The Politics of Disaster
When BP CEO Tony Hayward went to Capitol Hill this week, he got beat up on by all sides.
When the president declared "war" from the Oval Office in response to the continuing spill, he, too, got beat up on by all sides.
Welcome to the politics of disaster.
What everyone wants, of course, is the one thing neither man can deliver anytime soon: a stop to the spill.
If they could do it, they would. If they could make it happen, they would. But for all the talk of war and funds and escrow, the reality is very simple: The oil is still spilling out, even more (big surprise) than they said before. The damage will be enormous, even with the secretary of the Navy in charge. The losses will be greater than what anyone forecasts, escrow fund or not.
Whatever they've done so far has been too little and too late.
The politics of disaster are difficult. That's why it's called a disaster. Not a good thing. Not easily addressed.
And yet, politically speaking, some people emerge from disasters looking better than others. George W. Bush came out of 9/11 a stronger and more popular president than he ever was, before or later. Johnson and Johnson came out of its first Tylenol disaster with a better reputation for quality and integrity than it had before someone tampered with its medicine. Public relations types, not to mention lawyers and politicos, get paid millions of dollars to manage disasters. And every once in a while they get it right.
The secret, as in all such things, is easier said than done. Managing disaster is all about taking responsibility and taking charge — sooner not later. It's about being perceived as facing it, not downplaying it.
In the first days after the spill, BP did not take responsibility. They ran TV ads, which is altogether different. They downplayed the severity of the spill and became instantly unreliable. They sought to protect shareholder profits and were seen as being slow to put money on the table and as nickel and diming people who were suffering. All bad.
Imagine if they had immediately called up Kenneth Feinberg, who has justifiably earned the reputation as disaster's go-to guy when it comes to fairly arranging compensation. Say they had put $10 billion in escrow and had given him the authority to start, right then, handing it out. It would have seemed like an amazing gesture. They could have said (to calm their screaming lawyers) that they were very hopeful that costs wouldn't reach nearly that much, but they wanted people to know they were putting their money where their mouths were.
Instead, they've now put twice that on the table, and nobody gives them an ounce of credit. As in relationships, timing is everything.
Imagine if the president, in the first days after the spill, had established a command center in the Gulf, complete with Rahm Emanuel in charge. Like him or hate him, if he's good enough to run the White House, why not put your top guy in charge of your biggest disaster? Pull out all the big shots. Set up the Gulf White House. Daily briefings by Rahm. The president wouldn't need to talk about "kicking ass" on television if Rahm were doing it every day.
Would the oil have stopped because Rahm told it to? Of course not. But would people feel like the president really did care, like they were the No. 1 priority, like heads would roll? Yes. You wouldn't need to talk about a war if you were seen putting everything you had into the fight.
No one wants to face disaster. In only that way, 9/11 was, if not easier, clearer. There was no denying what we were up against, no downplaying the tragedy.
The biggest obstacle to handling disasters is the desire of those facing them to believe it won't be so bad. When — as usually happens — it is even worse, they are blamed for not facing it sooner.
Had the president and BP stepped up and the oil been stopped, they would have been credited for stopping it. And when the disaster turned out to be a disaster (as disasters usually do), they would have been credited for stepping up and facing it, instead of being blamed for things they could never control.
To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
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13 Comments | Post Comment
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Take this one step further, Ms. Estrich: Not only is the timing wrong (and late), but the management of the disaster from the feds is *still* wrong. The federal government comes across as too big, too slow, too clumsy. And too full of themselves to 'get out of the way'. The narrative spilling out, every day, is that the feds are too slow to issue waivers and grant permissions for state and local efforts to minimise or clean up damage. In short, the federal government is part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
There are some things the federal government is good at at. Micro-management is not one of those things. And that's a reality that extends way way beyond even the Gulf oil spill crisis. 'We're the federal government and we're here to help you' ... NOT.
- Bob Elkind
Comment: #1
Posted by: bob elkind
Fri Jun 18, 2010 6:48 AM
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It is interesting that there is no mention or comparison of Katrina here. As slow as the federal government was to react then,it was at light speed compared to this disaster. I guess the media doesn't like comparisons between presidents Obama and Bush when it makes the former look even worse.
