Fox News was desperately searching for someone to endorse Republican Eric Cantor's 'no disaster relief without further hurting poor people' plan. The one that denies aid out of hand because, hey, none of his billionaire financial backers want it and who cares about the little people? Pat Robertson will tell them how to vote when the time comes.
So, not being able to find anyone with a suitably 19th century Dickensian frame of mind here in the 21st century, Fox dragged Mike "Heckuva Job Brownie" Brown out of whatever rock he had been planted under. You remember him, the guy who is generally credited with destroying New Orleans by failing to realize Hurricane Katrina might have done some damage. In case you were wondering, Brownie likes Cantor's idea. Nuff said. JL
Brian Beutler reports in TPM:
If you're trying to institute a new paradigm in the field of federal disaster relief, you could use a better ally than former FEMA Director Michael Brown, better known to most of you as "Heckuva Job" Brownie.
He's the former International Arabian Horse Association Commissioner and the guy many blame for bungling the federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
He's also the first high-profile person in with experience in the field of disaster management to back the new GOP requirement that federal disaster aid be offset with federal spending cuts.
On Fox News Tuesday, Brown gave the policy his seal of approval.
"We don't have any money," Brown said, echoing a common GOP talking point. "Let's say FEMA needs an additional $1 billion. Forty-two cents of every dollar that they give FEMA will have to be borrowed. So we have to start making these choices."
Conservatives have been beating this drum for a long time, but by and large the national standard has been that in emergency situations, the government doesn't offset emergency spending. This was true for Katrina and for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other expenditures.
It's still not clear how much, if any, federal disaster relief coastal states will need after Hurricane Irene, but led by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the GOP currently seems prepared to make sure it's all offset with spending cuts.
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