LAT: On Storm, Bush Aims to Be Unlike Dad (Charley hit area Bush needs)

[DeepModem Mom]

AFTERMATH OF A HURRICANE
On Storm, Bush Aims to Be Unlike Dad

By Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — Just as his father did 12 years before, President Bush is flying to Florida to survey the damage wrought by a major hurricane less than three months before facing a hotly contested election.

Republicans hope the parallels end there.

After Hurricane Andrew left thousands homeless in August 1992, the first President Bush's administration was bitterly criticized for moving too slowly to deliver food, water and troops. Although his campaign vastly outspent Bill Clinton, his support ebbed and he was forced to defend what once had been considered home turf, winning by a small margin.

The federal response was noticeably different this week. Even before Hurricane Charley struck, the second Bush White House was poised to act, this time backed by another Bush in the Florida governor's mansion. Hours after Hurricane Charley made landfall, federal aid was flowing, and the president was to arrive this morning....

Everybody this time also was aware of the political stakes: Florida's 27 electoral votes are up for grabs, with the latest survey giving Democratic challenger John F. Kerry a 7-point lead in the state that decided the 2000 election by 537 votes....

***

Andrew's wrath was isolated to a smaller area in a heavily Democratic part of the state. Charley struck southwest Florida, a fast-growing and heavily Republican region, and then cut a swath along Interstate 4 from conservative Polk County through suburban Osceola County, Orlando and then across Daytona Beach — a region considered crucial for the president's reelection....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-charleybush15aug15,1,7584157.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[DeepModem Mom]

1. Adding from mediaman007 GD post: 5,000 Guardsmen by today? Link --

http://www.floridaguard.net/read.asp?did=3384

[Massacure]

2. Andrew had 12,000 guardsmen and more than 25,000 active duty though

If I recall what someone else posted earlier.

[54anickel]

3. Anyone catch the stories of waves of power utility workers heading

there? Been all over the news here in SE WI about WE Energies along with many others sending down lots of workers. I know they've done this sort of aid in the past, but this was announced extremely fast - they were packing up to head out before any damage assessments were out.

Wonder how much is politically motivated, WE owes big time for that latest win on the coal-burning plants. :shrug:

[susu369]

4. I'm sure smirky has been rehearsing

eyes filling with tears, head shaking back and forward in disbelief, hugging some child or elderly person.....

[readmylips]

5. Jebby in his TV appearance...

mentioned the single mom with no milk for her child, an elderly lonely hit hard, and those were the ones he would help first....politics...politics..politics. How these people lie and use other's hardship is unbelievable...God should make jebby's big head explode.