Saturday, September 15, 2018

The Hill He Wants To Die On


This really wasn't that hard to find (#GoogleIsYourFriend):




September 2, 2017:  Trump visits Houston


September 7, 2017:  Relatively low Harvey death toll is 'astounding' to experts.  It was 70 at that point.



Or:


So the total death toll from Hurricane Harvey is 82 or 88, depending on whether you accept the Texas Tribune's report, or the report in WaPo.  Not really a controversy worth stirring.  Harvey started pummeling Houston on August 25, 2017, and dumped about 64 inches of rain on the area before it was finished.  Much of the Texas Gulf Coast was affected; the city of Rockport, which took the eye of the storm, was virtually wiped off the map.  But Houston didn't suffer the 3 week loss of power it did 9 years earlier, when Hurricane Ike went directly across the city  Still, you will note the death toll rose over 500% in 6 weeks, and almost 100% after Trump's visit.  Such is the nature of death tolls after major storms.  The count in Puerto Rico was delayed for months because of the conditions there, conditions Trump's government did precious little to alleviate (he blamed it on the fact Puerto Rico is an island).

Still, Trump relies on experts like Geraldo Rivera:

And damns the Puerto Ricans with faint praise, noting how corrupt Loud Obbs says the PR government is:

He likes that Ed Rollins quote because Rollins credits the paper-towel throwing with Trump personally restoring power to the island, although some parts of the island still don't have power a year later.  Loss of power is the primary culprit blamed for the massive death toll after the storm.  The nature of the calculations is obviously beyond the feeble powers of Mr. Rivera to understand, but it all makes you wonder:

Is this really the hill the POTUS wants to die on?  Apparently it is.  It's said he fears a "Katrina Moment" in his Presidency.  I, for one, would welcome him making Puerto Rico and Hurricane Maria into his "Katrina."  It would be fitting for the fatal wound to be so self-inflicted and deliberate.  As to the foolishness of this controversy itself, the Governor of Puerto Rico deserves the last word:

Adding:  funny how many people are talking about the slap at Trump, v. the number talking about the request for respect and empathy.  So it goes, eh?

And apparently the death count for Florence is going to be "magically" inflated, too.  What is wrong with this man?

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