Please Show Some Graciousness, Mr. Obama
President Obama campaigned on a message of hope and change, promising to bring an end to partisan sniping while giving Americans something to believe in.
I’m amazed at how quickly change has come to the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov where a new, crisp design and easy to read pages have already replaced the previous rendition. Clearly, President Obama’s communication team is top notch, delivering to us a site that is detailed and easy to navigate.
But, I’m also concerned that some of the tone on the site is anything but gracious, where at least one topic, Katrina, demonstrates that Mr. Obama isn’t looking forward as he has often promised to do (italics mine):
President Obama will keep the broken promises made by President Bush to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. He and Vice President Biden will take steps to ensure that the federal government will never again allow such catastrophic failures in emergency planning and response to occur.
President Obama swiftly responded to Hurricane Katrina. Citing the Bush Administration’s “unconscionable ineptitude” in responding to Hurricane Katrina, then-Senator Obama introduced legislation requiring disaster planners to take into account the specific needs of low-income hurricane victims. Obama visited thousands of Hurricane survivors in the Houston Convention Center and later took three more trips to the region. He worked with members of the Congressional Black Caucus to introduce legislation to address the immediate income, employment, business, and housing needs of Gulf Coast communities.
President Barack Obama will partner with the people of the Gulf Coast to rebuild now, stronger than ever.
Mr. Obama’s commitment to New Orleans is laudable, but certainly he should take a page out of the Bush playbook by looking forward, not back — isn’t that what hope does? Whether you agree with Mr. Bush’s policies or not, one thing the 43rd president didn’t do while he was in command was to dredge up the many failings of the Clinton Administration, the Marc Rich pardon being one of the most glaring of them.
Right now I am surfing the White House site, gaining a clearer picture of the direction that President Obama wants to take the nation. However things should unfold, I certainly hope that his “change has come” message includes a level of civility that brings Americans together, not divides us.
Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House, is the person behind the new site and the blog — let’s hope that he pays close attention to every memo from his boss encouraging civil discourse. That, my friends, would be a change for the better.
Tags: Barack Obama, blog, website, White House
Politics | Matthew C. Keegan, 22 Jan 09
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By michael, January 22, 2009 @ 11:28 am
You’ve got to be kidding.
The Bush administration did nothing but blame Clinton for every woe during their tenure.
Even now they are re-writing history to include how Bush “inherited” 9-11 and actually trying to blame this economic downturn on the incoming administration.
Hopefully we are moving away from the “don’t blame me” mentality of the last eight years.
I think cabinet appointments and outreach to the other side of the aisle is very indicative of a new administration that will be far more inclusive than the last.
By MattK, January 22, 2009 @ 12:17 pm
Agreed, that outreach across the aisle will likely be part of Obama’s strategy going forward.
Regarding blaming 9/11, I believe that any push back from the Bush Administration followed the accusations from members of Congress and the left who concocted conspiracy theories and suggested that “Bush knew” beforehand.
I don’t recall the White House website on Bush’s first days of office blaming Clinton for anything. Plus, we have a president who has gone out of his way to refute sniping. I hope that he modifies the Katrina language.
By Dominique, January 22, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
I think the website is a mirror of what we will see from this president. Sometimes I think we should pay more attention to what he does than what he says because what he says is not trust-worthy.
Dominiques last blog post..Day One: DECEPTION Realized
By MattK, January 22, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
Agreed, Dominique!
I believe that Obama will present one of the greatest challenges to our country. The change he plans on implementing could be our very undoing.
MattKs last blog post..Clemson Study Offers Surprising Conclusion About Payday Loans
By LarryJackson, January 22, 2009 @ 8:52 pm
One glaring admission concerning Katrina is the fact that even though the federal government didn’t respond as quickly as they should, it was the local and state governments in Louisiana that failed miserably to prepare for the storm. A lot of people seem to forget that little chapter.
LarryJacksons last blog post..Obama shows clear break with Bush policies
By Manila Office Space, January 23, 2009 @ 1:37 am
Well, I just hope that Obama’s promises wont be broken..
Manila Office Spaces last blog post..JP Morgan adds 6,000 seats to BPO facility in RP
By Matt Keegan, January 23, 2009 @ 5:12 am
Larry, you are correct. After all, the task of helping people before the storm was administered locally. And, it was still “on” the governors of those states to request federal assistance.
Matt Keegans last blog post..Recapping SayEducate
By Deb S, January 23, 2009 @ 1:54 pm
You can’t say that Whitehouse.gov is boring! I, too, like the new look. As for the tone: I agree that it could be softened. I think we may see that over time. We are, after all, living in sobering times, as was reflected in Obama’s inaugural speech.
The federal government, as well as state and local agencies, failed badly when it came to Katrina. People are still living nightmares. Many are still unable to return to their homes. There are some very serious concerns when it comes to public safety and education.
In the aftermath of Katrina, I think a hard line needs to be taken that results in resolution on all issues related to public policy and public safety. On Whitehouse.gov’s Urban Policy page (under the subhead of Homeland Security), you’ll find this:
Prepare Effective Emergency Response Plans: As our nation witnessed in the Hurricane Katrina crisis and its aftermath, too many localities do not have integrated emergency response plans to handle disasters. President Obama will further improve coordination between all levels of government, create better evacuation plan guidelines, ensure prompt federal assistance to emergency zones, and increase medical surge capacity.
I think it’s appropriate that the Obama administration addresses this issue. The White House is also taking a hard line on Homeland Security, which I think is also appropriate, given the times.
Back to Katrina: I don’t see Obama looking back. History is full of persistent themes and social issues because of our failure to address them head on and to put structure in place to prevent the problems from reoccuring.
The evidence is overwhelming that Bush administration buried its head in the sand. To be fair, no one could have been completely prepared for the devastation of Katrina. Still, there is no excuse for the emergency response infrastructure not being in place.
Interesting topic. This is my first visit to your site. I’ll be back.
Deb Ss last blog post..President to keep Blackberry
By Deb S, January 23, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
Sorry. My HTML code is off. After quoting from Whitehouse.gov, my opinion resumes with the words “Back to Katrina.”
Deb Ss last blog post..President to keep Blackberry
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 23, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
Deb, thanks for your comment. I think we see eye to eye on this topic.
However, my advice to people facing a crisis is this:
1. Do everything in your power to get out of harm’s way. Government may not be able to help you out.
2. Local leaders including city, county and state officials should have first tier responsibility for ensuring that shelters are set up and that evacuations are completed.
3. The federal government can be tapped for after disaster care, specifically using the Coast Guard for rescues.
One thing about New Orleans is that the levee system being rebuilt isn’t adequate to withstand a Category 5 storm. This is another subject, but my contention is that rebuilding the entire city doesn’t make sense.