Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

Was It Between Golf Rounds?

30 Comments

Barack Obama sends a memo to Louisiana officials to not discriminate in the distribution of federal funds.

This is the worst natural disaster since Sandy. If Bush was on the links during it, imagine the howls from the media.

Which brings me to another sore point. I think the demand that presidents should show up to a disaster to “feel peoples’ pain” is emotional and stupid. It’s not part of a president’s job description, and like many terrible traditions, it was started by Bill Clinton, after the idiotic media outrage over the GHWB response to Andrew. But I just wish that the media would be consistent, and not hypocritical, in modulating their outrage depending on which political party is in the White House.

30 thoughts on “Was It Between Golf Rounds?”

  1. The folks in Louisiana don’t want Obama, for the reasons you state, Rand.

    As for the media, they lied about most everything related to Katrina and the aftermath.

    1. Wait a minute, you mean Bush didn’t order that the levies be blown up, and didn’t deliberately evacuate all the white people and leave the black people to drown? In the words of Mortimer Snerd, “Who’d a thunk it?”

  2. While I agree that showing up just to “feel people’s pain” is an utter waste of presidential time (along with a heck of a lot else presidents do, like visiting schools, handing out awards, etc) and is a job that should be done by the VP, there is some benefit, sometimes, gained by firsthand visits to a disaster area. Bush seeing the aftermath of Katrina via a low level AF1 flight was probably useful (and the press blasted him for it) whereas meeting with victims probably wasn’t.

    However, there is such a thing as callous disregard, such as playing golf while a disaster is underway (Obama). Normally, I’d condemn any president for that, but not in Obama’s case; he’s less harmful when on the golf course. Indeed, I’d be happier if golf was the only thing he did while in office.

    Media, consistent? Of course not… they are mostly Democrats with bylines, and Democrats are nothing if not hypocrites.

    1. CJ, I can accept both your arguments. When Houston was having bad flooding, Texas Governor Abbott flew over in a Blackhawk helicopter to understand the scope of damage. It makes sense, and it something a leader should do. His flight didn’t require security blocking the few roads that are open, or get in the way of responders trying to provide aid. Bush flying over in Air Force 1 didn’t get in anyone’s way either, not even local airports, which were needed to ferry in flights (I recall watching what look liked the Berlin airlift from Ellington Field in the aftermath of Katrina).

      The other place for a leader to be in a crisis is at a command facility. A place were they can help the logistics train do its job. In this case, working with governors of nearby states like Texas and Mississippi to figure out what aid they can provide. With modern technology, I believe command, control, and communications can be very mobile; but I don’t not believe they are good enough to fit in a golf cart.

      If these things are not important, then fine. Cut the federal budget, allow states to keep more of their own money, and make the state and local governments take care of there own. I’m fine with it.

    2. I’ve written many times that Obama does far less damage when he’s playing golf than when he’s playing president. January 20th can’t get here fast enough. He’ll transition from being the worst president to the worst former president.

  3. We on the right might get angry at the leftist bias in the media, but when I talk to people on the left who carry a small amount of influence, they despair over the right-wing media. They especially mention Breitbart, along with talk radio.

    I do believe things are much different now than they were even four years ago. Eight years ago there very few influential sources on the Internet. Conservative media is catching up. I will often go to Breitbart and sigh with relief as I see Clinton’s thievery as a major headline. I also know that the story is read by millions.

    1. “I also know that the story is read by millions.”

      Is it? I’ve often wondered what the readership numbers are like.

      Also, I think it’s important that middle-of-the-road types see the rightward news. Typically they go to the Wa Post thinking it’s balanced.

    2. CNN has been labeling them altright. Are there any altright writers there besides Milo? I’ve noticed that when leftist media mentions his name, they never say anything about him.

  4. No, I think it was actually Reagan who started it. I remember he personally went to comfort the families of marines killed in Lebanon, and then during some bad flooding he got out there and helped stack sandbags in a levy. I think there were others as well.

  5. Did Obama send a similar letter to California? The racist stereotypes Obama has for the South probably explain why he has been so dismissive of the natural disasters there.

  6. It’s quite unreasonable to expect Obama to visit Louisiana: The golf courses there aren’t playable due to all the rain.

  8. Flash: Conservatives shocked to discover media operating as left wing propagandists. Clutch pearls, hie to their fainting couch.

    1. And why is that? Because the leftist media, as Rand pointed out, is the whole reason this mess started.

    2. Sure, a photo op would have been criticized, but a press conference discussing federal aid (or lack thereof if LA didn’t vote for him) would have been appropriate. Dude didn’t even miss a round.

    3. “The President was going to be slammed by the right no matter what. If he goes.. it is a photo op.. if he doesn’t go .. he doesn’t care…”

      So if this president were smart – if he had ANY brains at all – he would have:

      1) Cut short his vacation once the floods hit and gone back to DC

      2) Gathered the info and made the necessary calls to the Governor, Mayor etc.

      3) Got on tv and reported on what he learned, what the Louisiana government was asking for, what the Constitution/law allows the Executive branch to do, and what he did. What he can do in the future if the governor of La. requests/allows.

      Simple. So very simple that the most genius president ever could not think of it…….

        1. The right would have had zero to argue with – if they tried to argue he was somehow failing in his duties they would have looked stupid.

          And of course, Bush should have done this, too, for Katrina.

        2. Maybe they wouldn’t have but they also wouldn’t be making fun of him for golfing instead of doing his job. But as Obama said in his press conference, he is gone in five months so he doesn’t really care anyway.

    4. Democrats: “People will complain so just go golfing.”

      Is that really the best course of action?

      It also ignores the whole hypocrisy angle here, which progressives always claim is the overriding issue when deciding what issue to seize on.

  11. Uh oh. No posts by Rand since he took a swipe. Hope he doesn’t turn up like Vince Foster. Or show up again with a puzzling ‘evolved’ view of the Clintons.

  12. This is especially amusing given blatant racial discrimination by the DOJ in the enforcement of civil rights laws.

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