Floods in Greenfield - Romney absent - Kerry calls to ask if he can help

[Mass]

I hope that Kerry can visit, but it is difficult to believe that Romney could not be bothered visiting.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/10/12/greenfield_raps_romney_response/

Greenfield raps Romney response

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff | October 12, 2005

GREENFIELD -- Residents and local officials lashed out yesterday at Governor Mitt Romney, saying he had been slow to respond to the destruction caused by torrential rains in Greenfield and other parts of Western Massachusetts over the weekend.

...

''Where's the governor now?" said Alan Harvey, 49, a construction worker who spent most of the day yesterday picking through his soaked belongings at Wedgewood Gardens, a community of mobile homes that was wiped out by the Green River, displacing all 75 residents.

...

Greenfield's mayor, Christine Forgey, yesterday appealed for $1 million in emergency funds. She said she has been trying to get in touch with Romney, but as of late yesterday afternoon had been able to reach only Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey's chief of staff.

''I am urging the governor to declare us a national disaster area to get us federal funding to help with the devastation," she said.

...

''The governor's office hasn't even acknowledged that it's rained," said Representative Christopher Donelan, a Democrat from Orange, as he distributed a letter he had written to Romney asking him to declare a state of emergency for portions of Western Massachusetts.

...

She said she had received a call from Senator John F. Kerry offering support.
...

[whometense]

1. Unsurprising, unfortunately.

This is a good story to blast around. The real Mitt Romney - a true brother of George Bush. Disgusting.

[TayTay]

2. And the true John Kerry

Always mindful of when people need some help. I doubt very much the Feds will kick anything in to help, they hate New England. (If they wouldn't help people out in the aftermath of the Rhode Island fire 2 1/2 years ago, they certainly won't help with mere flooding.) I noticed that Kerry was out-of-state in the beginning of the week, but is home now, just in case. Good man.

[Mass]

3. yesterday , He also visited the crew of the Seneca coming home from NO.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., talks with members of the media after touring the United States Coast Guard cutter Senneca, where he also visited with the crew, at the vessel's home port in Boston Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005. The Senneca recently returned from a tour of duty in New Orleans where the ship and its' crew particpated in rescue operations and command and control functions.(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

[Mass]

4. ChimesAtMidnight. - Mitt Romney can't find Greenfield Mass on a map

http://www.chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com/

Mitt Romney can't find Greenfield Mass on a map
or the telephone for that matter, said Massachusetts town is flooded out and all the Governor's courtiers can do is snarl in condescension & derision.
Well, the reason for this is easy to see, if your Presidential strategy involves toadying up to out of state wowsers then showing any kind of concern for Massachusetts residents is bound to excite the animus of Spartanburg SC.
And we can't have that now can we?
First he heaps scorn on Massachusetts now he leaves us to bail ourselves out of a flood with Imperial Disdain.
Hell wasn't this the Willard Mitt Romney that Scot Lehigh was lauding for his quick action in opening up Camp Edwards to Katrina Refugees?
All this cuts to the core of Mitt Romney's entirely nonsensical theory of governance. If he regards the Commonwealth with such withering contempt then why in Ghod's name did he ever run for Governor in the first place??
To pump up his resume so he could run for President...from an office he himself can't wait to escape??
Does this make sense to anyone??
Humble Elias is confused...is Romney actually going to undertake a campaign for President on the promise to treat the nation as shabbily as he has served Massachusetts?
Frankly Mitt has a screw loose somewheres if he thinks this is the plan that'll carry him in Roman Triumph to the banks of the Potomac.

[karynnj]

5. It worked for Bush! Texas was not a paradise on earth

"is Romney actually going to undertake a campaign for President on the promise to treat the nation as shabbily as he has served Massachusetts?"

But Texans didn't call him on it.

[beachmom]

6. Just curious if a Senator can work around this governor

Is there anything Kerry can do to help? Now? This flood is horrible, and I was just wondering if Kerry can do anything from the federal level, or is a legislator entirely limited without the cooperation of the executives of the state and federal government? Because if he CAN do something, he should do it now. It should be priority #1 if it's possible to help people. And he should GO THERE, too. I'll remember this, if he steps up to the plate, and run off this story everywhere I go. He should do it with maximum help to the people and minimal publicity (but just enough, so it's on record). People are cynical, so he just needs to go in there and create results.

