National Politicians and Natural Disasters = Please, Shut Up

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It is said that an ordinary citizen is likely to experience a stampede in their lifetimes only if they stand between a politician and a TV news camera. With that in mind, I'd like to, yet again, offer advice to President Trump and the members of his administration (I'm looking at you, John Bolton). That advice is very brief: stop commenting on Hurricane Dorian or any future natural disaster. You make yourself look incompetent while possibly misleading people in life-threatening situations.

The list of stupid things said by politicians during hurricanes the last 15 years is long and getting longer.
  • President Trump today: Hurricane Dorian headed toward Alabama. It will not get anywhere near Alabama.* 
  • John Bolton Friday: "All eyes are on Puerto Rico and US VI as Dorian approaches." But, by the time he tweeted, the storm was past the islands and moving away.
  • New York Mayor Bloomberg: Sandy will be "less dangerous" than non-dangerous Irene the year before. 
  • Candidate Barack Obama: 10,000 people died in the Greensburg Tornado (actual number = 11) plus the horrible screwup of the catastrophic Kentucky ice storm of January, 2007.
  • President George W Bush: "Heckofajob, Brownie" and his tone-deaf and ineffective response to Hurricane Katrina. 
I could provide more but this should be sufficient. 

National politicians, if they comment at all (I wish they would not) should say, "Please follow the advice of local authorities and meteorologists. I'll try to assist in any way I can." Then, President He/She should work behind-the-scenes with FEMA and Cabinet agencies to effectively get help to people.


*And, let's give a special consolation award to CNN. They don't exactly have the high ground to mock the President's poor geography when they aired this map. Sheesh. 

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