When disasters strike, they can really help us differentiate between the leaders and the empty suits. George W. Bush proved to be the leader we needed after 9/11. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris proved themselves to be terrible leaders in the wake of Hurricane Helene, while Gov. Ron DeSantis showed he knew how to get things done down in Florida. Sadly, Californians are paying the price for a gross lack of competence and leadership right now with the ongoing wildfires. The question I have is whether they will pay a price for it.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, the media swiftly framed it as a failure of the Bush administration. They conveniently ignored the glaring failures at the state and local levels. Then-Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, both Democrats, bungled their disaster response, with delayed evacuation orders and disorganized relief efforts worsening the catastrophe. Yet, George W. Bush became the target of relentless attacks, his administration accused of everything from poor preparation to indifference.
Hurricane Katrina revealed how political scapegoating can shift focus from local failures, allowing a misleading narrative to take hold. George W. Bush bore the brunt of the blame for a disaster largely caused by the mismanagement at the local and state level.
Nagin’s infamous decision to leave hundreds of school buses unused rather than evacuating citizens became a powerful symbol of ineptitude that somehow did more political damage to Bush than Nagin. Gov. Blanco similarly made a slew of mistakes, like waiting too long to order evacuations. But, none of this stopped Democrats and their media allies from using the hurricane response to cast Bush as incompetent and uncaring—crafting a narrative that stuck in the public consciousness, casting a dark cloud over his second term.
In California, wildfires rage under a Democratic supermajority, leaving Governor Gavin Newsom and his party with no Republican scapegoat. Poor forest management, lack of controlled burns, and misguided policies have left the state vulnerable. With Democrats dominating every level of government, there’s no Republican leader or policy they can blame.
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Of course, that won’t stop them from trying. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is actually trying to blame Trump for the wildfires in California, bizarrely claiming tha Trump’s allegiance to “Big Oil” has exacerbated the wildfire crisis. Many on the left have been quick to blame climate change—but that narrative isn’t working—while ignoring the fact that decades of Democratic rule have left California ill-equipped to prevent or mitigate these disasters.
The contrast between Hurricane Katrina and California’s wildfires is stark. During Katrina, Democrats and their media allies weaponized public perception against Bush, shielding their own from accountability. Today, they can’t hide from their own record. Democrats run Los Angeles and control the state government. They own the wildfires and the botched response to them.
For California residents, the blame is clear—and this time, it can’t be shifted onto a Republican. The question is whether California voters will decide to put adults back in charge of the state.
