Obama Speaks in Grand Isle on BP Oil Spill

U.S. Has Resumed Medical Flights From Haiti

Medical evacuation flights from Haiti were recently canceled after Gov. Charlie Crist said Florida hospitals were becoming over crowded. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor says flights have resumed:

“Since the earthquake, U.S. personnel have seen nearly 23,000 patients in Haiti. Additionally, we have worked to increase and strengthen domestic medical capacity by supporting a network of NGOs and local hospitals across the country. In limited instances where patients had medical needs that could not be met in Haiti, we have worked to transport them to hospitals in the United States for care. Given concerns about the strain on domestic health capacity, we worked to increase cooperation with our international partners, NGOs and states to expand access to additional facilities to care for Haitians who were gravely injured in the earthquake. Having received assurances that additional capacity exists both here and among our international partners, we determined that we can resume these critical flights. The flights are on track to resume in the next 12 hours. Patients are being identified for transfer, doctors are making sure that it is safe for them to fly, and we are preparing specific in-flight pediatric care aboard the aircraft where needed. Florida is identifying specific receiving facilities. The Government of Haiti has estimated that there are more than 200,000 injuries from the earthquake. We are working with the Haitian government and the international community to meet this urgent need and save lives.” Politico

Does Tea Party Signify Dying Rightwing?

The tea party may just be an emotional outburst of anger and denial. Charles Blow of the NYT nails it:

The right has seen the enemy, and he is the future.

We never would've had tea parties if not for Obama. Tea partiers are afraid of Obama and what he represents--a changing future, one where a Latina can be a Supreme Court Justice, where black people can be President and a transgender can be a Commerce official. The nation is changing and they are not, and that is really scary for them.

The attack on the Republican establishment by the tea party folks grabs the gaze like a really bad horror flick — some version of “Hee Haw” meets “28 Days Later.” It’s fascinating. But it also raises a serious question: Are these the desperate thrashings of a dying movement or the labor pains of a new one?

My money is on the former. Anyone who says that this is the dawn of a new age of conservatism is engaging in wishful thinking on a delusional scale.

There is no doubt that the number of people who say that they are conservative has inched up. According to a report from Gallup on Thursday, conservatives finished 2009 as the No. 1 ideological group. But ideological identification is no predictor of electoral outcomes. According to polls by The New York Times, conservative identification was slightly higher on the verge of Bill Clinton’s first-term election and Barack Obama’s election than it was on the verge of George W. Bush’s first-term election.

It is likely that Republicans will pick up Congressional seats in November partly because of the enthusiasm of this conservative fringe, democratic apathy and historical trends. But make no mistake: This is not 1994.

This is a limited, emotional reaction. It’s a response to the trauma that is the Great Recession, the uncertainty and creeping suspicion about the risks being taken in Washington, a visceral reaction to Obama and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and loss.

Simply put, it’s about fear-fueled anger. But anger is not an idea. It’s not a plan. And it’s not a vision for the future. It is, however, the second stage of grief, right after denial and before bargaining. Read more at the NYT

The NYT Sunday magazine also has a story by Mark Leibovich discussing the tea party and its effect on the GOP. Gov. Charlie Crist, running for Senate, is loathed by the tea party. Why:

Tea Party rallies are filled with such purists, whose populist icons — Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News’s Glenn Beck — tend to be unburdened by the pressures of governing through a recession.

The republican party is being pulled in many directions:

Other than a contempt for the president — portrayed in signs as, among other things, a racist, a communist, a Nazi, a Muslim and someone who should “Go back to Kenya” — the most palpable resentment here for any individual was for Crist (“Obama’s BFF,” said one sign under a photo of “The Hug”). And after Palin, Rubio was the unmistakable angel of this crowd. I spotted several Rubio stickers and signs (and none for Crist). “Marco Rubio is the future of the conservative movement in this state, if not this country,” said Eileen Blackmer, a patient advocate who drove two hours from St. Petersburg. She wore a hat with six Lipton tea bags dangling from the rim and an “Ask me about Marco Rubio” sticker.

