at least when it comes to fighting rightwing spin. The rightwing doesn't care about black people. We know this. But
they don't care that they don't care. Racial equality was never on their agenda, and their base couldn't care less about it. No - the weak point in their excuses/spin is
NATIONAL SECURITY.
Not only from the standpoint of looking toward the future: "Gee, if the terrorists launch a big attack someday, we'd like to have a speedier response from the Feds, please!" This is specifically connected to this storm - to the importance of New Orleans and the Gulf region to national security and our economy.
The area is crucially important to our economy, because of shipping and oil/gas production. A couple of stats I've seen bandied about say that the area accounts for
one-quarter of oil and gas production in this country, and
one-fifth of everything shipped in the US goes through New Orleans. These points alone, regardless of humanitarian concerns, should have made the protection of the area - particularly New Orleans -
a national security priority. Even looking at the disaster from a hardcore rightwing, capitalistic standpoint - focusing only on the bottom line, the economy, and national security, not on human suffering and the plight of the poor - the Federal government's failing to take action to protect and secure the area is
OUTRAGEOUS.
How could Bushco be asleep at the wheel on this? If he can't even focus on the rightwing capitalists' concerns, what good is he, really?
This, I believe, is what is causing so many conservatives to have grave doubts. Finally.
I also think there are grounds for charging the Bush administration with endangering the welfare of this country through incompetence and negligence.
When rightwingers start spouting off about "those people", looters, unrest in New Orleans etc., hit them in the teeth with this.