Bush Aides Meet With Black Leaders

ap on Yahoo ^ | 9/3/05 | ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and a number of President Bush's other top advisers met Saturday black leaders amid allegations that indifference to black suffering slowed response to Hurricane Katrina.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., past chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said he believes the administration was partly interested in offering assurances that any missteps in getting relief to the victims — many of them black — would be corrected.

"I think a lot of people in the African American community — and others, by the way — share Bush's view that the results of his efforts have been unacceptable," Cummings said after the meeting at the White House.

"I think they wanted to make sure that the leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Urban League and the NAACP knew that they were very sensitive to trying to make sure that things went right from here on out. And I think they wanted to try to dispel any kind of notions that the administration did not care about African American people — or anyone else."

But Cummings said that while the race issue was discussed, the issue consumed only about seven minutes of the two-hour meeting. "This was a where-do-we-go-from-here meeting," he said. "We were more concerned about how do we get them the resources that they need."

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the group discussed how to evacuate, save and sustain lives, temporary housing and ways to work with community groups and faith-based groups to handle long-term needs of the displaced.

In addition to Chertoff, he said the other participants were Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson, White House domestic policy adviser Claude Allen, NAACP President Bruce Gordon and National Urban League President Marc Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans.

The current chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., participated by phone.

Jesse Jackson and some black lawmakers have said that racial injustice was at the root of the disaster response. While agreeing that the black community had been heavily affected, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the administration's top-ranking black, has disputed that claim.

"Americans don't want to see Americans suffer," Rice said in an interview Friday on American Urban Radio Networks. "He (Bush) wants to do everything he can for every American. ... I just don't believe that people would somehow decide this on the basis of color. It's not who we are."

[PhiKapMom]

These are the folks made sure they have had plenty of buses to bring these people to polling places so they can vote and vote and vote but when crunch time came in a disaster no buses were available. They were parked so they could be flooded -- what did they want new buses?

There were plenty of blacks that evacuated New Orleans and didn't wait for the hurricane -- we don't hear about those because they took care of their families and some of them were very poor but still managed to make it out of NO without expecting everyone else to pick them up and take them somewhere or give them a "hot" meal. But then we had those from the projects waiting to loot including breaking into people's houses.

When I was with the Norman North band in New Orleans, we were given a map and told not to cross certain streets in the French Quarter because our safety would be at risk. Several of the choir people were mugged. Same groups went to San Antonio and nothing happened to anyone.

The only ones I feel sorry for that were left in NO are the children and the elderly/disabled that couldn't get out and were failed by the city. Able bodied men (all races but in NO mostly black) did nothing to help these people but sure had time for looting and making sure they got all the guns from Walmart. Those projects were a prime reason that NO crime rate was so high and we had the innocent raped in the Superdome by this same type of people.

Not in the mood to see one cent of my tax dollars or donation going to New Orleans until they get rid of their corrupt city Government and bring some law and order to the city. Those race baiting poverty pimps of the black caucus and other organizations are as usual pontificating but not rolling up their sleeves and helping. All they have is hot air.

My mini rant!

[section9]

Naturally, Condi put it best:

"Americans don't want to see Americans suffer," Rice said in an interview Friday on American Urban Radio Networks. "He (Bush) wants to do everything he can for every American. ... I just don't believe that people would somehow decide this on the basis of color. It's not who we are."

And she said that to a Black Radio network. No apologies. None of this Trent Lott mea culpa crap.

Good Girl, Condi! See, she stands up for Bush, unlike some other Republicans I can think of....

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[funkywbr]

Riddle me this?

Why weren't those BLACK LEADERS leading the Fn Blacks in NO who NEEDED DEM???

[sheik yerbouty]

The city flooded, and then they proceeded to make their own misfortune, shooting at doctors, Army helicopters with food and water, and then proceeded to set fires, committ murder, and rape children.

[alloysteel]

There were perhaps a number of people who were "indifferent" to the suffering of those Americans of African descent in New Orleans.

And the major number of them may be found among the "gangsta" hoodlums who were intimidating and terrorizing the civil population in so many of the neighborhoods throughout the precincts of the city.

Driving away assistance by gunfire and open acts of sabotage, looting and burning stores, running "protection" rackets openly in the places where thousands had gone seeking refuge and basic necessities, and open defiance of the law. Until a few had been shot in the head during the pacification efforts, as they were in the commission of a crime. The word seemed to spread pretty rapidly after a few similar incidents.

[Petronski]

I wouldn't meet with that cabal of racist fools for all the tea in China.

[Petronski]

Ignoring the toxic rhetoric for a moment, a large number of the people they represent are in deep trouble.

Bzzzzzzzzzt. Sorry. How about a lovely parting gift?

[Uncle Joe Cannon]

I think they need to read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

Soon, the media firestorm and attention will be gone, and they're going to need the Admin's help for the long haul. I am not sure what they think this nasty rhetoric is going to accomplish.

[jackbill]

I FAX'd Elijah Cummings last night. After all of these years, I finally had to use the n-word with this racist bastard. I can't otherwise express my contempt for his perfidy. Civilized words just fail me.

[MamaLucci]

My mini rant!

And a good one it was, PKM.

[THX 1138]

Giving "breaks" is a two-way street...

[Doe Eyes]

Give them a break. Ignoring the toxic rhetoric for a moment, a large number of the people they represent are in deep trouble.

Where I live we are collecting food, clothing, money and setting up our Convention Center to provide housing for the victims of Katrina. No one mentions race, its just imagined by the Black Leadership.

[clintonh8r]

Why should their rhetoric be ignored when they themselves are flogging it to every presstitute who will give them the opportunity?

[Made In The USA]

I can't believe I'm reading this... Are they really that stupid or does the DNC pay that good?

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks! Can you believe what is happening? Playing the race card does not work for me, and it shouldn't work with anyone.

[roses of sharon]

You bastards, after you slime and slander the President of the United States and America, in front of the WORLD, you want to know where to go from here??????

How about I give you a ride.

[ballplayer]

Who represented white people at the meeting ,or asians or Hispanics ? Sounds like a racist exclusive meeting to me ,there should be an investigation

[Libertarian444]

But Cummings said that while the race issue was discussed, the issue consumed only about seven minutes of the two-hour meeting.

Right. President Bush was actually interested in doing something constructive to help African-Americans who are suffering and Cummings just wanted to blabber on about race.

[MamaLucci]

Unfortunately, I CAN believe what is happening.
It is all too familiar. AFAIC, this is
just another desperate attempt by the libs to deflect
attention away from their OWN glaring inadequacies as leaders.

[PeskyOne]

Those race baiting poverty pimps of the black caucus and other organizations are as usual pontificating but not rolling up their sleeves and helping. All they have is hot air.

This is the best description I have seen of these groups. You were nice enough not to use names, but I'm not...I'd put Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton at the top of the list.

Leonard Pitts, a columnist for The Miami Herald, has a disgusting column today complaining because blacks had been identified as "looters". He had seen a photo of a white woman holding a loaf of bread over her head, and was upset that she was not referred to as a "looter". We're supposed to accept and excuse their looting because of the situation they're in...never-mind they are breaking into stores and stealing large screen TV's etc. I don't accept or excuse their behavior, nor would I accept/excuse that behavior if whites were doing it. I'm not a racist because I'm not blind!