Texas
Related: About this forumRick Perry, Greg Abbott and the politics of never letting a crisis go to waste
A casual voter might have missed that Gov. Rick Perry wasnt actually in West when he first summoned the media in the wake of the catastrophe that killed 14 people and injured perhaps 200. Perry was wearing a drab green shirt, open at the collar and was backed by law enforcement officers, a reassuring tableau. He pronounced the explosion at the fertilizer plant a tragedy. He said he understood what residents were going through because hes from a small town too. A photo of Perry surrounded by emergency services personnel, poring over a map of West, appeared on the governors web site. But Perry wasnt in West on Thursday morning. He was in an auditorium in north Austin, near an upscale residence and shopping center. He was closer to Louis Vuitton than the Czech Stop Bakery.
Not to be outdone, Attorney General Greg Abbott actually showed up in West on Thursday, taking an aerial tour and meeting the media. He wore an open-collar shirt and a blue jacket with a gold state seal. It wasnt immediately clear what the attorney general could contribute to the rescue effort so soon, but he reminded that he has the authority to prosecute price gougers. A photo of Abbott, stern-faced and pointing to the devastation from the window of a helicopter, appeared on his web site.
As I wrote today in a column today, tornadoes, hurricanes, an explosion at a fertilizer plant all are opportunities for elected officials to show themselves as strong, decisive leaders, especially if there are plenty of cameras around. Perry and Abbott are potential political rivals. They could face each other in next years GOP primary should Perry run for reelection and Abbott decide to jump into the race. So whatever their official role, political operatives around both men understood that the duel tieless, tough-guy appearances had a political component as well.
By Friday, West was crawling with politicians. Perry showed up in person. So did Texas two U.S. senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, and U.S. Rep. Roger Williams. Its worth noting that Cornyn and Cruz both voted against the superstorm Sandy relief package but see a clear federal role for assisting West. Texas voters, seeing the death and destruction that the explosion caused, no doubt agree.
Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/rick-perry-greg-abbott-and-the-politics-of-never-letting-a-crisis-go-to-waste.html/ .
white cloud
(2,567 posts)return to the scene of the crime. Taxpayers elected them and taxpayers will have to make up for there lack of integrity