determinedDear Senator Feinstein,
According to the New York Times this morning, Democratic Party leaders are withholding comment on the Administration's disastrous response to the disaster on the Gulf Coast, thinking that they will simply be "dismissed as playing partisan politics." I find this exasperating and would like to know just when the Democratic Party thinks it would be appropriate to demand that Bush and his team be compelled to account for a week's worth of inaction and obvious lack of concern for the (mostly poor) victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The Administration is working furiously to control the damage done to the office of the President by its current holder; this seems to be their primary motive in suddenly rushing aid to the Gulf Coast. As an urban dweller I am appalled by this Administration's cynicism and callousness regarding the devastation of an entire American city, and especially as one who lives in the earthquake-prone city of San Francisco, I feel that I have personally been slapped in the face by the people who are supposed to serve and protect me as an American citizen.
Don't back down! I say the Democratic Party needs to stop worrying about the White House's response and demand accountability from them instead. I am so frustrated with Democratic leadership's lack of resolve in keeping the Republicans honest that I swear I will vote Green in the future if someone in the party does not stand up to the appalling policies and actions of the Bush administration. I have just about had it with you people.
Sincerely,
Erik M. Schneider
Department of Rhetoric
University of California, Berkeley
