There is an extremely dangerous divide in the United States. If you haven’t been paying attention to the recent poll numbers regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the mishandling of the rescue and relief efforts by the government, you need to start looking at them now.

You need to look at them because too many of your fellow citizens think Bush has handled this catastrophe adequately and that no one in the administration should be fired for their incompetence, despite the horrific scenes we have all witnessed of people suffering, starving and dying. The effect of those numbers is that you cannot count on your neighbours anymore to actually care about your personal safety. They don’t care about a system that is so absolutely dysfunctional that, should your neighbourhood be hit by a similar crisis, their family may not survive either. There is only one word for that attitude: dangerous.

more…
Here are the poll numbers from the recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday:

  • Fifty-six percent of 609 adults polled by telephone September 5-6 said they believe the hurricane devastated the city beyond repair.
  • 93 percent of poll respondents said they believe Katrina is the worst natural disaster to strike the United States in their lifetime.
  • 63 percent — said they believe the city should rebuild.
  • 66 percent said they believe all New Orleans residents should evacuate the city.
  • Forty-two percent of respondents characterized President Bush’s response to the disaster as “bad” or “terrible,” while 35 percent said it was “good” or “great.”
  • Federal government agencies’ response was described as “bad” or “terrible” by 42 percent, and “good” or “great” by 35 percent.
  • State and local officials’ response was described as “bad” or “terrible” by 35 percent and “good” or “great” by 37 percent.
  • Respondents also disagreed widely on who is to blame for the problems in the city following the hurricane — 13 percent said Bush, 18 percent said federal agencies, 25 percent blamed state or local officials and 38 percent said no one is to blame.
  • 63 percent said they do not believe anyone at federal agencies responsible for handling emergencies should be fired as a result.
  • 62 percent said they believe progress made in dealing with the situation is satisfactory.
  • 79 percent said they believe gas companies are taking advantage of the situation and charging unfair prices to consumers as a result of the hurricane.

For poll results based on the total sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. For results based on the 268 respondents who say the city of New Orleans will completely recover from the effects of Katrina, the maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 6 percentage points.

Gallup provides a more in depth analysis:

The ratings for Bush are highly related to party affiliation.

By a margin of 69% to 10%, Republicans give Bush a positive rather than negative rating for his response.

Democrats give almost a mirror opposite — 66% negative to 10% positive.

Independents side with the Democrats, giving a more modest margin — 47% negative to 29% positive.

Digest those numbers. 38% say “no one is to blame”? Only 13% blame Bush? How can that be?

Rush Limbaugh explains, as only he can:

Most of the American people do not live and breathe politics like the mainstream media does. They don’t look at everything through a political prism. They just don’t. The mainstream media is that out of touch. I mean, every bit of news that comes out of the mainstream press today is looked at through a political prism and most people don’t look at it that way. It’s a hurricane! Can I make it real simple for you? A hurricane hit New Orleans. George Bush doesn’t live there. George Bush is in Washington. How can he possibly be to blame for this? And they don’t buy this notion that Bush didn’t do enough for global warming, and that Bush somehow steered the hurricane. It’s all rot, but the people on the left believe it, this 13%, they believe it. They’re just poisoned, folks. These people have literally become poisoned with their own hatred, something I have been telling you pleasantly that has been happening lo these many years.

He then goes on to posit who makes up that 13% and, guess what? It’s you:

Now, let’s look at this 13% number here: 13% said that George W. Bush most responsible for the problems in New Orleans after the hurricane. We will admit, we’ll have to admit, that there’s a percentage of this country that literally hates and despises Bush. I would like to posit for you, ladies and gentlemen, this number, 13%, probably is a grand total of the Democrat blogs — the Democrat Underground, the MoveOn.org, and the George Soros crowd — and some of the elected Democrats around the country, and I would bet also that that number hasn’t changed. I’ll bet you it’s the same number that held hatred for Bush starting in 2000 in the Florida election aftermath.

(and then he has the audacity to say this:)

Well, we know the number isn’t growing. I mean, every news cycle seems to feature a new avenue that the left thinks they have found to destroy the Bush presidency, and yet 13% — and this is a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll — that 13% number is not growing, and the reason it isn’t growing is simple; it’s understandable. Hatred is not inspirational. Hatred does not inspire people. Hatred is not like honey. It doesn’t attract people; it repels them.

This, from one of the most well-known hatemongers in the United States.

That is why the United States is in deep trouble. Millions of your neighbours believe what he’s saying.

The left and the rest who have been speaking loudly about the failure of the Bush administration need to yell a lot louder now in order to get through to those who continue to support their president – no matter what.

I believe this is a very serious turning point in American history. It is a time when the opposition will have to work faster, more diligently and more forcefully than they ever have before. If millions of people have failed to understand that the actions of your government have contributed to the deaths of thousands of people and may, one day, contribute to their own demise, the opposition has a duty to pull together every possible resource to get this message through.

If you have never volunteered for your political party, do it now. If you have never written letters to the editors, start now. If you have never participated in a protest, consider it now. If you have never distributed fliers, go now, If you have never manned phones, sign up now. Just do something.

If you fail to take action, you’re part of the problem. Every action will count and you must do your part. Your security, life and liberty are at stake. Your neighbours may not care, but I know you do.

0 0 votes
Article Rating