Fox News' Brit Hume, the network's D.C. managing editor, said something interesting yesterday on Twitter that stuck in my head.
It seems that Hume believes the "big federal government" is nowhere to be found. Congress isn't in session, and federal office buildings were closed temporarily due to the emergency conditions. This is proof, apparently, that those who see a critical federal role in emergency response efforts are wrong -- "big problems" are addressed, Hume notes, even when the federal government is closed.
For the record, I don't think Hume was kidding.
In case anyone else is confused, let's pause to understand the nature of the government. If Hume believes that responses to natural disasters can continue without a hitch, even when those who help process Social Security checks are at home, he's correct. The same is true when the Smithsonian is closed and administrators at the Department of Agriculture have a couple of days off.
But the mistake is recognizing these basic details and then concluding that a "big federal government" isn't important in addressing disasters like this week's super-storm. FEMA, for example, didn't "go home early" on Monday, and it wasn't "mostly closed" on Tuesday. No one took the day off at the National Response Coordination Center, either.
It's government that's delivering relief supplies, government that's rescuing the stranded, and government that took preparatory steps to mitigate the devastation before the storm hit. What's more, it'll be government that helps lead in the recovery efforts, and Congress should probably start preparing itself for writing a big check.
If Hume's point is that many federal agencies are not related to crisis management, I'll gladly concede the point, though I haven't the foggiest idea why that point is supposed to matter.
Update: The Navy announced this morning that it's sending three helicopter carrier ships to the New York and New Jersey areas to provide assistance. This is important, obviously, and it's possible even when the Library of Congress' doors are closed.
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I'm stuck on the first part of the last sentence, "If Hume's point is..." Are you implying that Hume HAS a point?
He stated his point in his next tweet.
Many are saying FEMA is an example that we need more federal government, not less. He is saying FEMA is small, the "big government" in large part was what was closed.
Now, you can disagree but to say he was not making a point or imply that all the government had to be open for FEMA to work is ridiculous.
Maybe this was the point he was attempting to make, but I think the bigger issue is that it's a completely incorrect point.
Government may be big as a whole, but it is comprised of many smaller, modular pieces. They have specific functions, and no one has ever so much as implied that all the pieces are dependent on one another. As in any system, this would be a fatal flaw.
FEMA has a specific purpose and as noted in the article, whether other modular components within the government are brought offline is entirely irrelevant to the discussion of whether or not FEMA is properly funded to fulfill it's purpose.
...then why are you defending him for making this claim?
Hume, not Maddowblog, is the one making the assertion that other, non-FEMA related buildings being closed is evidence that the government was closed during a natural disaster. His insinuation being that "big government" (whatever that is) is not helpful for emergency relief and he's extending that to FEMA dealing with Sandy.
I'll meet you half way and say that yes FEMA's necessity doesn't automatically equate to another department's necessity- although I cringe at the ambiguity of the statement "big government"- but it does render the talking point that government is only ever the problem bunk. But this is a side note. FEMA being a branch of government and people sometimes extending that to justify the existence of another department has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether or not the government is open and adequately responding to an issue. The first comment cited and the second comment cited are 2 entirely different arguments addressing 2 entirely different issues.
I should also point out the inherent contradiction of Hume chastising people for conflating one department- FEMA- with the necessity for "big government" while simultaneously equating FEMA to that of "big government" when making his "government is closed" comment. Good grief.
Let's just write this one off as a gaffe and move on.
I used to think that the things that Hume espoused had something to do with 'news'. Perhaps he is not to blame for spouting the views he has clearly not thought through. He is, after all, completely surrounded, submerged really, by (in) falsehoods and the brainwashed zombies at Fox. It should not be too surprising then if he starts to actually 'swallow' (believe) portions of the geyser of lies that Fox foments and promulgates each day. It may be that it is easier to embrace the diatribes and canards that are endlessly forsworn by the faux news agents than to try to continue to fight them, or try to keep them straight, in your own mind. Hume has become one of the 'lead zombies'. (Zomnies?) He still has a partially functioning brain, but his ability to question and reason have been totally removed. Does Obamacare cover Zomnification?
Hume was NOT making the claim, the above article was...
Hume was saying, yes we may need some services like FEMA but the rest of the Government is closed. That's the part that needs cutting. To say, "Oh, look at our federal government in action (FEMA), this is why we need big government," is the wrong conclusion to make according to Hume's comment.
Lastly, I'm not defending anyone, just making observation and explaining a comment many confessed to not understanding.
Hey RobDon, the NYSE was closed for two whole days. Apparently they aren't needed either. (Yes, I realize they are not part of big gov't, but to follow Hume's logic, anything that was closed is not needed and needs to be cut.)
Nope
The big federal government some say is needed to deal with big problems like Sandy went home early in DC yesterday and is mostly closed today.
