#Raw Feed Latest News The Blog Featured Posts IFRAME: http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/huffingtonpost/blog/politics;nickname=george-lakoff;entry_id=7034;laura-bush=1;tom-delay=1;george-w-bush=1;walmart=1;iraq=1;fema=1;john-roberts=1;hurricane-katrina=1;hurricane=1;ptile=1;dcopt=ist;sz=728x90;ord='+ ord +'? October 18, 2006 The Huffington Post DELIVERING NEWS AND OPINION SINCE MAY 9, 2005 ____________________ Search * Home * The News * The Blog * Eat The Press * Contagious Festival * Becoming Fearless George Lakoff George Lakoff Bio Blog Index RSS 09.08.2005 The Post-Katrina Era (70 comments ) READ MORE: Laura Bush, Tom DeLay, George W. Bush, Wal-Mart, Iraq, FEMA, John Roberts, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane It is impossible for me, as it is for most Americans, to watch the horror and suffering from Hurricane Katrina and not feel physically sore, pained, bereft, empty, heart-broken. And angry. The Katrina Tragedy should become a watershed in American politics. This was when the usually invisible people suddenly appeared in all the anguish of their lives -- the impoverished, the old, the infirm, the kids, and the low-wage workers with no cars, no tvs, no credit cards. IFRAME: http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/huffingtonpost/blog/politics;nickname=george-lakoff;entry_id=7034;laura-bush=1;tom-delay=1;george-w-bush=1;walmart=1;iraq=1;fema=1;john-roberts=1;hurricane-katrina=1;hurricane=1;ptile=2;sz=300x250;ord='+ ord +'? They showed up on America's doorsteps, entered the living rooms, and stayed. Katrina will not go away soon, and she has the power to change America. The moral of Katrina is mostly being missed. It is not just a failure of execution (William Kristol), or that bad things just happen (Laura Bush). It was not just indifference by the President, or a lack of accountability, or a failure of federal-state communication, or corrupt appointments in FEMA, or the cutting of budgets for fixing levees, or the inexcusable absence of the National Guard off in Iraq. It was all of these and more, but they are the effects, not the cause. The cause was political through and through -- a matter of values and principles. The progressive-liberal values are America's values, and we need to go back to them. The heart of progressive-liberal values is simple: empathy (caring about and for people) and responsibility (acting responsibly on that empathy). These values translate into a simple principle: Use the common wealth for the common good to better all our lives. In short, promoting the common good is the central role of government. The right-wing conservatives now in power have the opposite values and principles. Their main value is Rely on individual discipline and initiative. The central principle: Government has no useful role. The only common good is the sum of individual goods. It's the difference between We're-all-in-this-together and You're-on-your-own-buddy. It's the difference between Every citizen is entitled to protection and You're only entitled to what you can afford. It's the difference between connection and separation. It is this difference in moral and political philosophy that lies behind the tragedy of Katrina. A lack of empathy and responsibility accounts for Bush's indifference and the government's delay in response, as well as the failure to plan for the security of the most vulnerable: the poor, the infirm, the aged, the children. Eliminating as much as possible of the role of government accounts for the demotion of FEMA from cabinet rank, for Michael Brown's view that FEMA was a federal entitlement program to be cut, for the budget cuts in levee repair, for placing more responsibility on state and local government than they could handle. for the failure to fully employ the military, and for the lax regulation of toxic waste dumps contributing to a "toxic stew." This was not just incompetence (though there was plenty of it), not just a natural disaster (though nature played its part), not just Bush (though he is accountable). This is a failure of moral and political philosophy -- a deadly failure. That is the deep truth behind this human tragedy humanly caused. It is a truth that needs to be told starting now - over and over. There can be no delay. The Bush administration is busy framing it in it's own way: bad things just happen, it's no one's fault; the federal government did the best it could -- the problem was at the state and local level; we'll rebuild and everything will be okay; the people being shipped out will have better lives elsewhere, and jobs in WalMart! Unless the real truth is told starting now, the American people will accept it for lack of an alternative. The Democratic response so far is playing right into Bush's framing. By delaying a response for fear it will be called "partisan," the Democratic leadership is allowing Bush