Paul Krugman on The Katrina PR Disaster

by Art Fag City on January 16, 2009 · 13 comments Events

Presidential

Not Presidential

Back in late December economist Paul Krugman posted the above photographs as part of a response to An Oral History of the Bush White House published in Vanity Fair.  The Nobel prize winner took issue with the idea that Katrina was the final nail in the coffin, observing that this was the first instance in which the results of consitantly poor policy decisions were visible.  The above photos were taken during 9/11 and Katrina respectively, Krugman  noting the similarities between the two.

Above are two photos. The second one shows Bush flying over New Orleans; it was widely regarded as a PR disaster, because he seemed so disconnected. But it looks an awful lot like the first photo, of Bush on Air Force One on 9/11. And that photo was considered a wonderful picture of leadership in action — so much so that there was a mini-scandal when the GOP started selling copies of that photo for political fundraising.

In fact, my guess it that the infamous Katrina photo was released precisely because the White House thought everyone would see the parallel, and rally around Bush's wondrous leadership qualities. Hey, it worked on David Broder.

So why didn't it work? I think the answer is simple: in the case of Katrina people could actually see the results of Bush policy. The truth is that Bush did as terrible a job fighting terrorism as he did responding to Katrina — who would have thought that Osama would still be out there, making videos, 7 years later? But on the terrorism front, and even in Iraq, the administration could invent a reality that impressed the public.

I suspect Krugman is right — the photograph was likely released for its similarities to the first — and the reason that image was a disaster was precisely because of the gap of presidential representation and the visual documents of policy failure.    To use another photo comparison, while Bush’s gaze looks not nearly as casual as the William Eggleston photograph [posted below], the stillness captured in both is remarkable.  But there is no disaster on Eggleston’s horizon, where as with Bush, contrasted with the turmoil below, it’s not too surprising that image was a disaster.


William Eggleston

{ 12 comments }

ilan katin January 17, 2009 at 2:45 am

I actually think that the Eggleston photo could be interpreted with a slight toward the possibility of impending disaster regardless of stillness. It transports me to the realm of Laurie Anderson quietly reminding us of our vulnerability with our superiority of our great invention of flight. In the Bush photos this is just more obvious and perhaps heavy handed due it containing a public figure whereas the Eggleston photo is full of mystery and a masterful touch of glitter.

ilan katin January 16, 2009 at 9:45 pm

I actually think that the Eggleston photo could be interpreted with a slight toward the possibility of impending disaster regardless of stillness. It transports me to the realm of Laurie Anderson quietly reminding us of our vulnerability with our superiority of our great invention of flight. In the Bush photos this is just more obvious and perhaps heavy handed due it containing a public figure whereas the Eggleston photo is full of mystery and a masterful touch of glitter.

Joe January 17, 2009 at 4:10 pm

I take the different interpretations to be caused by the difference in what’s depicted. In the top photo, Bush looks like he’s actively taking charge, giving orders. In the second, he’s contemplative (unlikely, I know), or at least passively observing…

Joe January 17, 2009 at 11:10 am

I take the different interpretations to be caused by the difference in what’s depicted. In the top photo, Bush looks like he’s actively taking charge, giving orders. In the second, he’s contemplative (unlikely, I know), or at least passively observing…

SS January 17, 2009 at 6:59 pm

Try flopping the second picture horizontally. It doesn’t register as portrait of failure as much that way, I think. If you “read” images left-to-right, the way you do text, then the Not Presidential pic says: nothing…nothing…Bush (fading into the background). Which was pretty much the narrative of the Katrina reaction.

SS January 17, 2009 at 1:59 pm

Try flopping the second picture horizontally. It doesn’t register as portrait of failure as much that way, I think. If you “read” images left-to-right, the way you do text, then the Not Presidential pic says: nothing…nothing…Bush (fading into the background). Which was pretty much the narrative of the Katrina reaction.

reportage January 21, 2009 at 4:43 pm

the second photo makes him look like he would actually clap after the plane lands safely.

reportage January 21, 2009 at 11:43 am

the second photo makes him look like he would actually clap after the plane lands safely.

Ken January 21, 2009 at 6:52 pm

I think Joe has it right – the difference is the active vs. the passive posture in the images…

For anyone who has flown, the second one looks just like a kid when Mom has pointed out that we’re flying over the Rocky Mountains… It gives the impression of observing without being able to take any action – when in fact, he was one of the few people who could actually had an impact on what was happening on the ground…

Ken January 21, 2009 at 1:52 pm

I think Joe has it right – the difference is the active vs. the passive posture in the images…

For anyone who has flown, the second one looks just like a kid when Mom has pointed out that we’re flying over the Rocky Mountains… It gives the impression of observing without being able to take any action – when in fact, he was one of the few people who could actually had an impact on what was happening on the ground…

ernst February 6, 2009 at 9:47 pm

I think a little context matters here. Bush was on a vacation when Katrina hit and the general public was more aware of the on the ground situation in New Orleans via CNN than he was. His decision to ‘fly-over’ depicted here appalled everyone. Agreed though, the second image depicts him as cowardly sitting in the dark wearing a casual jacket. And all of which sum up his response to the crisis.

ernst February 6, 2009 at 4:47 pm

I think a little context matters here. Bush was on a vacation when Katrina hit and the general public was more aware of the on the ground situation in New Orleans via CNN than he was. His decision to ‘fly-over’ depicted here appalled everyone. Agreed though, the second image depicts him as cowardly sitting in the dark wearing a casual jacket. And all of which sum up his response to the crisis.

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