That is what Hume said. He is implying that if some federal buildings are closed that means the government isn't responding. That is his tweet. You have a tendency, Rob, to be so willing to give the benefit of the doubt to conservatives as to make up what it is the conservative is actually saying. Hume is saying word for word that because the government is closed it is not needed to deal with the problems of Sandy. You then said that to imply that all of the federal government had to be open in order to work is ridiculous. I agree and so does the blog author. The point HUME argued was that IF some federal buildings weren't open then the government wasn't responding. That is why the blog is making fun of him. YOU are the one twisting meaning out of his words that he did not say; not the rest.
Nope. He never said this or implied this.
He did say that he thought saying that one department like FEMA was justification for an ever expanding government is silly, but that statement is not related to the first one he gave. You, Rob, are conflating the same statements to make up a position that Hume never espoused to having. That is what I mean when I say you are so willing to give the benefit of the doubt that you create fake arguments. You're literally putting words and meaning in his mouth where no intention or implication existed and from that extrapolating that the blog is wrong. The blog is addressing what he actually said; you are addressing what you fantasize he meant to say
How stupid can one be. It is related. It was his very next tweet...and it, too, was about "big federal government." And you think it had "nothing" to do with the previous tweet. Okay, think and believe what you want.
Such a Tweet by such a man is one more reason to stay off that communication venue! Twitter allows for too much sloppy knee-jerk textual imagery to enter into our national dialog, far too instantaneously!
Hume is simply satisfying his need for instant gratification, while he poorly tried to disguise his need as a "thoughtful 140!"
He is the same banal dolt he has been all these years prior to that instantaneous outburst! -Kevo
Are you going all the way back to when he was know by the CIA as "eggnog" and was Jack Anderson flunky?
Someone inform Brit that there was a DC BIG Government person who did not take the day off yesterday and was working ... for the people.
President Barack Obama.
I think Brit's bud, Gov. Christie, had something to say about it.
Christie was never the right guy for the Tea-Party crowd, and has really just "put in his time" for the GOP and their current nominee.
He is a more moderate Republican from a Democratic state. He is positioning himself for the 2016 race, and being seen as effective and bipartisan in this crisis will serve him well in 4 years.
As for Brit Hume, it's an obviously true but misleading statement. Yes, federal offices in DC shut down for the storm. That's not the federal government. FEMA, the Coast Guard, the Navy, the National Guard--all those folks are working very hard indeed this week. And I think even hard-right Fox viewers will feel a little queasy repeating such a partisan line at this time.
The last thing that Christie wants in 2016 is a Republican incumbent. He knows his way if Obama is re-elected.
Whereas, anyone can see that Brit Fume is talking out of his ass each and every day!
Know who else didn't work yesterday? The unemployed.
I guess we don't need them, either, except for an expediant talking point once in a while.
I keep thinking that if we do as the GOP suggests and follow their logic to their natural conclusion we will be once again living under the articles of confederation...
The Irony of course being that, that would look a lot like modern Europe (and we all know how evil those pinko Europeans are)
the gop is the american talban------------what any diffence of their thinking and the thinking of the talban from the middle east
Metro rail and bus (and commuter trains) were shut down on Monday and Tuesday in the DC area so all those federal workers would have had to drive their cars into work.
Now what could have possibly gone wrong in that scenario?
Leave it to a Fox newscaster to try and make cheap political points without thinking through the consequences of what he's saying.
Douchebag.
Yeah, that would be incredible. Owing to the ALREADY terrible DC traffic nightmare that it is, combine that with a new influx of cars to the roads? During hurricane force winds? Seriously?
It's like the snowmageddon thing a few years back, where government offices were closed because of the snow. People got incensed about it "how could they not have to go to work? I had to go to work!"
Fox News, and lots of Repugnicans HATE the federal workforce. They try to claim it as this cushy government job with awesome benefits and try to drive a wedge between the working class and government workers because while you're having to have two salaries to make enough to feed your family THEY get to stay home during horrible weather.
There was an infographic mentioned on this site a couple months ago - where Fox tried to show the false statement that unemployment REALLY was going down, by using a bunch of twisty logic, and OH look, the government workers aren't suffering as badly as you do. Shame shame, government workers!
Drives me insane.
Sigh,
Does anyone remember when we had a 5th Estate that we could actually TRUST? Would David Brinkley, Chet Huntley, Walter Cronkite, or Mike Wallace ever made a statement like that?
Brit Hume who "claims" he's a "journalist", knows very well that when Federal Offices in DC close, the Federal Government DOES NOT screech to a halt - government employees keep on working and most government agencies are well set up for telecommuting in situations like these - one of the aftermaths of 9/11!
I imagine if the 'Foxholes' took a few days off the world would continue to spin, without the lies and distortions. It would help the Cartoon Channel's ratings as well.
"Foxholes". Oooh, me likey!
Is he really that big an idiot? Does he somehow not believe that FEMA, the National Guard, the Coast Guard, the other military branches, all the local rescue workers, and every social service agency are somehow not part of "big government?"
Or is he one of those Randians who believe no one should try to help people in trouble?
Yes, some of the federal offices in Washington closed for a day or two, on the principle that their employees could do more work if they weren't killed. But the government did not shut down for even a minute.
