Reports out of Kentucky this morning are extremely dire. At least 20 persons are known dead as a result of a horrific ice storm that has paralyzed the state. The citizens of Kentucky need electricity, water, heat, food and sanitation. Crews are working tirelessly to get things back up and running. While most hospitals have generator-supplied power, many nursing homes do not. The elderly and infirm sit in cold, dark environments, waiting for relief efforts to bring food and water. My heart and my prayers go out to our citizens in Kentucky. Midwestern ice storms are devastating at best and the destruction and suffering they cause are such that you should hope you never experience it. As President Obama turns up the thermostat in the White House and gets ready for his big Super Bowl party, I wonder if there is outrage being expressed on MSNBC, CNN and other media outlets. After all, neither Mr. Obama nor Mr. Biden have raced to the scene in Kentucky and provided hands-on assistance. While fellow countrymen suffer, they stay tucked safe and warm in Washington, D.C.
In a normal political environment, the President's response to stay out of the way so as to not create even more problems in a region in peril would be automatically accepted. If we harken back to the Bush administration, however, the wounds are still fresh in remembering the ridiculous commentary that the media and Democrat politicians spewed each and every time there was an act of God that occurred in our country in terms of weather and subsequent damage and loss.
About a year ago, east-central Illinois was inundated with "100 year" flood waters that destroyed homes, businesses and created massive soil erosion in a very fertile farm region. Illinois is a blue state, and Democrats from town mayors to Gov. Blago to Sen. Obama were outraged at the failure of the Bush administration to get relief quicker to homeless families and others adversely affected by this tragedy. Opinion columns in newspapers across the state were clear that any delay or failure to act would not have occurred if a Democrat occupied the White House. In their view, a Republican president was 'punishing' the people of Illinois by deliberately ignoring their plight.
In May, 2007, a massive tornado struck a small town in Kansas, virtually leveling the entire community. Democrat Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, while standing in rubble hours after the storm hit, could not restrain herself from partisan back-stabbing. She quickly laid blame at the feet of the Bush administration, claiming the people of this town were in immediate need of assistance from the Kansas National Guard, but there were few to be found, thanks to Bush's war. She announced on national TV that the troops she commands were all in Iraq. Actual numbers of available Guardsmen were later released to show there was ample assistance and equipment available, and had been dispatched. I don't believe the governor retracted her statements.
Of course, Hurricane Katrina stands out as the most glaring example of the Left's opinion that the Bush-Cheney administration not only deliberately allowed people to die and lose their homes, they also planned the entire weather event and wished it upon the black population residing in New Orleans.
Just as more probably could have and should have been done by the federal government in these three examples, it is likely the the federal government will in some way be slow to respond or meet the needs of suffering people in Kentucky. The fed's often fail us, but depending on the political party, one side is deliberate and evil, and the other side is doing the best it can but patience is required as regulations and red tape must be worked through. When the media reports in this way, are we surprised which party takes power after the next election?
Thus far, KY Democrat Gov. Steve Beshear has not denounced the president or the response of federal agencies, and we probably won't hear him do that anytime soon. The only recourse for the partisans in the media may be to somehow find a way to tie this disaster to our former president, i.e., failing infrastructure and power grids he should have fixed but deliberately did not because he spent all our money in Iraq; it's been days since we've heard that one, it's time to bring it up, I'm sure. Keith Olbermann and a film crew may be headed to Texas right now to try and catch the Bush family in the midst of a high-five following a touchdown this evening. He'll be quick to tell us how unfair and immoral it was for Mr. Bush to enjoy the Super Bowl in the comfort of his home that happens to have heat, power and water. Oh, that's right....Keith probably will be manning the commentary desk at the game, also comfortable and well-fed. That just doesn't seem fair when so many in Kentucky not only can't see the game, they don't have food, water and heat to get through the night. Where's the outrage?