Yes, it’s unseemly to explore the political dimensions of the human tragedy that is still unfolding in the Gulf Coast states of the US.
Thousands dead.
New Orleans in chaos.
Biloxi devastated.
One million people dispossessed.
Yet you can be sure that Karl Rove’s first thought was, “How can we spin this?”
Here’s how.
Rove’s -Point Plan to Help Bush Evade Responsibility
1. Insist that this was a natural catastrophe that no one could have anticipated nor prevented.
Yes, this flies in the face of reason and the known (and easily provable) facts, but keep insisting on this with a straight face and never, ever change your story. The media are so cowed that most of them won’t dare question your assertions.
2. Plenty of “photo ops” to show that Bush “cares” and is trying to “help”.
This is already being done as I write these words. Coast Guard helicopters and uniformed personnel who should be rescuing people and ferrying in supplies were pulled away from their duties to provide a nice backdrop for the President.
3. Blame the liberals.
A. The liberal environmentalists delayed needed control projects around New Orleans with their demands for “environmental impact” studies.
B. The liberals are the ones who have prevented the oil and gas industry from building new refineries and for exploring for new sources of energy (this is going to be used to shift blame for skyrocketing gas prices).
C. The liberals have kept the Army from winning in Iraq (how they did this I don’t know, but they have)–and if the Army had won in Iraq by now, the troops would be back home to help out in this disaster.
Yes, all utter nonsense. But that’s what we’ve come to expect from the Bushies, have we not?
The question is, will they get away with this? I thought they would never get away with “spinning” 9/11 into a victory for Bush–but 9/11 rescued his sinking presidency.
If Rove can’t bully and “spin” Bush out of this one, why not? What are your reasons for thinking so? I happen to think that the American people are going to focus their righteous anger on the people in power this time and they won’t “get away with it”.
But I’ve been wrong before. Perhaps I’ve misjudged the extent to which the national propaganda system of the US, aka the corporate-owned media, is able to brainwash the people into believing black is white and up is down. Perhaps not even this reality can puncture through the propaganda myths and half-truths and drive people towards the light.
Oh, I almost forgot step 4.
4. If all of the above fails, throw some lower rung flunkies (like FEMA Director Brown) to the wolves. At this point, I’m assuming Mr. Brown’s spectacular incompetence at his job, coupled with his tenacious political loyalty to President Bush, will gain him the honour of some sort of medal, possibly even a baked ham and some flowers to express Bush’s gratitude.