Comment: #2
Posted by: KG
Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:41 AM
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Susan, face it the Obama administration does not have a clue about anything except how to purchase more voters using taxpayers money.
It is always Blame Bush, Blame Congress, Blame others - never is it We are in Charge and will get the job done. He stated that the WH is in charge, but, ask any governor in the affected states and it is complete choas. This entire administration is the laughing stock of the world today. So much Hope and Change went out the window months ago. It has been blame America for all the ills of this world and sorry to say, but, even our enemies feel sorry for the American people today. Daily I am asked when will the American people wake up and kick him out of office and this from people of the Middle East.
Comment: #3
Posted by: Gene44
Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:47 PM
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When Oh When will the American people realize that Obama has no wish at all to stopping this disaster, that it is a crisis too good to waste with regard to his long time wish and short term goal of destroying the offshore oil industry, to destroying the livlihood of the Gulf States and to engineer a cap and tax regime. There are those who excuse him and try to convince the rest of us to give this clown prince a "fools pardon". Not me.
Simply consider (1) his politically motivated refusal to accept aid offered early by, amongst others the Dutch so as to placate his Union masters, consider (2) the patently dishonestly contrived so called pause, really indefinite halt, in off shore drilling ordered it is asserted by Browner and others upon the recommendation of consulting offshore drilling experts and engineers who never made such recommendation and consider(3) his willingness to let the offshore rigs disappear to other waters never to return. No, this is not incompetence, although he is incurably incompetent for many reasons to be POTUS, this is sabotage by an enemy within who the deceived and stupid made POTUS. Susan can it be that
The only alternative explanation is that this empty suit, clown prince simply confused GULF disaster with GOLF disaster.
Comment: #4
Posted by: joseph wright
Sat Jun 19, 2010 2:02 PM
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Ever shake up a soda before opening it? That happened to BP, they hit a super pressurized field of oil. The pressure far exceeded 1500# and simply blew out three successive safety devices which were designed to automatically shut off the flow of oil. Almost a quarter million gallons of oil out of a twenty-one inch pipe? Wonder how much pressure is required for that astounding spurt of fluid. Any engineers out there?
Susan's politics I agree with about 35% of the time because, I must confess, I like her, more than her politics. But Susan's saying what everyone is saying, where's the leadership? What we have is a vacillating authority in the White House and in the bureaucracy, enough smarts to ensure adherence to policies and practices, but not enough cajones to stick one's neck out. We need a Black Jack Pershing, an Eisenhower, a Teddy Roosevelt, a Washington. We have the backroom boys from Chicago, not an interactive and ethically sincere national leadership. That said, Susan is correct, we needed somebody with smarts and who can move a bunch of guys around effectively to have represented the White House early on. We need an adult response.
The system is now clogged with oily lumps, their dripping fingers pointed anywhere else but themselves.
Comment: #5
Posted by: Edster
Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:46 AM
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Re: Edster
correction:"Almost a quarter million gallons of oil out of a twenty-one inch pipe"
should read "Almost a quarter million gallons of oil out of a twenty-one inch pipe DAILY"
Comment: #6
Posted by: Edster
Sun Jun 20, 2010 12:58 PM
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George W Bush response to 9/11 lead us to fighting a needless war in Iraq while letting Bin Laden to escape - very impressive! While George H W Bush's under response to the 1989 Valdez oil spill disaster was perfectly acceptable. (See: http://mediamatters.org/blog/201006170007). If Obama had done everything that Susan suggests and BP was able to cap the oil spill within a month, she and others would be writing about how Obama over-reacted.
Comment: #7
Posted by: Eugene Bordelon
Mon Jun 21, 2010 7:25 AM
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Subject: The truth--it is kept a secret
Thirteen entities had offered the U.S. oil spill assistance within about two weeks of the Horizon rig explosion. They were the governments of Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.
They have the equipment to do it. But Obama refused the help--the US has a law called the "Jones Act". It requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. .
Obama wouldn't suspended the Jone's Act for the Gulf oil clean up, George Bush suspended the law immediately after Katrina. Obama is devoted to our unions--they support him.
What a shame--our beaches gone forever for politicians.
