Interviewed by AP's David Ammons on the occasion of RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman's Tuesday visit to Kent to rally leaders of the GOP's Puget Sound Asian base, Washington Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt got off a quote exhibiting his typical level of insight and probity. According to the AP story by Ammons, one remark Berendt made was:
"The images from New Orleans were a horrible public relations disaster for the Republicans....It just showed that the federal government wasn't going to go in and rescue poor black people. I understand why they are redoubling their efforts to get around to show there is some sensitivity."
To which The Centralia Chronicle retorted in an editorial today:
The notion that the Republican Bush administration was motivated by racism in its response in New Orleans is patently untrue, preposterous and insulting in the extreme. Berendt ought to be ashamed of himself. Apparently he is one of those white liberals who seek to continue to instill in blacks and other minorities that they are victims of white racist Republicans and that Democrats are their saviors. They bestow this victimhood and dependency status in order to preserve the minority vote for themselves and their agenda.
What more of the stranded poor in New Orleans needed as Katrina approached were cars, as Randal O'Toole of The American Dream Coalition pointed out yesterday in a Seattle Times op-ed. Whose job is it to get out of poverty? Star Parker knows. The huge rebuilding package Bush hopes to enact will help many people get back to some semblance of their former lives. But many of those lives will still, upon restoration, need to move to the next level without the helping hand of government.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at September 15, 2005 11:37 PM | Email ThisI cannot believe a newspaper had the guts to print it!
I sense a movement in the black communities to finally cast off this oppressive and negative stereotype that the Dems so love to create! What will the Democrats do without the union and African-American vote? That should leave them with a few purple-haired navel-pierced wingbats from Capital hill! Oh! And a host of illegal aliens and voters from Canada!
Mark D
Posted by: Mark D on September 16, 2005 12:46 AMMark D
Posted by: Mark D on September 16, 2005 12:53 AMPS - Where is Centralia and how many people read that newspaper?
Posted by: Reed on September 16, 2005 07:27 AMHow about supporting a broad platform designed to increase the success of everbody willing to work for it. The solution isn't to tear down the wealthy who may be overwhelmingly white. The solution is to create policies that enable hard-working blacks and other minorities to keep enough of their wealth to enter and stay in those top-tiers.
Posted by: chunkstyle on September 16, 2005 07:36 AMThe concept is clear: Take some damned responsibility for yourselves!
Posted by: alphabet soup on September 16, 2005 07:44 AMNo wonder most people think liberalism is a mental disorder!
Posted by: alphabet soup on September 16, 2005 07:50 AMWe don't think it....
Affirmative Action put into practice has been proven to hurt minorities more than it helps them. It tells them, 'we know you can't make it on your own - we have absolutly no confidence that you can do anything without our help'... and then they dare call it affirmative.
The estate tax actually hurts the poor in that it takes money from those who would spend it in the marketplace thereby creating jobs and opportunity and gives it to the government... who specializes in pork, boondoggle and waste.
Money taken out of the economy and given to the government does nothing to help the economy and anyone with a lick of sense knows that a hot economy, like the one we have now (thanks to tax cuts), helps people more and longer than cash resistribution after the government has taken their cut.
Think of it this way: you have a cow you want to leave to your community. With that whole cow, they get milk, loads of dinners with the meat, make some shoes with the hide, then use the leftover bones for fertilizer. If the government takes that cow FIRST , the community will end up with bones for soup.
Futhermore, the thought of passing something to ones heirs, leaving that legacy is a great impetus to get ahead. Who wants to work their butts off day after week after month after year knowing that the only beneficiaries of that hard work will be corrupt politicians?
Posted by: Cheryl on September 16, 2005 08:15 AMA pretty good reason to vote for anyone other than the candidates that his Democratic Party supports.
Posted by: Hank Bradley on September 16, 2005 08:40 AMChunkstyle...kudos. Also tired of the counting, dividing by color, and consideration based on which gender you have sex with. Have kids nearing college age, where grades and personal motivation will count less than their color and gender. Seriously need to ban those little race boxes, all we need to know is American or Not American.
Behrant is pond scum, hearing him speak seriously creeps me out.
Sympathy to all affected by Katrina...truely inspired by the Christian community in Baton Rouge. Money doesn't fix everything, at some point people must take responsibility for themselves.
Posted by: dl on September 16, 2005 09:31 AMThis was a major failing of DEMOCRAT officials in N.O. and throughout the state of Louisana. Berendt knows it, and prays that no one else will figure this out. The Dems have been absolutely SHAMEFUL in virtually stepping over the dead bodies to try to score political points even though THEY are the ones guilty of the most heinous mistakes here. I will not stand by any longer and let them get away with these lies. DEMOCRATS MADE THE DECISION TO STARVE AND DEHYDRATE BLACKS AT THE SUPERDOME. Read it again, Berendt. Too bad you can't erase this, but that;'s the truth and people will see it here.
