Like mother like son

[Red]

Barbara Bush: It's Good Enough for the Poor

TheNATION.com

John Nichols Tue Sep 6, 1:08 PM ET

The Nation -- Finally, we have discovered the roots of George W. Bush's "compassionate conservatism."

On the heels of the president's "What, me worry?" response to the death, destruction and dislocation that followed upon Hurricane Katrina comes the news of his mother's Labor Day visit with hurricane evacuees at the Astrodome in Houston.

Commenting on the facilities that have been set up for the evacuees -- cots crammed side-by-side in a huge stadium where the lights never go out and the sound of sobbing children never completely ceases -- former First Lady Barbara Bush concluded that the poor people of New Orleans had lucked out.

"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them," Mrs. Bush told American Public Media's "Marketplace" program, before returning to her multi-million dollar Houston home.

On the tape of the interview, Mrs. Bush chuckles audibly as she observes just how great things are going for families that are separated from loved ones, people who have been forced to abandon their homes and the only community where they have ever lived, and parents who are explaining to children that their pets, their toys and in some cases their friends may be lost forever. Perhaps the former first lady was amusing herself with the notion that evacuees without bread could eat cake.

At the very least, she was expressing a measure of empathy commensurate with that evidenced by her son during his fly-ins for disaster-zone photo opportunities.

On Friday, when even Republican lawmakers were giving the federal government an "F" for its response to the crisis, President Bush heaped praise on embattled Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown. As thousands of victims of the hurricane continued to plead for food, water, shelter, medical care and a way out of the nightmare to which federal neglect had consigned them, Brown cheerily announced that, "people are getting the help they need."

Barbara Bush's son put his arm around the addled FEMA functionary and declared, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

Like mother, like son.

[MorganGrayson]

Vick, if you happen to wander by, may I put in a request for "Eat the Rich"?


WTF was that woman thi...oops, sorry. Forget myself there for a moment.

[XxXotic]

what a twisted piece of shit family. I can only pray something happens to the bush family and they end up in a ghetto somewhere eating ramen noodles and wondering where their next meal is coming from.

blah blah blah... 81 year old woman is losing her marbles... there's a great bit of news.

[MorganGrayson]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

blah blah blah... 81 year old woman is losing her marbles... there's a great bit of news.

Thank you for sharing your thought.

We most sincerely hope you return in a week or two when you have another thought.

Originally Posted by MorganGrayson

Thank you for sharing your thought.

We most sincerely hope you return in a week or two when you have another thought.

headline reads: "bush woke up today and had a bowl of cereal"

reader thinks: "oh my god... that no good motherfucker. who the fuck does he think he is... what an insensitive cocksucker. fuck! fuck! fuck!"

- as if somehow the reader had a really objective opinion, open mind and balanced view before the article and somehow some bit of nonsense changed the readers views of the presidents administration.

[JR]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

headline reads: "bush woke up today and had a bowl of cereal"

reader thinks: "oh my god... that no good motherfucker. who the fuck does he think he is... what an insensitive cocksucker. fuck! fuck! fuck!"

- as if somehow the reader had a really objective opinion, open mind and balanced view before the article and somehow some bit of nonsense changed the readers views of the presidents administration.

me again. forgot to log on.

[MorganGrayson]

Ah. Hello, JR.

I'm having the feeling that we're both not in the same thread.

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the article was posted out of sheer disbelief that the woman could have said those things.

The only opinion I ever formed about Barbara Bush was a positive one because of an interview she gave once about why she refused to dye her hair and "look younger" like most women of her age and income level. So, to be technically correct, I didn't read this articile with an "objective" view. I began it with the positive view I'd formed on one tidbit. (Other than that, I didn't know a damned thing about the woman.)

However, I'm afraid not dying her hair to look younger doesn't outweigh "they were underprivileged anyway" on my mental scale. My "WTF was this woman thinking?" comment was based on the fact that she couldn't have been thinking. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said those things. I can't even work out what she might have *meant* that could have come out that way.

At this point, there isn't anyone who has an objective balanced view about the current administration. It's an inhuman request to think people are going to wake up every morning with a blank slate, pick up the newpaper and start again. Too much has happened over which one is almost compelled to form an opinion.

"Bush bashing" *is* getting tiresome. Personally, I'd very much welcome the article that says "this was done correctly" about any aspect of our executive branch.

I'm waiting.

[JR]

Originally Posted by MorganGrayson

"Bush bashing" *is* getting tiresome. Personally, I'd very much welcome the article that says "this was done correctly" about any aspect of our executive branch.

I'm waiting.

why would an article be positive? whats worth reading about that? as they say in journalism.... "if it bleeds, it leads"

what disgusts me about the situation is the degree to which it has been politicized... at a time when people are hurting, need support, need help, need leadership and need hope and something positive. maybe the discussion for "blame" should come up at least after people have had time to burry their relatives and grieve?

am i the only one who feels there is something inherently wrong with constant debate about blame when a city lay in ruins, 100's of thousands are displaced and the corpses of those who died have still not even been collected and buried?

this tragedy is revealing what we really are. we dont really care about people. its not about people at all. the entire country seems to only care about "winning" a sick political game played out by equal idiots in living rooms everywhere... scoring the game in "points of blame" and attempting quantify the suffering and devistation while searching for any mindless and rediculous reason to attribute it to "the other side" and score more points.

its bizarre and shameful. i wish people would either help or shut the fuck up.

[Dravyk]

Originally Posted by JR

i wish people would either help or shut the fuck up.

Exactly! If Babs had actually helped and had shut the fuck up, we wouldn't be having another one of these stupid conversations.

[CDSmith]

Maybe Babsy should spend a night or two on one of them there cots amongst all the happy poor folk before commenting about how much better off they are? Just a thought.

[MorganGrayson]

Originally Posted by JR

why would an article be positive? whats worth reading about that? as they say in journalism.... "if it bleeds, it leads"

what disgusts me about the situation is the degree to which it has been politicized... at a time when people are hurting, need support, need help, need leadership and need hope and something positive. maybe the discussion for "blame" should come up at least after people have had time to burry their relatives and grieve?

am i the only one who feels there is something inherently wrong with constant debate about blame when a city lay in ruins, 100's of thousands are displaced and the corpses of those who died have still not even been collected and buried?

this tragedy is revealing what we really are. we dont really care about people. its not about people at all. the entire country seems to only care about "winning" a sick political game played out by equal idiots in living rooms everywhere... scoring the game in "points of blame" and attempting quantify the suffering and devistation while searching for any mindless and rediculous reason to attribute it to "the other side" and score more points.

its bizarre and shameful. i wish people would either help or shut the fuck up.

JR...in two words..."I agree."

You've hooked the writer in me, though. You write extremely well. (I've always known that, it isn't news.) I'd like to see what you posted on the front page of something. Anything.

I understand your original post now much better than I did and I apologize for slamming you. (Don't forget to keep yourself signed in. I admit, knowing it was you would have made a *big* difference in my response. Note to "anons": "known" people get spoke "to" rather than "at." You don't have to be as well known as JR, either. You just have to have a name, the internet version of a "face.")