swing voter, part 2

Oops. Realized I'd never posted the final piece I did for the Village Voice on the Jazz for Obama concert. 
Still thinking about that election...
Now, I continue to regret the fact that even when Hurricane Gustav was barreling toward New Orleans, even when the city evacuated, even as both parties convened separately for their conventions, not a serious word was uttered about delivering the full aid that was promised the Crescent City for recovery efforts, let alone regarding a more serious plan for levee  protection and Wetlands preservation (the two best ways to prevent further devastation while also creating paying jobs that do public good). Okay, the Dems let New Orleans musician Margie Perez speak on their convention floor, but only as a prelude to a Jimmy Carter video about building homes and all that (good stuff but not real policy). And the Republicans had the gall to exploit Gustav with their "suspension" of their convention and their back-patting over how well they responded to the disaster-that-wasn't (as opposed to the still-to-be-fulfilled pledges about the disaster-that-was and its legacy of pain, economic hardship, and disenfranchisement.
See, the thing is, I know that any smart Democrat wouldn't dream of bringing up aiding New Orleans while running for office (it won't fly as rhetoric right now). But I damn well hope that, once elected, Obama and a Dem-dominated Congress would get down to the business of making New Orleans a policy initiative, and backing that up with funding. 
And for those of us who care about the arts, here's a Salt Lake City Tribune piece that contrasts the candidates' platforms on that issue.
October 22, 2008 2:14 PM |

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