Nagin is NO Rudy Giuliani. When disaster struck NY, Rudy rolled up his sleeves and took responsibility for his city, and went to work to solve problems. Nagin stood there and swore at people and exhibited anything but character. Kathleen Blanco stood quiet and hoped no one would find out that it was her decision to starve blacks at the superdome. I feel sorry for the people of the charming state of Louisiana. They have corrupt people with no character running the show down there. No wonder they're in such trouble. Horrifying leadership.
Posted by: Realist on September 16, 2005 05:11 PMBy virtue of inclusion in Matt's post, he seems to be agreeing with the op-ed author who states buying cars for all of the disadvantaged makes more sense than mass transit. Did I say I was cool with that?
Posted by: CandrewB on September 16, 2005 05:50 PMWhen are fair-minded leaders (i.e. Republican or Libertarian) with integrity going to start rebutting garbage like this ? He and others of his ilk will continue to put out this kind of excrement as long as he can get away with it unfettered.
Posted by: KS on September 16, 2005 07:37 PMOne reason NO got rolled is that the Mayor is a product of the climate that the Dem/liberal state of LA. He doesn't expect to have to take care of things himself...the federal government is the one to do that.....no need to plan (or if you have one don't even implement it), just wait for the goverment to do it for you.....hey you deserve it cause (name your "ism") is causing you pain, not your lack of pride or effort.
Posted by: Dengle on September 16, 2005 09:11 PMI was thinking the same thing!
Liberal's cannot take confrontation. They have gone on far too long with this trash talk and rhetoric without challenge! Our Republican leader's silence has only fanned the flames of the liberal Democrats Bullsh*t!
I understand that the liberal media makes it very hard to get equal play time - but there are other ways to stand up against these slanderous claims and accusations! Our leaders need to publicly call these Democrats on the carpet with these nasty lies and charges! All levels of our party need to start fighting back! That includes the President! Once these petty assholes like Berendts, and Pelosi, and Dean,Reid and McDermmot are called to task for their rhetoric - the people of this country will cheer! And those who were asleep - will wake up!
Silence under the guise of *civility* will only cause this liberal cancer to grow!
Posted by: Deborah on September 16, 2005 09:11 PMReed--can you say, "90+ emergency bills?" who pushed those in WA? what party?
as for putting money where mouths are, the current WA majority is doing a splended job--
giving illegal aliens in-state tuition and free family planning money; how about that snazzy WA high school curriculum created by a (foreign) Mexican government? yep--putting my state money where their foreign mouths are;
Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on September 17, 2005 01:27 AMIt appears that most of the leaders at the local and national level with an R, I or L as their party affiliation cannot effectively stand up for their principles in the face of assinine statements Berendt, Dean, Pelosi, et. al. - and sometimes it just seems like one big country club. The leaders that we look to counteract the continuous excrement from the left remain silent and also end up looking like chumps ! A sorry state of affairs...
Posted by: KS on September 17, 2005 11:03 AMBut, as Ronald Reagan said (and you wingnuts likely concur) "Facts are stupid things." Ahem.
Posted by: bartelby on September 17, 2005 11:29 PMSource watch is another liberally slanted website that has spun the facts in their posts - not to say that conservative websites don't spin facts. Reagan's reference to facts in that quote is based on the so-called facts distorted by leftists so they can achieve the end that they want in the name of moral relativism.
Posted by: KS on September 18, 2005 12:33 AMOr perhaps more likely you suffer the wingnut arrogance gene: Whatever you say, if you merely shout loud enough, will drown out the other guy. Alphabet Soup, for instance, seems to take a page from O'Reilly's [very thin] book: "Shut up!"
As far as Reagan's quote, BTW, it was simply a gaffe. He meant to quote John Adams. The fact that you try to explain what he "REALLY" meant to say, however, shows what sad gruel runs through your cerebreal channels.
Sorry, while I realize the intellectual flea circus you're running here can't get any better content, couldn't you perhaps get a better manager?
Posted by: bartelby on September 18, 2005 10:40 PMTrue, his responses could use more substance, but I'll hand him the courtesy of acknowledging that he will appear repeatedly to defend his party and opinions. Many other liberals and conservatives will not appear to confront their ctitics. That's my first test--will the person confront their accusers. Same with this blog. Sniping is easy. Inetlligent dialog is not.
I aim this comment especially at the many conservatives and Republicans who keep 'turning their cheeks' in the midst of repeated liberal attacks. Hey--only so many cheeks to turn, right? Buck up and defend yourselves. Even Behrendt does.
Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on September 19, 2005 06:45 AMYou lost any credibility of opinion at SP from here on out. You could say that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and folks are gonna take a look out the window to see for themselves because you have no believability about anything.
It's just that some of us will be more vocal about pointing that out until you go away.
Begone you witless troll.
Posted by: alphabet soup on September 19, 2005 07:51 AM