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Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
President Barack Obama, center, meets with local residents during his tour of the Bridgewood neighborhood in LaPlace, La., in Saint John the Baptist Parish, as he tours the area to survey the ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Isaac on Monday.
NEW ORLEANS, La. – At the end of a four-day trip filled with campaign events, President Barack Obama put politics aside to visit a Louisiana town hit by Hurricane Isaac and talk with local officials about the recovery effort.
In brief remarks after touring part of the town of LaPlace in St. John the Baptist Parish, the president said he was impressed by the resiliency of the residents.
“There is enormous faith here, enormous strength here you can see it in these families,” he said. “They were just devastated a few days ago and they're already smiling and laughing,” he said.
Residents struggle with the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, which has left behind feet of standing water. In Louisiana, about 2,500 people are still in shelters. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.
Local reports say St. John the Baptist Parish experienced up to 18 inches of floodwater from the hurricane, an unprecedented level of flooding for the parish, according to an administration official.
Before his tour of the neighborhood, the president was briefed by local parish officials about the situation in the area and noted that the biggest concern was helping those who had been displaced.
“Obviously, right now we’re still in recovery mode,” he said.
Obama was accompanied by Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who met him at the airport alongside a bipartisan group that included New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Sens. Mary Landrieu and David Vitter, Reps. Cedric Richmond and Jeff Landry and FEMA administrator Craig Fugate.
Thanking the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Obama subtly referred to the recovery efforts to mitigate the damage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 under former President George W. Bush, which were widely viewed as a failure.
“In the past we sometimes haven’t seen the kind of coordination needed for these kinds of disasters,” Obama said.
But he also emphasized that this type of natural disaster transcends political labels.
“When disasters like this happen we set aside whatever petty disagreements we might have,” Obama said. “Nobody’s a Democrat or a Republican.”
The president returns to Washington, D.C. on Monday evening. He heads Tuesday to Norfolk, Va. for a campaign event.
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538blog: Obama keeps gaining, Romney keeps slipping....
Electoral Votes Obama 308.2 +.4 Romney 229.8 -.4
Chances of winning Obama 74.8 +.3 Romney 25.2 -.3
Popular Vote Obama 51.1 +.1 Romney 47.8 0 change
Obama signed an emergency declaration, goes there to give encouragement,and tells them we won't let you down and you pounce on him.Romney goes there and tells a lady whose home is under water to go call 211 (state assistance) and you make excuses for him.You guys are pathetic,no wonder our country is going to hell.You need serious mental help !! Remember Katrina and the fact that they waited five days to get ANY help !!
True conversation, courtesy of DailyKos:
While Paul Ryan and his wife, Janna, and some green shirted supporters were on a campaign rally at the Janesville, Wisconsin Labor Day parade, a constituent tried to ask Ryan some questions about labor, jobs, fair wages in this country, and the Romney-Ryan plan regarding those issues, especially the effects of corporate deregulation on jobs and wages.
Paul Ryan's response? "Have a nice day," "Would you like some candy," and how about "a Packer's schedule?"
That's some plan, Rep. and GOP VP nominee Paul Ryan! What a way to allay your constituent's concerns.
(Video over @ DailyK)
______________
Ryan: I’m sorry, nice to see you. I apologize, we’re getting started here.
Constituent: OK, I just really need to ask you a question.
Ryan: Not right now because we’re just getting started. Do me a favor. Go to my website.
Constituent: I have. I’ve read it.
Ryan: Well then you know what I think we ought to do.
Constituent: I know, and you think the same as Bush, and that’s what I don’t understand.
Ryan: We’re just going to have to disagree on that, ok? Take care. I hope you do better. I want to get jobs, and we just have a difference of opinion on how to get them, ok?
Constituent: So, what should I have to work for to get a job? Should I have to work for the same wages as in China? Should I have to work for one dollar an hour?
Ryan: Have a nice day, alright?
Constituent: Is that the competitiveness that’s needed?
Janna (waving him away): Have a nice day.
