After years of voting with Republicans, McCaskill upset FEMA may reduce help to Joplin.

[RandySF]

ST. LOUIS • Missouri was not directly affected by Hurricane Irene, but the storm may make it harder for Joplin to rebuild after its own devastating weather disaster.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill issued a statement on Sunday admonishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for not being able to uphold its commitments in Joplin as the East Coast cleans up from the weekend Hurricane.
Walking through Joplin a few days ago, McCaskill said, there are already signs that the city may be fading from the nation's attention.

"I saw parks where trees had toppled, and I saw a community trying to heal and rebuild — I didn't see any camera trucks," McCaskill said. "I warned FEMA and assured victims in Joplin that they would not be forgotten after the camera trucks lowered their antennas and rolled out of town. I will fight to make sure that promise is kept."


http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/article_9dc11ce8-d255-11e0-b7a6-0019bb30f31a.html#ixzz1Wd9JsClZ

[Name removed]

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[Froward69]

17. +1000

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. The article doesn't say anything about her voting with republicans

What are you referring to?

[RandySF]

5. I'm referring to her record

For example, she voted with the Republicans against letting the Bush tax cuts expire. She has a five-year history of voting with them even when doing otherwise would not have hurt her. I'm not going to lift a finger for her in 2012.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. You must not realize she is in a mostly red state and it was a miracle getting her elected

I like what Claire said when she was challenged about her voting record at a town hall last year:
You can go with me as I knock on doors in southwest MO and tell those voters I should be voting more often with the Democrats

Claire isn't elected by San Francisco. Her state is barely blue in the urban areas and bright red in the rural areas.

[RandySF]

10. Poll Missouri

And ask whether they believe the wealthy should pay their share in taxes. Because if they were, we wouldn't see state fighting over emergency funds.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. I agree

Wish I could afford a poll :)

[JVS]

14. Well then maybe the people of MO need to realize that the way they vote means there isn't money...

for Joplin.

[TheDebbieDee]

21. I live in Missouri and I voted for McCaskill..............

What good does it do to have a Democratic senator if she votes like a repubilican?

In one of her very first votes, she voted for immunity for telecommunications companies in the warrantless wiretap scandal.

She was out front on Walter Reed Hospital veteran's housing and care scandal......but what did she do about it?

She's on Mornin' Joe every couple of weeks, but does she really challenge the repukes or their latest endeavors? No. All she wants to talk about is co-operation, bi-partisanship and other conciliatory actions the Dems can take.

I AM SICK AND TIRED OF POLITE, APOLOGETIC, FAIR-MINDED DEMS. (Not yelling at you, Proud2BlibKansan.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. I understand.

But you know what? I'd trade you Claire for Jerry Moran or Pat Roberts any day. I'd even throw in Kevin Yoder for free.

[Name removed]

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[TheKentuckian]

4. What an ass she has turned out to be!

[Oceansaway]

6. Claire McCaskill = Corporate Owned...nt

[Curmudgeoness]

7. This is why a strong federal government is important.

One state alone, when they are hit by a catastrophe, just does not have the resources to rebuild. If you want to neuter the federal government, and McCaskill is one of the responsible parties in this, then each state and local government will just have to be on their own.

Say goodbye to the Union if these cut-crazy RWers get their way.

[gratuitous]

8. Dear Claire

This is one of those things the bad old gubmint is supposed to do. Everybody gets whipsawed by events from time to time. There are some people who save every scrap for a rainy day and weather the blows just fine. There are others who operate on the margin, so close to the bone that they lose calcium just walking down the street. Catastrophic events happen, and they happen to everyone. When you don't have the resources to begin with, it doesn't matter if you survive the storm (or the earthquake or the tsunami or whatever), because it's a death sentence anyway.

This is why our society is supposed to band together, to share resources and to help one another when the inevitable happens. This time around, it's Joplin and parts of the eastern seaboard. Next time it could be the gulf coast or the Pacific northwest or maybe Joplin gets another turn. There's no predicting it. That's why we need these resources saved up and stockpiled, and why the economic "winners" in our system need to pay to preserve it. Of course they're going to whine about having the arm put on them. Do it anyway. Quit pandering to the most selfish elements, and start acting as if government is supposed to serve all the citizens. Because that's the way it's supposed to be.

[Coyote_Bandit]

11. She is the Missouri incarnation of

Arkansas' Blanche Lincoln.

Some in the Dem party - who do not live in Missouri and are not represented by her - will undermine her. Eventually she will be replaced by a Republican. That's what usually happens who one finds themseles uder attack from their own party as well as from their opponent.

Frickin' carpetbaggers need to mind their own damn business. She may not be the ideal Dem but she damn sure is better than the Repuke alternative. And if that's motivation enough to vote for Obama then it is motivation enough to support her.

But apparently some folks have a double standard.

[RandySF]

12. Then she should stop attacking FEMA

and get behind a clean emergency supplemental for the East Coast.

[Coyote_Bandit]

18. There should be a clean emergency supplemental

Has Obama called for one? Has he even suggested that Congress might cut their vacation short and return to Washington and attend to the needs of those impacted by the hurricane?

Alot of people here in the midwest feel like shifting FEMA funds from the tornado ravaged areas is a matter of political expediency designed to keep the more liberal citizens of the Northeast happy while further delaying re-construction efforts in the more politically conservative tornado ravaged areas. Even if the reallocation of funds is not politically moltivated it looks bad and will not play well to those negatively affected.

You cannot fault a politician for voicing the concerns of her constituents.

FEMA is part of the Executive branch - and the buck stops on Obama's desk. He's the one who needs to be calling for a clean emergency supplemental.

[RandySF]

22. I grew up in the Midwest

And I was there when people had a nice chuckle when San Francisco was hit by the Loma Prieta earthquake. I don't want people in MO or AL to go without assistance anymore than I want people in VT to suffer. Obama shouldn't even have to propose anything. The Congress should duct-tape Eric Cantor's mouth shut and pass a supplemental.

[JVS]

13. Fuck you, Claire!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. "All (pork barrel) politics is local." With apologies to Tip O'Neill

[Name removed]

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[Major Hogwash]

20. Boy, did you say a mouthful.

They are stupid.
My friend calls them "willfully ignorant."

You should hear the Governor speak here in Idaho, you'd think he invented small government to listen to this asshat.
Yet, he was the first one to shoot his mouth off and say he wouldn't accept the stimulus package back when President Obama was still trying to get it passed in 2009.

So, of course, he was the first hypocrite GOP Governor to backtrack and take the money, and then make the ludicrous claim he was fixing our problems for us because he is such a god-fearing, responsible Christian.

[Major Hogwash]

19. It's hard to understand why she didn't look ahead and foresee this day.

Joplin is not the center of the universe anymore.
Paterson, NJ is.