Obama vs McCain: Digging-In or "Standing Ready"
Staking out the differences between what a Democratic presidential win in 08 would look like during a natural disaster -- remember Katrina? -- compared to a continued Republican White House, Barack Obama ditched his suit, picked up a shovel and started loading up sandbags in a flood zone. On the same day, John McCain attended a private fundraiser in Riverside, California, and blasted a press release of "sympathy" to Midwestern victims of the floods that have devastated crops, homes, churches, businesses, and lives-- most especially in the flood epicenter of Iowa, a 'must-win' battleground state this fall for both McCain and Obama.
"When you look at what's going on in Iowa, this is a catastrophe and we want to minimize damage in communities like Quincy [Ill.] that haven't been hit hard yet like places like Cedar Rapids [Iowa] ...What we really need is more volunteers," said Sen. Obama as he filled sandbags in his home state but keyed-in on Iowa, where floods broke through levees and flooded Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.
Sure it was a photo-op but a smart one for the Democratic presumptive.
Obama's on-the-ground humanitarian campaign strategy smartly recalls the shameful days of the Bush administration's criminal mishandling of the Katrina disaster, and Sen. McCain didn't help his chances of winning more hearts and votes in the Hawkeye state with his weak press release that promised to "stand ready to help those in the Midwest to recover and rebuild."
Stand ready?
What the hell?
People are dying; three so far.
"I've been sandbagging for three days straight and I can't lift my arms anymore," said Cecilia Haertsch, a theater student who cried as she watched the Iowa Arts Building taken over by the swollen dark water at the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City.
Most of Cedar Rapids' municipal buildings are now subterranean and thousands have been ordered out of their homes in the second largest city in the state.
In the capitol city, one levee collapsed, flooding parts of downtown Des Moines.
According to the Associated Press, over 3 million acres of soybeans and corn have been swept away and fully 16% of Iowa's 25 million acres of tillable farmland is now underwater. In a year of world food shortages nearing crisis levels, America's breadbasket is floating down river.
Sen. Obama was on the scene with the right message, but where was the Republican presumptive?
Sen. McCain was "standing ready" in greeting lines throughout the country, picking up checks to rebuild his presidential campaign and ignoring the hotly contested and swamped Midwestern states so crucial to his success in the 08 election -- Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois -- and the hardest hit, Iowa.
In addition to making an appearance at a flood zone, the front page of Obama's campaign website urged supporters to volunteer: "Your Help is urgently needed by Victims of the Midwest Flood," where supporters can link to the Red Cross and either make monetary donations or donate some back muscle to the cause. There was no similar mention on McCain's website.
In a television cycle consumed by the never-ending sentimental blather on Tim Russert's untimely death, Sen. Obama clearly sandbagged his GOP opponent when Youtube posted his Quincy video clip and the msm finally took a break from the tragic Russert story and played it on-air and on their news crawls.
"OBAMA GAME OVER...he wins the White House 08," was posted by MusicVideo on Youtube.
Whilhelmcoq wrote on YouTube: "That's who we need for our next president, a man who will go out there and get his hands dirty for the American people."
Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Obama campaign will make national emergencies -- and how the president deals with them - part of the 08 campaign debate and that means John McCain better stop "standing ready" and start demonstrating that he cares when Americans are in pain and struggling. Oh, and stop sending out those lame press releases.
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Proud to have supported him from the beginning, in the good times and bad time. Proud our nominee is a real D E M and not R E P lite.
Proud we have a candidate that get it and will bring is pride and not shame, hope not fear, action and not empty words.
Proud to watch him develop who he is in front of our eyes.
The choice, thankfully is crystal clear for all to see.
Fired Up and Ready To Go!
Let's pray for our fellow citizens in the Midwest too! This is what a president should be doing! If the country doesn't realize he is what we need to start pulling this country out of the mess that's been made, then shame on those who let the opportunity slip away.
I am all for Barack Obama. That having been said, he should have filled sandbags faster, if only for the sake of the guy holding the bag that he was slowing up.
McCain collects checks for his campaign in California, George Bush throws basketballs to Irish kids and having tea with the Queen of England, and Obama rolls up his sleeves and helps out in Iowa.
Obama showed up to help after Katrina, while Bush steps off Air Force 1 to eat birthday cake with McSame, after which they both pat themselves on the back as a salute to their heroine, Marie Antoinette.
And there are those who still can't decide between McCain and Obama?............. It's unbelievable!!!!!
It wasn't just a photo op. Obama has real moral authority and he is using it to help those wonderful Iowans. This man will be a great president.
this might have been a photo op and a good one, but this is hardly the first time the obama campaign has used its website to encourage supporters to help out with various causes, they did it for the tornado victims earlier this year, as well as to help victims of the quakes in china, and with the situation in myanmar.
This wasn't just a photo op. According to the local papers, he went there without much notice, asked to meet with the local leaders, and then went to the site. He then proceeded to fill about 20 sandbags over 40 minutes.
That's not a 10 min photo op. That is a presidential nominee who understands that he is still accountable to his state constituents.
It is impossible not to love this man! He really does give me hope for the future.