to frame the tragedy. And once it is framed, it is hard to reframe! It is time to start now. Hurricane Katrina should also form the context in which to judge whether John Roberts is fit to be Chief Justice of the United States. The reason is simple: The Katrina Tragedy raises the most central issues of moral and political principles that will govern the future of this country. Katrina stands to be even more traumatic to America than 911. The failure of conservative principles in the Katrina Tragedy should, in the Post-Katrina Era, invalidate those principles -- and it should invalidate the right of George Bush to foist them on the country for the next 30 years. John Roberts, as Chief Justice of a conservative court, would have enormous powers to impose on the nation those invalid principles. Do not be fooled by the arguments of "strict construction", "narrow interpretation," and the avoidance of "judicial activism" that will be brought forth in the hearings. What Roberts is brilliant at is the use of "narrow interpretations" to have maximal causal effect. Narrow interpretation, in his hands, can serve the purpose of radical conservative judicial activism. Consider a small example, the Case of the Hapless Toad. The Constitution empowers Congress to regulate "commerce ... among the several states." This clause has been interpreted by the Court to make it the constitutional basis for much of civil rights legislation and all major environmental laws. Over the past decade, the Court has been diminishing the powers of the federal government over the environment by limiting the scope of that clause, even limiting the application of the Clean Water Act. A completely narrow interpretation could eliminate all environmental laws (e.g., clean water and air, habitat protection) and threaten our civil rights. Roberts has written in favor such a narrow interpretation. The case concerned a developer who wanted to build a large housing tract in California that would destroy one of the last remaining breeding grounds of the arroyo southwestern toad, threatening its continued existence. The U.S. Courts of Appeals on Washington, D.C., upheld the right to life of the toad species under the Endangered Species Act. But Roberts, in a July 2003 opinion, wrote that the Interstate Commerce Clause, on which the Endangered Species act is based, should not apply to "a hapless toad that, for reasons of its own, lives its entire life in California." Such a narrowing would threaten the legal basis of the Endangered Species Act. Anti-discrimination legislation is also based on the Interstate Commerce Clause. What about discrimination wholly within one state? Were Roberts to apply a similar narrowing criterion, much of anti-discrimination law would go out the window. The point is simple. Narrow interpretations can have massive causal effects and be a form of radical judicial activism in the conservative cause. After the Katrina Tragedy, we cannot afford a radically activist Chief Justice with the same philosophy that has failed America so badly. The ultimate moral and political issues apply in both cases. John Roberts as Chief Justice would be a danger to our democracy and possibly to our very lives. Comments for this post are now closed Send to a friend Print Post Read all posts by George Lakoff Related News Stories * Happy Together: Ex-FEMA Chief Michael Brown, President Bush And Ex-Congressman Mark Foley... * WaPo Reporter : There Are Rumors Of A Third Page Scandal "Involving A 16-Year-Old Girl"... * GOP Sen Burns Debates Opponent: Bush And I Have An Iraq Plan And "We're Not Going To Tell You"... Related Blog Posts * Andrew Foster Altschul: October 9-13 Is National Republican Predator Week * John McQuaid: A Thousand Words: Brown, Bush, Foley * Joseph A. Palermo: The People Must Take Back The "People's House" Comments ( Page 1 of 3 > » ): While I agree with you for the most part, the liberals have had control in Louisiana. I've heard this argument framed in a complete foil: the liberals failed by making everyone dependent. It's a silly argument, but I think liberals failed New Orleans too. We all failed them. By: whb on September 08, 2005 at 01:21pm Flag: [abusive] Regarding the Hapless Toad: I don't get it. I'm sure just about everyone is in favor of saving endangered species and outlawing discrimination, but if a species of toad only lives in one state, how does it affect interstate commerce? We should be very careful when we advocate "broad" interpretations that border on nonsense, because doing so for a worthy goal invites similar Constitution-twisting for less noble ends. By: Tim on September 08, 2005 at 01:28pm Flag: [abusive] George: You state: "Use the common wealth for the common good to better all our lives." Were you watching the Clinton effort to provide social health care???? Who mounted the destruction of that idea??? Big biz, big money?? You may