Category: Barack Obama

The Sun Herald Takes Obama’s “Tinkle-Stop Tour” to Task

Do the ladies and gentlemen of the Sun Herald editorial board read Harry Shearer at the Huff Po or have they been climbing Editilla’s Ladder (thanks to citizen-activists like Cresent City Ray)? Whoever turned them on to Shearer’s spot on criticisms of President Obama’s last visit deserves an A+ as Saturday’s Sun Herald contained a spot on editorial that echos much of what has been said on the Ladder, here on Slabbed and many other local cyber venues regarding Obama’s Tinkle-Stop Tour visit to the Big Easy last week:

Brilliant.

During his historic run for the presidency, Barack Obama’s campaign consistently outmaneuvered the opposition, whether fellow Democrats in his party primary or John McCain in the general election.

He was engaged, decisive, and especially in tune with the mood of the electorate and its sense of national priorities.

Time and time again he invoked the image of Republican failure in handling Katrina’s impact on a vast Gulf Coast population.

Fast-forward nine months into his presidency, and President Barack Obama has made his first post-inauguration visit to New Orleans — a visit that seemed to many more like a drive-through or photo op.

Author/actor Harry Shearer, a strong advocate for New Orleans, said, “he could have saved the jet fuel.” Continue reading “The Sun Herald Takes Obama’s “Tinkle-Stop Tour” to Task”

Editilla on Hope a Dope

Irreverently insightful and, at times, just so damn funny I laughed aloud, Editillia does us proud.

We were all set to see our Hope Vote validated this past 8/29 Anniversary, but His O’ner blew our Holy Day in The City The Corps Forgot to go on vacation after only 6 months on the job and play golf at a Rich People’s Place. Thus we saw the ‘Hope’ first begin to uncoil.

Then we heard about the White House trip to the Gulf, a 3 Hour Tinkle-Stop Tour, to check on the status of Hurricane Katrina recovery by A) Not going to Mississippi where Katrina actually hit, causing total devastation, and B) Going to New Orleans where Katrina did not hit and did not cause our total devastation –thence we saw the ‘A’ -hidden behind his back, a foreign object.

Then the Big Show finally arrives amidst obvious disregard and Presidential hubris that we should all be so grateful the president took the time to come and blow smoke up our asses and use our wounded city to Campaign for his Health Care/Economic Thingy.

Butt, it wasn’t until His O’ner opened his mouth and out came the Wise Blood channeling Elmer Gantry (as a Yankee might think we southerners behave in “N’Awlins”) that Editilla saw the scene completed, saw the ‘Dope’. That is when I saw His O’ner “just getting started” on his wind-up to whip us with Hope’A’Dope. Continue reading “Editilla on Hope a Dope”

Dear Mr President We Still Have Insurance Problems: Gene Taylor Writes a Letter to the Prez


Congressman Gene Taylor
U.S. House of Representatives
Fourth District of Mississippi

————————————

2269 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5772
Fax (202) 225-7074

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ana Maria Rosato (202) 253-1308
October 13, 2009

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) Urges President Obama to Reform National Flood Insurance Program, Act on Multiple Peril Insurance legislation 

Bay St. Louis, Miss. — With the President’s upcoming visit to New Orleans on October 15, 2009, Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) wrote Mr. Obama urging the Administration to reform the National Flood Insurance Program and revisit the Multiple Peril Insurance Act of 2009, his proposed solution to the homeowner insurance crisis that is sweeping America’s homeowners throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coastal states. Rep. Taylor urged the Administration to engage in “more actively in reforming the National Flood Insurance Program, providing for better disaster insurance coverage, and improving other disaster response and recovery programs.”

Rep. Taylor’s letter opened by reminding President Obama that since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Mississippi Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, he has not yet visited the area either as a Senator, a candidate for President, or as President. In the letter, the Mississippi Congressman stated:

“Immediately after [Hurricane] Katrina, we learned that some of the largest insurance companies in America were not going to honor their [homeowner] policies.” Continue reading “Dear Mr President We Still Have Insurance Problems: Gene Taylor Writes a Letter to the Prez”

Dear Mr President: A Cresent City Ray guest post. Cat 5 Rally Announced

Cresent City Ray sent in both the annoucment of the Cat 5 rally and a guest post thus the balance of this entry is courtesy of our friend Ray. (Gene has the insurance thing covered in the next post).

Flier_imageDear New Orleanians,

Let’s make the best of this opportunity Thursday. Please consider attending or inviting others to attend the:

Cat 5 Now! Coastal Restoration Now! Rally

Thursday 9 am -10 am, between Jackson Square & the mighty Mississippi River

Invite schools, friends, neighbors and the press.
Download the rally flier here:

http://www.crescentcityrecovery.com/

Thanks for any help making this happen.

