What Dems say they are going to do about New Orleans

Cross-posted from Booman Tribune

Hat tip to Your Right Hand Thief.

I've often wondered what the Democratic candidates have in store for my beleaguered birthplace.  Ray in New Orleans has compiled a list of Dem candidates who have plans for the city in their platforms.

In terms of interest and "rough order of worthiness," they are:

1. Obama


2. Edwards


3. Clinton


4. Richardson


5. Dodd


6. Biden


7. Kucinich


8. Gravel

Ray cautioned that if you're only looking for substance, stick with the first three.

I leave it to you to come to your own conclusions about who would have the best plan to save the city, but its not much to go on, as Ray relates.

1. Obama's Katrina Fact Sheet (pdf)

Ray says

It hits a lot of the main points. Short on details on all of them. I'd like to see more details on schools, on insurance reform, on economic recovery.

2. Edwards' Katrina proposals

A quick read gives the impression that he's more thorough on the Katrina issues he does address, but he doesn't even mention the word insurance and he's the only one to not call for Category 5 hurricane protection (although he agrees 100-year protection is inadequate).

3.  And then we have Hillary's

Shorter and much vaguer than Obama's, although she at least mentions insurance reform.  More good info on Hillary's plan hyah and hyah.

These recovery plans only offer just enough to make them appear that they care. Lawd only knows what will occur when they sit in the Oval Office, and choose who will be at HUD, Justice and Homeland Security when the misbegotten reign of George Bush has finally ended (if it ends).  There is no try, only do, as I heard it said in Star Wars.  Or do not. Doing little or nothing hasn't gotten us very far. Dem words--like Bush's--will not have substance until there is Dem action to back them up.

Some people may be wondering, well, what about the other candidates?  Why not talk about their plans?  Because, seriously, according to Ray, there is little there-there. For instances, here's what Ray had to say about Dennis:

Dennis Kucinich is short. Short on any recovery plans or even any mention of the word Katrina. Unlike any other candidates, he does have a link to his local Louisiana campaign team's page, where you can learn how to register to vote in Louisiana and can be excited by the news that Sean Penn and Melissa Etheridge are supporters. Fuck Sean Penn, where's Uncle Lionel's support?

Apparently Kucinich's Louisiana team doesn't think Katrina recovery is a big election issue.

There is a link off the main page that says "Meet Elizabeth" which really got my juices flowing, but alas, it only lets you read about her.

BTW, Ray also tried to find the Republican candidates' recovery plans for New Orleans, but:

I looked at Romney and Rudy's sites, and so far both put out statements basically saying "Our hearts and prayers go out to the Katrina victims. Sucks to be you."

I think the GOP platform is "Not Our Problem, Dude", so it makes sense that they wouldn't have to outline their plan to do nothing.

•  Let's hope that enough pressure can be brought

  to bear against continuing this drain of resources, men and women, and money in Iraq.  Out of Iraq and into New Orleans.

  Focus on ourselves, our infrastructure, and our cities first.

  by blksista on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 05:23:30 AM PDT

  •  IMHO Katrina Is A Great Sound Bite

    and Edwards (who I support BTW) has used New Orleans well as a photo-op, but outside of that I don't think many of them have much of a plan and I don't see a whole lot changing in the area.

    I have a lot of friends in south FL that I talk/chat w/ and they'll tell you areas hit in the early 90s, at least the mid-to-lower income areas still have not rebuilt.

    I have hope for New Orleans and the Gulf coast, you have to cause I was born there, went to school there, go back every year, but that is about all it is now. Hope!

    by webranding on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 05:38:23 AM PDT

    •  I was born there as well...

      but time is running out, and we can't just figure on "good old American know-how" to get us through this situation.

      by blksista on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 05:45:19 AM PDT

    •  I disagree with your mischaracterization

      of John Edwards who took 700 students to New Orleans to clean up and rebuild and has visited many times since Katrina. If he'd only been interested in photo-ops, he could have taken 10 students, snapped a few pics, and left. IMHO
      Also - my disappointment in Obama and Hillary:  Obama endorsed warmonger Lieberman last year and Bill Clinton campaigned with him. Throughout the campaign, LIEberman promised that if he were re-elected, his senate committee would initiate an investigation into the slow recovery for Katrina victims - still without housing - and the corruption involved in reconstruction.
      But in February, Lieberman announced there would be NO investigation because it would embarrass the Bush administration. I've stopped waiting for some indication of outrage from Obama and Hillary who both benefited by $upporting Lieberman for
      re-election to the senate.

      by annefrank on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 06:58:56 AM PDT

      •  Not mine

        Ray from New Orleans.

