WP: New Orleans Mayor Faces Leadership Crisis

New Orleans Mayor Faces Leadership Crisis

By ADAM NOSSITER, The Associated Press
Tuesday, September 20, 2005; 10:28 PM

NEW ORLEANS - Weeping and cursing in frustration at one point, jauntily announcing the city's comeback at another, Ray Nagin has pursued an erratic course as mayor of this woeful city over the past three weeks. Last week, for example, he announced plans to quickly reopen much of New Orleans without even consulting federal officials. On Monday, he was forced to backtrack as another storm approached the Gulf Coast and President Bush and other top officials warned he was rushing residents back too quickly.

Earlier this month, as New Orleans was being swallowed by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters, Nagin said the death toll could reach a startling 10,000. On Monday, the Louisiana total stood at 736, and from what search crews have seen so far, the number of dead will probably not come close to Nagin's projection. This week, Nagin missed a meeting with the top federal official in New Orleans because of a late flight, and at one point accused that official, Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen, of trying to make himself the federal mayor of New Orleans.

Altogether, some observers from outside New Orleans say, Nagin's handling of the crisis has created the perception of a leadership void in this city at precisely the time it requires a steady hand.

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His frank talk - and his status as an outsider, with no political experience - were initially welcomed in the city. But his shoot-from-the-hip style has not served him well in a crisis, and has resulted in sometimes ill-informed or premature public pronouncements. His competence and his ability to work the levers of political power have also been called into question.

He was accused of inadequately protecting his city's poor and making sure they got out safely. Evacuees at the Superdome and the convention center furiously denounced Nagin, holding him responsible for the miserable conditions there.

Nagin, who is up for re-election early next year, has periodically been absent from the city over the past few weeks, flying back and forth to Dallas, where he has rented a house for his family and enrolled his daughter in school. His mood has gone up and down with New Orleans' fortunes.

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With tens of thousands of people trapped in the city and food and water running out fast, the mayor erupted in tears during a radio interview and angrily told the federal government, "Get off your asses and let's do something."

Two weeks later, he sketched out a sunny future for the city: "I'm tired of hearing these helicopters, I want to hear some jazz. You know, I know New Orleanians. Once the beignets start cooking up again and the gumbo is in the pots and red beans and rice are served on Monday, in New Orleans, and not where they are, they're going be back."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/20/AR2005092001305.html

They need to safely get people back as quickly as possible.

but its getting harder and harder to.

Do you know?

Bad for business.

He's trying to get people back into NO so they can protect their claims.

It's amazing that people are buying the spin right out of the GOP's handbook.

As an African American, it is so easy to see through their smoke and mirrors.

Sure, the Mayor is outspoken! He will have to continue to act "one way one day and one way the next."

It is the only way for us to be in positions of power and not have them walk all over us.

Nagin was a Republican and now he is a Democrat.
Whites do that all the time - believe that Reagan did it/right?
Glad to have him on our side in this battle.

Nagin has African American friends in very high places. They know the score. We KNOW that Whites will do anything in their power to get that land and not even give us our mule much less the 40 acres!

The problem for some Whites is they want to define and not accept how a BLACK MAN behaves.

I want Nagin to come out swinging! He is acting like an AMERICAN!

I'm sure Bush would like a White Republican in New Orleans and that will happen if we keep picking away at Nagin.

One chapter we need to take from the ROVE Republican book is NEVER SAY SORRY AND NEVER BACK DOWN!

Keep Swinging Nagin, stand up to them and make us proud!

I have to THINK "gut instinct" because I tend to go to the opposite extreme from the spin..(right or wrong) I really like the guy, I saw reality when he spoke what he was feeling and readily admitted when he was wrong. I think my troubling thoughts began when he jumped on the "governor's fault" bandwagon.

do with the gut feeling from the start, the Sunday before it hit, actually, when I first heard him on the radio talking about evacuation. Plus, I don't think it's either Bush or he, and if you blame Nagin, you don't blame Bush: there is plenty for both.

- having been smacked myself by Ivan in 2004, I remembered reading that NO and LA had evacuation problems then, too. I was hopeful that they had learned some lessons in the year between storms but it doesn't appear so.

I also feel that there's plenty of blame to go around.

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0904/174105.html

I heard that 80% of New Orleans did evacuate.

I heard 50% of Key West evacuated for Rita.

What percent of Mississippi and Alabama residents evacuated? I doubt it was as high as 80%.

full obstruction by Bush/FEMA. Please don't buy this BS.

reported. Maybe in a few months we'll know why he has acted the way he has. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt at this point and pray that he is doing the best things for his city.

and maybe he's learnt too much, too fast, and is a threat to the thieves who want to take over NO. The more the established media tarnish his name with lies and innuendo, the more clear they make it that they are afraid of him.

