October 31, 2012

"A presidential candidate who gives millions of dollars a year to charity does a storm relief event in Ohio..."

"... and an MSNBC anchor is disgusted by it because the Red Cross would prefer people donating cash"... even with the large video monitors displaying the message "Sandy: Support the Relief Effort. Text ’REDCROSS’ to 90999 to make a $10 donation."

59 comments:

TWM said...

They are bad people who hate good people doing good things. Simple at that.

edutcher said...

Yes, we're supposed to let government do all that stuff.

how dare the people take it u[pon themselves?

And how dare the Romster show he's a better man (not hard, God knows) than Choom?

Sorun said...

If your neighbor needs a meal and some clean drinking water, the best thing to do is send $25 to the Red Cross.

dreams said...

She is an Obama sycophant, nothing unusual.

Mogget said...

And I am supposed to believe that a man without the courage to order others to save his own ambassador actually cares about the nameless and faceless poor?

dreams said...

The moral of the story is that regardless of their good deeds, Republican candidates can't please liberals.

James Pawlak said...

The preference for cash is based on their lust for as much of that as is possible to support their over-paid mis-leaders and top-heavy bureaucracy.

My an others' military experience with that outfit were not happy ones.

Sorun said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Patrick said...

I don't even know why this is news. Lefty press covers for inept President because he's also a lefty. No surprises.

Wince said...

In MSNBC world, doesn't the Red Cross mark the US as a Christianist nation, and therefore should be shunned?

In Muslim countries, it's the Red Crescent, isn't it?

From Inwood said...

Never let a crisis go to waste: Blame Republicans, Blame Republicans.

Some are already blaming GOP cutbacks in spending & Global Warming, OOPS, Climate Change being allowed to grow due to the GOP War on Science.

Remember, as yesterday’s NYT puts it:

A Big Storm Requires Big Government

And the GOP is always against Big Government, ya know & would abolish FEMA, gurgle, gurgle….

Borrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.

alan markus said...

A Presidential Photo Op in Situation Room re: Hurricane Sandy; President "pops" in for photo - How can I tell? Everyone else drinking out of cardboard/styrofoam coffee cups & plastic water bottle. Obama has his "Presidential Coffee Cup"

Roger J. said...

Lets see here now--Romney gives 7 figure donations to charity, and Slo Joe gives 300--Got it.

MSNBC will retain a small viewship, and thats about all they got.

Anonymous said...

Of course if people donate cash they are reducing their tax burden which is evil.

Face it there is no pleasing Democrats unless the government can spend gobs of money on some problem.

My lib sister hates, hates, hates Mother Theresa because she didn't believe in birth control.

Roger J. said...

if you want your cash donation to go a long way help the salvation army--they are the best

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Right. Instead of donating actual goods that can be delivered directly to people who need them......we should give cash to an organization where most of it will either be channeled to administration, salaries OR sent to locations OTHER than the one you are donating to support.

Stan25 said...

Personally I would not give the Red Cross the sweat off my left butt cheek. They are just as corrupt as the rest of the large so-called charity organizations.

Quaestor said...

MSNBC must also condemn the Obama supporters in NJ, NY and CT who accept goods and/or cash raised by Romney.

(crickets chirp, wolves howl in the distance)

Still waiting... Maybe I should've brought a lawn chair...

X said...

ANA MARIE COX: “We don't need canned goods, thank you very much, Mr. 1950s vaginal sex. You know, like we need money, we need anal sex."

Tank said...

Lapdogs.

Woof Woof.

Last time, Katrina, I got out of control and sent a large check to the Red Cross. They promptly announced that they had so much Katrina money they were putting some of it to "other" uses. Who knows where it ultimately went.

Re-discovered my general rule: donate locally or in ways where I know my money or donation will be used for people I know [not personally] or generally in a good way.

Tank felt stupid after donating to RC.

Chris Lopes said...

At the Romney rally, people were also being encouraged to donate to the Red Cross. So the criticism doesn't even work on that level.

gadfly said...

The Red Cross makes the rules, don't you know? They seem more concerned about money flowing directly to them for use as they see fit.

