Video surfaces of Obama in 2007 suggesting racism slowed aid to post-Katrina

[ChiefsandO'sfan]

It's the Obama speech on race you probably haven't heard.

In June 2007, then-Sen. Barack Obama told a mostly black audience of ministers that the country's leaders "don't care about" New Orleans residents, suggesting the city was neglected in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina because of institutional racism, according to a an unedited video uncovered by The Daily Caller.

In the address, delivered during the upswing of the Democratic presidential primary season, candidate Obama specifically criticizes in outspoken terms the decision not to waive a federal law known as the Stafford Act that requires communities hit by disasters to match 10 percent of federal aid.

“When 9/11 happened in New York City, they waived the Stafford Act. … And that was the right thing to do,” he tells the crowd at Hampton University in Virginia. “When Hurricane Andrew struck in Florida, people said, 'Look at this devastation. We don't expect you to come up with your own money. Here, here's the money to rebuild. We're not going wait for you to scratch it together, because you're part of the American family.' "

Obama, echoing rapper Kanye West's infamous anti-Bush remarks a couple years earlier, then argues that New Orleans was treated differently, suggesting the reason was that the city is mostly black.

"What's happening down in New Orleans? Where's your dollar? Where's your Stafford Act money?" Obama says. "Makes no sense. ... Tells me that somehow the people down in New Orleans they don't care about as much."

The Obama campaign didn't response to FoxNews.com's request for comment Tuesday night about the Daily Caller report and the video, but the Associated Press reported that Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt dismissed the criticism as "a transparent attempt to change the subject" at a time when Mitt Romney is down in the polls.

Media organizations covered the speech at the time, but the Daily Caller said the video it obtained showed parts of the speech that had never been publicized. It posted what it said was the complete speech on the website.

By January 2007, nearly a year and a half after Hurricane Katrina hit, the federal government had committed $110 billion to relief efforts in areas hit by Katrina through a variety of programs, including Community Development Block Grants, funding for the Corps of Engineers and Small Business Administration loans, according to a report that May by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic and Statistics Administration.

But at the time of Obama's speech, there were still concerns about federal response to the disaster under the Stafford Act, which governs relief efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was unwilling to waive the law’s 10 percent local match provision for aid, like it did after the Sept. 11 attacks and other hurricanes.

“One reason cited for FEMA’s reluctance to waive the 10 percent match in New Orleans is concern about corruption,” the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies said in a 2008 report on the relief efforts.

That report also noted that then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco was pushing in early 2007 for a federal law eliminating the 10 percent match. The House passed the bill, but it stalled in the Senate and President Bush had threatened to veto it.

The complete video of Obama’s 2007 speech, surfacing barely a month before the presidential election and the night before Obama’s first debate with Romney, could complicate Obama’s efforts to avoid a politically risky debate over race that partly ensnared him during the 2008 race. Four years ago, his fiery pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, became a political liability over videos that showed Wright making controversial statements.

Obama, after initially defending him, eventually was forced to condemn Wright publicly, and the controversy prompted Obama to deliver his much-heralded 2008 address on race in Philadelphia.

Wright reportedly attended the 2007 speech, and in the video obtained by the Daily Caller, Obama is heard calling Wright "my pastor, the guy who puts up with me, counsels me, listens to my wife complain about me. He's a friend and a great leader. Not just in Chicago, but all across the country."

The Daily Caller also highlighted a segment in which Obama questions federal priorities in transportation spending.

"We need additional federal public transportation dollars flowing to the highest-need communities. We don’t need to build more highways out in the suburbs. If we have people in the cities right now who want to work but have no way to get into those jobs, we've got to help connect them to the jobs that exist,” Obama said. “We should be investing in minority-owned businesses, in our neighborhoods, so people don’t have to travel from miles away.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz28DAqpUMX

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I'm just leaving DC if (heh) that happens.

Make the signature bet, pat. Swing the bat.

No, thanks. I don't make sig bets even when the rewards are equal, which still isn't the case here.

Will you still lurk here or will you be gone completely? If you're going to lurk from time to time, I'll keep working on Chiefshrink to get him to let you return. If not, it would be a waste of my effort.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Yes, yes, and yes.

Edit: I should note that I was not on this board when Katrina occurred.

Do you have a link to the thread in which you did that?

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by vailpass

No.

Then you would be incorrect. How are you going to rebuild on a pile of trash?

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by patteeu

No, thanks. I don't make sig bets even when the rewards are equal, which still isn't the case here.

Will you still lurk here or will you be gone completely? If you're going to lurk from time to time, I'll keep working on Chiefshrink to get him to let you return. If not, it would be a waste of my effort.

I wouldn't feel the need to lurk, I don't believe. I participate on two other political forums online similar in fashion to this one that I enjoy very much.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Donger

Do you have a link to the thread in which you did that?

I don't. I primarily hung out on another board at the time of Katrina, and god knows I had endless conversations about it with my Republican friends.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Then you would be incorrect. How are you going to rebuild on a pile of trash?

FEMA cleans up some major debris. It is up to the citizens to clean their streets of the rest.
I went back to Iowa when the floods came, helped as Cedar Rapids dug out. FEMA flood crews were there and right alongside were citizens by the hundreds cleaning and hauling and working to right their city.

