Kevin Drum: How to stifle N.O. pleas for help.

In a short post at The Washington Monthly Drum notes that the strategy for defeating hurricane relief for Katrina's victims is to blame the messenger. The preferred spin now is to say that Louisiana's politicians are incompetant, corrupt, or if none of those, then "shrill."
What's most disturbing, however, are the comments, like the ones posted by someone calling himself Fat White Man, or this one from "Al":

Great news. I was getting worried liberals were going to use the irresponsiblity of New Orleaners in being unwilling to evacuate New Orleans when George W Bush told them to in order to justify big government liberal programs for New Orleans. The best way to fix the problems of New Orleans is through the free market. New Orleans should try to offer Enterprise Zone Tax Incentives and tax free zones and vouchers for private schools in order to encourage private businesses to come in and foster economic growth. Waiving the death tax for people who died in New Orleans would also be good because those people have suffered enough

Drum points us to this article in the Los Angeles Times about the lost momentum in Congress for Katrina recovery.

Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) echoed sentiments expressed by many of his colleagues when he insisted recently that every federal dollar sent to Louisiana be strictly monitored. "Louisiana and New Orleans are the most corrupt governments in our country, and they have always been," Craig told a newspaper in his home state. "Fraud is in the culture of Iraqis. I believe that is true in Louisiana as well."

I'm adding Craig to Tancredo, and Stevens of Alaska as dishonest enemies of New Orleans, and will contribute to the campaigns of anyone running against them.