be aware that the Bush identified problem for social security is piddling by comparison to the problems with medi-care? Medi-care financing is another "katerina" by another name that is approaching us. Who, may I ask, is there of any account who is articulating this problem? Roberts, by the way... is water over the damn! He is Mr Corporate Amereica. Think Merck might need him? It is after all the big corporations who run this country. Enron, Exxon, Haliburton, think that corporate abstraction has sympathy? By: Charley on September 08, 2005 at 01:32pm Flag: [abusive] I'm glad to see you using the semantic frame theories to engage to national discourse so eloquently and forcefully. It is long past time for the academic voice to reclaim its role in guiding the philosophy of the world towards the betterment of the human condition. I hope you keep your posts coming at whatever rate allows to maintain this level of quality and effect. On an unrelated note, I've been missing my days in the Linguistics department at Berkeley. I'll have to swing by campus and arrange a visit. By: Mel Nicholson on September 08, 2005 at 01:55pm Flag: [abusive] We need to explain to the voters that progressives are just BETTER PEOPLE than the repugs, who want people to die so they can't vote, even though they're going to STEAL THE ELECTION ANYWAY. By: Jeffrey Wheiner on September 08, 2005 at 02:15pm Flag: [abusive] About John Roberts... Does anyone else feel that it is inappropriate to even have his hearing Monday??? For the love of God at least wait until all the dead are burried... Anyways, we should first have an independent hearing about the Katrina disaster or maybe even an impeachment hearing?? WAKE UP AMERICA! By: Ashli on September 08, 2005 at 02:22pm Flag: [abusive] What a remarkable parallel between Roberts conservative attitude towards an amphibian and Barbara Bush's approach to human poverty. Fill in a few words and he's mastered her aristocratic empathy: "A hapless poor person that, for reasons of his own, lives his entire life in Louisiana is much better off in the Astrodome." The ruling class has little time for lesser creatures of any species including our own. By: Rex Greene, MD on September 08, 2005 at 02:24pm Flag: [abusive] Great summary of the differences between Progressives and Conservatives. As a member of the progressive christian left I agree 100%. An add to this would be that many conservative supporters are part of the religious fundimentalist crowd. They like the conservative approach because it allows them to apply empathy only to those they feel are worthy of their empathy (i.e. people that share their religious beliefs). They don't think their wealth should be shared for the common good when it might go to people that are gay, pro-choice, or simply not of the christian faith. This selective empathy is in direct conflict with what I beleive are the core pilars of the christian faith. By: erwood256 on September 08, 2005 at 02:30pm Flag: [abusive] Ah yes, that ever famous Left-Lib, progressive 'empathy and caring' again. But there's always a twist. It's always done with 'other people's money'. So, what if I disagree with the way you want to allocate that money George ? What makes your way right ? Because you say it's so ? Because your ideology says so ? By: kj on September 08, 2005 at 02:42pm Flag: [abusive] With all due respect to Prof. Lakoff, I've been mentioning the James Kroeger article, The Republican Nemesis, on blogs because I feel so strongly about its potential to make the Democrats the majority party again. It's lengthy, but it's packed with insights into why Democratic campaign strategists fail when they go up against the Republicans. Here's what others have been saying about The Republican Nemesis: http://www.taxwisdom.org/what_others_are_saying.htm... By: Linette on September 08, 2005 at 03:00pm Flag: [abusive] I'm very curious how you can blame the federal government for the scope of the disaster and -- in the same breath -- blame the conservative principles of a small federal government and more local control. The two are mutually exclusive. Your argument contradicts itself. By: James C. on September 08, 2005 at 03:06pm Flag: [abusive] Putting aside the fact that Mr. Lakoff is not the least bit ashamed to politicize a natural disaster (somehow connecting it to John Roberts) before all the bodies have even been counted, Mr Lakoff's efforts will fail, as always, because he is trying to sell something to American voters that they don't want, and haven't wanted since the 1960s. For the progressive, whose words simply echo the Communists of the past, the results of their policies are irrelevant, it is about how they FEEL when they enact them. No matter that their policies have been complete failures (the Great Society and the collapse of socialism worldwide except where it is imposed through dictatorship such as in