Rachel Maddow refuted the conservative notion that government doesn’t matter by pointing out that Hurricane Sandy is one of those times when government really matters.
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Maddow said,
We are used to calls to civic responsibility at this point on the American calendar. When we get asked by candidates, when we ask each other to go vote, we are asking each other to do something that is honestly inconvenient and sometimes time consuming and difficult. Something that has very little individual personal payoff, but it is something that your country needs you to do. Your country, your city, your state need you to do this thing. That is true about voting. It is as true now as it is any year, maybe even more so, as many places make voting so much harder. And now even more than that, as voting may become more of a challenge in the dozen states or more that will coping with this storm tonight and through Election Day.
But in this storm this year, we are also being reminded of other kinds of civic responsibility that we are being called on to exhibit in difficult times. Do what’s right not just for you alone, but do what’s right for all of us. We need to pull together. You need to think of yourself as something that is part of larger than just yourself. It is both totally apolitical, and it is the very core of why we bother with politics in the first place. This is one of those times when government really matters. When we remember that elections are about picking a government. This is one of times when leaders really have to show that they are leaders, and they have to call on the best from all of us.
The idea that natural disasters are tests of leadership is very new. Presidential leadership during a time of natural disaster was largely a foregone conclusion in the era since the development of the federal disaster relief system. Until Katrina and George W. Bush, the American people assumed that their government would be there to help when disaster struck. Since America got a chance to see the cost of poor leadership, natural disasters have become a time for leaders of both parties at all levels of government to show their competence. Nobody wants to pull a Bush, so nothing is taken for granted when Mother Nature unleashes her fury.
At times such as these, the American people are reminded of the value of good leadership, and the power of singular purpose that can bring us all together as a nation. Events like Sandy remind us of why we have a government, and why who we pick to lead that government is so important. Governors both Republican and Democratic are looking to Washington, DC for leadership, resources, and aid.
Mitt Romney and Barack Obama present us with a choice about how we would like our government to respond in times like these. Romney wants to privatize FEMA, and slash disaster relief funding by 80%. The Republican presidential candidate wants states to control their own disaster relief. He doesn’t believe in a federal role in disaster relief. The Democratic incumbent president believes in the traditional role of the federal government in disaster relief and aid.
As we see or deal with the storm’s damage and destruction, it reminds us of both why government matters, and why it matters when we participate in the selection of the individuals who will combine to serve the people in a governmental capacity. Government always matters, but it matters even more when the American people need leadership most.
Politics may not matter right now, but when the chips are down, good government and leadership can be the difference between life and death for Americans caught in the path of a natural disaster.
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Anne
Oct. 30th, 2012 at 7:23 am
Rachel Maddow could not be more right. I am glad that Republican governors like Chris Christie can give credit when it’s due, like he did when he praised the president’s leadership in addressing the issue of Hurricane Sandy. I disagree with him on just about everything, but he was right this time. However, I’ve seen too many other GOP governors like Bobby Jindhal of Louisiana run off at the mouth about the evils of “big government,” only to have to appeal to the same federal government for assistance in dealing with disasters, like he did during the BP spill of 2010. Since the states are not uniform in how they deal with everyday issues, turning disaster relief over to them with no input from federal government would be a catastrophic. For one thing, the state governments would have to raise taxes significantly in order to be able to deal with such a huge responsibility alone. Disasters of this magnitude only reinforce that the president’s inclusive and cooperative handling of them is right, while Willard’s every-man-for-himself philosophy is so disastrously wrong.
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Paws
Oct. 30th, 2012 at 7:38 am
“You need to think of yourself as something that is part of larger than just yourself. It is both totally apolitical, and it is the very core of why we bother with politics in the first place.”
This struck me – in a good way. We often hear that Americans pull together when times are tough. If a disaster happens, we do what we can to help each other. But this is supposed to be true 100% of the time. As Rachel said, this is why we bother with politics, and government, in the first place. It comes down to what kind of society we want to be. Do we want to be the society that operates based on every man and woman and child for themselves? Or do we want to be the kind of society that not only responds during times of natural disasters like this, but at all times? Do we want to be the society that lets people go hungry? Or do we want to be the society that says nothing is more important than helping the least among us?
I’d much rather live in a society – and under a government – that believes even the least among us has a place in our society, that they deserve the best we can give. I’m not saying people should get handouts all the time. But I am saying that when we are down, it is our government and our neighbors that we must rely on. If they’re not there, if they don’t care, then what happens to us when we’re down?
One need only think about what would happen if they lost their job or had nowhere to live or could not feed their child a meal. Think about it and ask yourself if you want to belong to a society that does not help you? Or would you rather live in a society that sees value in you regardless of your circumstances and reaches for your hand to help you up?
All that said, my thoughts are with all of those on the east coast affected by this hurricane/storm and I hope all are able to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Prayers for those who are suffering and those who passed away.
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jb14621
Oct. 30th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Right ON, Rachel. I just listened to what Romney believes this gov’t Should Be and it’s ALL for Corporations! He stated: 1) Federal Gov’t should pass everything it can on to the States; 2) States should Privatize everything they can. I miss the old school system that worked – everything in life can be better; but, I was able to work all my life with a Very good income thanks to the education I rec’d in the Public School System. I miss working for Corporations that cared about their employees and tried to keep them till they retired…profit-sharing worked very well and we worked hard for the company and our pocketbooks. I miss privacy. I miss having my votes secure and not having a party Steal our Votes. I miss freedom and am sick & tired of ALEC boilerplated laws being shoved down our throat for Corporations benefits. I miss being the only “Person” in gov’t – I don’t like sharing this world with “corporations are people, too” mentality. I miss my old house value and am sick of the Republicans blocking bills to regulate offenders! I miss the American Dream!!
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Churchlady
Oct. 30th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
Twenty-five years ago I had a grumpy neighbor who started spouting the “me for me” mantra. His kids had received a public education. He was on Social Security. He griped that he should not have to pay taxes for anything that did not benefit him personally, immediately, now. No libraries, no public schools (his kids were gone), no parks or interstates or airports or harbors. Nope – none of that impacted him. When we noted we helped pay for his Social Security and Medicare he dropped the subject.
That was the beginning of the insane “YOYO” mentality – you’re on your own. Except no one can be. NO one. I don’t care if you’re off the grid on a mountaintop – you still benefit from clean air, fresh water, wildlife management, protection from war and pestilence.
There was a huge flap a few years ago when a couple’s trailer caught fire in a rural area, and the owners had not paid the PRIVATE fees. The firefighters let it burn to the ground and were excoriated for it. WHY? It was THE epitome of YOYO thinking – no taxes and private pay for what you use. Well, they did not pay, and that’s that. If you’re going to live by the sword…
That ought to have been Mitt and Paul’s wet dream. But it was too clear a reminder that we have government for a reason. Benjamin Franklin figured out municipal fire companies for precisely those reasons. And we go on from there.
No – you did NOT build it yourself, all those things from which your private actions prosper. WE did. And don’t you forget it, Mitt and Paul. We won’t.
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