“Charlie Crist’s time has passed,” Blackmer said. “And Rubio’s support is strong and growing and committed.” She noted that Florida’s August primary will be “closed,” meaning that independents and Democrats who like Crist will not be able to vote. “Rubio’s support is hard core,” she went on to say, positing herself as an example. Blackmer will walk door to door and work booths and do anything she can to help a campaign that remains a skeletal operation with only six staff members across the state. “I don’t need to be paid, either,” she said. “We’re not Acorn.”

The so-called Republican establishment is under great duress, if not siege. “I do believe that our party has people trying to pull it in different directions,” says Jim Greer, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. I spoke to him before the Republican dinner in Pensacola. He was sitting in a holding room before Crist arrived. NYT

Obama Tours Solar Plant in Arcadia Florida Oct. 27

Update 10-27: Event over. See Obama's speech here.

Day 2 of Obama's visit to Florida: Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 12:10, Obama will visit the new DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center. It's the largest solar plant in the U.S. so far.

He'll speak from the plant around 12:25 pm eastern. It will be live streamed at cnn.com or whitehouse.gov/live.

Obama is also scheduled to rally for Creigh Deeds in Virginia Oct. 27 at 5 pm eastern:

The president will tour Florida Power & Light's new solar energy plant in Arcadia, which is being celebrated as the largest solar photovoltaic plant in the country, big enough to serve 3,000 homes.

Gov. Charlie Crist, who has widely celebrated the plant, will not attend. His spokeswoman said Friday that he has to be in Tallahassee for the state Cabinet meeting.

But political calculations are at work, too. Crist is seeking the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate, and standing with Obama could be a liability. He got savaged by conservatives for appearing with Obama in Fort Myers in February to support the economic stimulus plan and probably wants to avoid another round of publicity. Tampa Bay blog
A peek at the plant:

Update 10-26: President Obama and administration officials today will announce $3.4 billion in spending projects to modernize the nation's electric power system.

The president will offer details on funding for the "smart grid" during an appearance at a solar plant in Arcadia, Fla. White House officials said the projects would create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and lay the groundwork for changing how Americans use and pay for energy.

The spending is aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of the U.S. power supply, and helping to create markets for wind and solar power, officials said. They also said it would create "smart meters" to help consumers use electricity when demand is low and when rates are cheaper -- for example, by running dishwashers and other energy-thirsty appliances in the middle of the night.
LAT

Update: Watch Obama's speech in Jacksonville here.

Update 10-26: Obama will speak at 3:15 eastern to service men and women at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The speech will likely be live streamed at cnn.com. There will be live audio at WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Obama will tour the Naval Air Station Jacksonville Oct. 26 and then attend a DNC fundraiser in Miami Beach.

Obama Picks Craig Fugate to Head FEMA

He's no Brownie and he likes to kayak with his wife, even has a kayaking website.  

Swamp: President Obama intends to nominate the head of Florida's emergency management office to lead FEMA, a post that came under national scrutiny in 2005 over what many said was the inept response to the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina.

Obama's nominee will be Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, according to the White House. Fugate was appointed to that position by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in 2001, and was reappointed by Gov. Charlie Crist in 2006. Both are Republicans.

Obama said in a statement: "From his experience as a first responder to his strong leadership as Florida's Emergency Manager, Craig has what it takes to help us improve our preparedness, response and recovery efforts and I can think of no one better to lead FEMA. I'm confident that Craig is the right person for the job and will ensure that the failures of the past are never repeated.''

Fugate believes it's the state's responsibility to be secure in case of a disaster.

AP: After Hurricane Katrina, Fugate said there was too much focus on blaming the federal government for the botched response. He said in a 2006 interview with The Associated Press that it was the state's responsibility to prepare for such disasters, and the state should only turn to the federal government for help when the disaster is larger than the state can handle on its own.

Fugate's department was held up as a national model after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He said then that the state had been preparing extensively for the threat of terrorism since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and had done exercises for several possibilities, including cruise missile attacks.