Mr Hume - for someone with 35 years of journalism experience as your bio says I can't believe you would be so moronic as to think that just because the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, or the House of Representatives is closed that the rest of our government is on holiday and not dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Understand that when you Tweet asinine comments it is picked up by boat loads of people out in that big Internet thingee. I understand this is probably beyond your comprehension seeing as you are sitting with Uncle Joe watching Fox News when the rabbit ears allow you to but you really ought to practice THINKING prior to TWEETING.
Humists are supposed to follow the white rabbit to it's logical assumption: President Obama went golfing today While Americans Suffer.
The House of Representatives has essentially been closed for several years, and though it he forced to limp ahead, the Prez. still made progress.
I'm quite sure he understands that very well. That's why he sent it out, so the Bobbleheads could have a new talking point to yell at people on Facebook with.
Ah yes, the Climate Change argument revised, "It's raining at my house so there's no such thing as Global Warming".
Brit Hume is about 15% honest.
I always wonder if these people ACTUALLY WORK. When my town is 'shut down' due to some catastrophe of even a THREE DAY WEEKEND there are those of us that still 'work'. The computers don't shut down. We just logon from HOME. 'Shut down' only means that you don't go IN TO THE OFFICE. Not that you aren't on call for emergencies. FEMA was obviously working. You could SEE THEM. I guess being a 'big FOX news guy' means you have some kind of inside track to what 'working' means...huh.
Well, for what it's worth, I didn't actually work Monday-Tuesday when I was home. A) Because I had no power the majority of Tuesday and B) Because my apartment isn't wired for the kind of work that I do.
But I'm not FEMA. I'm a low-level scrub writing reports for the important people (my bosses.)
Brit is just mad because the post office hasn't delivered him the new issue of Hustler.
Britwit probably reads Kiss My Whip.
Aggghhhh
Mental image of Brit Hume in bondage gear....I Cannot unsee
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD KILL ME!!!!!
I don't believe I've ever witnessed a once respected journalist evolve into such a partisan hack the way Hume has. He makes obviously dishonest statements with a straight, long face.
Brit Hume is the partisan hack journalist that the Right made Dan Rather out to be.
Poor Brit Hume, he's totally revealed how dumbed down you become while working at FAUX NOOZ. See Brit, while you as a "pseudo journalist" you may be required to go into work during a national emergency, but then again there are "emergency personnel" in the government that are also required to go into work; for everyone else that doesn't have that designation - they were home, off of the roads & out of the way of those "first responders"! The fact that "big government" was shut down was to allow them to be "safe" to take care of their children because schools in the area were shut down, to be home to call the insurance man if something did happen!
And if none of the above makes sense to you, then go ask Gov Christie exactly how much help he was requesting when he talked to President Obama - because HE was working! The President wasn't on the campaign trail, nor was he using this tragedy & devastation to lie and dismiss his opponent!
As a work from employee I really don't get how folks today equate being in the office and working. Workers work when they need to and have a job. They find a way remotely. He sounds like we are back in the 70's.
Totally foxed gnus consistently serves the Kool-Aid.
What was sad was last night on Greta’s Show on fox, I really have no idea what’s called, but Haley Barbour called Gov. Christie a Liar because he praised Obamas help. Saying to the extent that Gov. Christie had to be nice to get help.
"some say". Hmm.
Actually, Mr. Hume... "some say", to me, is code for, "We hatched this rancid thought out of our a**.... and we're going with it."
Old dough -faced reporters never die, they just go to Fox and abandon one of journalisms majort tenets "impartiality". See also John Stossel who used to be pretty good but now just parrots the party line and works on his Freddie Mercury tribute act in his spare time.Which he has a lot of because he seems adverse to actually researching those pesky facts.
I think Brit Hume has a case of the amnesia. FEMA during Hurricane Katrina functioned quite a bit differently than FEMA now. Does he think that the difference is simply due to serendipity. When FEMA is properly resourced - both in terms of funding for the agency and in terms of federal resources surrounding FEMA efforts - THAT is when the federal government works. I am not sure anyone actually wants LARGER government, but those of us who are Democrats want a functioning government who will help us in crisis, plan for the future, and support the country's infrastructure.
Whatever happened to journalistic integrity? When did it fade away, to be outshone by Foxholes (thanks for this -- says it all succinctly)?
I can remember Edward R. Murrow broadcasting from London during WWII -- where have all these men gone?
typically, when federal offices "shut down" as in cases of blizzards, hurricanes–-not to mention the situation this week when all mass transit to the city was closed off and the metro area directed to stay off the roads–-such closures apply to non essential, non emergency personnel. these policies and timely notices are readily available at the opm.gov web site. but that's why they call it faux news.
It never ceases to amaze me that Fox News uses "some people" or just "some" as the basis for much of their bs.
In reality, "some people" or "some" are just Fox employees.
by the way, i work for "big government" and just because a building is closed doesn't mean people aren't working. We live in the age of portable devices and remote access. Much work is being done from a dining room table this week as opposed to a desk.