[beachmom]

7. A word of warning on all of this. Senator Landrieu, God love her,

but from everything I saw (I'm not talking about in the Senate, but on the ground), she was good at talking and blaming FEMA, but people said (and I saw this on Democracy Now!), that she came into one of the camps where people were staying, said a few words, and then left. The people were unimpressed, and felt like she didn't do much, only looking for a photo op. Now maybe this is unfair, and in the end, maybe she'll redeem herself, but if Kerry were to go there, it better be about substance, he should listen to the people, and then he should follow up. It's got to be real or he shouldn't bother to come.

Based on what happened with the Worcester fire, I think he can be real.

[whometense]

8. I think the one thing you can count on

is if Kerry goes there it will NOT be for a photo op. Not his style. He tends to do these things in an under-the-radar way - and that includes the Worcester fire.

[TayTay]

9. Absolutely.

Plus, the Feds hate to declare emergencies up here. (And Romney, the errant Gov of Mass., isn't even here to add his two cents in for the Feds to help out. Hell, he can't even declare an in-state emergency.) Kerry can help with a few grants and such and can be there as one elected officials who gives a damn. That would be nice.

[Firespirit]

12. I hope he can get something done for you guys...

He certainly has done plenty -- bills plus that plane of stuff -- for the Gulf states, which it could be argued aren't even his responsibility. (I wish he would get credit for it locally, but there you have it -- for whatever reason, he doesn't want to make a big media spectacle of his good works. It's going to be quite interesting if MS's governor is the GOP nom, or even a strong contender for it. Our John would be able to talk about the bills he sponsored that would help regular people. Meanwhile my illustrious governor could talk about how his priority was for casinos to be moved inland while the insurance industry robbed the victims blind, copping out of paying whenever possible, and he wouldn't lift a finger to condemn it or to support his state's attorney general in the lawsuit to force them to pay up. Yes, that'd be interesting.)

Anyway, to get off that tangent, I'm sure he wants to help his home state as much as possible in a natural disaster, because his very nature is protective. Here's hoping that the bureaucracy doesn't thwart him.

[TayTay]

13. That's awful about MS

I heard about the work for the Casino industry. And there is now talk about running ole Haley for Prez. (Please spare me Lord.)

I hope Kerry will step up and take some credit for his work in the Gulf area. He has been firing on all cylinders on that.

I also wish my Rethug bastard Gov would show some interest in the state and the poor people who lost their homes. But, running for PRes comes before taking care of the home folks. (Wait, that's only for one possible from MA. The other possible is actually very compassionate and caring about the home folks.)

[Mass]

10. The Chimes at Midnight - Romney visits Flood Damaged Greenfield Mass...

http://www.chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com/

Romney visits Flood Damaged Greenfield Mass...
coerced into it by the badgering of this "The Little Blog that Cried" and others no doubt.
:)
How else to account for his petulant and listless performance as he "toured" a flooded out trailer park (an irksome duty that has to have cemented his earnest desire to flee the Commonwealth soonest)?
The footage on NECN last night revealed a bored monarch who looked like he was being prodded along by off camera bayonets.
The Viceroy has lost interest and focus,while he still indulges in bizarre costumes for the weather (Mitt doffed his coat and tie for the cameras)its obvious he was trudging around like he'd been sentenced to community service or something.
Romney brought no good news to Greenfield (The Mayor thereof all but called Mitt a dilettante and dingbat on camera) and clearly couldn't wait to board his official SUV and high tail back to Boston to huddle with Michael Murphy as to which demogogic tax proposals will best sway the peasants of New Hampshire.
My Ghod what a difference up in the Granite State though, whole towns awash, bridges collapsing losses in the millions and Democrat John Lynch pounces on the crisis like a young tiger! He convened a committee of interested parties both public and private got the shelters opened up and earned high praise from Republican congressman Charlie Bass for his celerity and decision!
This is where Romney's neophyte political instincts fail him. You'd think in the wake of Hurricane Katrina etc he'd want to make a big show of the Commonwealth's disaster preparedness resources...but no a flooded town or two isn't even on Mitt's radar screen. the damn fool lets a perfect opportunity pass him by...lord even a inept hack like Ed King woulda seen the possibilities.

Sick
Demented
Typical...

In the meantime, Dems

http://www.thetranscript.com/headlines/ci_3112482

U.S. Rep. John Olver and Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, along with U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, issued a joint statement Wednesday calling on the governor to declare an emergency in the state's western counties and to request federal aid.

[whometense]

11. self-delete

dupe