Thursday, August 07, 2008

"Volunteers did the work, but NOAH contractors got paid" 

This is the front page Times Picayune story I was anticipating earlier, when I said:

The devastating detail in this [NOAH] thing though-- the killer political "hook", as it were-- is in the "remediated" properties that were actually gutted by fresh-faced Christian teenagers who came down to NOLA and busted their asses to help out this stricken city. When the public learns that corrupt cronies used the labors of Christian teenagers to scoop federal recovery dollars... well then we have us a national story.

Karen Gadbois is definitely the coolest for breaking this story, which will continue to grow and spread.


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On Jeff Crouere's Ringside Politics radio show Wednesday morning, Crouere played an audio clip of Mayor Nagin being evasive and petty with WWL reporter Lee Zurik. Crouere then opened the phone lines and a frequent caller named James from Metairie came on the line and, right out of the gate, said (paraphrasing from memory): "You know who I blame for Nagin's re-election? The swing vote conservatives who supported him because they didn't want a Landrieu in office."'

Crouere fully agreed, and he said he was amused every time he heard conservative radio commentator Rob Couhig criticize Nagin, because Couhig had endorsed Nagin's re-election.

That reminded me of a delicious little sequence when Rob Couhig guest-hosted for Garland Robinette's show on WWL 870am. On July 22nd, Couhig had Karen Gadbois on, and after he interviewed her about the NOAH scandal, he took a few calls. A gentleman named "Billy" phoned in and asked Couhig how he could be so critical of the Mayor, since he endorsed him, and is merely seeing the consequences of Nagin getting another term.

You can hear the exchange at the 25 minute mark of the archived podcast (but do listen to Karen's entire interview, if you have the time). Here's Couhig's response to Billy's question:
Thank you very much and for those who know my position I ran against Ray Nagin because I didn't think he was the right guy to be mayor and then at the end of the day you had to choose between the final two.

Couhig just left it there, and moved on. "At the end of the day, you had to choose between the final two". That's Couhig's summary of his "position" on the matter.

Yes, Couhig, it was a choice between Mitch Landrieu and Ray Nagin. That was the choice. You chose Nagin, and advised others to do so, because Nagin "understands business".

And you were wrong, but you can't fully own up to it. Why can't you face the consequences of your Nagin endorsement?

This morning, Jeff Crouere agreed with caller James that the choice between Nagin and Landrieu was a "no-brainer". Crouere said that even though he had run for office against Landrieu (back in the day), he believes Mitch is competent and clean, and infinitely preferable to Nagin.

Crouere's right.
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Update: More at We Could Be Famous.

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posted by oyster @ 2:10 AM
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4 Comments:

In a sense I guess Nagin DOES "understand business."

In a Dick Cheney sense: slither your way into office by hook or crook then load up on the government contracts.

Nagin also follows the Cheney example in very cynically exploiting the energy and effort of kids, though, to be fair, Cheney's got him beat on that front (as rough as gutting houses in NOLA heat and humidity is, I'd guess getting shipped to Iraq is worse.)

Still, I can easily see Ray Nagin as a functionary in a Bush-Cheney regime. Which makes Couhig, et al's, whining and moaning all the more pathetic.

By Blogger Michael, at 9:31 AM  

Are there any homes that were...

1) rehabbed by volunteers
2) then NOAH contractors billed for the volunteer work
3) then FEMA funds demolished the home

...???

That's the narrative that will cut through the haze of the lists and contractors and reimbursements. Tell the story of that narrative and you'll drive the story. I watched those three videos in your earlier post and they screamed "time to shred the NOAH documents" to me. Maybe I'm wrong but I think the people involved here would rather face obstruction charges and plead sloppy record keeping then let it get out that they were screwing youth groups AND disaster victims AND taxpayers in an unbelievably cynical double-dipping screw job.

By Anonymous joejoejoe, at 9:55 AM  

REf: 3118 Castine St., 70119

2-1/2 months after Road Home sale to State the yard was overgrown and stroon wit debris. A church group hauled the trash to the curb and cut the weeds. The debris pile sat and was picked over for a month before the first RH-TASK FORCE Maintenance crew showed up. Still no debris pick up for another week. Then TF crews on 8 with two actually doing work showed up 1 week apart to manicure.

They are all doing it.

By Anonymous Watch Dog, at 11:04 AM  

- Crouere said that even though he had run for office against Landrieu (back in the day), he believes Mitch is competent and clean, and infinitely preferable to Nagin.

fuck...now i have to like Crouere

By Blogger Dambala, at 2:54 PM