Presidential Candidates Respond To California Fires

Ken AshfordDisasters, Election 200815 Comments

First, the Democrats:

John Edwards has been out front in responding to the fires in Southern California, both on  his website and through One Corps.

Barack Obama offers this statement of support for the fire victims and his website prominently features the following message:

California needs us.

…with a link to California Volunteers.

Hillary Clinton‘s website features a "How to help" link, which leads you to a page with her statement of support as well as a listing of LA Times’ recommended resources including The Salvation Army and the local Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals.

In addition to linking to important resources on his website, Chris Dodd said the following in a speech to the IAFF’s Occupational Health and Hazards Convention:

"As you know, Governor Schwarzenegger has had to ask other states for help because so many of California’s National Guard, who provide critical support to the citizens while you are fighting the fires, were deployed to Iraq. In a Dodd Administration, never again will our houses be on fire because our troops are taking fire in Iraq. Never again will our first responders be left without the support they need because our President failed to do what it took to keep our communities safe. That is why in 2008, nothing will be more important than leadership that can get results that make us stronger and more secure. That’s the first responsibility of an American President."

And Bill Richardson, who was one of those Governors who sent equipment and personnel to California, posted at The Huffington Post and Calitics asking a crucial question: Where is Our National Guard?

Today, we all extend our sympathies and prayers to those devastated by the wildfires in California. Millions of Americans are impacted by this natural disaster.[…]

Now the Republicans:

Rudy Giuliani: Nothing.
John McCain: Nothing [Actually he now has a link to a resources page, you have to really look to find it.]Mitt Romney: Nothing.
Fred Thompson: Nothing.
Mike Huckabee: Nothing. A 30-minute interview with Glenn Beck on his front page, too, Beck is the guy who claimed that some of the people who lost their homes hate America.
Duncan Hunter: It’s his frickin’ district and it’s hard to find anything outside of this news article.
Tom Tancredo: Nothing.
Ron Paul: Nothing. But he’s doing a "Hollywood fundraiser" tonight He announced yesterday that he’s doing a Hollywood fundraiser in which a "portion" of the $2,000 a plate dinner will go to the Red Cross.

UPDATE:  Help!  I’m experiencing a RonPaulolanch!

UPDATE #2:  More GOP ho-humming of the wildfires.  In this case, it’s Dick Cheney.  During a cabinet meeting yesterday, Vice President Cheney fell asleep on camera while President Bush was discussing wildfires in California. A Cheney spokeswoman “laughed it off,” telling CNN that the vice president was “practicing meditation.” CNN’s chyron reported that Cheney was seen “meditating” — rather than sleeping — during the cabinet meeting.