A look at a topsy-turvy agency (depending upon who’s running it) after the jump …
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In a recent Politico essay, my Drinking Liberally colleague Bill Scher wondered (beyond Sharpiegate) why Republicans have such a difficult time dealing with natural disasters? It can’t be money, nor are these disasters limited to blue states, he posits. So what gives?
This will not be a comprehensive review of FEMA, yet an elected official’s attitude towards natural disaster relief goes a long way towards seeing how effective they will be. And how that see-saw has moved in the past 25+ years.
FEMA was created in 1979 by President Carter, yet its mission was (largely) that of Cold War civil defense and nuclear fallout shelters. And it was largely considered a dumping ground for political appointees — nearly 10x the number compared to other agencies.
The turning point was the 1992 arrival of Hurricane Andrew, with not only the lack of experienced emergency management officials, but also the use of motorized vehicles that were designed for wartime usage. The Bush/Quayle administration had treated natural disasters much like the Reagan years, with indifference. His FEMA director (Wallace Stickney) was described in a House report as "weak" and "uninterested in the substantive programs of FEMA."
During his campaign (including a visit to Homestead, Florida) then Gov. Bill Clinton took note, and in his memoirs wrote:
“Traditionally, the job of FEMA director was given to a political supporter of the President who wanted some plum position but who had had no experience with emergencies. I made a mental note to avoid that mistake if I won. Voters don’t choose a president based on how he’ll handle disasters, but if they’re faced with one, it quickly becomes the most important issue in their lives.”
And he followed-through by hiring as FEMA director his own Arkansas director of emergency management, James Lee Witt— who moved the agency away from nuclear war priorities (admittedly, an easier task with the end of the Cold War) to natural disasters. In one of his first acts, Witt eliminated ten presidentially appointed posts in the agency. “The White House didn’t like that”, Witt said of the political operatives. “But the President didn’t mind”.
Bill Clinton also named (as a top aide to Witt) Lacy Suiter— who had thirty years in emergency management, twelve as Tennessee’s director of emergency management. James Lee Witt is seen as the best director FEMA ever had — and Bill Clinton gave FEMA cabinet status. To me, transforming FEMA may stand as one of Bill Clinton’s most enduring achievements.
James Lee WittThat Cabinet status did not continue into the George W. administration. And the first choice W made for FEMA was Joe Allbaugh— a political operative who had no experience in emergency management and said before Congress that FEMA was a “giant bureaucratic entitlement” — and that its work should be delegated to faith-based organizations.
This demonstrates the change in the conservative movement between the two Bush administrations. In the time of H.W. Bush, indifference and traditional patronage were the watchwords.
In the new century: part of the change was in anti-government philosophy, where they are not afraid government won’t work … but that it will work, thus making it more palatable to the public. And in addition, moving beyond mere traditional patronage … and on to profiting off disaster, awarding contracts to cronies … and especially to religious cronies. Max Blumenthal of The Nation went on Democracy Now (just after Hurricane Katrina) to point out that FEMA was promoting the work of Operation Blessing — a “charity” of televangelist Pat Robertson.
And speaking of Katrina: Joe Allbaugh was able to have his old friend hired as a deputy and — when FEMA was consolidated into the Department of Homeland Security — left, leading to his old pal then being appointed agency head.
And yes, it is like shooting-fish-in-a-barrel to lampoon Michael “Heckuva Job” Brown— but as a liberal weenie, I was hoping for some redemptive qualities in the guy. And some time after he was fired: there was the release of a video in which he told the Bush administration that the Gulf Coast in general (and New Orleans in particular) was at risk of dire consequences with the oncoming Hurricane Katrina. Hey, I thought, he was not a total doofus! But over time, his public statements on emergency management were …. well, pretty dumb.
Among those dumb statements was about the agency head that President Obama named, Craig Fugate— whom ‘Brownie’ faulted for over-positioning resources for Hurricane Sandy in the Middle Atlantic states, even before the storm hit. (See what I get for trying to cut the guy some slack)?
Craig Fugate was in the mold of James Lee Witt — although a Democrat, he served as Gov. Jeb Bush’s director of emergency management (after years of experience at the county level in Florida) due to the wide respect he had earned in the field. And he served for the length of Barack Obama’s term, coining the phrase Waffle House Index as to the severity of a storm — whether its locations are at full strength, with limited menus or even closed. He obviously believed in the mission.
Craig FugateAnd now with the Trumpster administration …… I was curious as to whether he would fully embrace competent emergency management, or go the GOP route of either (a) indifference or (b) wholesale graft. And when you consider Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke — who not only were hostile to the departments they were chosen to lead, but also set-out out to profit incredibly from their posts — the odds didn’t look good. (Add to that the fact that this administration hires so many incapables … that even GOP senators will at times push back).
And so I was surprised by the choice of Brock Long who — quite unusually for a Trumpster appointee — was qualified to lead FEMA. He had a masters in Public Administration, had completed the Naval Postgraduate School’s Executive Leadership program, had worked in emergency management in Georgia, then at FEMA in a mid-level position for five years, then headed the emergency management agency for Alabama for three years.
As chief, he received praise for his handling of Hurricane Harvey, but criticism for Hurricane Maria — which was emblematic of the administration itself. Yet he did not make any statements that indicated he was out to sabotage the agency.
But just two years in: he was forced-out due to the use of government vehicles to commute between DC and his North Carolina home, as the FEMA inspector general was tenacious about $150k of expenses. This was petty crime compared to Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke …. yet symbolic of how even a qualified Trumpster employee will invariably jump-the-tracks (re-paying only a fraction of what he owed).
His deputy Peter Gaynor is now serving as acting director (I think there may be nearly as many acting directors as confirmed ones in this administration?) who had ten years of emergency management experience in Rhode Island — first for the city of Providence and for three years as the head of the state’s department under Democratic governor Gina Raimundo.
How will he fare? We’ll find out, but the bad news: it’s all-the-more difficult with the Trumpster raiding his budget for The Wall. The good news? He will now be nominated for the permanent post … after the Trumpster just yanked his choice of Jeffrey Byard to be director after issues were raised about his personal life.
Acting administrator nowLet’s close with a 1985 pop song that had a second life twenty years later. Walking on Sunshine was performed by Katrina & the Waves, which had been long broken-up … when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 (and which even Newt Gingrich admitted helped bring-an-end to the W years). Keith Olbermann dubbed his coverage of the storm as Katrina & the Waves, and the song’s lead singer said that she cringed seeing headlines saying “Katrina kills 9”.
Yet the disaster helped revive interest in the song, and Katrina Leskanich was hopeful that it would be seen as a jump for the human spirit.
x xYouTube VideoNow, on to Top Comments:
From luckylizard:
In the front-page story about the humor in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reminding reporters about liars — savagelucy has this gem to say.From sfbob:
In the diary by durrati about a general suggesting to the Trumpster not to speak too much about his wall— this comment by Arctic Stones (in response to another comment to durrati's post) definitely seems TC worthy to me.And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the front-page story about the judicial nominee that even Republicans hate— N in Seattle notes why even the GOP senators are upset.And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
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