Cuba), "progressives" are satisfied feeling morally superior to those evil conservatives because they like to empower government to take money from other people and redistribute it to others. Let's just keep it simple: since progressives think government is so great at alleviating poverty, what was the return on the investment for all the poor inner city folks in New Orleans who have spent the last several DECADES voting for Democrats? I await your "framing" Mr. Lakoff. By: Phil on September 08, 2005 at 03:13pm Flag: [abusive] Earth to dimwit: Your leftist fellow travelers have controlled New Orleans and Louisiana for their entire existence. By: Tom on September 08, 2005 at 03:32pm Flag: [abusive] Bad news, George. You can't have it both ways. You slam conservative values as saying "You're on your own" without admitting that these people weren't told that by their liberal rulers. In fact, the mayor, governor and every other corrupt elected official in LA told these people that the government would take care of them. They gave them food stamps and welfare and WIC and government housing. THEN, when the storm hit, they were told they were on their own by these same people. The local rulers abdicated their responsibility, both historical (years of entitlements) and political (the city planned to use buses to get the poor out of harm's way, but they were never deployed). How about some honest journalism here? The government is NOT the answer to all of life's ills. Too much bureaucracy kills the intent. I have witnessed the capabilities of private citizens. I live in Houston and despite what the NYT dirty French edition says, this city showed its heart. Many of our local charities are turning donations away; they have too much already. That is what private citizens are capable of. Get a life. Come visit Houston. I'll show you what compassion is all about. And it has nothing to do with any branch of government. By: Michael on September 08, 2005 at 03:36pm Flag: [abusive] VERY WELL SAID! Today on CNN when they were doing the photo op with Cheney a guy came by and said go fuck yourself Cheney! I agree! By: Mark on September 08, 2005 at 03:58pm Flag: [abusive] Mr Lakoff gets to the heart of the matter about the problem with the conservative view of things in this country. Taken to its logical conclusion we will return to fuedalism. Two classes, one with vast wealth and power and the vassal class who serves the rich, is exploited, lives lives of no joy but all struggle. Those with wealth and power believe it is their right that they should enjoy priviledge and that somehow they have earned their status. Of course this is far from the truth. Wealth is only interested in unfettered free market capitalism... no regulation, no restriction on personal activity related to their wealth accumulation. If we don't stop this freight train... we will be back in the middle ages... having repudiated the renaissance and the age of reason... By: DefJef on September 08, 2005 at 04:09pm Flag: [abusive] There's a typo in your bio, Professor. By: Judie on September 08, 2005 at 04:42pm Flag: [abusive] An exceptionally well crafted piece with a clear message about our moral and philosophical bearing. This tragedy that has affected so many people across our nation should be a wake up call to examine our national moral and philosophical direction. And, while many of the issues may manifest themselves as political issues, we ordinary people should look at these issues to frame a modern day national character (which I believe has been lacking for a decade or two). One of the bi-products should be a more unified nation, since our president pledged to do it but didn't. How that gets implemented through all of our national institutions (political, religious, civic, charitable, ...) is TBD. Is this utopian, hard, unmanagable, ...? Yeah, probably! But if we don't do it Chief Justice Roberts will do it for us. By: yeahright on September 08, 2005 at 04:54pm Flag: [abusive] As a Nation, as an assembly of citizens, We Must Halt, Reflect & Mourn We need to hault all our ordinary activities. We must look at what has happened and not allow anyone to prevent us from access to the facts. We must think about what has happened. We must mourn the dead. We must look at ourself. We must look at one another, in large and small gatherings, in stadiums and in churches and in our neighborhoods and we must talk to one another. We need to each read our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution and Bill of Rights and a few statements from wise and compelling past American leaders. We need to read each of those documents to our children and to those who do not know how to read. For one week, beginning on September 11, 2005 we need to come together as a Nation and look each other in the eye and ask the questions we so sorely need to ask one another - "What can I do to help