Dems blast Bush on blackout

[CatWoman]

Aug. 16, 2003 | The Democratic presidential contenders blamed President Bush Friday for the massive blackout in the northeastern United States, saying the White House's refusal to invest in the nation's infrastructure caused the problem.

"It underscores a blackout in this administration on energy policies," Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry said. "They have ignored the investment needs of our infrastructure in favor of a tax cut for the wealthy."


Northeastern cities from New York City across to Toledo, Ohio, were gripped by a massive blackout Thursday afternoon that left officials scrambling to restore power and searching for causes of the failure.

While no one has yet pinpointed a cause, Democrats were quick to bash Bush.

http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/08/16/democrats/index.html

[CO Liberal]

1. Republicans Woud Have Been Just as Quick to Bash Clinton.....

...if the blackout had occurred five years ago. But now they're complaining that we're making everytyhing political.

Turnabout is fair play. Screw Bush and the rest of the GOP.

[Kolesar]

2. It is the GOP's fault, according to Greg Palast

http://gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=257&row=0

[bigwoody]

3. Greg Palast is only like the most informed person on the planet

to continually connect the dots on this "axis of dickheads" now in power. Just link his stuff straight to the DNC: names, times, places, etc., it's all there! Better yet, e-mail his stuff to every journalist out there. There must be a few left with common sense AND the integrity to do the right thing?

[libtexan]

4. When you consider

that all of the nightly news dudes had dinner over at the WH not long ago, and that this FCC push for less independent voices in the media came during such "interesting" times, man, it seems pretty obvious why people like Palast aren't being heard in the mainstream. The internet, however, is a force to be reckoned with and may be sowing the seeds for big-time MePublican defeat. C-Span has also been lively. William Rivers Pitt- truthout.org -was brilliant the other night on C-Span 2 addressing Veterans for Peace. Check it out:
http://truthout.org/docs_03/081403A.shtml

[CheshireCat]

13. axis of dickheads

lol

You just made my day!!

Hope you don't mind if I borrow this discription.

[diamond14]

5. POWER OUTAGE TRACED TO DIM BULB IN WHITE HOUSE

from Greg Palast....

POWER OUTAGE TRACED TO DIM BULB IN WHITE HOUSE --- The Tale of The Brits Who Swiped 800 Jobs From New York, Carted Off $90 Million, Then Tonight, Turned Off Our Lights

-snips-

So too the free-market British buckaroos controlling Niagara Mohawk raised prices, slashed staff, cut maintenance and CLICK! -- New York joins Brazil in the Dark Ages.

Californians have found the solution to the deregulation disaster: re-call the only governor in the nation with the cojones to stand up to the electricity price fixers. And unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gov. Gray Davis stood alone against the bad guys without using a body double. Davis called Reliant Corp of Houston a pack of "pirates" --and now he'll walk the plank for daring to stand up to the Texas marauders.

So where's the President? Just before he landed on the deck of the Abe Lincoln, the White House was so concerned about our brave troops facing the foe that they used the cover of war for a new push in Congress for yet more electricity deregulation. This has a certain logic: there's no sense defeating Iraq if a hostile regime remains in California.

Sitting in the dark, as my laptop battery runs low, I don't know if the truth about deregulation will ever see the light --until we change the dim bulb in the White House.

http://gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=257&row=0

[Gato Moteado]

7. EXACTLY!

and in this case, it appears that it really is the fault of the GOP and their chimpy leader.

[TennesseeWalker]

6. Go Greg Palast!

eom

[w4rma]

8. Dean on the blackout

…
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said the Bush administration, through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, tried to merge the New England's electrical grid with New York's when he still governor.

"I raised hell and told them they better get a lot of lawyers," he said in a telephone interview. "The president always sees bigger as being better and that's not true. What we really need to do is let local people take care of things. What we need is good, strong regional grids. We do not need huge mega-grids."
…

[IkeWarnedUs]

9. Although I love it when anyone bashes Bush

I have a problem with this.

It should be the responsibility of the ENERGY COMPANIES to maintain the infrastructure, not US TAXPAYERS!!!

