I suspect everyone gets the Katrina/Federal Flood reference. Then President George W. Bush praised his FEMA director by saying, “Heckuva job, Brownie.” It was errant bullshit: the federal response to that catastrophe was catastrophic.

Why? Republicans hate disaster relief, which means they keep appointing unqualified schmucks like David Richardson to run FEMA:

“Staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency were left baffled on Monday after the head of the U.S. disaster agency said he had not been aware the country has a hurricane season, according to four sources familiar with the situation.

The remark was made during a briefing by David Richardson, who has led FEMA since early May. It was not clear to staff whether he meant it literally, as a joke, or in some other context.

The U.S. hurricane season officially began on Sunday and lasts through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast last week that this year’s season is expected to bring as many as 10 hurricanes.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA’s parent agency, said the comment was a joke and that FEMA is prepared for hurricane season.

The spokesperson said under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Richardson “FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens.”

Translation: We’re passing the buck to the states. We don’t care if they’re red states or blue states, we’re passing the buck. The buck never stops with President Pennywise.

Do I believe David Richardson’s comment was a joke? Beats the hell outta me. It’s Team MAGA’s stock response to stupid shit said by their people. