Project Katrina

Popular Science has an amazing photo gallery of individuals fighting to save their homes from the recent flooding of the Mississippi River. Talking Points Memo also has a heart breaking photo gallery as well.

Via the Deepwater Horizon Response Flickr page.

I’ve been meaning to write this up for a couple days after I first noticed it. Now of course I hope it goes without saying Barack Obama shouldn’t be using Hurricane Gustav as a marketing or press opportunity.

But still, how events like this are dealt with in a presidential campaign still shapes the public’s perceptions. And Obama is way behind John McCain in something that should be stupid simple.

Now I am not suggesting that Obama hop on a plane to New Orleans and get photographed on a levee. But what I am suggesting is that the party that let Katrina happen and the terrible state of New Orleans three years later, shouldn’t appear to be out in front on Gustav.

I mean don’t we have somebody in the Democratic party smart enough to present Obama’s stance on New Orleans and Gustav in a dignified manner, showing both his deep concern and involvement (which I am sure are is true)? Well it would appear they don’t.

As of noon on Sunday (8/31) Obama’s official website was still promoting his convention acceptance speech, with no mention of Gustav on the front page. Then by the morning of Monday (9/1) his site looked like the below screen capture. No personal message from Obama, just a link to the Red Cross.

Now take a look at McCain’s site, which has been this way since the early afternoon on Sunday (8/31).

And we wonder why we keep losing elections. Whoever fell asleep at the wheel on this issue at the Obama campaign needs to be looking for another.

The Boston Globe has by far the most amazing photo essay on the flooding in Cedar Rapids Iowa. Many more photos here.