nelms Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/12/katrina.documents.ap/index.html Post-hurricane, governor's aides fretted about her outfits WASHINGTON (AP) -- Trying to avoid a public relations disaster, aides to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco fretted over her not appearing in charge after Hurricane Katrina hit, even worrying about her clothing, documents released Monday show. Thirteen pages of e-mails sent in the immediate days after the August 29 storm also reflect the Blanco administration's concerns over race relations -- specifically, the number of black victims leaving Louisiana to find shelter. A Blanco spokeswoman dismissed the race issue as the concern of just one staffer and said e-mails were plucked from among an estimated 100,000 documents -- on everything from attire to how to fix the levees -- that the governor gave to a special House committee investigating the government's response to Katrina. The e-mails were distributed by Republican aides to the committee. Blanco is a Democrat. Former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown was criticized for e-mails that showed him discussing his wardrobe during the crisis created by Katrina. Brown resigned amid questions about his disaster management experience. In a September 4 e-mail exchange, top Blanco aides bristled at Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's remark that the federal government "is in control of New Orleans." "Our answer is the National Guard is in charge of security under her direction," Blanco chief of staff Andy Kopplin wrote. "The mayor is in charge of the city. The governor is in charge of the state and the guard and security. The federal government is now meeting important missions that it has." The next day, Blanco press staffers appealed to other senior aides to stop travel that would have had the governor leaving the state on a day when President Bush was scheduled to be there. "White House will be thrilled that she left the state. They will eat us for lunch. She cannot snub POTUS," wrote Blanco communications director Bob Mann. "POTUS" stands for "president of the United States." Aides also had concerns about Blanco's physical appearance and discussed ways to make her look strong but compassionate. Their ideas, according to the e-mails, included having Blanco "put a few bags of ice in the hands of the citizens who need it" and stop "doing too many 'first lady' things." "Gov. Blanco might dress down a bit and look like she has rolled up her sleeves," press consultant Kim Fuller of Witt Associates wrote in a September 4 e-mail to aides, including Mann and Kopplin. "I have some great Liz Claiborne sports clothes that look kind of Eddie Bauer, but with class, but would bring her down to level of getting to work." "She would look like a woman, but show she is MOVING MOUNTAINS," Fuller wrote. The Blanco administration e-mails also reflected concerns about racial politics -- specifically, needing to appear sensitive to black evacuees. "You send that many black folks out of state, we will have a perception problem," Blanco assistant chief of staff Johnny Anderson wrote in a September 2 e-mail. "Word is already that we are only sending blacks out of this state," Anderson wrote. "We are make (sic) a strategic error. FEMA will not have to answer to the people, we will." Responding to the release of the e-mails, Blanco deputy chief of staff Kim Hunter Reed said Anderson's note "reflected the concerns of one staff member." "The reality was that because of the (pre-storm) evacuations, all of the space had been filled and we had no choice but to seek out-of-state options," Reed said. She added: "Our concern was to get our citizens to safety." Taken with the thousands of other documents that Blanco's office released, the e-mails "reflect a Louisiana-made solution to a horrible tragedy," Reed said. She said the governor was focused on search and rescue, and getting as much federal assistance as possible. Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin are to testify Wednesday in front of the House panel on Katrina. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looks like the PR machine wasn't cranked up just for Michael Brown and FEMA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Just a completely bumbling mess.... from Nagin...to Blanco... to FEMA. The problems were compounded by an incompetent local govt., followed by an incompetent state govt., and then by an overwhelmed FEMA agency. Why Nagin and Blanco still have jobs is beyond me. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 I dont think now is the time to pile on these guys, they have done the damage to themselves already. Come election time then they are fair game, I dont think there are many who think those two need another term. Till then we should try to make the task easier not harder with concentrating on political barbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Monk Fan Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Why Nagin and Blanco still have jobs is beyond me. :doh: Here's a hint: they weren't hired by George Bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Here's a hint: they weren't hired by George Bush. Here's another hint, and a more relevant one. They were elected, not appointed. Thus, there is no higher up pushing them out for their incompetence - the voters will have to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Monk Fan Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Here's another hint, and a more relevant one. They were elected, not appointed. Thus, there is no higher up pushing them out for their incompetence - the voters will have to do that. They wouldn't have been the first elected offificials to have resigned following a public uproar over their failures. Had the press been as hard on them as they were on Brown, they'd have been forced to resign -- they were given a pass for similar actions and inactions. Why do you think that is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 They wouldn't have been the first