It's easy to bash Washington at times of immense frustration and stress. Such a reaction is often warranted.
But not always. And, I'd argue, not now.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has a better view than just about anyone, went on MSNBC Thursday night and told viewers that "I don't feel forgotten by the federal government…We have what we need from the federal government."
Edwards and his allies stressed Thursday that they've been in daily communication with White House officials. FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, an emergency response specialist who before joining the Obama administration oversaw Florida's disaster responses, has been here. So has Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. President Barack Obama started issuing disaster declarations quickly, which frees up federal resources and gets the ball rolling on longer term needs. Inspectors are on the ground. It's a miserable time for the many thousands affected, but a faulty response isn't making it more miserable.
In short, as far as the federal government goes, this is not Katrina.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says he's not concerned that President Barack Obama has not …
Eleven years ago, the federal government was caught flatfooted by a storm that was predicted to cause widespread devastation; that the damage came as much from faulty federal levees as from the hurricane itself doesn't change the fact that the feds should have been ready.
Michael Brown and Michael Chertoff, Fugate and Johnson's predecessors, carried a toxic relationship into the situation, we later learned. And George W. Bush's political operation tried to shift public blame onto the state, which was itself overwhelmed.
Like so many Louisianans, the federal government learned from that disaster, and is much better positioned to do what needs to be done.
That doesn't mean things will necessarily go smoothly from here forward. Rebuilding will be a long, difficult slog. Congress will have to approve any aid beyond what FEMA offers automatically — which, for the many residents who didn't think they needed flood insurance, tops out at $33,000 and usually amounts to much less. Louisiana's relatively junior congressional delegation will have some serious convincing to do to make any additional aid a reality. The state will surely seek to have its 25 percent match for its own immediate costs reduced to 10 percent; we'll all have to keep our fingers crossed on that one.
Still, so far things are working the way they should, and Louisiana is benefiting from the lack of drama. Sure, a visit from President Barack Obama might bring some needed attention along with a bunch of logistical complications. But if he were to be photographed flying Air Force One over Louisiana, the image would not become a symbol of his administration's underlying detachment and failure, as it was for Bush.
There's been little finger pointing so far, and little cause for it. What a relief.
