Gustav and the GOP convention

[HuskyCaucasian]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmart...on.html?showall

 

Top Republican convention-planners in St. Paul are eyeing the path of Gustav very closely, nervous about what would be a disaster on many levels:

 

Planners of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul held emergency conversations Wednesday about what to do if a tropical storm continues on its track as a potential Category 3 hurricane threatening New Orleans.

 

Gustav’s projected path suggests possible landfall on the convention’s opening day — Labor Day.

 

The storm could threaten everything from President Bush’s Monday night address to the broader Republican message of effective government management.

 

Local officials fear a Katrina II — a rerun of the storm that ravished New Orleans and badly damaged Bush’s image.

 

Government forecasters said the target area runs from south Texas to the Florida Panhandle — including the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts devastated by Katrina.

 

The president, Laura Bush and Vice President Cheney are all scheduled to speak Monday on the convention’s opening day.

 

Friday is the third anniversary of Katrina’s landfall. The sloppy government response still haunts the Bush administration, raising questions about whether the president would address a political gathering if the Southeast coast was being battered by another monster storm.

[Balta1701]

Just forgetting about the GOP convention timing aspect of this...what happens to this country if the levee system fails again? It's a totally reasonable thing to expect will happen if the city takes at least another glancing blow with a cat 2-cat 3 storm.

[HuskyCaucasian]

"Chocolate New Orleans" is on CNN right now.

 

He's really really worried about Gustav.

Edited August 27, 2008 by Athomeboy_2000

[Balta1701]

"Chocolate New Orleans" is on CNN right now.

 

He's really really worried about Gustav.

He ought to be. It's his 2nd chance at getting it right too.

[Nokona]

Just forgetting about the GOP convention timing aspect of this...what happens to this country if the levee system fails again? It's a totally reasonable thing to expect will happen if the city takes at least another glancing blow with a cat 2-cat 3 storm.

 

Read the FEMA director stated that levees are up to withstand a 30 year storm. It's been three years and this is all they've done?

[Balta1701]

Read the FEMA director stated that levees are up to withstand a 30 year storm. It's been three years and this is all they've done?

Basically they did what they could with the money they had. They rebuilt the sections that failed and installed some new pumps. The problem is...the rest of the levee system that didn't fail...is pretty much the same design as the sections that failed. If the newer pumps and couple of additional walls don't hold back enough, or if there's damage that wasn't detected or fully repaired from the last storm, then it's just going to go again.

 

It would be especially bad if the storm was stronger than Katrina was, which by the time it really hit the city it was somewhere around a weak cat 2. We've probably lost more wetlands since 05 so that will strengthen the storm surge at a constant storm power...but it's entirely possible that a storm could hit the city with a lot more power than Katrina did. It was just starting one of those eyewall reformation cycles as it hit land, and that causes some amount of weakening before a burst of strengthening.

[Texsox]

To paraphrase Rush today he warned his readers how the "drive by media" will attack the GOP if they continues their convention while Obama and Co. are busy rolling up their sleeves and sandbagging New Orleans. I started thinking, brilliant prediction Rush. If the GOP screws this up, the media will report it. But for his listeners, they will bellow, Rush predicted it! Typical biased media. Great strategy.

[bmags]

boy I didn't realize that was it's path. Please, please weaken.

[HuskyCaucasian]

To paraphrase Rush today he warned his readers how the "drive by media" will attack the GOP if they continues their convention while Obama and Co. are busy rolling up their sleeves and sandbagging New Orleans.

Now THAT is counter programming.

[Texsox]

boy I didn't realize that was it's path. Please, please weaken.

 

The margin of error is about 300 miles right now.

[lostfan]

If it does start going towards New Orleans again, I could see Bush on TV now. "Seriously, get the f*** out of that city now, I'm not f***ing around! As a matter of fact, if you can see this broadcast, we have a problem!"

[HuskyCaucasian]

If it does start going towards New Orleans again, I could see Bush on TV now. "Seriously, get the f*** out of that city now, I'm not f***ing around! As a matter of fact, if you can see this broadcast, we have a problem!"

LMAO!!!

That takes the cake.

[Balta1701]

LMAO!!!

That takes the cake.

And on the other hand...if it does head towards New Orleans...I could see Bush on TV...having a cake.

[HuskyCaucasian]

And on the other hand...if it does head towards New Orleans...I could see Bush on TV...having a cake.

[whitesoxfan101]

I know we shouldn't think about this politically, but if this thing hits New Orleans during the GOP convention and the levees fail again, I think McCain is dead. It would be a living reminder of the gaffe that was Katrina, and I'm not sure they are ready to do any better down there if it happens again. Take a guess who gets the blame if this is a disaster again?

 

For the sake of the people down there, I REALLY hope this misses New Orleans. Although really, if a storm that strong hits anywhere, it's a big problem.

Edited August 28, 2008 by whitesoxfan101

[Texsox]

IF another Katrina-like storm hits, we will see a vastly different response. One thing I know from living in the US for 46 years, we rarely make the same mistake twice. (OK we reelected Clinton and Bush) but on stuff like this, we totally kick ass the second time. I think it would be advantage McCain.

