Will a new Democratic Congress Help Rebuild SE Louisiana? (merged)(x2) (1 Viewer)

[Broad St. Saint]

I wonder if the Democratic-held Congress will want to send bills to Bush's desk concerning Katrina, levees and rebuilding. He can't veto Katrina-related rebuilding without bringing the whole sorry event back up. And the Democrats would probably love to bring Louisiana back to the Clintons in '08.

 

[DadsDream]

Don't kid yourself about the way we are viewed by the rest of the country, Broad St.

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
Dem Congress Is New York's Gain — and Mississippi's Loss?
November 9, 2006

“Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?”
Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

READ MORE

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2006/11/dem_congress_is_new_yorks_gain_1.html

NOTE: Original story is in the New York Times and requires registration. Look for story titled "After Years On the Outs, New York Comes Back In"

 

[DadsDream]

NY congressman says no offense intended with Mississippi remark
EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. - A Democratic congressman from New York says he wasn't trying to insult Mississippi in published remarks Thursday, but a Republican colleague from Mississippi says Rep. Charles Rangel should apologize to the state.

Rangel, D-N.Y., was quoted in a Thursday article in The New York Times, saying: "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"

Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., issued a news release criticizing Rangel's words.

"I hope his remarks are not the kind of insults, slander, and defamation that Mississippians will come to expect from the Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C.," Pickering said.

READ MORE

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/state/15972549.htm

 

[Saintman2884]

I am going to say something pretty controversial guys and you free to disagree with me, but with the exception of maybe La. and Florida, a good percentage of the Democratic Party doenst exactly see eye to eye with the South or Southern voters, in fact they probably dont like them or look down on them in some cases. New Orleans maybe will get some help thats I do know becuase they have to at least save face on that one and so will Bush, but lets remember something here The deep South is no longer Democratic Party territory. I think the new Democratic Party party base is the NorthEast and the midwest and maybe a few Western states, thats who they cater too.

I hope I am wrong guys and hopefully I will be but I hear people say things about my part of the world and its not complimentary, if not insulting some of the time.
The South is not high on the Dems priority list, I think John Kerry even said before his 2004 election campaign he didnt even need the Southern vote to win the presidental election.

 

[DadsDream]

Such derision as Rangel's crosses party boundaries and smacks of East Coast elitism.

But it did speak volumes that the DNC cut all funding to Kerry's campaign in Louisiana in July 2004, three months before the election.

 

[gaminerie]

i care far less about the distribution of federal money, than i do about whether Congress cares to investigate the behavior of the private insurance industry in all this.

Federal grant appropriations is not something you can go home and sell to your constituency. Holding private insurance companies accountable to paying policyholders, OTOH, is something anyone who's ever held an insurance policy can grasp.

 

[Severum]

Such derision as Rangel's crosses party boundaries and smacks of East Coast elitism.

But it did speak volumes that the DNC cut all funding to Kerry's campaign in Louisiana in July 2004, three months before the election.

It certainly did, luckily McAuliffe got the boot and the old habit of ignoring everything but the coasts is gone. DNC is more focused on southern states under Dean, 50 state strategy and moderate candidates helped the numbers this election. I hope we stay a swing state to avoid being written off by both parties.


Increased focus on LA/MS would be a good political move, hopefully Landrieu and Blanco can get some results. Alexander will probably lose his appropriations seat so it's bad news for us. Maybe he'll turn D again and retain it.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

The only use the Dems will have for Katrina is to hit W over the head with it - lots of investigations from the Waxman-led Gov. Reform Committee, etc.

We're better off focusing on (and closely tracking) the billions currently sitting in the bank in Baton Rouge rather than hoping for more money. Blanco has 'ordered' her Road Home folks to process 10,000 applications in the next month, up from 18 total so far.

DC is not our biggest problem right now.

 

[jimwnola]

No. Little politcal incentive. Also, Feds have already appropriated billions to the State which hasn't made it to those who need it. I don't see how anymore money comes our way until we at least prove we spent what we were given, spent it wisely and need more.

 

[JimEverett]

I think, or maybe it is hope, that there will be more emphasis on long-term protection. That means coastal restoration.
Not saying it will happen, but a much better shot of it happening with Democrats in control.

 

[CT Saints Fan]

"who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"

Even his apology makes another sorta subtle dig.

=============
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/state/15972549.htm

NY congressman says no offense intended with Mississippi remark
EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. - A Democratic congressman from New York says he wasn't trying to insult Mississippi in published remarks Thursday, but a Republican colleague from Mississippi says Rep. Charles Rangel should apologize to the state.

Rangel, D-N.Y., was quoted in a Thursday article in The New York Times, saying: "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"

Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., issued a news release criticizing Rangel's words.

"I hope his remarks are not the kind of insults, slander, and defamation that Mississippians will come to expect from the Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C.," Pickering said.

Elbert Garcia, Rangel's press secretary in New York, said Rangel had received calls Thursday about the Mississippi quote.

Garcia e-mailed The Associated Press a response from Rangel: "I certainly don't mean to offend anyone, I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."

 

[bclemms]

I hope he walks in front of the Yankees team bus in New York traffic and lives to get some sort of lung disease from air pollution and while he is walking back from his daily hospital visit and gets mugged on the subway and killed by his mistress and has his body dumped in the Hudson River.

Of course I am joking. I could care less what this guy thinks as long as he isn't trying to block any funding for the South or intentionally trying to keep the southern states from progressing.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Ladies and gentlemen, the new chairman of Ways and Means.

As an aside, I wonder if he will reintroduce his military draft bill now that the Dems are in power?

 

[NCSaint]

These people crack me up. So let me get this straight...

He said this: Rangel, D-N.Y., was quoted in a Thursday article in The New York Times, saying: "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"

But meant this: Garcia e-mailed The Associated Press a response from Rangel: "I certainly don't mean to offend anyone, I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."

I am glad that you will be staying in NY there Mr. Rangel...and keep your opinions to yourself.

 

[Jazzbo]

http://saintsreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2742