White House Gives Up on the Gulf Coast

So, P.E. makes a remark about Janet Woodka. Harry Shearer has been all over the story.

In summary, Obama appointed a well-qualified person to a position that he never really got behind. I'm sure she's had some sort of an accomplishment, but I can't name any and the Obama administration quickly forgot she even existed. They eventually remembered enough to kill the office off nice and quiet like.

So, how is Obama doing on the "Litmus Test?"

Last week on Bill Moyers' Journal, Princeton professor, Melissa Harris-Lacewell offered the following statement in regard to expectations for the nascent Obama Administration.

...I have a couple things I think are the most important. I think the recovery of New Orleans continues to be the central democratic litmus test of our time, that what does and does not happen in the context of recovery for the Gulf Coast tells us whether or not we value community, what we're going to do about environmental injustice, whether or not we're going to provide affordable, quality housing, and whether or not we truly believe that we are a racial democracy, one in which people of all races get to contribute.

As Jeffery puts it, Clinton II is looking more and more like a mediocre president. I'll end with a quote from Churchill:

The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences.*

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*(Context for original quote was in relation to the U-Boat campaign)

Rising Tide 4: Harry Shearer

Harry Shearer is this year's keynote speaker.

Quick notes and liveblogging on Harry Shearer's keynote speech below:
* New Orleans has lost the battle in the media over the story of Katrina and the city's recovery.

* His blog posts get filled with Nola.com-esque comments about how calling New Orleanians to 'lift themselves up by their wet bootstraps, welftard.' He spends and inordinate amount of time rebutting and refuting those commenters (ARE YOU LISTENING, NOLA.COM!).

* Media Bias = LAZINESS ABOVE ALL ELSE! (Ex.- Shearer's rooftop living in L.A. story).

* Katrina as a storm vs. Katrina as a federal flood. Janet Napolitano, on a recent "fact-finding" tour of New Orleans said, "You'll never be able build a levee big enough to protect New Orleans." {Me} Oh really, that's your expert engineering opinion on the matter?

* Bloggers as the successors to journalists.

* Daily journalists/bloggers under a lot of pressure to publish everything immediately, often to the detriment to the story. Often should be tempered by more educated perspective.

* Relationships with sources. Robert Novak story about how, 'you're a source or a target, Karl Rove's "I'm a source, not a target" sign.'

* Harry Shearer's radio show coming to WWNO in New Orleans.

* Harry Shearer tries the inside game and get NOLA some love from the Obama administration. Shearer told White House rep that there wasn't any funding in the Stimulus Bill for finishing the levee work. Tries the inside game, gets the run around (for the most part). Some constructive talks with Janet Woodka, Obama's Gulf Coast Czar (who's office will be dissolved in about a month). The only care that Axelrod & Rahm have for New Orleans is to bash Bobby Jindal. Shearer is done with playing the inside game.

* Shearer talked with Brian Williams about why the Federal Flood story got buried. Brian honestly confesses that emotional sob stories are emphasized over factual stories about New Orleans. Video below:

Harry Shearer @ #RT4: On confronting Brian Williams at Tulane U in June 2006 from Crystal Kile on Vimeo.

* "Dutch Dialog" for New Orleans. Planning committee mentioned in Harry's speech.

* Had New Orleans "won" the media war, people wouldn't think that there was only a problem for people "down there."

UPDATE- Maitri has more.

UPDATE 2- Added video. Minor punctuation edits.