The Red Cross is also soliciting blood donations, not because they need blood, but because (in the words of Rahm Emanuel) they cannot let a serious tragedy go to waste.

Before there was a Red Cross there was the phenomena of neighbor helping neighbor - come to think about it, that is what it says in the bible. Gosh, Mitt, what were you thinking?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

MSDNC - haters of generosity. Unless it's the corrupt and inefficient government doing it with someone else’s tax dollars.

Who wants to place a bet that the entire cast of hacks at MSDNC are uncharitable and cheap?

I want to see Chris Matthews taxes.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Obama uses this horrible tragedy for photo opportunity with Gov. Chris Christy.


MSM swoon.

Richard Fagin said...

I think Rush Limbaugh has it right when he refers to those knuckleheads as "PMSNBC." At this point we should consider the staff at MSNBC as something less than human. Ordinary people with consciences simply do not react to human tragedy as these clowns did.

virgil xenophon said...

Roger J is right about the Salvation Army. Most in the armed services--active and retired--have experienced that the Salvation Army is the far superior organization. My experience in Vietnam and my WW Army Dad and most of his fellow vets despised the Red Cross, who charged for their coffee & doughnuts and were to be found only at the rear, while the . S. Army was right up at the front with free coffee, support, etc.

Quaestor said...

Frankly, I just too stupid to understand Martin Bashir's subtle moral calculus: Bad man (Romney) does good. Good man (Obama) does nothing. Bad man damned. Good man praised. Ergo good is bad and nothing is good (Corollary: Nothing is bad if done by a bad man!?!!)

Maybe garage mahal can explain it to me... On second thought, nah. He's perplexed by the fact that he can still go ice fishing after 150 years of industrial CO2 emissions. No, I need Ritmo to explain it... nah he'll just change the subject... Shiloh! That's the ticket! An avant-garde moral philosopher of the first order if there ever was one... Shiloh, where are you?

Curious George said...

Of course the Red Cross wants cash. It's a pain in the ass to take 50% of a can of fucking beans.

alan markus said...

She is an Obama sycophant, nothing unusual.

Probably doing this to enhance her resume', should Romney win. "See, looky, me first, I was the first one to take a competent act by Romney and spin it as something sinister. Got to feed that Romney Derangement Syndrome & I'm ahead of that curve already. Make me an anchor somewhere. Call my agent!"

Quaestor said...

Andrea Mitchell (speaking of face-lifts gone wrong... wowsers!) chimed in with her report of a conversation with an unnamed Red Cross staffer who said Romney's "charity" was unwanted...

If the RC accepts anything raised by Romney's rally, including the cash, they should repudiate that statement by their staffer, as if he ever existed, AM is such a notorious fabricator... I'm waiting... Maybe I'll need a lawn chair for this one too.

Darrell said...

Great. The Left wants another "Stand Down" order given.

They never learn.

If The Red Cross won't use actual emergency supplies, a lot of other charities will. Another reason not to watch MSNBC--which most people already figured out.

prairie wind said...

Right. Instead of donating actual goods that can be delivered directly to people who need them......we should give cash to an organization where most of it will either be channeled to administration, salaries OR sent to locations OTHER than the one you are donating to support.

Yep. After the tsunami in 2005 (?), our local Red Cross upgraded the facilities for blood donation. After Katrina, they upgraded again. As a blood donor, I can say that I am much comfier now in my lounge chair than I was when they used flat gurneys.

I donate blood but not money to the Red Cross.

hawkeyedjb said...

Eh, so what. MSNBC is simply the campaign commercial Obama would like to make, if he didn't have to say "I approve of this message."

Darrell said...

The Red Cross tried to get a guy arrested--one that owned a restaurant and had his staff bring hot coffee and pastries to a fire at the apartment building he lived in in Chicago a few years ago. Why? He was giving away everything for free on that freezing night. The Red Cross was asking people for $5 for the coffee. And most of the people in the large building had evacuated with just their PJs on. The cops--who get the coffee for free--tried to strongarm the guy, until the crowd started a fuss and things looked like they were getting out of hand. And the Media arrived.

