Having seen President Obama tour the destruction in Joplin Missouri, I have to wonder, does it accomplish anything of real value to have the President of the United States tour the devastation? It is well known that any president must travel with a very large security detail as well as hundreds of members of the press. Wouldn’t their presence be more of a hindrance to actual search and rescue operations than serving any benefit?
I don’t mean this to be a swipe at President Obama in any way. All presidents do it. I’m sure that it’s good for them. Is it good for anyone else?
Nope. It was initially a sign of solidarity with the victims that may or may not have been a cheap political ploy. With the development of jet aircraft and helicopters, however, it became much easier to accomplish and moved into the realm of “expected.” Now, if a president (or governor) failed to make the token gesture, they would face a certain amount of political fallout, so even if they have no interest in the political grandstanding, they are pretty much compelled to go through the motions to avoid the negative affects of failing to “show concern.”
Meanwhile, the police resources diverted to ensure their safety and the disruptions to the communications and traffic systems while they are on site are probably more deleterious than helpful.
I agree, and I don’t think we can necessarily discount that as insignificant. Plus, it does help to have seen the scope of the disaster first hand to be able to ensure the proper amount of help is being given and to evaluate the effectiveness of that help later on. Sure, he has “people” to handle the details, but ultimately he’s responsible for the success or failure of the (federal portion) of the recovery.
If I were President, and a reporter asked if I was going to tour a disaster site, my response would be along the lines of, “The last thing those poor people need is some VIP and a big entourage cluttering up the scene. I’m going to stay here in Washington, and make sure the governor gets whatever resources he needs to deal with this. Give it a couple of weeks and maybe I’ll go take a look, but for now the best thing I can do is to stay the hell out of the way.”
Pres Obama called us (the responders) when I was working the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. It was kind of cool for us, in a morale/ break-up the routine kind of way.
It’s a morale builder and makes the survivors feel like their suffering has been seen and understood by Important People. On a purely practical basis, however, a presidential visit is a big disruption and I think waiting until the immediate emergency has been dealt with and the slow process of recovery is starting is the best way forward. There’s nothing to be gained by rushing to the spot and getting in the way, but not going at all looks like a snub. It’s politics.
Having recently spent some time in Christchurch, New Zealand, with my parents, I can say that having the Prime Minister spend so much time in Christchurch following the earthquake certainly did a lot for their morale.
Does it depend on the popularity of the VIP involved? If the VIP was on the nose in the area it certainly would not help much. If they were popular it would be seen as a common touch.
Rudolph Giuliani went down to The World Center immediately after the first plane hit. Bush & Pataki visted a few days later. Image the reaction if they hadn’t shown up??
These people are the President of the united States and the Governor/Senator/Representative of their state. Yes, they should be at the site to survey the damage and lend morale.
Guiliana at the WTC was different. The disaster happened in the city he had the mayoral duty in. He had direct, close, immediate supervisory and administrative responsibilities in NYC to attend to. Contrast that with a president or governor who visits storm victims after things have died down to essentially hold the victims’ hands.
I’m not criticizing mind you. Guiliani did a great job on that horrible day. If he hadn’t been there on the spot and in command it would’ve been a real black mark on his record.
And then Fox News Douchebags TM would accuse you of being a cold, elitist asshole perched in an ivory tower, and run with that line of bullshit into the next millennium.
Personally I’m surprised Obama didn’t receive a lot more flack last week when he was in Europe for not rushing home to see the disaster firsthand.
Obama got some flack for touring the Joplin disaster area on a Sunday, when victims may have been hoping to use a day off to recover items or something. (At least the next day was Memorial Day.)
But I think that was due to the memorial service being scheduled that Sunday, & I can’t say I’d rather he just showed up for that service & flew off again. (Maybe if I’d lost my house I’d feel different.) The President can be allowed to take an interest, I think. Of course, the culture of the Secret Service (& the threat of assassination that bred that culture) make it harder.
As a Democrat, I think it was good for him to show up, even if Joplin is a GOP corner of a state that went for McCain anyway, and even if the leaders of the local Democrat organizations don’t actually like him (& from what I can tell, they don’t; lot of disgruntled Hillary fans were annoyed at him in '08). He could have written the district off as a loss, & in his shoes I might have. But the SW Mo. Democrats who do like him & voted for him probably outnumber the crabbier Clintonistas & boll weevils. And I think actually showing up at the memorial service helped connect with people in the broader area, & emotion is an important tool in politics.
I might not have done it, but I’m not a successful politician.
A presidential visit shows that the government cares and thinks enough of the crisis for the President to show up and see the scene. It suggests that government action will follow. It obviously shows it is on the radar of the government. Therefore it is extremely important.
Sometimes being seen to care is more important than the product of your caring. Obama could probably whip up just as effective disaster relief from Washington, but in that case it’d arrive unremarked and expected and wouldn’t be linked with him. Or, in the words of a poster on another board, “Obama’s going to care the SHIT out of them folks!”
