Emergency Authority: The Katrina Conundrum
American Spectator,
by
John Wohlstetter
Original Article
Posted By: momoftwinteens,
4/22/2020 11:12:32 AM
The kerfuffle over how much authority the president has vis-à-vis state governors boiled over at a recent White House coronavirus briefing. Missing in the debate is the conundrum that became apparent in August 2005, during Hurricane Katrina. During a critical week, from two days before Katrina, to five days after, there arose a conflict the likes of which had never been seen in American disaster governance: an open clash between the president on one side and the Louisiana governor and the mayor of New Orleans on the other.
Headline repaired by staff
Reply 1 - Posted by:
lakerman1 4/22/2020 11:40:05 AM (No. 387691)
excellent analysis - and I would add two facts.
governor Blanco was completely unprepared to manage anything. She was a middle school social studies teacher whose husband somehow advanced her into the governor's office.
mayor Nagin was elected to his position precisely because he was not a politician - he had worked in the cable tv business.
governor blanco disappeared after her wretched four bad years as governor.
Mayor Nagin went to prison for corruption.
If there were ever two less competent elected officials, I don't know who they were.
the lipsticked Puerto Rican, AOC, would have been a better governor or mayor.
7 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
bighambone 4/22/2020 11:43:25 AM (No. 387695)
When President Trump in one of his corona virus briefings announced that he as President of the USA would determine when the country would be re-opened for business, he did that for a reason. As Trump knew that the liberal Democrat Governors would immediately oppose the His effort to re-open the US economy, by announcing that under the federalism system of government in the USA that divides federal and states governmental responsibilities, that the re-opening of the economies in the individual States is solely within their authorities. By doing that, those Governors took total responsibility for re-opening their individual States economies. So looking ahead it will be the Governors who will shoulder the blame if those Governors keep their economies shut down thus wrecking the personal finances of their citizens who make their States economies go.
5 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
DVC 4/22/2020 12:47:04 PM (No. 387788)
Very good read, and I agree with #1 on "excellent analysis".
But he made on glaring error, citing "the House" remaiing in session to block recess appointments. Is this an effort to protect McConnell and throw the blame, like a magician's misdirection, on Pelosi? 100% of the blame for Trump being unable to do recess appointments of cabinet people is on McConnell, for holding open phony sessions of the Senate, when it is not actually in session.
And there needs to be a suit filed under the Compacts Clause to shut down these blatantly unconstitutional interstate compacts, more and more often used by Demonrat governors to try to subvert the rights of the people and the Constitution.
#2 is correct, the President used reverse psychology on these fools who are governors. Once, when harassed by several bratty children, a friend told me to follow his lead. We walked to the side yard and pretended to be picking and eating tobasco peppers ripening on the plant. When the kids saw us, they asked what we were eating, and we sternly warned them "Do NOT eat these berries." And, we retired to the front porch. Within minutes, they were screaming in pain after stuffing their mouths with tobasco peppers and chewing them. We honestly told their angry mother when she confronted us, "We told them not to eat them."
Trump can manipulate the governors pretty well this way, too. The Dems really do act like bratty children.
2 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Chuzzles 4/22/2020 1:36:02 PM (No. 387860)
I think that Blanco would have been just fine if she had listened to Bush's advice. But she was advised by her husband and others to ignore Bush, because agreeing with him would have made her look like a weak woman. So she listened to her idiot husband, and we know the rest about her and the racist mayor Nagin. Those two cost lives and property damage that was unnecessary, all because their democrat mindset would not allow them to see commonsense and reason.
Rahm Emmanuel as the mayor of Chicago is another one who was way above his head as a leader. He allowed the gun violence in his city to explode, and the only advice he had was to keep it in the alleys of the city. AOC killed jobs in her district, I don't believe she would have been a good mayor of governor.
I disagree that this is up to the states when to reopen. The Trump economy depends on all states cooperating, and if he lets the governors stay closed out of spite, this will be on Trump's head for not acting in the national best interest vs the state's petty governors. The constitution clearly states that national interests trump state interests, and while it will be on the governors, we all know how the media will spin it. Just like they pinned it all on Bush instead of the two democrat cretins in charge of NOLA.
2 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
bighambone 4/22/2020 2:34:26 PM (No. 387924)
#4. but President Trump has been the most flexible President of the modern era. So there is nothing to keep Trump, when the time comes, from using the Interstate Commerce clause and laws to push recalcitrance liberal Democrat Governors out of the way and get those States economies rolling.
1 person likes this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
joew9 4/22/2020 7:46:45 PM (No. 388174)
In 1992 Hurricane Andrew headed to Florida. Bush 1 offered help. Democrat Florida Governor Lawton Chiles declined. Bush 1 offered again this time insisting it was going to hit Florida and he needed Chiles' request for him to actually send in the various federal government agencies. Chiles declined again. Bush 1 offered again. Chiles declined again. Finally it hit South Florida and did terrible damage. Bush 1 offered again. Chiles again declined. The next day after the initial hit, Bush 1 offered yet again. Chiles finally accepted and made the official request. Bush 1 immediately sent in the federal government help. The news media and the Democrat party immediately began to ask what took Bush so long - pretending he had never offered any help.
I believe this is when the news media and the Democrats started their scheme to blame a Republican President for any tragedy by refusing to accept aid and putting peoples live in danger for political gain.
0 people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "momoftwinteens"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Comments:
Excellent article.