[HuskyCaucasian]

I know we shouldn't think about this politically, but if this thing hits New Orleans during the GOP convention and the levees fail again, I think McCain is dead. It would be a living reminder of the gaffe that was Katrina, and I'm not sure they are ready to do any better down there if it happens again. Take a guess who gets the blame if this is a disaster again?

 

For the sake of the people down there, I REALLY hope this misses New Orleans. Although really, if a storm that strong hits anywhere, it's a big problem.

Frankly. it crossed my mind too. I didnt want to bring it up and we probability should avoid talking that angle. YOu are right on all accounts. Republican or Democrat, those are Americans there and they will need our help... again.

 

The interesting point brought by MSNBC is how do you cover the hurricane / NOLA and the convention. As a news organization, they need to be fair and cover the GOP side equally, but that's pretty darn hard when the city goes under water again.

Edited August 28, 2008 by Athomeboy_2000

[Balta1701]

IF another Katrina-like storm hits, we will see a vastly different response. One thing I know from living in the US for 46 years, we rarely make the same mistake twice. (OK we reelected Clinton and Bush) but on stuff like this, we totally kick ass the second time. I think it would be advantage McCain.

Well...let's change that to "We rarely make the same mistake twice in the span of a few years". We screwed up the response to Andrew pretty well back in 91 IIRC. And it was exacerbated pretty badly by the fact that FEMA was mostly staffed by political appointees without any qualifications or experience at the time.

 

If the Levees fail again, does that count as making the same mistake 2x?

[whitesoxfan101]

IF another Katrina-like storm hits, we will see a vastly different response. One thing I know from living in the US for 46 years, we rarely make the same mistake twice. (OK we reelected Clinton and Bush) but on stuff like this, we totally kick ass the second time. I think it would be advantage McCain.

 

Boy I hope you are right. As much as Florida needs to avoid big hurricanes for a while after what happened to them in 2004 and 2005, New Orleans needs to avoid them for about a decade. And if they don't avoid it, I just hope we are better prepared to help out down there.

Edited August 28, 2008 by whitesoxfan101

[Balta1701]

Boy I hope you are right. As much as Florida needs to avoid big hurricanes for a while after what happened to them in 2004 and 2005, New Orleans needs to avoid them for about a decade.

With the state of those levees...more than a decade.

 

The only right way to do it is a complete rebuild. Combined with a full scale effort to replenish the natural wetlands off-shore.

 

And this time, I don't think we'll have to worry that much about helping out afterwards. I think that city will be a ghost town by Sunday.

[whitesoxfan101]

With the state of those levees...more than a decade.

 

The only right way to do it is a complete rebuild. Combined with a full scale effort to replenish the natural wetlands off-shore.

 

Oh I agree, I just threw decade out there for point of reference. Might be closer to a quarter century, because you are right, they need to re-do the whole damn levee system from scratch and replenish the wetlands.

 

I have friends in the state of Florida and it's STILL not back to normal in spots from their 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, and I've seen as much visiting there a couple times. I can't imagine what it's like in New Orleans even now.

[lostfan]

I know we shouldn't think about this politically, but if this thing hits New Orleans during the GOP convention and the levees fail again, I think McCain is dead. It would be a living reminder of the gaffe that was Katrina, and I'm not sure they are ready to do any better down there if it happens again. Take a guess who gets the blame if this is a disaster again?

 

For the sake of the people down there, I REALLY hope this misses New Orleans. Although really, if a storm that strong hits anywhere, it's a big problem.

Actually you are probably correct. I was just talking about this today at work. It's one of those things that people don't want to say out loud, but we all know it's true. It's the equivalent of saying that if a terrorist attack were to happen, it would torpedo Obama's campaign.

[lostfan]

IF another Katrina-like storm hits, we will see a vastly different response. One thing I know from living in the US for 46 years, we rarely make the same mistake twice. (OK we reelected Clinton and Bush) but on stuff like this, we totally kick ass the second time. I think it would be advantage McCain.

You probably haven't read up on all the CIA's covert actions... we don't tend to think about more than 5 years in the future. We love the short-term benefits but 10 years later when it backfires, we wonder why.

[kapkomet]

Here's the "uncompassionate" person who comes along and says, you built a f***ing city 30 feet below sea level and then wonder why it floods when a hurricane comes? New Orleans shouldn't even BE THERE anymore, but whatever.

[Texsox]

Here's the "uncompassionate" person who comes along and says, you built a f***ing city 30 feet below sea level and then wonder why it floods when a hurricane comes? New Orleans shouldn't even BE THERE anymore, but whatever.

There is a whole lot of truth in that statement. Unfortunately, once the cat is out of the bag, it's tough to put it back in. And while not exactly concerning New Orleans, there are a lot of Americans living in areas that are potentially toast in the event of natural disasters. Sides and bases of mudslide prone hills, relying on levees and dams, etc. We want to live near nature which combined with humans, but especially Americans, having the hubris to think we can tame nature, leads to disasters.