Bio:

DisastersRUs: A Floridian with over 28 years experience in emergency services, Craig has been involved in public service most of his adult life. Growing up in Alachua County, Craig was an active member of the Santa Fe High School Chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) earning the American Farmer Degree. Today he serves as the Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

In addition to emergency management, Craig and his wife Sheree are avid sea kayakers with a web site dedicated to paddling in North Florida at http://www.seakayakflorida.com/. As the Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Mr. Fugate oversees an agency with 138 full time. The Florida Division of Emergency Management coordinates disaster response, recovery, preparedness and mitigation efforts with each of the state's 67 counties and local governments. In September 2003, the Florida Emergency Management Program became the first statewide emergency management program in the nation to receive full accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program.

From volunteer firefighter, Paramedic, and Lieutenant with Alachua County Fire Rescue, his career in emergency services included serving 10 years as the Emergency Manager for Alachua County, Florida.

In May of 1997, he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Preparedness and Response with the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Over the next four years, the State of Florida faced numerous disasters while continuing to build a nationally recognized emergency management program. His role as the Chief of the State Emergency Response Team saw extensive action in 1998. Florida experienced the impacts of floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and Hurricane Georges resulting in over 200 days of activation for the State Emergency Response Team.

In October of 2001, Governor Bush appointed Mr. Fugate to serve as Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. On December 18, 2006, Governor Elect Crist appointed Director Fugate to his administration, the role he continues today.

2004 saw the largest response to disasters in Florida history with one tropical storm and four hurricanes (Charlie, Frances, Ivan, and Jean) impacting the State.

2005 again was a record setting year for hurricanes, Florida was impacted by four hurricanes, three that made landfall, (Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma), and two tropical storms. Hurricane Katrina became the most costly natural disaster during its second landfall on the Louisiana and Mississippi Coast. Florida's State Emergency Response Team launched the State's largest mutual aid response under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact or EMAC in support of the impacted states. Hurricane Wilma made landfall on October 24 on Florida's SW Coast becoming the 3rd costliest storm in Florida's history.

Here he is talking about a hurricane exercise in 2008:

Schwarzenegger Says Obama Needs Team Players

Schwarzenegger says he had to raise taxes in his state because it is an emergency situation. Like Florida governor Charlie Crist, Schwarzenegger says he'll take any stimulus money that other governors don't want. He says Obama needs team players-- not Us vs. Them. Another reasonable republican. 

Charlie Crist on Meet the Press Feb. 22

Crist is an In Touch republican:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Obama Answers Stimulus Questions in Elkhart

Update: See the Elkhart video here.

Obama's answering questions about the stimulus this afternoon in a town hall style meeting at noon (eastern) in Elkhart, Indiana. If you're on Twitter, reporter Matthew Tully will be twittering at the event, else it will be at CNN.com. Tonight, Obama will be on our TVs at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tomorrow, he'll be in Fort Myers, Florida answering questions about the stimulus. Republican governor Charlie Crist will be lending Obama a hand tomorrow in Florida. 

Governors like the stimulus because their budgets are strained and they're seeing their states, first hand, fall into deeper economic woes.
A shout out to Susan Collins, R-Maine, for being one of the few republicans who participated in crafting the stimulus. On the Today Show, she said the bill wouldn't be the one the republicans would craft but the bill is needed and it will make a difference. If only the rest of the republicans could be so inspired.
Also tomorrow, Timothy Geithner, treasury secretary, will unveil the second part of the plan for the banking system. A Gallup poll shows that Obama's in a good place:

Two thirds of Americans surveyed say they approve of the way the president is handling the government's attempt at an economic stimulus. Fewer than one-third say they approve of the way that Republicans in Congress are handling the problem.

This means that - with the Senate poised to approve a $827-billion bill on Tuesday and then send it to a House and Senate conference which is likely to turn out a measure that both the House and Senate will accept, with or without Republicans in the House and with only a few in the Senate - Obama may not need to ratchet up the public support he is courting today in Elkhart, tonight in a prime-time news conference and Tuesday in Fort Myers, Fla. Instead, the campaign-styled tour could simply be a way of bolstering the public support he has heading into the difficult weeks ahead. Swamp

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I'll post video from Elkhart when it's up.

Republican Governor Crist Likes Stimulus

Gov. Charlie Crist says the people of Florida need the stimulus.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy