New Orleans chooses

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  1. Oh my god, Poli, I read some of the posts out there. I was concerned about perception and started writing about it two months ago, but some of this is just vile (particularly one woman in PA who keeps insisting that all of NOLA is below sea level).
    I am surprised by Nagin’s re-election. I knew it would be close, but thought Landrieu would pull ahead in the last minute. I also knew how many people genuinely liked Nagin as a person, and that that would be in play, but this close a race to the end and with this conclusion was a surprise.
    I am, however, very tired of out of towners, who read headlines and nothing else, thinking they know what’s going on here and then spouting about how sick they are of hearing about Katrina.
    ::::::::shaking head::::::::::this next week ought to be very interesting.

  2. Slate,
    It’s beyond all understanding why people who don’t know the first danged thing about New Orleans are attacking like this. It’s classic ignorance. Why on earth do we bother teaching people to read? They’re just gonna look for the stories (or headlines) that reinforce what they already thought.
    Having said that — I agree with you. The perceptions were a looming concern throughout the election.
    I noticed that a few NOLA folks have already gotten out and about onto various blogs and started commenting. They’re not attacking, but giving another perspective, and that can sometimes have surprising results for even the most uninformed.
    I’m thinking a “response” campaign from the NOLA blogosphere (and a related “out of the shadows” move by the MANY lurkers) might be a good idea about now — not to increase the heat or further polarize, but to try to engage the “other side”.
    Ignorance only stands up in a vacuum.

  3. I am reminded of the film of Palestinians dancing in the streets on 9-11 (which filn I believe turned out to be old footage, and wonder per your recent post how that got onto the airwaves).
    Perhaps some of those commentators should explain to my why I should not exhult with joy when the dirty bomb or tornado or bird flu smites them? How much further down this road of naked hate of those we disagree with do we have to go before we start shooting at each other?
    Remind yourself that these commentators are a graver danger to America than al-Qaida could ever post, that we dare not ignore them, but that there is still hope that most, sensible American voters will reject this sort of ugly brown-shirt politics.
    And if they don’t, if the American experiment has really ended in failure, then at least I can spend the America’s twilight in the one place in all this vast land that I love most, the one place that–for me–is worth saving out of the ensuing ugliness
    We will survive Nagin, just as we survived so much before. And the three frosh councilmembers are a promising turn of events.

  4. You know, far be it from people who dont live in N.O. to tell New Orleaneans how to run their city or who to vote for (myself included), but honestly, I have to break my own rule and just say that I was surprised that he won, and a little dissapointed. I personally think his off-color remarks (including the red-light thing)threading across the last 9 months have been unbecoming for a Man who runs a City that is know across the world, but he won, and no sense in getting into a tizzy over it. Whats done is done, if you aint helpin now, youre just hindering things.
    Only time will tell if the city has made the right choice (which I pray to God it has), and I hope that he has the vision and decorum to try and reunite the city as a whole, and take it where it needs to be headed. I said the same thing to Schroeder, but offered that he might want to look into a tin flat bottom boat at Bass Pro shop just in case. Gallows humor yes, but maybe not a bad idea in the long run.
    But I digress; This whole sh*t storm has been a chance to let the rest of the country see the abject poverty of not only New Orleans, but of all Louisiana, and Mississippi too, a poverty alot of people elsewhere in the U.S. dont even realize exists here. I was hoping that it was a chance for the country to unite and help change things, to make things better, and I hope Nagin works towards that end as well as repairing the levees and the dignity of New Orleans as the great and wonderful city it is.

  5. Since everyone else is taking the high road, I’ll go the other way.
    I haven’t blogged about the New Orleans election because it’s not mine. Still, to argue it’s simply a matter of local politics is wrong. Our nation is pouring billions upon billions of dollars into rebuilding New Orleans. My tax dollars are rebuilding New Orleans. Since I don’t live there I don’t vote, and I accept that. But to suggest I have no right to speak my mind about the outcome of the election is … taxation without even a voice. Taxation and shut-up-and-live-with-it.
    And thanks to Katrina, the mayor of New Orleans is a national figure, period. That didn’t used to be the case, but it is now. What our country needed out of a New Orleans mayor was something bigger than what Nagin could give us. Myopic restoration of the status quo is not a principle that made America great. Many of us expected more out of our response to Katrina, we’re not seeing it, and Nagin is partly responsible for that. The blogosphere may not be justified in mudslinging, but it is justified in commenting.

  6. Hi Forester,
    Just like you (and MANY others), I am a member of the US taxpaying multitudes, as opposed to being a New Orleans voter. As such, we all have an interest, I totally agree.
    But commenting on the situation is just so different from “they get what they deserve”, or “let them all drown” or “they’re just showing how stupid we already knew they were”……
    You, of course, wouldn’t say things like that. Your writing (your entire blog), even when taking a position I totally disagree with, is rational and human. In all honesty, I wish you would post about it. It would encourage discourse rather than attack, and serve to increase exposure.
    For months now, the only people talking about New Orleans have been the NOLA bloggers, and some (few) commentators. Often, the response from those outside the NOLA blogging community is, “We’re sick of hearing about it.” The NOLA bloggers have been trying to carry a banner alone, and they’re slowly but steadily burning out on the negativity.
    Given that the levees were built by the federal government, it’s a national problem anyway — no matter the mayor, the demographic, or the rhetoric.
    Speaking solely for myself, I would welcome comment and dialogue about the election (specifically), and the city’s recovery (generally). It’s an enormously important national issue. And I’ve read a number of thoughtful blog posts from all sides of the equation. That’s GOOD.
    But those folks (like you), are thinkers. I’ve never been very patient with flamers.

  7. I live in NOLA..I Voted for Nagin last time, This time for Landrieu, Am I sorry Nagin won? No, not really..He’s the first Honest Mayor we have had in some time..Hopefully he will listen and not try to go it alone for the next 4 years… Katrina was hard on him and everyone…..And I hope that Landrieu will pitch in and help Nagin like he said he would after losing the Election… Because we need help..

  8. Polimom, thanks for your kind, levelheaded comments on my blog. I’m exaggerating and distorting (e.g. about the drug bust) to make a point, and I appreciate your finding the truth amidst my blather.

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