Question: if Brownie screwed up like this, how come he didn't screw up

[thereismore]

in 2004 (Florida)? I know, election year, but someone just cannot act competently one year ago when he is in fact an incompetent POS. Who took over the FEMA job in 2004?

[Inland]

1. Somebody gave a shit about Florida's gov and it's electoral votes.

Basically, everyone was hopping to do FEMA's job for it. The direction came from the top.

It's like asking why your street gets paved before election day, isn't it?

[MSgt213]

2. Didn't you hear. It was precisely because it was an election year.

There was no red tape. They gave checks to people who didn't even get touch by the storm. However, if you check with Florida I will assure you will find people still living in temporary housing from that storm, because all the care went away right after the election.

[Junkdrawer]

3. The FEMA lockdown worked in 2004 - this year it killed thousands...

I think Bush's FEMA has been doing this for most of the hurricanes it managed - lock the disaster down, minimize body counts, arrange photo-ops and spread around the cash. It's just that this time, the ongoing disaster was so huge that their 'political containment' efforts cost lives. Thousands of lives.

[Wilber_Stool]

4. He did.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4697716

[Catherine Vincent]

5. Is it because he was told to stand down?

I wouldn't put it past those rat bastards.

[displacedtexan]

6. He passed out cash to Republicans in FL...

whether or not they deserved it.

Becoming a big issue this week. Finally.

[kdmorris]

7. They did screw up, just not like this

They paid out money to anybody and everybody without even finding out if they were truly affected by the storm. In addition, they needed the pictures and the electoral votes. Both Bushes showed up right after each hurricane to have their picture taken handing out water and sweating in the heat, Brownie by their side.

And the media just whored away, talking about how strong of a leader they both were, how great everything was going to be because of the presence of the almighty Bushies.

They didn't act competently, but managed to make it look like they were by allowing TONS of "private" (Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc) aid to come in and help us. They didn't care if we lived or died, but they sure as shit needed those pictures of Bush handing out water and food with his brother.

For what it's worth, I was just outside of the southern eye wall of Frances and in the hurricane force winds for Jeanne. There was quite a bit of damage to trees and roofs in our neighborhood. There are STILL blue tarps on roofs here and trees laying down with the branches cut off the "important" part of buildings. But my understanding is that right after the American public lost interest in the damage down here, the federal government did, too, so most of these tarps will stay there until the owners have enough money to fix it.

[TomClash]

8. It's not Brown's fault

It's Bush's fault. The shit never hits the fan, but it always flows down.

[jean]

9. they wouldn't want their base to have to evacuate, for one thing. And

it's not just Brown/FEMA ... didn't the entire administration show up in Florida immediately or shortly thereafter for uncountable photo ops? Remember bush and Jeb handing out bottled water?

I hope someone is creating a huge report on this - a website we can all use to get this out there - how could bush and his FEMA come to the rescue again and again last year in Florida, and yet last week they were AWOL? Shouldn't the Florida experience of last year, wow that's not too long ago, have provided a kind of trial run for what they needed to do last week?