Compassionate conservatism

-- by Dave

Spocko has yet another sample of the hateful rhetoric that continues to spew over the airways from San Francisco's KSFO-AM, home of right-wing shrieking harpy Melanie Morgan. This time it's from Morgan's sidekick, Lee Rodgers, talking on the anniversary of the Katrina disaster:

Last week while the rest of the country was wondering how the refugees from the Katrina flood were doing, Lee Rodgers of San Francisco radio station KSFO called them sniveling whiners and freeloaders and told them to shut the hell up and "Get off your butt and go to work." (audio link)

Rodgers: This two year pity party has gone on long enough and then some.

Rodgers: But two years later for God's sake people, solve your own bleeping problems, we're sick of hearing about you. And eh, and if you are sick and tired of the whining of the people in or from New Orleans about the government not doing enough for them and doing the rebuilding job for them. Maybe those people down there ought to stop their sniveling and whining and watch an example of self reliance right there in their own community. (audio link)

Rodgers: I don't wanna hear anymore of this crap from people in Louisiana saying "Gimmee, Gimmee, Gimmee." Shut the hell up. Solve your own problems. It's been two years, grow up. (audio link)

Melanie Morgan, the co-host, called New Orleans "a rathole " (excluding the French Quarter). Lee Rodgers call New Orleans a sewer.

Rodgers asks, "Is one hurricane supposed to be a permanent life long ticket on a bleeping gravy train? Come on!" (audio link)

Rodgers suggests that the displaced people, "Get the hell over it!"

Typical conservatives: After creating one of the greatest government foulups in history in both the immediate and the long-term responses to the Katrina disaster -- as the recent Campaign for America's Future report on the subject lays bare in some detail -- it's probably not surprising that they just want their victims to shut up and go away.

Two-years later, what has happened to better the plight of these African Americans? Practically nothing—as too much economic aid has made its way to contractors and developers instead of the people on the ground who need it most. The federal government immediately allocated $27 billion in emergency supplemental funding, an amount that has since risen to over $100 billion. But some of that money, for instance, has found its way to the builders of luxury condominiums near the University of Alabama football stadium—hundreds of miles inland.

Just how bad has it been? Rick Perlstein reports that it's "incompetence by a factor of five". And as Digby described in detail, the root cause of the administration's failure was its Rovean exploitation of every facet of government for political gain, and consistently at the expense of good governance.

No wonder their cheerleaders want us to just shut up. Next comes the hands over the ears and the "La la la la la la I can't hear you!"

Mostly, you have to be impressed with the deep feeling for the plight of their fellow Americans. Is this what they call compassionate conservatism?