For the president to be saying what he has said this morning is shameful and a disgrace to all Americans. I hope at least some of those who voted for him are hanging their heads today.

To me, this is the true damage the president is doing: hanging Americans out to dry. We’re supposed to be there for our own, not spitting in their face when they’re down and out.

This only divides us more.

If you don't think this disaster is being used to score political points (on both sides) you're being naive.

That's what American politics is today. It's not "how can we make things better" it's "how can I spin this to help me in the next election?"

Politicians gonna politic, and the Pope is still Catholic.

Only one of the "sides", at least in theory, is in control of all the branches of government, and thus should probably be doing something with that power... like, perhaps governing?

Responding adequately to a predictable natural disaster counts as governing, right?

Do you have a good sense as to how disaster relief is going? I sure as hell don't. I also have no idea just how hard it is to do.

Maybe, relative to other disaster relief it's going really well? Maybe it's terrible. I sure as hell can't tell from what the media is saying (probably because they don't know either).

Truth, as usual, is whichever flavor you pick off the menu.

Trump is just a reflection of American society. People hate him for what he is, but he got to where he is today because of what he is, which tells you that he's been enabled by society for the last 5 decades.

He won because he understood how greedy and lazy and weak his opponents were and he didn't have the tact to avoid attacking them, sometimes incredibly personally. But look at how ugly people get in response to him, all while thinking they are the "good guys".

It should disturb the hell out of people. It's hard to understand how we're not going to go over some kind of edge without serious change. We are a society of delusional narcissists which reward delusional narcissists.

Her speech is really kinda chilling too: https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/913871652768878592

Cities should not have to beg for aid. The government should have prepared and started relief efforts in full force as soon as the storm cleared. Instead he's politicizing the disaster and playing with people's lives just to shake up another outrage firestorm that distracts from the real issue.

Is it true that there has been a less-than-full relief effort? I'm looking for facts not speeches or tweets.

Perhaps my frustration should be directed at leadership instead. I actually wrote that without any data on what the government has done vs what they could have done, but the white house at least has been notably slower to react now than with past storms:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lost-weekend-how-tru...

The government started relief efforts immediately and in full force, despite two other hurricanes stretching FEMA to the limit. Believe it or not the power of the federal government is not infinite.

Can you provide some basis for that? There is a lot of reporting that says otherwise. For example:

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/9/30/16389640/pu...

Could you provide some basis otherwise? Some angry tweets aren't evidence that we weren't sending them food/supplies/assistance.

Evidence for us providing maximum support (yes it's just Twitter, but so was that Vox article): https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/914124370422976513

You know what? I started looking for more facts on this, and to be honest I don't think there are any. All of the news, especially since Trump tweeted this morning, is extremely politicized. For any source that provided evidence one way or another I could not untangle any objective facts from whatever agendas I felt they were trying to push. Most of what I found was just fluff that blew up some quip or minuscule fact that I honestly only thought was worthwhile because it was presented in a way to exploit my confirmation bias.

But this is the tactic this administration has been using to scatter people's attention and make it impossible to find reliable information about what is actually going on. Cause some outrage that exacerbates biases in the media, claim that news is unreliable because of bias, and then present the facts as you would like it.

Everyone realized the storm was worse than anyone predicted, mayor criticizes government and pleads for more help, DT creates some outrage, and now they can deflect any criticism by saying that their critics are out for their throats.

I have two undeniable facts though:

* Shit's bad.

* The WH's slow response and DT's comments are not helping.

The irony is that he accused her of poor leadership right before he headed to his golf club for the weekend.

Which falls predictably into a long-running pattern of projection.

Absolutely nothing in American politics is above politicization these days. Who is doing the politicizing depends on who you believe.

> Who is doing the politicizing depends on who you believe.

I'm not sure if the parent comment is sarcastic or bitter, but I think it's important to remember that it's not reality. The idea is false that humans are locked into ideologies and care nothing for truth, reality, and the welfare of their fellow citizens; it's despair. It's capitulation to the few ideologues, who do see the world that way and want to impose it on the rest of us.

It's not Republicans vs Democrats, or conservatives vs liberals, it's ideologues vs good-willed, sensible people, thinking and acting in good faith.

She used the TV cameras to grandstand Trump in preparation for her run for governor. Who you think is lacking empathy really depends on which side you're already on. The US is doing its best to help a place that's had 85 years to prepare for a hurricane and she has the audacity to blame the US for not helping enough, while millions of pounds of food sit rotting on docks and FEMA works 24/7! Shame on her.

EDIT: Honest question, now that the argument seems to be over whether the USA is putting forth its maximal effort (which I believe it is). Puerto Rico doesn't pay federal income tax, which largely funds the response that States receive. Puerto Rico is not even a territory, it is a commonwealth, and supposed to be much more independent and self-reliant than States. They even have their own President. Are they entitled to equal aid that States receive? If not, it appears what we are doing for Puerto Rico is more charity as opposed to obligation. So that makes the mayor's statements more inflammatory and inappropriate than they would otherwise be.

It was brilliant for her to tell Trump to step it up on national TV - that was the only way he would focus his complete attention on Puerto Rico instead of spending all his time on Twitter stroking his broken ego over his fallout with the NFL.

If you think that kneeling during the anthem while letting Trump wrap himself in the American flag is good optics, I question your assessment of her brilliancy. We've already been as focused as we can be. Short of Trump going over there and handing out water bottles there's not much more he can do. And thanks to her, the crisis is politicized.

> The US is doing its best ...

Again, what is this based on? Plenty of reporting indicates otherwise.

> a place that's had 85 years to prepare for a hurricane

That is disingenuous.

She plead for help. And there's definitely more the feds / military could do. Puerto Rico is part of the US.

The Navy could evacuate the entire island with one aircraft carrier and a few trips to Miami. Our leaders just do not have the will to do so.

What? There's three million+ people living there. And where are they supposed to live? And how should they be picked up, with a seriously decimated transport network?

She plead for help in the most polarizing way possible. The USA is going above and beyond to assist Puerto Rico right now, and we will continue. The mayor's biting of the charitable hand that is feeding them is appalling.

Please craft a 30s soundbite that you'd consider appropriate, given the situation on the ground.

"We're not a State, or even a Territory, we're an independent Commonwealth and supposed to be independent of federal disaster assistance. But myself, and other political leaders in Puerto Rico, abdicated our duties and did not prepare. You are providing us immense and essential aid, but we need more, as my leadership has been corrupt and incompetent. Thank you for your extraordinary efforts so far, and thank you in advance for saving the people I was elected to protect."

IOW: Groveling.

Sure that's a bit tongue in cheek, but she could take a page from the other leaders in Puerto Rico. The only reason she's getting airtime is to push a narrative that generates clicks and views.