LA fires destroy lives, properties and political reputations
The disaster, already regarded as the country’s most costly in financial terms, is also proving costly to political careers. It almost looks like no one is managing the crisis.
Washington | Natural and man-made disasters come in myriad forms, but one thing they have in common is inevitable political fallout, negative and positive.
Think the September 11 World Trade Centre attacks, when the dyed-in-the-wool Democrat city of New York threw its collective support and appreciation behind the then-president, Republican George W. Bush. His polling shot up to 82 per cent from 53 per cent in the 30 days after those famous images of him standing on a pile of rubble in downtown Manhattan surrounded by firefighters.
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Matthew Cranston is the United States correspondent, based in Washington. He was previously the Economics correspondent and Property editor. Connect with Matthew on Twitter. Email Matthew at mcranston@afr.com
