The Knock on Michael Whatley

 

Republican US Senate candidate Michael Whatley, looking to inherit Thom Tillis's seat with the full blessing of Jethro, made the mistake of getting himself designated Trump's czar for Hurricane Helene recovery, because that role has devolved sharply. Whatley has been largely missing in action since that momentous day last January 24th in Asheville when Trump named him "recovery czar." 

So feckless has Whatley been, and so absent from the recovery zone, that some in the mountains -- and not just Democrats, mind you! -- have publicly beat the drum for his resignation. According to the Smoky Mountain News, more than 120 people from 17 counties across the Helene-impacted region signed a letter demanding Whatley be removed from his position. “Michael Whatley has failed us and forgotten about us,” the letter states. “We have spoken out for months, because we simply cannot stay silent and let his failure continue to hurt our communities. Both Democrats and Republicans have called out the sluggish response. It’s clear that Whatley just isn’t up to the task.” 

Margaret Ackiss, a member of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District executive committee, quipped to reporter Cory Vaillancourt,  “It’s kind of funny to say ‘step down,’ because I never saw him step up." Ackiss said that "Helene recovery should be a non-partisan issue and that Whatley’s attempt to blame Democrats isn’t reflective of Appalachian values."

"This is a human issue. I have friends on both sides of the aisle, although I’m a Republican. When catastrophes happen, I don’t care what party you’re in — we help the people on the ground,” said Ackiss, who claims 10 generations of roots in the region. “To me, it was completely disappointing to see Michael Whatley and many others who espouse themselves to be Republicans not step up and help the people....”

Whatley's attitude is that the Trump government has done all right, has done enough, and he doesn't hesitate to deflect criticism onto his boss -- “What [my critics] are trying to say is that the president has not done a good job in terms of recovery, and therefore I’ve not done a good job. The fact is, $6.5 billion in relief [is what] we’ve brought into North Carolina since President Trump was sworn in” -- which is an actual drop in the bucket against the $60 billion in estimated damage and loss.

$20 billion to bail out Argentina cattle barons, but Kristi Noem's mandate at FEMA is to squeeze the American beet until it bleeds. In the case of the Appalachians, it's Trump's own voters hurt the most. Go figure.