you?" "How can I lessen your pain, your suffering?" "What can I do to begin to restore compassion, ethics and accountability to OUR government?" No State-sponsored parades -- just citizens alone and in groups grappling with where we have been and what direction we now need to steer our Republic. Bush took a five week vacation that extended through the largest disaster to ever strike a community of American citizens, and a vast segment of American infrastructure. We The People ... can certainly take one week to assess what our Nation is and what we want it to be. We The People ... can take one week to bring our full attention and empathy to all those who have suffered because of Katrina and because of Iraq. We can mourn together and we can begin to heal, together. We The People ... can take one week to determine what each of us is going to do. That week could well be remembered as the most important week in American history. Peace, UL By: understandinglife on September 08, 2005 at 05:01pm Flag: [abusive] George Lakoff would be alot easier to stomach if he wasn't always trying to prove the usefulness of his "nurturing parent" philosophy (v. the conservative "strict father" notion). Sometimes, George, I don't want a parent of any kind... Sometimes I want a good co-worker... (And this blue stater often feels like blue America is doing all the working & earning & paying in the relationship...) By: Zave on September 08, 2005 at 05:41pm Flag: [abusive] SUGGESTION FOR COORDINATED PROTESTS ACROSS USA ON 9-24... Not everyone will be able to go to Washington on Sept. 24 to protest Bush's War and Other Atrocities of the current regime, especially the Katrina Debacle. Suggestion: EVERYONE WHO IS PISSED OFF ABOUT THE BUSH FASCIST AGENDA should assemble in front of your local City Hall on 9-24-05 at 12:00 Noon, your own local time, and protest in whatever ways you deem appropriate. Bring plenty of PROTEST SIGNS and NOISE-MAKERS, and raise hell! Make sure you notify your local media, TV-radio stations, etc., to have them cover the story. The BUSH Regime and the entire world needs to see the extent of discontent and outrage in America. Maybe with enough OUTRAGE, an impeachment might not be far behind... Good luck! By: MADASHELL on September 08, 2005 at 05:45pm Flag: [abusive] Very well said, Dr. Lakoff. I wish such a broader scope of things was more looked at by everyone. By: beajerry on September 08, 2005 at 05:51pm Flag: [abusive] The paternalistic worldview of the rightwinger, however, has been shaken, if not shattered. A large number of Bushies so seem to be jumping ship.... By: Angry Girl on September 08, 2005 at 06:02pm Flag: [abusive] (from an email sent to a friend who thinks lakoff is 'spot on')mark, like i said, give the poor low rate mortgages backed by the gov't. what do you and lakoff suggest? i'm just a dumb texan so i may have missed something...lakoff seems to be suggesting empathy? why dont the two of you fly down to N.O. and see how many homes and jobs you can provide for the homeless with your empathy. the only thing i see that empathy provided is gov't handouts and lousy gov't subsidized housing. there are some great examples of them here in chicago (cabrini green)...and they are a pathetic failure more wretched than any of the homes that were just washed away. lakoff can condescend walmart all he wants. i didnt see him providing any job offers in his editorial. maybe he can get them all jobs with his empathy. i just hope those people that are feeding their families and paying for their homes with walmart jobs read his editorial. after all what more could one ask for to drive even more minorities away from the 'progressives'. i hope lakoff doesnt twist his arm congratulating himself for all his empathy. he is going to need those arms to fight off the 'little people' he thinks he empathizes with. By: Garret on September 08, 2005 at 06:07pm Flag: [abusive] New Orleans sits at the foot of the country's largest river, the Mississippi, which runs through the city. The city lies on flat country close to the Gulf of Mexico in a climate which averages 40 inches of rain a year. A large lake, Ponchartrain, lies directly north of the city across a protective levee. One of the main reasons New Orleans is so flood prone is that much of the city lies below sea level. Then, why did it flood? Because President Bush, with heartless indifference, failed to make water flow uphill. By: Jack Olson on September 08, 2005 at 06:19pm Flag: [abusive] Page 1 of 3 > » Send to a friend Print Post Read all posts by George Lakoff IFRAME: http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/huffingtonpost/blog/politics;nickname=george-lakoff;entry_id=7034;laura-bush=1;tom-delay=1;george-w-bush=1;walmart=1;iraq=1;fema=1;john-roberts=1;hurricane-katrina=1;hurricane=1;ptile=3;sz=160x600;ord='+ ord +'? 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