President Obama: New Orleans
Posted: Thursday, October 15, 2009 9:53 AM by firstread
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Barack Obama
Despite concerns about the whirlwind nature of the visit, Senator Mary Landrieu, (D-LA), set the generally upbeat and expectant tone on the eve of the historic occasion that will, at least for the better part of a day, train the eyes of the nation once again upon New Orleans and the aftermath of the most devastating disaster in American history."
Interestingly, the president will have GOP Governor Bobby Jindal join him at the NOLA town hall he's holding. Jindal was hoping for a private meeting, but he'll greet the president at the airport and the two may have private time to chat in between events. Jindal plans to press hardest for more federal subsidies for Medicaid.
A classic example of a visual overshadowing work behind the scenes: The Obama administration has gotten mostly universal praise for its work on Gulf Coast recovery but because his first visit to New Orleans is less than four hours and the visit doesn't include other parts of the Gulf Coast, in particular, Mississippi, he's getting some heat. Fair? No. But remember, image is everything... he's benefitted more from image in the past; this is a rare occasion where he's taking a little heat.
The Washington Post on what the administration has done behind the scenes.
"Obama has repeatedly sent Cabinet secretaries into New Orleans, often with money to jump-start stalled projects. White House officials say they have cut red tape and loosened $1.5 billion in assistance that was stuck in the federal pipeline. They say more than 3,500 people have been moved to permanent housing.
But civic leaders are grumbling that the president's scheduled five-hour visit to the hurricane- and flood-damaged area -- his first since taking office -- is not sufficient to communicate his concern.
"A town hall event and a mystery stop? That's it?" the Times-Picayune newspaper editorialized last week before the trip was finalized and a school tour was added. "The White House plan for President Barack Obama's first post-election visit to New Orleans seems to be lacking in substance and fun."