Ryan: Have a nice day. Would you like some candy?
Constituent: No.
Ryan: Would you like to have a Packer’s schedule?
Constituent: I need jobs in this community. There need to be better jobs …
Ryan: That’s right.
Constituent: in the community. What is deregulating going to do?
What, should we allow corporations to do whatever they like?
Ryan: (silence)
Constituent: Is that the goal?
Ryan supporter: Come on, we’re all here to have a good time.
________________
Hard to believe this guy Ryan is running as a leader of our Nation. Truly truly hard to believe.
If the Republicans will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop
telling the truth about the Republicans.
Yet another opportunity for Ostupid to buy more votes with the taxpayers money by paying for EVERYTHING in New Orleans.
Yet another opportunity for people like you to shut your mouth,and you open it removing all doubt about your stupidity !!
sarg -
And ignoring the hardest hit areas surrounding the city...
Republican America:
"America is a royal aristocracy where the top one percent are destined to live like the British monarchy. The government is to support the aristocracy, preserving and increasing their wealth and exempting them from taxation. The billionaires class should be addressed as "your majesty", accorded full royal respect of position, and afforded all positions of exclusive privilege in estates and seating at any and all events attended.
It is the responsibility of the government and all citizens to perpetuate the lofty position of the "successful" among all peoples of the nation. Any abridgement of this order shall be considered as treason to the state"
This guy never puts away campaigning. He's been going it since November of 2008.
It took Hurricane Katrina 24 HOURS to devastate New Orleans. 7 years later, they
are still rebuilding.
It took George W 8 YEARS to devastate America. 3 1/2 years later, the Republicans
are complaining Obama has not completely rebuilt it! Idiots!
It's true. Isaac seems sooo much like katrina. This time, people did the best as could be expected. The property damage is still very high. It sure seems to me as though global warming is occurring. Just like al gore and 98% of the climate scientists said it's because of co2 from fossil fuels.
No. No. No. Say mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & foxnews.com. Co2 has nothing to do with climate change. That 98% of the climate scientists say climate change is based at least in some part on co2. That 1.95% say they are not sure if co2 has a role in climate change or not. That 0.05% say co2 plays no part in climate change in any way. And mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & foxnews.com say these 0.05% of the world's climate scientists are absolutely correct.
Further, that we should employ hundreds of thousands working on the tar oil keystone xl pipeline from canada to texas. 100% of climate scientists agree this will cause co2 emissions to skyrocket up from the 1990 co2 emissions levels of today.
But if you were to ask mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & foxnews.com - what would happen if you are wrong about co2's role in global warming. What would happen if the 1 of 2,000 of the world's climate scientists who say co2 have nothing to do with climate change are wrong. I tell you they give you no answer because the consequences of al gore's hockey stick off the top of the charts temperatures are so dire. So they will tell you that it is inconceivable that they could be wrong and that the kock bros told them that the keystone xl pipeline has to be built.
“When disasters like this happen we set aside whatever petty disagreements we might have,” Obama said. “Nobody’s a Democrat or a Republican.”
Unfortunately grandiose words like the above quote sound great but you can believe obama will use this weather disaster as political fodder. Not that anyone wants to really help these people but just help themselves for political reasons.
