GOP Strategist Defends Romney’s Plan To Dismantle FEMA

[trailmonkee]

Source: think progress

Mitt Romney’s past comments about dismantling FEMA and privatizing disaster relief have come back to haunt him as Hurricane Sandy begins to wreak havoc on the East Coast. Still, one Republican strategist, Ron Bonjean, agrees with him. On CNN Monday morning, Bonjean, a private consultant who advises GOP congressional leaders, defended Romney, suggesting that even talking about federal disaster relief is politically toxic:

Most people don’t have a positive impression of FEMA and I think Mitt Romney was right on the button. But I don’t think anybody cares about that right now. I think people care about whether or not their power’s on, whether or not their basement’s going to be flooded. And I think that if the president gets too far in front of this and something goes wrong, people are going to remember, hey, my power’s not out, and the president’s talking about FEMA. I’m not a real big fan of FEMA. That could sway their vote.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/10/29/1105611/gop-strategist-romney-should-de-fund-disaster-relief-people-dont-care-about-fema/

[montanacowboy]

1. O M G

what a douche

[Nancy Waterman]

2. Excellent

Keep it in the news. The only reason people might not think well of FEMA is because of the way it was run under Bush.
It has been terrific before and since under Democrats who actually care about helping people.

[SharonAnn]

24. Hurrican Andrew under Bush 1 and Katrina under Bush 2 showed what

happens when you cut FEMA budget and staff it with appointees.

Oklahoma City and 9-11 show what happens when Democratic presidents have it appropriately funded. FEMA was able to respond quickly and thoroughly in both these cases and in some other case I can't remember right now.

Bush 2 deliberately defunded FEMA tomake $ available for his tax cutsw. Then, he staffed it with political appointees who had no experience in disaster management but did have experience in getting good-paying government jobs.

[kelliekat44]

30. Remember how the Clinton administration re-invented FEMA to a bright

Federal agency that received accolades from the people it served? It only too Bush junior to move it and mess it up. The GOP wants to privatize it so that only those who can afford those expensive homes in disaster areas get the service and nobody else.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

32. If the stock market crashes the private disaster companies would go bankrupt

[TrogL]

3. So every weather forecaster on the planet is wrong and he's right?

The office I used to work in had a weather section and I'd be required to attend the daily weather briefings.

No matter where this lands, it's gonna be a disaster. If it gets near the Niagara Falls Power grid, the whole East Coast is going to be down.

[speedoo]

4. Fucking idiot.

This is the rethug party.

Just a bunch of fucking idiots.

[YvonneCa]

5. Bush had the same plan. Worked on it...

...diligently right up until Katrina. Tried to let the states respond and watched a castrated FEMA fail. We don't need to go back to these failed policies.

We need to go FORWARD.

[Purveyor]

6. Great, it put it 'on the table' for debate. I can't believe they would even touch this. eom

[justiceischeap]

7. Chuck Todd on MSNBC said something very relevant about all this

He's from Florida and Floridian's LOVE FEMA. I wish there was a way to play this without it looking bad because of the storm.

[jsr]

8. GOP Strategist would be the first to call FEMA for help in a disaster

You can take that to the bank.

[goclark]

15. Chris Christie thanked Our President

for all the help he gave for the situation.

[fascisthunter]

9. anti-government extremist nutcase

[Angry Dragon]

10. Bonjean should feel the full force of the storm

and then be denied any help from FEMA so he can see first hand how it can help people

[Tay123]

11. GOP Strategist Defends Romney’s Plan To Dismantle FEMA

In Romney's world the federal government is not responsible and should not provide disaster relief. How will the private companies providing disaster relief received compensation from the very folks that have lost everything?

[union_maid]

12. OK, that doesn't even make sense

I think that everyone pretty much knows that power outages and flooded basements are one set of concerns and the things that FEMA addresses are another. It's just a lot of blather, except of course that they are sooo hoping that "something goes wrong", but how the president getting "too far in front" of the situation could cause that is beyond me.

[CitizenPatriot]

13. So, he's concerned that Obama is going to be too competent?

Wow.

Yeah, FEMA has a bad rap from BUSH DAYS. DOH.

[Berlum]

20. Yup. Republicans want America to fail

As they continue to demonstrate

[Dubster]

14. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[redqueen]

28. There's nothing they won't politicize.

They're shameless.

Also: Welcome to DU!

[DallasNE]

16. George W. Bush Gave FEMA A Black Eye

When he named the unqualified Brown to head the agency right before Katrina. Before that FEMA had a good name, particularly from the outstanding work they did following Andrew a few years earlier. Besides, I can't envision how the work of FEMA could be made private, for profit. No FEMA and this years hurricane would have again caused heavy, serious damage in New Orleans because the dikes still would have been awaiting repair. But, hey, it's the job of a GOP hack to defend even the cockamamie ideas of Mitt Romney.

[heaven05]

17. man what a snake!

politicizing the storm already. They are evil people not to be concerned about human beings and animals in danger from this huge storm.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

18. Could the guy have picked a worse time to open his mouth?

[chelsea0011]

19. This story could carry right up to the election and there are many

shore living Rmoney supporters who are always asking the government to do something about there beachfront properties to make them safer. i wonder how they will feel about Rmoney after this storm?

[DWinNJ]

21. My house didn't burn down last week

Why should I have a fire department in my town and why should I have to pull over to the side of the road when the red trucks are coming down the road?

[olegramps]

22. Ayn Ryan worshiper. Let them drown. Good riddance. Worthless 47 percent.

[reflection]

23. It's one thing to whistle past the graveyard,

and another thing to bang a gong past it. Good luck with that stance, buddy.

[yurbud]

25. so when the helicopter is pulling you out of the water, you better have your damn Visa or Mastercard

or they'll drop you back in the drink

[ProudProgressiveNow]

29. Touche. nt

[elbloggoZY27]

26. Way Out Ugly

Hurricane Sandy will wreak a lot of damage along the East Coast. The GOP just is way to insensitive to the Emergency Needs of we United States Citizens. They are totally disconnected.

Stop attacking FEMA and the rest of the Agencies that help the Citizens of the United States.

[rachel1]

27. This sort of idiocy is what Obama needs to run ads on to expose Romney

[MrModerate]

31. Republican policy-makers . . .

Incompetent, foolish, and uncaring.

Heckuva job, Ronnie.

[Demsrule86]

33. Fema works just fine when you appoint someone qualified unlike good old 'Brownie'.

Same old GOP crap...appoint an unqualified persont to head FEMA as Bush did when he appointed Brownie and then scream it doesn't work when this guy screws up....go ahead GOP make your case for ridding the country of FEMA, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and middle class deductions like home deduction so the rich can have more and more...still time for a blowout for Obama.

[Vidar]

34. Thank you, Mr. Bonjean for for being so transparently evil. You & Romney deserve each other.