Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Katrina and the airwaves
An anonymous writer accused me last week of using the anguish Hurricane Katrina to satisfy my own wicked ends. I thought I should share with said writer some of the things conservatives are saying. Of course, I'm sure they have only the most noble intentions when they say these things.
"I didn't think I could hate victims faster than the 9-11 victims."
- Glenn Beck, speaking on his syndicated radio show, expressing his hatred for Katrina's survivors.
"The price gouger makes sure his water goes to those who really need it. It was the price gouger's 'exploitation' that saved your child."
- Libertarian wackjob John Stossel, explaining that gouging desperate people is a virtue, on ABC's 20/20, Sept. 7
"We found we are unable somehow to defend ourselves against some of the attacks that are coming against us, either by terrorists or now by natural disaster? Could they be connected in some way?"
- Pat Robertson, speaking on The 700 Club, linking Katrina to our nation's legalization of abortion. And we wondered when someone would smear God's good name with Katrina.
"Did God have anything to do with Katrina?," people ask. My answer is, he allowed it and perhaps he allowed it to get our attention so that we don't delude ourselves into thinking that all we have to do is put things back the way they were and life will be normal again."
- Right-wing politico and convicted Watergate felon Charles Colson, speaking on his TV show BreakPoint.
"The government needs to build the levees. The government needs to make sure the levees are (said in the most snide tone possible)... The government. You're passing the buck all over the place and accepting all the money that the government's sending in to you, ah, and then something like this happens and then you start, you know, wringing your hands."
-Rush Limbaugh, rationalizing the Bush administration's decision to ax $71 million to fix and upgrade New Orleans' sagging levee system.
Thanks to David Brock's Media Matters website for letting me steal the above quotes.
So, how well is the right-wing spin machine doing these days, in spite of its best Mephistopholean efforts?
41%
That's President Bush's overall approval rating, versus a 59% disapproval, according to the latest Zogby poll. He gets a whopping big 36% approval on his handling of Hurricane Katrina. According to the poll, if Bush ran today, he would lose to every recent president as far back as Jimmy Carter. (He would still beat John Kerry, however.)
"I didn't think I could hate victims faster than the 9-11 victims."
- Glenn Beck, speaking on his syndicated radio show, expressing his hatred for Katrina's survivors.
"The price gouger makes sure his water goes to those who really need it. It was the price gouger's 'exploitation' that saved your child."
- Libertarian wackjob John Stossel, explaining that gouging desperate people is a virtue, on ABC's 20/20, Sept. 7
"We found we are unable somehow to defend ourselves against some of the attacks that are coming against us, either by terrorists or now by natural disaster? Could they be connected in some way?"
- Pat Robertson, speaking on The 700 Club, linking Katrina to our nation's legalization of abortion. And we wondered when someone would smear God's good name with Katrina.
"Did God have anything to do with Katrina?," people ask. My answer is, he allowed it and perhaps he allowed it to get our attention so that we don't delude ourselves into thinking that all we have to do is put things back the way they were and life will be normal again."
- Right-wing politico and convicted Watergate felon Charles Colson, speaking on his TV show BreakPoint.
"The government needs to build the levees. The government needs to make sure the levees are (said in the most snide tone possible)... The government. You're passing the buck all over the place and accepting all the money that the government's sending in to you, ah, and then something like this happens and then you start, you know, wringing your hands."
-Rush Limbaugh, rationalizing the Bush administration's decision to ax $71 million to fix and upgrade New Orleans' sagging levee system.
Thanks to David Brock's Media Matters website for letting me steal the above quotes.
So, how well is the right-wing spin machine doing these days, in spite of its best Mephistopholean efforts?
41%
That's President Bush's overall approval rating, versus a 59% disapproval, according to the latest Zogby poll. He gets a whopping big 36% approval on his handling of Hurricane Katrina. According to the poll, if Bush ran today, he would lose to every recent president as far back as Jimmy Carter. (He would still beat John Kerry, however.)