Just like you are doing, Richard????Using it as fodder? Enjoy your dinner
Between Obama and Romney I have to give it to Obama as coming across as more believable
to care more about AMERICANS and their struggles. I don't like our election
choices and am very torn with this. On one hand I do not agree with the
consistent growing power to abolish GOD from the USA. It doesn't make sense
because all life forms are too structured and organized. Something doesn't come
from nothing. If it was through evolution there would be proof by some stage of evolution present today. There are none anywhere on earth. There have been historical documents
though even from opposing religious beliefs of Jesus Christ miracles taking
place. With that said Democrats tend to not know where to draw the line when it
comes to those opposing the essence of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Omitting
GOD should be considered treason and if you don't like our Constitution and
Bill of Rights there is a simple answer.......LEAVE. GO where your philosophies
are found. If you want to be an atheist and stay here be it without us
conforming to you. You came to us not us to YOU. I don't agree with abortion as
a form of contraception when you’re OOOPS! Happens. That is infamy against a growing
life within and indifferent against a defenseless being. Now on the other hand Republicans
seem very detached they say one thing with their words and a complete reverse
with their actions. Bush got us in this financial mess. YES HE DID WE ALL KNOW
IT SO STOP TRYING TO HIDE THE SUN CLOUDING IT WITH A FINGER. HE truly did not
act swift or caring when AMERICANS were dying and suffering when KATRINA
happened. That is a FACT. PERIOD. Obama was never my favorite but McCain was
not either especially with his disastrous judgment to select Palin. Now we have
Romney who can not belong to a more cult like doctrine being a Mormon. He was a
high ranking leader in the church and donated to his own interest which in turn
allowed him to receive tax cuts which BENEFITED HIM!!!!! That is not an honest
thing to do. Here is where my struggle is as a whole I don't trust the fast
talking salesman like personality Romney has. I don't find him to be genuine in
anything he says. He wants to win he wants the power. Though I dislike the
growing control Obama's policies are being imposed upon us or his inclination
to destroy our belief in GOD. There is no middle ground here either he stands
for GOD or allows to eliminate him thereby making his choice. There is no
MAYBE... YES or NO. Obama is intelligent and seems to stand by what he says and
what he believes even if I oppose most of what he stands for. But Romney I
don't know who he is. He is just not trustworthy to me and personally I believe
he would only care for his interest and turn out to be another BUSH that would
destroy this country even more. I worry his intentions will be to please his
greedy buddies hiding behind closed doors. In the overall we haven't had a good
President or a good Congress that their agenda was to care for this country to
make her honorably respected, safe and financially strong here and internationally.
No veracious greed and power has been the growing agenda in selling out the USA
losing respect, trust and our citizen’s jobs. This has been weakening
"AMERICA the BEAUTIFUL" and renaming her to "AMERICA IS HURTING".
No none of our candidates are the choices my beloved United States of America
needs now. But this Nation under God can and must triumph. Change our Congress
they don’t care about us. If they failed to represent YOU in their last term don’t
vote for them again. Unless this election has already been decided and our
votes digitally selected we will be able to make a difference in the Congress even
if our Presidential candidate is not our choice.
If he truly believes that he hasn't had his people keeping track of the pulse of Newsvine. Everything from flooding to wildfires, tornadoes to droughts, has been met with the democrats/liberals here proclaiming that the people affected in these areas should just take it on the chin.
And it has been said with some of the most vile comments I have ever read.
Actually, it is another failure and a lack fo cooperation. What can they do? Man is helpless against hurricanes.
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
Obama "put politics aside"? Give me a break. No politician of any party ever puts politics aside. Both Obama and Romney had politics fully in mind when they visited the hurricane flooded areas.
Jose, you have made the most truthful comment on Newsvine today... probably of the entire month.
Jose and screminmimi....
Suppose you are a Republican, and suppose you are an idiot; but wait, I am
repeating myself.
That statement, especially the area I highlighted, makes you the idiot, regardless of what party affiliation you have.
Personally, I am Independent. My mind, unlike yours, is not controlled by any group of mass hysteria or dogma.
I think it's about time our dopey government stops paying to rebuild in the same old flood plains and tells these people the only way they can get funds from fema is to relocate to someplace where it doesn't flood. This is just throwing away taxpayers money over and over again. Oh, I forgot, politicians pander for votes and common sense is dead.
Great idea! Where should we move the City of New Orleans, the City of Baton Rouge, The City of Lake Charles, the are of Pass Christian, Gulfport, and the others to? Near Omaha? Las Vegas? St Louis?
Where should we put these cities, Angel????
What an idiot.
Tell me, angel, do you live in tornado alley? Will you move rather than having to rebuild time after time?
Or how about the west coast? Why don't they move out of earthquake zones?