Obama '08!
Don't you worry my friend those republicans will try to destroy him. Hopefully people in the country will wise up and not pay attention to this seek and destroy mentality. Go Obama 08
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/24/flashback-as-katrina-raged-mccain-celebrated-69th-birthday-with-bush/
Even if this is a photo-op it is a perfect opportunity for Obama to draw more attention to what is happening in that part of the country and holding the government, local and federal accountable.
The way Katrina was handled was an all time low for this country. And remember McCain was eating his birthday cake with Bush when that natural disaster was being mismanaged.
Obama looked good in his work clothes and handled that shovel like he's done it before, nice. More importantly it could be an example of his reaction to natural disasters.
The real excitement was him saying that he was asking his supporters to help sand bag. That is really doing something if the ones in the area respond.
A little off topic but the comment about the Russert blather struck me. I am not a devoted TV news fan so Russert may well have been a good TV reporter (killed with faint praise). I could be off base here, but wasn't it the national news media that not only failed to tell us the truth about the invasion of Iraq, but even propagated the lies? Was not Russert a leading member of the national news media? I suggest that the inordinate amount of time spent lamenting the death of Russert is a futile attempt to cover up the recent abysmal failures of the mass media.
Probably so.
Ibierma...I couldn't agree more with you on the Russert overplay in the news...as usual, I agree with most of your opinions, except where Freud is concerned. I had the television news on all afternoon and into the late evening on Friday - like 2 a.m. (I was cleaning the house in my defense) and I just couldn't believe the outrageous amount of time devoted to Russert's death versus the rest of the national and international news. I finally opened up the Net and read German and UK publications online...I wanted to know what was going on in Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, the floods in my home state, other political news, etc.
On Saturday...the same thing...luckily, I bugged out to a B-52 and Cindy Lauper concert early in the afternoon...Sunday, same thing...oye!
Oh well...thanks for writing!
The story of Russert's death did get a ridiculous amount of time considering it's lack of actual newsworthiness. Reporters are MURDERED and don't get coverage like that. I understand that the press were in mourning for their loss but do what he would have wanted: report the news. Save the praise for the funeral.
Lets not forget that he was forced to testify under oath regarding his involvement in the outing of a CIA agent, had been given the outing information to spew on his show by the infamous K R who infamously said 'Let's give it to T R, he's the easiest one out there...'
Amen.
Truly classy of Obama. Even if it was a photo-op, at least he was there bringing attention to this disaster in a real way. Americans deserve a president who is capable, competent and gives a rats ass about those of us who catch a bad break once in a while. I'm sending another $25 today.
When I saw the call to action email from his campaign, I knew that this would get absolutely no coverage by the MSM. This is leadership in action! I love that he is asking us to help our fellow Americans and not just creating some new beauracracy to "handle it".
McSame is a disgrace!
In Iowa, we are experiencing our Katrina in slow motion. Reporters are covering the three larger cities, but the damage is much more extensive.
Many little Iowa towns are built along rivers. The downtown of Greene, IA, population about 1300, was under water. The doctor, the dentist, the grocery store, the gas station--all inundated. Mason City lost its water plant for several days, and many homes were flooded. Charles City is still bailing basements and coming to grips with the loss of their historic suspension bridge that is part of the city's identity. In our town of 350 souls, we watched the water cover the houses near the river, and gush through our antique powerhouse.
The aftereffects include flooded fields and more mosquitoes than I can ever remember.
Dear 2LaneIA,
Thank you for your comments. I have family living in Iowa City and Des Moines and oodles of great friends so I've been watching the coverage continually and I was shocked as you might expect by McCain's response v Obama's. I've made my donation to the Red Cross but I know this will be a lingering problem in the Midwest and particularly, my home state of Iowa. I was furious with the msm for not giving the floods coverage and running nonstop Russert tributes...not that some of it wasn't appropriate but the television news judgement was so off when we're having this kind of national emergency that even I was left speechless...the media has to get their heads of their butts. My heart goes out to all who are facing the floods in all the states...and thankfully, Obama was there in spirit as well as action. Thanks again for your comment and know that we care and we're showing it - even if the msm isn't.
I am so sorry. I live on the east coast, but have been following the coverage. Sen. O' bam-a has encouraged everyone who can to donate funds or volunteer their time and efforts to help out. I sincerely hope that everyone will go to his web site and donate what they can.
This is very sad. Such a devastating loss. I don't watch TV so I didn't realize how little coverage the flood was getting. Ironic, isn't it, that the MSM was so busy covering Russert that they ignored the story he would have found the most compelling.
My thoughts go out to you and yours.
A catastrophe is a perfect opportunity to show America who the candidates are.
You either want the guy who is out celebrating with his cronies, same as what Bush was doing as New Orleans was drowning when the federal levees broke and the city was drowning (at Phoenix airport with a big birthday cake laughing it up on the tarmac with McCain), or someone like Obama who is there at the scene drawing attention to the disaster and its victims.
Vote for McBush, and you will get another president flying over your disaster, or just a message of sympathy from a Republican fundraiser. The terrorists will love you for it.
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