Palast's article posted above talks about how regulation included requirements for the utility companies to maintain their infrastructure.

Was there anything in deregulation language that says the companies are no longer responsible?

[tomp]

14. agreed. i question this as well.

reminds of the amer. airlines bailout. why didn't we just buy the damn airline. i hate corporate welfare. if the electric companies are private enterprises why am i being asked to keep up their infrastructure? all that is supposed to be included in the bill i get every month.

all essential services should be owned and controlled by the people---energy, transportation, etc.

[RobinA]

18. I Have a Problem

with this as well. Bush at fault for the blackout? Nonsense. It's getting to be the Dem version of blaming Clinton's penis to blame Bush for everything that happens. And it just makes swing voters tune out.

[Beetwasher]

10. They are, after all, the ENERGY admin

One of the first things they did after seizing power was hold top-secret energy meetings that they won't discuss. What was accomplished at those meetings? Since then we've had a crisis and looting in Cali, Enron bankruptcy, an oil war and now the largest BO in history. Either their policy is the worst ever, or it's all going according the plan...Not to mention it takes catastrophe's to open their eyes about anything...It took 9/11 and the biggest terror attack ever on US soil to open their eyes about terror, despite all the warnings and now despite all the warnings, it takes the biggest BO in history...

[Flubadubya]

12. Cheney's secret energy policy meetings...

We don't know who they saw or what they said, but we sure can see the results!

Enron rapes the Left Coast, East Coast goes down... what's next?

[knowledgeispower]

11. Playing right into Bush's hand

Bush wants to use this blackout as an opportunity to put more money into the pockets of the energy executives (ala Enron). He will now call for major investment in energy infrastructure, which will award many government contracts to private businesses. Just another example of taking money from the public and giving it to the corporations. THAT is what the Dems should focus on.

[Penguin15]

15. Bush Isn't The Only One

Okay, let's thing moderate.

For 8 years, Clinton also had a chance to solve the energy problem. He knew it was there. Why didn't he do anything about it?

But wait, Bush must have known too..but at least he had an energy plan. But Congress wouldn't pass it, so yeah.

I think we shouldn't blame the Presidents, but why don't we just blame the ones who messed up. Someone screwed up badly, and didn't allow the system to react correctly.

We shouldn't use this to play politics, but try to find ways to help move forward, and solve these problems. :-)

[CatWoman]

16. let's not play politics

is that like playing patty-cake?

[Beetwasher]

17. Too bad

The buck stops with the chimp. It happened on his watch. What did they discuss in their top secret energy meetings? It was obviously a priority for them. What was accomplished? Since then we've had the California energy crisis and pillage, Enron, a war for oil and now the biggest BO in history. These bozos don't wake up until something catastrophic happens and this sort of thing is a matter of national security. This admin, once again, was asleep at the switch. They were warned in Nov. that the grid was old and needed upgrading and their bullshit energy bill will only make matters worse.

[leesa]

20. Ah, yes when the Republicans are caught with their hands in the jar

all of a sudden it's the old, old ploy...everyone is doing it and bring it around back to Clinton's penis. Why don't you read and LEARN something without your Clinton glasses on.

[ILeft]

21. I loathe the phrase "play politics." Politics is life and death...

...and my side is allowed to fight back once in a while.

Wait, maybe the Democrats aren't playing politics, maybe they're practicing the "politics of personal destruction" when they criticize Pestilent Bush?

Screw the word games, this administration is destroying this country through malice and incompetence.

[Fovea]

22. Where the white house comes in

I was in California in 2001, and I remember the blackouts and the gouging.

This was all based on Enron gaming the system. But it looked plausible enough for a short while-- Until the big suction hit.

From what I took in, I will have to see an awful lot of evidence that this was *not* a manipulation of the grid gone bad, now being sexed up to gain more halliburton contracts. Win-win. The only way not to end up a loser, is to not let Cheney's buddies play another game, this time against the Blue states in the east.

[sangha]

19. You're right - No corporate welfare

should be the Dems position. If the "free market" can't build their own transmission lines, then the govt should take over the industry. Re-regulate now!