Matt Sablan said...

If a Red Cross employee said certain charity was not wanted, they should not be an employee much longer.

exhelodrvr1 said...

prairie wind,
There may be a local blood bank you can donate at, which is what I do in San Diego (San Diego Blood Bank). Also, some hospitals have their own donor centers.

Quaestor said...

I donate blood but not money to the Red Cross.

According to reliable sources undead RC staffers slurp up 50% of the blood as well.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Martin Bashir should have been sent packing back to Britain a long time ago. Piers Morgan, too.

Roger J. said...

For those interested, you might want to check the support the Salvation Armyf--and the Southern Baptist convention--provided to NOLA after Katrina. Faith based organization almost always do a better job the other bureaucracies. And IMO the Salvation Army is the best. The red cross is simply an overstaffed and overpaid bureaucracy.

traditionalguy said...

The American Red Cross is a political player that awards million dollar salaries to politically selected Presidents from both sides and sends money to the International Red cross.

Meanwhile the International Red Cross is a sworn enemy to Israel.

But they do some good work here as a cover for monopoly power. That's fine.

Threats to Fascist Control over relief dollars is the howl we are hearing. Why? The personal charity one on one is a direct threat to the Red Cross' power.

Give to Franklin Graham instead.

test said...

Of course they want cash donations, how else are you going to fund salaries?

yashu said...

Over the past few days-- before, during, after the storm-- I received multiple emails from the the Romney campaign asking me to donate to the Red Cross.

MSNBC is contemptible, but what else is new.

Methadras said...

It's the leftard mentality. They do not like government having any competition.

Darrell said...

Remember how the American Red Cross
pissed off a lot of people when it was discovered that little money raised for the 9/11 had actually gone to the families? How they maintained it was up to them to put all money to its best use and how and when they would distribute it?

For example--http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-516886.html

That was the last time I ever gave anything to the Red Cross.

ndspinelli said...

Always give money to the Salvation Army over the Red Cross. I've worked in disaster areas. The Red Cross is a business. The Salvation Army is a charitable organization w/ a good heart.

Synova said...

I don't blame the Red Cross for preferring cash. Sorting donations is hugely labor intensive.

But there is no reason at all for other people not to take and distribute donations. People often have something to spare when they don't have cash. It's easy not to have cash between paydays, but a person might well have diapers or formula and extra canned food or clothes.

It lets more people help.

Darrell said...

The same day as Katrina, I heard Pepsi putting out a call for volunteers to help load trucks with bottled water at some distribution center a couple of miles from my house. I didn't even know it was there and I guess they picked that because of all the Tollways and Interstates around. They bottled water in every type of container they had and sent them to redistribution point. We loaded up all kinds of semis and they took it from there. I didn't see anyone leave even when daylight was approaching.

There is always a need and always volunteers to do what needs to be done.

Baron Zemo said...

This it the whole problem with charity.

Catholic Charities wants to spend the money they get in donations for sick kids and people with Aids and destitute families and Obama wants them to spend that money on condoms.

wyo sis said...

Martin Bashir has solidified his position as the largest asshole on MSNBC. He's been a top contender for quite awhile.
I'm sure he's pleased.

hombre said...

Last time I looked, the Red Cross' administrative costs were a bit high for my taste, but high administrative costs would fit right in to Andrea's worldview.

Samaritan's Purse is a better bet!

Anonymous said...

Prof Althouse is confusing donating money to charities and making donations to tax deductible organizations. The two are not necessary the same.

Most of Romney's givings are to the Mormon Church and affiliated organizations.

test said...

Darrell said...
Remember how the American Red Cross
pissed off a lot of people when it was discovered that little money raised for the 9/11 had actually gone to the families? How they maintained it was up to them to put all money to its best use and how and when they would distribute it?


I have a family member whose apartment was condemned after 9-11, a young couple without much beyond the basics. They essentially lost everything except keepsakes due to the dust and the length of time before they were allowed in to salvage. Furniture, clothes, electronics, etc, all gone. I expected the Red Cross to help given their marketing appeal, which was that funds were going to pay people's mortgages if you were out of work due to the attacks, or pay for alternate housing if displaced, among other costs.