Tell President Obama Continue reading “Dear Mr President: A Cresent City Ray guest post. Cat 5 Rally Announced”

SLABBED Daily – June 15

It has not been difficult to find disturbing news for some time now – which is my way of saying that I had much to choose from when I selected this TPM story on the Americorps IG Firing for today’s SLABBED Daily.

A couple of comments before the story:

  • Senator Grassley’s commitment to the independence of  federal inspector generals is commendable – and much more impressive than his twittering or the “fact-finding ability”[sic] of the IG investigating fraud in NFIP following Katrina.
  • Obama will have to change more than the Inspector General – Americorps “administrative red tape” traps many community-based programs.

Now, the TPM “muck” on the situation:

On Friday, we took a look at the White House’s firing of Gerald Walpin, the inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service, who had clashed with an Obama ally, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson…

But we’re not the only ones asking for more information. ABC News reports that Sen. Charles Grassley, (R-IA) has sent a letter to the chair of CNCS asking for all relevant information and documents pertaining to the firing.

Here’s the back story Continue reading “SLABBED Daily – June 15”

In retrospect the fix was in with Obama long ago

From the Hill’s Blog Briefing Room (H/T Steve):

The Republican National Committee (RNC) sought to undermine Barack Obama’s ban on lobbyist donations to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) today by pointing out that DNC Vice Chair Lottie Shackelford is herself a registered lobbyist.

The DNC announced yesterday that it would not take donations from registered federal lobbyists or Political Action Committees (PACs), in keeping with Obama’s rule for his own campaign–a rule that was disputed by Obama’s Democratic rivals in presidential primary debates.

Shackleford is senior executive vice president of lobbying firm Global USA, Inc.; she has been a registered lobbyist with the firm since 1999. Her corporate clients include SBC Communications, Hyundai Motor Co., Kyocera Corp., Allstate Insurance, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, and Sallie Mae, Inc. Her non-corporate clients include National Public Radio, Miami-Dade County, Fla., and pro-immigration interest group United to Secure America.

Shackelford was Deputy Campaign Manager for President Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. She was elected mayor of Little Rock, Ark. in 1987 and was the first woman to serve as the city’s mayor.

In the press release it circulated about Shackelford today, the RNC accused Obama of “hypocrisy” when it comes to lobbyists and asked, “How will the DNC’s ban on lobbyist cash bring change when there are major exceptions and registered lobbyists in leadership positions?”

Now the Insurance Industry goes after Ron Klein’s Homeowner’s Defense Act

The tree huggers at Sierra Club and the insurance industry that bought them will not be happy until we’re all bled white shipping all our money offshore paying for wind-insurance. First they got Gene’s bill; now the only alternative is in the crosshairs. MIchael Gibson of the Sun-Sentinel has the story:

An odd-bedfellows coalition of environmentalists and private-market advocates today unveiled a website and concerted efforts to defeat legislation introduced by South Florida Congressman Ron Klein.

Klein’s bill — backed by House leaders and, in concept, by President Obama — would create a federal backstop for homeowner insurance against damage from hurricanes and other major disasters.

Obama’s support in concept is about as meaningful as his support in concept of Gene’s multi peril’s bill. As we’ve found first hand Obama can not be trusted to keep his word as the story continues:

The coalition, SmarterSafer.org, opposes the bill on the argument that it would interfere with the private insurance market and encourage development in areas vulnerable to disasters and the impact of global warming. Presumably that includes low-lying parts of coastal Florida. Continue reading “Now the Insurance Industry goes after Ron Klein’s Homeowner’s Defense Act”

Some clear signals the Prez is crossways with Gene Taylor

Not that such doesn’t help Gene Taylor with the local voters, the majority of which are very conservative and part of the 30 percent of the populace who do not care for Obama’s job performance (and never will). So while the new adminsitration didn’t even bother to meet with Gene on his bill to reform the NFIP before he came out against it, here is Mr Prez cuddling up with big insurance so they can have an advance briefing of what he intends to do along the lines of regulatory reform. Reuter’s reporter and Sen Chris Dodd mouthpiece Kevin Drawbaugh has the III talking points well summerized:

Insurance industry reform will be the chief focus of a briefing scheduled for Thursday evening by Obama administration officials to financial industry lobbyists, said sources familiar with the agenda.

Topics possibly open for discussion include a proposal to establish a U.S. insurance regulator. The nation’s more than 6,000 insurers are now regulated largely by state and territorial governments.

The briefing could range further afield, possibly covering other parts of the administration’s financial reform agenda, such as establishing a systemic risk regulator and writing new rules for derivatives markets, the sources said.

The snubs don’t stop there as Michael Newsome reported today in the Sun Herald: Continue reading “Some clear signals the Prez is crossways with Gene Taylor”