        Visit his website of the same name and duke it out with him.

        by blksista on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 09:19:28 AM PDT

        •  OK - thanks!

          by annefrank on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 11:19:37 AM PDT

    •  The call for New Orleans to be rebuilt by ...

      ... employing local residents at a prevailing wage rather than by outsourcing the job to no-bid corporate contracts ... Edwards put that into a an interview about Blackwater in Iraq ... when given an opening in the interview.

      Its at about 6:26 to 7:00

      by BruceMcF on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 09:21:29 AM PDT

  •  One Other Passing Thoughts

    I am not sure I'd like the companies trying to get power and water running in Iraq to do much in New Orleans. But of course the money would be nice.

    If there is one thing I learned from living on and off and visiting the area, the people of southern Louisiana may be the most proud, hard working, and resourceful people in our nation.

    If they are given the money and resources they'll take care of the rebuilding on their own. This the ONE things that pisses me off so much about the right talking heads that keep saying things like the people "want handouts." Bullshit. It is kind of hard to rebuild a major metro area when you don't have water, power, security, or a place to buy food. Not to mention the zoning issues and the fact they can't get access to their insurance money or the funds the US government promised.

    Although we might need to keep a few of the local politicans away from the money :).

    by webranding on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 05:53:34 AM PDT

    •  Both Obama's and Edwards' plans have ...

      ... substantial focus on hiring locals to do the work of reconstruction, and establishing reconstruction offices within the White House to get things moving. Edwards' declared focus is that the leader of the reconstruction effort meets with him every day to report on what he did the previous day ... Obama's declared focus is on ensuring that the task force is bipartisan.

      by BruceMcF on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 09:31:11 AM PDT

  •  Yes, as Edwards said on Countdown last week ...

    ... clip in previous comment ...
    We need a surge in New Orleans, not a surge in Iraq.

    by BruceMcF on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 09:23:05 AM PDT

  •  Who wants the land?

    My LTE response to Bitter Vitter.

    http://www.nola.com/...

    It would be cheaper and quicker to renovate and convert the housing projects in a similar fashion as was done to ware houses, breweries and the can company.  Make this housing available to the working class:  police, teachers, firemen, bus drivers, entertainment and retail employees – you know the people with jobs that make our city run.  Without them, NOLA does not function.  Many can walk to work and having police officers residing in the apartments will keep crime down.  

    The FBI is investigating Alphonse Jackson and his pal, William Hairston.  It seems Mr. Hairston is the owner of a stucco business.  Well, EFIS (External Finish Insulation System) is toxic in an area that has high humidity and potential flooding.  That is why the old homes used plaster, not sheet rock.  

    So Senator Vitter, have you taken a look at the housing that replaced the Florida Ave. projects.  They suffered tremendous roof and siding damage, even though this was new construction.  Will we build additional cheap, poorly constructed housing so the developers can profit?  Will this housing be slab or raised?  

    How dare you state public housing destroyed NOLA as much as the fatal negligence of the ACOE?  People died and all of our property values have deteriorated.  What are you going to do about that?  Why did you and your party not do a complete 829 investigation of this criminal negligence?  What are you hiding?  Now, you have the audacity to make racial undertones regarding the destruction of NOLA.  Have you not heard of the Jena 6?  Please, we need 60,000 down here right now just to shut down the destruction of a major American city due to greed.

    by chigh on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 09:59:40 AM PDT

•  Republicons are busy locking in Crony contracts.

  By the time we get a regime change in DC, there will be no way to get out of paying shrub's cronies even if they do no work in NOLA.
  Don't believe me; see Halliburton, and tell me when they missed getting paid, even for substandard work.

  by manwithnoname on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 05:57:05 AM PDT

  •  Oh, there'll be a way ...

    ... which is using the bully pulpit ... "discovering" details, widely publicizing them, generating political outrage ...

    ... we can at a minimum turn off the spigot, and with strong enough Congressional support can put the squeeze on requiring them to actually meet the terms of their contracts, even when - hell, especially when - it means their spending additional money for work without paying them more to do so.

    by BruceMcF on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 09:25:57 AM PDT

•  My blood didn't even

  boil.  Guess I've just gotten used to hating everybody long enough.

  OK. OK.  I don't hate everybody but it felt good to type it.  I'm finished acting out now.

  I agree with the list in the order Ray put them in -no changes.

  Good to hear from you again, blksista!

  P.S.  We finally have a second toilet!!!  Thank God for small favors.

  by nolalily on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 06:34:53 AM PDT

•  Too bad this Diary didn't get more ...

  ...attention. Or to the Rec'd List. I suggest you rewrite it some and post it again at a more propitious time, early evening on a weekday, for instance.

  by Meteor Blades on Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 09:09:13 PM PDT