Remember his comments about "the CIA"?

He has every right to be a bit neurotic in my book. To be the mayor of New Orleans and to watch it descend slowly and further into desperate apocyptic mayhem and being so helpless to stop it and to be betrayed by the federal government... I mean it goes on and on and i would have snapped a LONG time ago in that position.

The fact that Nagin's holding onto his sanity and trying to move forward after this thing is commendable. Allowing some people back into the city is on the face of it, a good move. I'm not going to judge Nagin until further down the line. How many big-city mayors have ever faced such a thing as this? Not many. And as u say expatriot, not ONLY to deal with the immediate effects of the disaster, but THEN to be betrayed by the Federal Govt and have to deflect all sorts of attacks and criticism on top of it...not many could put up with the pressure.

possible in an attempt to squelch the race thing. Notice no-ones talking about it anymore?

even the WP is getting in on the act.

and in just three weeks New Orleans is now 'dry'.

They just had a report on NPR from a fellow who is searching one of the hardest hit areas that just dried out and he is not finding very many bodies.

I guess Nagin did get out 80% of the residents before the storm. The lower death toll seems to back that up.

looks like something from the roswell area. klaatu barada nikto !

The rest of the population is scattered all over (probably most will not return)..and even the businesses that do "come back" will be hard-pressed for customers...Tourists will not go back until they are SURE everything's ok..

New Orleans has always been a mismanaged and corrupt banana republic. Cannot expect too much out of their leadership, and they hate close scrutiny or National exposure. BushCo knew all this when they tried to blackmail Gov Blanco(D) with a "blanket" federalization order for LA and N.O. and BushCo taking total control.

This is the real story and why federal help was severely delayed. BushCo wanted to turn the Katrina disaster relief effort into a big political play, big money play for his corporate buddies, and put Rudy Giuliani in charge of the Katrina rebuilding efforts to groom Rudy for the '08 Presidential race.

FEMA went ahead and operated like LA & N.O. area was totally federalized, despite this not being the case. TOTALLY over-stepped their authority and ran a military swat operations, including downing and jamming local N.O., and LA parishes communcations systems.

Papa Bush pulled the same garbage on then Florida Governor Lawton Chiles(D) after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Same thing happened, severe delay in Federal help to Florida and much political BS. Major reason Papa Bush lost his re-election efforts against Clinton.

Many big dog Republicans and money backers are sick of BushCo and all the BS. Republican Internal Cannabalization - New Buzz around DC!

Example, check this DU link out:

FEC Sues Major Pro-GOP Group Over Fundraising

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1791913&mesg_id=1793024

A diehard Republican and Vice Chairman, appointed by Bush, at the FEC is the one leading the charge to drag down a MAJOR GOP 527 group with MAJOR ties, going back 25 years, to the Papa Bush Texas Family Mafia.

In the same thread is info on Tom DeLays et. al. current legal troubles.

the part about Rudy. I don't believe the RW base of the GOP and KKKarl wants, or will allow, Rudy to become President. He is too moderate on social issues. I think they are actively grooming someone much more conservative than either Rudy or McCain. I believe Rove will actively work against both of these men to get the repuke nomination. They both would undo social "gains" that the RWers have made.

September 21, 2005

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is the top presidential contender for GOP supporters in the United States, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 31 per cent of Republican voters would prefer Giuliani as the party’s nominee in 2008.

Arizona senator John McCain is second with 28 per cent, followed by current state secretary Condoleezza Rice with 19 per cent. 12 per cent of respondents would support other contenders or are undecided.

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http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/9060

Too bad the media won't run with that headline :)

I like Nagin, he did the best he could with the resources he had at the time. (Isn't that what Rummy told the troops?) I blame Bush's inexperienced cronies for not being prepared for the levee breaches and a flooded city.

How many lives did Nagin save?

Black mayor of NOLA is criticized...

Fucking media should understand that people have different styles...

Not everyone is a bland talking head.

what I've heard, it seems that the New Orleanians seem to blame the President and than Blanco, and Nagin seems to blamed least of all. After all it only matters what they think!

KKKarl & KKKaren???

Soon the sheeple will be programmed to forget the blivet's abysmmal performance and everything will be Nagin's fault. The only thing is, there are way less sheeple this time around, lots have had their eyes opened.

Nagin is just trying to keep the corporate vultures from taking over his city.

fuck off.

how should you act when the feds let your citizens die?
If i were mayor, they would have a lot worse to say about me.

God Bless Ray Nagin, whos to say that he couldnt have just jumped ship like all the feds did?