Or how about areas that have volcanoes? Why are the Hawaiian Islands populated anyway?
---
Every region of the country is suceptible to natural disasters. People do not move to please others. They live where their families and jobs are. Any smart person on the Gulf Coast carries homeowner's and flood insurance - that way they don't have to depend on the federal government to rebuild their lives.
The above is the title of one of today's news articles. Newsvine should read its own material.
Prospects are poor to have a disscussion with anyone that has Republican Amnesia.They all think President Obama took over from Ronald Reagan.Some how the the train wreck administration of the debt and war creators (R) Bush and Cheney never exisited.
Thats all asshobama does is talk .... and talk .... and talk .... and talk ..... well we all get the picture .... talk is all
Sometimes the world seems like a big hole. You spend all your life shouting down
it and all you hear are echoes of some idiot, named Lucky Dog yelling nonsense down
a hole.
Yea and I believe you may well be that AHOLE .... but hey I guess we have to address YOU where YOUR thoughts come from ..... you AHOLE
Typical Repuke response, holler and call names, then vanish like the coward you are.
YEA and you must be the typical liberal deadbeat POS .... I have to work for a living and cant stay on the computer all day like you AHOLE
No mention in this article about Obama changing his plans and flying down to New Orleans after Mitt visited last week. Yep, that's putting politics aside alright. Not!
New Orleans is a little bit like our country after the Obama Presidency, under water and out of money.
Lukey...
Did you read the title of this blog? "
Obama detours to Louisiana to discuss hurricane recovery
Isn't a detour a change ????
Mitt's visit was a photo-op, and he interfered with Search and Rescue. To top it off, he asked the Search and Rescue team, and the Mayor of New Orleans "Where did all this water come from?"
The look on the mayor's face was priceless, and the S & R team just walked away.
Obama had to good sense to wait until Monday and allow S&R to do their jobs. Wasn't it the last GOP president who did a "flyover" New Orleans after 6 days during Katrina?
And long did it take him to get there. Campaigner in chief didn't want to interrupt his "busy schedule of campaigning" to see the devestation, now did he?
Mitt's visit was a photo-op, and he interfered with Search and Rescue. To top it off, he asked the Search and Rescue team, and the Mayor of New Orleans "Where did all this water come from?"
The look on the mayor's face was priceless, and the S & R team just walked away.
Obama had to good sense to wait until Monday and allow S&R to do their jobs. Wasn't it the last GOP president who did a "flyover" New Orleans after 6 days during Katrina?
Glad to see Obama make the trip to New Orleans. Whenever there is disaster, we have come to depend on Obama being part of it.
Well I know that i've used more than my fair share of colorful metaphors for years on these posts. And that i've generally attacked the intelligence of my fellow posters. So if any of my posts were deleted, collapsed, or otherwise changed, all I can say is, I'm used to it.
I figure if anyone that reads my posts either agree, or disagree, or are disgusted with my remarks, then at least one person had a chance to read my thoughts. That's enough for me.
You have a valid point, Orion. I just don't see the need to collapse a comment on Newsvine when everyone has the option to "Ignore this author."
As I recall from seven years ago, people were calling the president a racist for not fixing things fast enough. Now that we actually do have a racist president, where are the accusations of a failed president?
You would think that by now, Insurance Companies would require the homes to be built on steel I-beams, 10 feet high, before home owners would ever qualify again for insurance in flood areas. Every few years they go through this same mess. It seems simple enough to raise the homes above the flood level.
Some of us actually do live above sea level in the New Orleans area. The West Bank is above sea level, as is much of Jefferson Parish on the East Bank, and believe it or not the oldest sections of New Orleans are actually above sea level.
The primary reason that New Orleans flooded after Katrina was due to levees failing that were not built to engineering specifications - thanks to the political corruption and cronyism that exists in the various levee boards.
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The plight of these people, the plight of the people of Syria and further concessions to Russia will very high on the president's priority list of things to do immediately after the election in November.
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