from truthdig:
How Bad Weather Can Bury a Politician’s Career Posted on Dec 30, 2010
By Eugene Robinson
If you’re a politician, beware of snow. It can bury a career.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are learning that lesson the hard way, as their angry constituents dig out of last weekend’s blizzard. Bloomberg is being hammered for the city’s slow and incompetent response, especially in the outer boroughs; Christie, for jetting off to Walt Disney World just before the storm dumped nearly 3 feet of snow in parts of his state.
The two beleaguered officials—both of whom are rumored to have national ambitions—should have had a consultation with Marion Barry.
In January 1987, Barry kicked off his third term as mayor of Washington with a trip to Southern California for the Super Bowl. While he was getting a manicure and playing tennis at the posh Beverly Hilton, the voters who had elected him were being buried under 20 inches of snow. The city was utterly paralyzed—streets unplowed, buses immobilized, subway barely running. The mayor continued to frolic in the sun.
Are you getting any of this, Gov. Christie?
Finally, Barry came home. He wanted to survey the situation, so he had to tour the city by helicopter; his limousine, he explained, would have gotten stuck in the snow. His aerial assessment: “We’re not a snow town.” ..............(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/how_bad_weather_can_bury_a_politicians_career_20101230/