They applied and were given a fan.

But you know who received the best Red Cross grants? Bureaucrats, to show people how to apply to the government for relief. When you give money to charity the beneficiaries are NGO bureaucrats no matter what they tell you the money is for.

Darrell said...

I remember during the 1980s, my co-workers and I were concerned with the high administartive costs at United Way. After years of trying to convince our volunteer liason with the organization, he finally agreed to ask a United Way rep to talk at our place--one in administation. On the appointed day, the guest was late. Then who should show up? Some that that just volunteeered the previous week. This was literally the first thing he was doing for UW and know nothing beside "We've all heard about United Way, right? Their TV commercials are great!" Needless to say there was no point in grilling him. A few years later the CEO of United Way was caught in a scandal spending money like water. Always first-class airfare. Hotel rooms at the top tier--$5000-$10,000/night. Gourmet restaurants and their most expensive wine. He tried to act angry saying that his mid-six-figure salary was a joke given the number of p[eople at United Way and their annual $ take. Later I read that the highest paying job he had ever held previously was around $60K per year. They could have gotten ex-CEOs of $Billion dollar companies to do his job on a volunteer basis--and someboby might even recognize their names.

And even later were all those celebrity Golf tornaments with administrative costs in the 80-90% reange--because of the gold-plated demands of the sports stars. Many who couldn't even be bothered to attend any of the event functions once they were there.

Catholic Charities/Salvation Army are your best bets always. Admin costs 10% or less.

Sam L. said...

MSNBC, ignoring the obvious since XXXX,

wyo sis said...

OpenID idiotwind said...

Prof Althouse is confusing donating money to charities and making donations to tax deductible organizations. The two are not necessary the same.

Most of Romney's givings are to the Mormon Church and affiliated organizations.


Keep your eye out for Mormon charities and Mormon people sending massive relief and showing up unpaid to help.
Then give us you view on whether it's a legitimate charity or not.

My son-in-law is going there to help. Yes, that's right as an unpaid volunteer from the Mormon church.

test said...

Darrell said...Catholic Charities/Salvation Army are your best bets always. Admin costs 10% or less.

I'm not responding just to this, but more generally (and these groups are certainly better). But the useless brueaucrat in my comment was a "program cost" not an administrative cost. The key distinction is not the government's definition of admin versus program, but how much value actually gets to the targets. And in most cases it's far smaller than is generally understood.

If you think of the NGO system as a jobs program for otherwise unemployable leftists you'd be right more than you're wrong.

Unknown said...

"A presidential candidate who gives millions of dollars a year to charity..."

What a load of crap. The Mormon Church is NOT a charity.

Rabel said...

Speaking of the Red Cross, this photo listing of their executive leadership is mildly amusing in light of a recent discussion here on Althouse.

The last guy on the list needs to try harder

jim said...

Is that the same event where Romney staff got $5000 worth of (largely useless) groceries at a local Wal-Mart, then gave it to people in line to make it look like they were real donations?

Yeah, you can really tell Romney cares ... at least, enough to hold a "Relief Rally" in a swing state far away from the actual disaster.

By ignoring the explicit instructions on the ARC's website, those "generous" donations actually impeded efforts to give much-needed emergency aid, in a dire time-sensitive situation - assuming they didn't just eventually wind up dropped off at a local foodbank, or worse.

Astonishing that no quantity of toxic bogosity - no matter how blatant - ever seems to be quite enough to convince his supporters that Willard Romney has all the classic hallmarks of a psychopath.

Eliminated thousands of jobs, destroying entire communities ... & then jokes about how much he loves to fire people? That's just good business! Tortured the family pet? "He loved it!" Abused & assaulted a fellow student in college? Just good wholesome hijinx! Shrugs off the horrific suffering of a medical marijuana patient who's terminally ill? He just needs some Tough Love!

When you give a psychopath a free pass, expect to pay the piper.