the white boys win” (which, depending on which white boys, she did pretty well).
Has Brazile’s heart changed? I’m pretty sure Dubya’s did when he found Jesus, and his example urges me to forgive. Nevertheless, I will not be surprised if in six months we hear Brazile citing the racism of the Bush administration as the main reason for New Orleans’ slow recovery. Because—and even on this non-PC blog I feel I have to disavow racist motivations—just how many backward, corrupt, Third World countries do you think would suddenly change their ways because of a massive infusion of cash? Honestly, if you will think of New Orleans as a Third World country, you will understand everything that’s transpired.
I know, it’s Sunday morning and I’m going to Hell for writing that.
I’ll give her credit for putting public interest before partisan interest here.
When Sen. Chuck “Death to Anyone Between Him and a Microphone” Schumer was effusive in praise for George W. post-9-11, you did not have this massive Bush-hating frenzy in the Democratic party blaming Bush’s racism and incompetence for 9-11. You had a little, but it clearly was not the standard talking points of the Democratic party appratus.
Donna Brazille is making her cooperative comments in the face of extreme, vicious, mindless and hateful Bush-basing as the basic default position of the Democratic party hierarchy. This is gutsy. Add to the fact that she is a black, African-American female woman of color and her commentary severely undercuts the whole Bush is racist/sexist meme being trafficked by the Democratic party moveon.org apparatchiks.
Even if she reverts to form down the road—whether due to sincere disagreements or as part of a craven effort to “maintain her “political viability within the Democrat left” is not relevant. Right now, when her country needs her, she stepped up. Puts her miles ahead of her fellow partisan Dems.
Like I said, I’ll follow Dubya’s example for now and forgive (trust but verify?), but I gotta ask mmlt, do you think Ms. Brazille would have written that commentary if this happened to Miami, instead of her hometown? You know, “because her country needed her?”
But sure, let’s stir those pots. Been a long time since I had some jambalaya.