WASHINGTON — The vivid images of poor residents, most of them African American, stranded across New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have generated more discussion in the nation's capital about poverty than any event in years.
It is too soon to say whether this will lead to a new agenda for either party -- or even remain a focus as the floodwaters recede.
But many analysts believe that the stark pictures of families trapped amid the rising waters have made the persistence of poverty tangible to many Americans in a way unmatched by years of government reports. On the day New Orleans flooded, in fact, the Census Bureau released an annual report showing that the number of Americans in poverty rose for the fourth consecutive year.
"One of the things that I hope we will do is look at this as an opportunity ... to shine a bright light on poverty in America and do something about it nationally," John Edwards, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, said Sunday on CNN.
The two political parties are drawing competing conclusions from Katrina. Edwards and other leading Democrats maintain that the widespread deprivation revealed by the flood demonstrated the need for a renewed government offensive against entrenched poverty -- and showed the inadequacy of the "compassionate conservative" agenda President Bush has offered for the needy.
"Their rhetoric does not match the reality of what they have done," Edwards said in an interview.
By contrast, some conservative thinkers say the experience underscored the inadequacies of traditional government programs for the poor -- and demonstrated the need for new approaches that would encourage greater personal responsibility.
"You have to look at whether or not the policies have actually helped," said John H. McWhorter, a senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute. "Clearly there is still a very serious problem with poverty. But you have to help people help themselves."
Meanwhile, White House officials say Bush has focused on the problems of the poor throughout his presidency with programs such as subsidies for low-income home buyers and income tax cuts for the working poor. "The president has had an aggressive campaign to lift people out of poverty and to empower them," said Trent Duffy, a White House spokesman.
