Yessir, I mean every word of that title up there and here is why:
For one, I believe that ANY politician that uses a personal tragedy; like the tragic tornadoes in Alabama, for the purposes of taking a cheap political shot at a President is an asshole.
I am, of course, referring to this here, which was reported by the New York Daily News:
As President Obama meets with Alabama families affected by deadly tornados that swept through the South earlier this week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is asking: What about us?
The Republican, long a critic of the president, once again ripped the Obama administration Thursday. This time, he bashed Obama for not responding to an April 16 request for a declaration of emergency in the Lone Star State, where wildfires have destroyed nearly 2 million acres.
“You have to ask, ‘Why are you taking care of Alabama and other states?'” said Perry.
Texas officials asked the White House to make the declaration, which would have allocated federal funds to help the state deal with the crisis.
“I know our letter didn’t get lost in the mail,” Perry added.
Two firefighters died in the Texas disaster, and 900 buildings have been destroyed. According to Linda Moon, spokeswoman for the Texas Forest Service, more than $60 million has been spent by the forest service and local departments to respond to the wildfires since Sept 1.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it is reviewing Perry’s request. But the governor did not shy away from expressing his frustration.
“There is a point in time where you say, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?,'” Perry said. “They watch TV, they know what’s going on here, they can recognize that there is going to be a request for assistance, a request for help.”
Secondly, it is because Rick Perry is, as most politicians are; full of crap. Steve Benen, a liberal blogger points out:
Daily Kos’ Jed Lewison sets the record straight.
“So hundreds die in storms throughout the South and Rick Perry’s response is to question why those states are getting federal aid instead of Texas? Funny how he doesn’t mention that Texas has already gotten at least $39 million in firefighting aid from FEMA over the past two fire seasons and has already received 22 grants in this fire season alone.”
I’m not even sure what Perry is insinuating when it comes to politics. Does the governor expect us to think Obama favors Alabama over Texas for some kind of political reason? The last time I checked, they’re both very reliable “red” states.
But what makes the governor’s complaints especially noteworthy is the larger context — it’s a reminder of how offensive Perry’s anti-government rhetoric was in the first place. He hates federal intrusion, except when Democrats in Washington are helping him balance his budget. He wants to keep federal officials out of his state, except when he’s facing a natural disaster.
For this guy’s feelings to be hurt when the president visits another state hard hit by a devastating natural disaster is bizarre.
Now, am I siding with Benen’s liberalism? No. I am siding with the fact that what perry is doing is not only immoral; but also quite stupid. Political potshots on the graves of those who died in a horrible tragedy is bad politics; and I personally hope like hell, that the Democrat and or Republican who runs against Rick Perry, in the next election, exploits this to the high heavens.