[News] Barbour’s Insider Status Became a Boon After Katrina
The New York Times has a piece today examining Barbour’s political bump off Katrina:
But in one of those remarkable and perhaps ironic turnarounds that happen from time to time in politics, Barbour?s politically burdensome Washington ties suddenly became a huge political plus ? in the wake of the natural catastrophe wrought by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in August 2005. The contacts and alliances Barbour had built in the nation?s capital became major assets. He was able to secure a vast amount of funds from the federal government, working alongside well-placed members of the state?s congressional delegation ? including Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, then chairman of the Appropriations Committee; GOP Sen. Trent Lott, the former majority leader; House Appropriations Committee member Roger Wicker; and Rep. Bennie Thompson, then ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.
?He is ideally suited to go to Washington and get the funds necessary,? said Mississippi Republican Party Chair Jim Herring.
The same could not be said of Democratic Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of the neighboring, Katrina-ravaged state of Louisiana. With residents excoriating Blanco over what they viewed as a stumbling and ineffective response to the devastation in New Orleans and its environs, Blanco lacked the kind of clout in Washington that helped Barbour deliver for his home state.
As a result, Barbour and Blanco ? whose states, along with Kentucky, hold ?off-year? gubernatorial elections this year ? enter their bids for second terms in quite opposite political condition.
According to a SurveyUSA poll of Mississippi voters conducted in November, Barbour enjoyed an approval rating of 59 percent to 37 percent disapproval. Blanco?s numbers were almost the exact reverse, 39 percent approval to 58 percent disapproval.
Posted by ladd at 11:08 AM in Governor, MS Newspapers, News, National | Email this entry
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