I was always conservative, but even I remember thinking George W. Bush dropped the ball during Katrina.
A flyover? What a way to show concern (from 30,000 feet).
And then three days to finally visit New Orleans? The nerve!
On the campaign trail back in ’08, then-Sen. Barack Obama obliterated Bush for his callous and overdue visit. It struck a chord with Americans left, right and center. Really, Bush’s legacy never quite recovered.
Flashback: Obama blasts Bush for not immediately visiting New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
(Bush waited 3 days, versus 7 for Biden w/ Helene) pic.twitter.com/PeIAhMDcav
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 3, 2024
Oh, how the times have changed.
On the one hand, we’ve all gotten a hell of a lot more cynical over the past 20 years. With everything staged for social media these days, the quaint charm of a well-meaning visit and a photo-op has lost much of its luster. Give us something tangible or don’t bother showing up at all.
On the other hand, in hindsight, Bush’s response really wasn’t all that terrible. Three days — as first responders do what they can and survivors all seek to make sense of the wreckage — is really not that much time. It’s certainly got nothing on the seven days that President Joe Biden waited to visit the victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, the most devastating storm since Katrina itself. And that somber flyover picture on day one is certainly more tasteful than the picture Kamala Harris posted three days later. She was so absorbed in “work” that she couldn’t even be bothered to plug her headphones into her iPhone!
Bush was eviscerated by the press for his Air Force One flyby over New Orleans on day three after Hurricane Katrina hit.
Here is Kamala Harris three days after Hurricane Helene… pic.twitter.com/hcsU1Z1bjg
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) September 30, 2024
So would we really have all been so outraged with Bush if the media wasn’t telling us what to think? Our cynicism surely extends here as well. Although we were mostly blind to it 20 years ago, media manipulation has lost its potency today.
Because we all know that the media would lose their minds if a Republican was at the helm today and waited seven days to visit North Carolina. He’d be a monster, an uncaring goon, a shameless politician only out for himself. But since it’s a Democrat leading the charge, we haven’t heard a sound.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