Think about that when you vote in November, please!!!!!
You won't hear it on NBC,CBS, etc.
Comment: #8
Posted by: Marty FIgg
Mon Jun 21, 2010 9:41 AM
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Go back to your old psych text and look up the classic definitions of psychopathy and you have Obama. He is indeed an empty suit, both intellectually and morally.
Comment: #9
Posted by: David Kidd
Mon Jun 21, 2010 10:28 PM
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Well, Ms. Etrich was doing alright until "In only that way, 9/11 was, if not easier, clearer". making it seem like Mr. Obama had oh so difficult a task ahead of him.
From day 1 - oil was spewing into the gulf. It was our President's responsibility (no matter WHAT BP SAID) to send a task force down there and set up a command post. He had an obligation to round up all the related agencies including FEMA to begin developing a plan of action. If it turned out to be a "minor spill" I highly doubt anyone would be saying he "overreacted".
Instead, he held parties at the White House, met basketball teams and the New York Yankees, sat with Paul McCartney and at other shows, played rounds and rounds of golf and all we hear is "my staff has been there from day 1". OK - DOING WHAT? Nobody expects they can plug the hole - just like W could not stop the flooding from Katrina - or Rudy Giuliani could not stop at least that 2nd plane. Rudy along with Pataki held press conferences in what seemed like an hourly basis to calm a city and a nation. We needed our commander in chief to work with us and he failed miserably.
He sent lawyers to the gulf. He did not send a task force of experts in oil. He did not accept help from 17 foreign nations, he did not pick up the phone and call every single head of state of the countries who drill and ask them to send their experts. No. He talks about kicking ass and then after almost 60 days from the Oval Office rambles on about what we are doing going forward. He now has a task force that includes partisan environmentalists. He sseems pretty impressed that someone who won a Nobel Peace Prize is helping (and it had nothing to do with oil). He is an elitist academic who is not the person you want getting that 3am call. He cannot manage a crisis and that is his job. Suing a state in our Union for a law he doesn't like, the healthcare abommination, stimulus packages -- that's how he spends his time - instead of the things he was put in office to do - keep our country safe. We have had numerous attacks from terrorists (Fort Hood, Christmas Day, Times Square) he ignores.
This disaster needed a commander in chief. We did not get that.
Comment: #10
Posted by: Lisa
Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:27 AM
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Can we say the name George Soros in this disaster. Soros has stock in Petrobra (brazil) oil off the coast of Brazil. If we shut down our of shore drilling then Petrobra will take up the slack and Soros will make billions. Suspend the Jones act would be the right thing to do but of course that will help the situation and Soros does not want that. Why? He would not make billions and his plan is for the USA economy to fail and go under. Why? After he made his money here. I am starting to believe that the elderly WW11 man I overheard at the grocery store was right. He said this was sabotage so Obama can get the cap and trade (tax) through. The more I learn the more I see his point. Why did Obama give 2 billion (money we do not have) to Petrobra? Why the war on Arizona when illegals are breaking a federal law? Go Senator Kyl and Governor Brewer for exposing all of this and educating the people on how this administration really works. Obama is not stupid. Bill Ayers, Bev. Dohrn, Rev Wright, Soros and others have had 30 years to figure out how to destroy this country and now they have there man in office to enforce it.
Comment: #11
Posted by: Kathaleen
Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:14 AM
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Marty: there are at least 22 nations that have offered help not 13. However, they want to charge the US government for their help - all except for Mexico. See: http://cbs2chicago.com/business/gulf.oil.spill.2.1760371.html
And now we have accepted offers from Europe, Canada and Mexico. So now I suppose you are going to complain about how the government is spending our money buying things from other countries that could have been made here!
Obama has ordered a halt on new drilling under an investigation has been done to prevent this from happening again. But the "drill baby drill" people say oil money is more important that the environment.
Obama has got BP to set aside 20 billion to help people affected by the oil spill. But some Republicans, owned by big oil, want to leave big oil companies unregulated and not responsible.
Comment: #12
Posted by: Eugene Bordelon
Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:03 AM
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Remember Katrina and so called FEMA failure. Whose in charge of FEMA now?
Comment: #13
Posted by: Early
Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:43 AM
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