[Shermy]

Just curious if anyone else is disturbed by Obama's actions on the tornado in Joplin, Missouri.

First of all, it happened around 5:45pm on Sunday, yet, Obama didnt even mention anything about it until TUESDAY.

He will finally go there tomorrow, a WEEK after it happened.

Just like the oil spill in the Gulf, he was super slow and ineffective in dealing w/that too.

Again, the Press pretty much gives him a pass, but really, it just confuses me how bad he's been in handling so much of his job. I wonder how different it would be if Bush was still President?!?!

[CiegoStar]

The timing of his trip to Europe with the tornado was certainly not good. Not to minimize what happened to Joplin, however, but presidents don't just drop everything when there is a natural disaster. President Bush took a week to go to the Gulf after Katrina and thousands of people died there, as well as a major city being destroyed and abandoned. Of course I expect Obama to do better than Bush.

ETA - I looked it up, and Bush was on vacation during Katrina. Not exactly meeting with European heads of state. Glad to know my memory of him is not inaccurate.

[ellebeaux]

I don't think it's really useful in a crisis to send the President there and divert resources away from search and rescue and recovery. Plus things are so chaotic, why add to the chaos? He was probably waiting until he had some reliable information.

[shea'smom]

You mean Bush, who was president during Katrina, the most royally screwed up reaction of the federal government to a disaster ever?

[back in the saddle]

disturbed by Obama's actions????? "give him a pass"

-- Are you for real? No president (which btw was BUSH Sr.) showed up in Andover Kansas when that F5 tornado pretty much wiped it off the map years ago. '91 Do you remember that one? Did he mention anything about it? Did he show up to look at tornado damage? Nobody was "disturbed by his inaction of not showing up" then. Since when do presidents have to show up for tornado damage? Sure it was a bad one, so was Andover. Exactly how many people have to die before it's presidental trip worthy? What is the cut off? I don't think Obama had to go to Alabama at all. That IMO was above and beyond the call of office. Allocate federal funds if needed, heck ya.. but actually show up? Good pr - sure - but necessary, NO, especially if there are other pressing matters. Bush didn't have to go to LA after Katrina, as a PR event sure it helps but it's not required. However, BUSH SHOULD HAVE managed the human aide factor and he failed miserably. And he even went to see the damage. lol LotO'good that did. Talk about a wasted trip. So you see, just because they go, doesn't always mean anything either.

[TrakJumper]

I'm sorry, but if Bush had been tossing back beers in a pub after Katrina, people would still be talking about it every damn day. Meeting with heads of state. Please.

[mildot]

I'm just wondering why some think it's the federal government's job to fix everything for us?

[Calvincrowe]

Really? Uh, no. Not the President's job to rush to every disaster or kitten up a tree. He is the Head of State, his job is to do what he was doing, representing the US. What is he supposed to do in Joplin? All it would do is draw attention and resources away from rescue and recovery. I don't think those folks need the President to come and make them feel better. Oy.

I won't compare Obama to Bush. Neither President should drop what they are doing and rush to a disaster--assess, get advice, do what is prudent.

[JER]

....

Um, JER2?

[Eye in the Sky]

Um, JER2?

I'm glad you are posting, b/c I thought it was you...and was confuzzled.

[Paragon]

Just like the oil spill in the Gulf, he was super slow and ineffective in dealing w/that too.

How should the President deal with these disasters? By rebuilding the homes with his bare hands? Or perhaps turning back the clock and never letting them happen in the first place?

I didn't have any criticisms with Bush's timeline on 9/11 or regarding Hurricane Katrina. He couldn't wave a magic wand and undo them, and he wasn't solely in charge of rescue operations. It's helpful that we have a whole governmental structure chock full of people whose expertise is disaster response and rescue.

Much ado about nothing.

[CR Gorge Girl]

Seriously?

When a president visits a disaster scene they stand around and maybe make a speech. In my opinion, the focus needs to be on the search and rescue teams, which are doing their jobs without the president being there and making more chaos.
Like CC said, the president cannot drop everything everytime something goes wrong.

It amazes how much people blame Obama for every little thing. They try their hardest to find fault in everything he does/doesn't do.

[IronwoodFarm]

Natural disasters are the purview of the STATE government. The STATE government is the one that identifies its needs in a disaster and can seek FEDERAL support.

The point person for Joplin is the GOVERNOR of the Missouri, not the PRESIDENT of the United States. I haven't seen any news about the Governor of Missouri complaining about the level of federal support he is getting.

I don't mind legitimate criticism of Obama, but come on.

[FitToBeTied]

I don't much care for Obama's policies or politics but he shouldn't be criticized for this. To me it was always stupid for a President to go to a natural disaster area. They fly in, at great expense, stay for a couple of hours, make a speech about how they are going to commit the country's resources to rebuild, etc., take a couple of photo's and leave.

Its a waste of time. If you want to criticize Obama there is plenty on the economy, health care, foreign relations, etc. to get into.

[JER]

I'm glad you are posting, b/c I thought it was you...and was confuzzled.

Exactly.

Perhaps JER2 will see this and decide to choose a more unique screen name?

[katarine]

I don't much care for Obama's policies or politics but he shouldn't be criticized for this. To me it was always stupid for a President to go to a natural disaster area. They fly in, at great expense, stay for a couple of hours, make a speech about how they are going to commit the country's resources to rebuild, etc., take a couple of photo's and leave.

Its a waste of time. If you want to criticize Obama there is plenty on the economy, health care, foreign relations, etc. to get into.

This.

[oldernewbie]

He has a whole department dedicated to dealing with disasters. I'm sure that they have been in touch - there are telephones in Europe and the UK, and the internet too, so I've been told.

What you should really be worried about is that FEMA is about to run out of money. If we have a big hurricane season on top of what has happened in 2011 already, they will be broke. Well, not to worry, I guess. Government doesn't do anything anyhow.

<<<Note heavy irony in entire post>>>

[wanderlust]

Exactly.

Perhaps JER2 will see this and decide to choose a more unique screen name?

Kind of how I felt when "wanderlustER" showed up. No such luck, though, instead people confuse us.

[chai]

You have to give President Bush credit for really pushing the Incident Command System into high gear in 2003. I am certified at the lowest levels and I am a member of the volunteer Medical Reserve Corps.

When I was taking the courses and exams it was reassuring to learn that there is a comprehensive disaster response system in place that addresses the mistakes of the past and has developed communication and organizational protocols to try to make sure there is a swift orderly disaster response throughout the country. There are a lot of good people out there standing ready to help in an emergency. When you're in that situation, who cares what political party you're from, as long as help is on the way.

[Shermy]

Actually, I really dont care if Obama goes to see the damage. I agree that it wouldnt really help, and probably get in the way.

I should've been clearer in my post. My MAIN problem is how it took him 1 1/2 days to even mention it.

As for the comments of thinking the Govt should fix everything, if you watch the news, the ppl from Missouri are not victims just waiting for the Govt. Some are already starting to rebuild.

People from far and away came to offer help on their own, and that is what makes America so great.

Personally, I think Obama is extremely detached. The oil spill had lots of warning before it ever came to the shore. China offered us huge oil containment buoys, but the Admin rejected them. Obama spent 23 hours there on "vacation" before spending almost a week at Martha's Vineyard.

Obama's handling of the oil spill was awful. He fought La's Gov at every turn before the oil hit the coast. Not much prevention was done, cuz it needed Federal approval since it was in the Gulf.