elected offificials to have resigned following a public uproar over their failures. Had the press been as hard on them as they were on Brown, they'd have been forced to resign -- they were given a pass for similar actions and inactions. Why do you think that is? Well, reading Blanco's e-mails and comparing them to Michael Brown's it isn't even close. First off, these aren't even e-mails from Blanco, but from her staff, so it is kind of a moot point. Second, you had the director of FEMA more concerned about HIS appearance, then the suffering going on. These e-mails show how her staff was concerned about her, something they are SUPPOSED to do. Finally, they have recieved their fair share of blaim, but this was larger then ANY state governer or mayor could handle. Maybe if the president stopped his vacation and got back to Washington on Sunday, we wouldn't be discussing it, but at least they were working on the issues Sunday through Thursday when the pres. finally went down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Monk Fan Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Finally, they have recieved their fair share of blaim, but this was larger then ANY state governer or mayor could handle You keep saying this like there's a huge chasm between the organizational and operational abilities of governors and Presidents, regardless of the fact that three of the last four Presidents were governors before taking national office. FEMA's job is to facilitate placing the resources of the Federal government in the hands of the governor and local authorities for their management of a crisis. I'm not saying FEMA is in any way blameless, but you keep acting as if Blanco as a leader is multiple orders of magnitude below Bush simply by virtue of her being a governor -- I don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelms Posted December 14, 2005 Author Share Posted December 14, 2005 Well, reading Blanco's e-mails and comparing them to Michael Brown's it isn't even close.First off, these aren't even e-mails from Blanco, but from her staff, so it is kind of a moot point. Second, you had the director of FEMA more concerned about HIS appearance, then the suffering going on. These e-mails show how her staff was concerned about her, something they are SUPPOSED to do. Finally, they have recieved their fair share of blaim, but this was larger then ANY state governer or mayor could handle. Maybe if the president stopped his vacation and got back to Washington on Sunday, we wouldn't be discussing it, but at least they were working on the issues Sunday through Thursday when the pres. finally went down there. This was HER staff that SHE hired. She is ultimately responsibile for their actions. It's fine to look out for the boss, but it's not OK to spend time worrying about what freakin' clothes she wears and when to hand out ice, right in the middle of a major disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winslowalrob Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Ok, just to be clear, are we blaming her more than anyone else, is she the number one reason Katrina hit as hard as it did? An elected official answers to her constituents, an appointee does not, hence why one should resign and the other should have to face a sure-loss election. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelms Posted December 14, 2005 Author Share Posted December 14, 2005 Ok, just to be clear, are we blaming her more than anyone else, is she the number one reason Katrina hit as hard as it did? An elected official answers to her constituents, an appointee does not, hence why one should resign and the other should have to face a sure-loss election. Just my 2 cents. I'd personally rather see her (and the NO mayor) get thrown out by the voters, than resign in disgrace. Just seems to hold a little more weight to me. Oh, and I'm not sure how you think anyone is blaming her more than anyone else. There's plenty of blame to go around at all levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 They wouldn't have been the first elected offificials to have resigned following a public uproar over their failures. Had the press been as hard on them as they were on Brown, they'd have been forced to resign -- they were given a pass for similar actions and inactions. Why do you think that is? I do not think they have been "given a pass" at all, especially Blanco. The press can't force you to resign. Your boss can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 There was a plan that should be followed from Step A... Through Step Z with modifications when needed... When you fail to follow them you bumble and stumble around and look incompetent even with the best intentions. Nagin and Blanco and Fema and Surrounding States screwed this up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winslowalrob Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 I'd personally rather see her (and the NO mayor) get thrown out by the voters, than resign in disgrace. Just seems to hold a little more weight to me.Oh, and I'm not sure how you think anyone is blaming her more than anyone else. There's plenty of blame to go around at all levels. Exactly, it seemed like people were raggin on Blanco more than other people though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius J. Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Isn't it the job of some members of the staff to think about exactly these things? I mean doesn't bush have someone on hand who is supposed to worry about how he looks and what he wears? This is what PR people do. What am I missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 Isn't it the job of some members of the staff to think about exactly these things? I mean doesn't bush have someone on hand who is supposed to worry about how he looks and what he wears? This is what PR people do. What am I missing? You are missing the built in hatred for one side (or the other) that the rest of us carry. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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