President Obama showed Republicans what true leadership is all about by reaching out to the Republican governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to offer federal aid and assistance as Hurricane Matthew barrels towards the Southeastern coast.
Here is a readout of the President’s call with the Republican governors:
The President spoke by phone today separately with Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia, Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina, and Governor Rick Scott of Florida about preparations ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The President committed to providing necessary federal resources to help the states respond. Already today, the President declared an emergency in the State of Florida and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts. As the President made clear yesterday, residents of the impacted areas should follow the guidance of emergency response officials and should be taking this storm seriously. The President urged everyone in the potential path of the storm to monitor local radio or TV stations for updated emergency information. The President continues to receive regular updates on Hurricane Matthew and the coordinated efforts on response preparations with states and has directed his team to be as proactive as possible in preparing to respond to this storm.
The President views his offer of federal assistance as doing his duty as the president of every American, but one has to look no further than the Republican efforts to block disaster relief. The relief package for Hurricane Sandy turned into a partisan affair as congressional Republicans spent months delaying aid the victims of the super storm. Republicans have also played non-stop political games with aid for the people of Flint, Michigan, but it isn’t just the disaster clean up that Republicans refuse to fund.
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For years, now Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has been trying to take funding away from FEMA and disaster relief.
Obama would view his call with the Republican governors as part of his duties as president. Florida’s Rick Scott has criticized Obama’s leadership. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has pushed the Obama birther conspiracy. South Carolina’s Gov. Nikki Haley bashed Obama during her State Of The Union response. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory sued the federal government over his discriminatory bathroom law.
All of these governors have smeared or criticized the President, but Obama is there for them and the people of their states when disaster strikes. That is what a real president does, and it is why the American people should be thankful that Barack Obama is not as petty or partisan as his Republican critics.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