Working with the feds, not sitting down helpless waiting for the feds to do for them what they won't do for themselves.
Disgusting. You want to act helpless? Then be treated like it and live in squalor instead of cleaning up your own street.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I wouldn't feel the need to lurk, I don't believe. I participate on two other political forums online similar in fashion to this one that I enjoy very much.

OK, well sorry to see you go. You've been a good poster and even though you make some ridiculous arguments from time to time, I think you're a pretty sharp guy. One of the things I liked about you most is that you were willing to take the time to type out some pretty deep analysis. A lot of times it was retarded, but it was at least thoughtful. Take care and enjoy your time in the loyal opposition during the Romney dawn.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I don't. I primarily hung out on another board at the time of Katrina, and god knows I had endless conversations about it with my Republican friends.

I see. It wouldn't put you out too much after such a declaration to expand upon it further, would it? Bullet point items would suffice.

[Chief Faithful]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

The completely inept and underwhelming response suggests New Orleans' poorer and minority populations were not of primary importance to any level of Louisiana's government.

I'm not saying it's racial, necessarily. But compare how the federal government effectively reacted to comparable disasters prior to Katrina, and it has given the black community the impression that they get lesser treatment.

Whether it's the case, I don't know. But one can understand the African American community feeling that it is. It's a legitimate concern, in my opinion.

This is a case of perception becoming reality. The African American community has a feeling of lesser treatment because they have been continously lied to by its own leaders and leaders of the liberal establishment. I believe the motive behind the lies is to keep people feeling dependent and isolated so they can be controlled.

In reality the response was in no way late, inept or underwhelming. The cause is well documented, help was stranded on the boarder not allowed in the state by the inept political driven response of the Governor of Louisiana. Just look at Mississippi, the hardest hit, response was immediate because the Govenor immedately declared his state a disaster area and succeeded control over to the Feds. The Govenor of Louisiana refused to declare a state disaster and succeed control to the Feds, which prevented, by law, Fema entering the state and setting up command and control. It eventually required the President to over-ride the law to get action because the Governor never cooperated with the Feds.

But, we don't get the facts reported instead we get this idealogically motivated attack that does nothing except divide the country. Now we see Obama continuing the divide by implying the slow response was in some way racially motivated. We all know why Obama does this because it is a pattern he repeats over and over, he works to divide people to secure his base and motivate the vote.

[Chief Faithful]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Part of FEMA's existence is to provide and coordinate recovery. You don't think cleaning up storm debris is part of recovery?

You are correct, but you leave out the reason this has worked everywhere except in Louisiana. FEMA sets up a command and control and takes over the recovery because the Govenor has declared a state disaster and the state is unable to manage. The state thus succeeds control of the disaster over to the Feds. The Govenor of Louisiana never todate made this declaration. Bush after 5 days of requesting this declaration over-rode the Govenor and took control.

[LOCOChief]

Dad and Mom volunteer for the Red Cross. Haiti, Jamaica, and New Orleans with Katrina. They like many others quit on Katrina because many of the folks down there would sit around watching the volunteers clean up and work on their homes without lifting a finger to help themselves.

Where I live in Florida we had 6 hurricanes in one season 2004. And it was neighbors helping neighbors community wide. We didn't wait for the federal govt to come and save us.

[qabbaan]

Originally Posted by LOCOChief

Dad and Mom volunteer for the Red Cross. Haiti, Jamaica, and New Orleans with Katrina. They like many others quit on Katrina because many of the folks down there would sit around watching the volunteers clean up and work on their homes without lifting a finger to help themselves.

Where I live in Florida we had 6 hurricanes in one season 2004. And it was neighbors helping neighbors community wide. We didn't wait for the federal govt to come and save us.

That beer looter guy helped himself...

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

You are correct, but you leave out the reason this has worked everywhere except in Louisiana. FEMA sets up a command and control and takes over the recovery because the Govenor has declared a state disaster and the state is unable to manage. The state thus succeeds control of the disaster over to the Feds. The Govenor of Louisiana never todate made this declaration. Bush after 5 days of requesting this declaration over-rode the Govenor and took control.

The problem with Katrina is nobody knew what to do. Especially in terms of debris clean up, afterwords FEMA changed their tactics. Judging from what I saw in Joplin, they got it right.

[mnchiefsguy]

Originally Posted by patteeu

As long as Romney doesn't really botch something in one of these debates, I think he's got it in the bag. If Obama doesn't feel desperate right now, he should.

I really want to agree with you, but I just do not see it. I am hopeful for a strong post debate bounce, and some momentum. Romney's number do not seem to be trending up, and he needs them too.

[J Diddy]

Some of these responses crack me up. People referring to a pile of debris as some would refer to a leaf pile, like they could go out with a trash bag and rake it all up.

Furthermore, I fail to see the bombshell in this video. Barack says something than it cuts into hannity to explain what he thinks Obama meant.


For instance, "we don't need to build more roads and highways in the suburbs we need to build them in the cities where the people are at"

While I disagree that the suburbs need to be totally neglected ( and I suspect he was talking in terms of priorities) what is racial about that? What is racial about saying the place where the roads are is where the majority of the people are?

Hannity cuts back and calls it racist and class warfare.


This is stupid as shit.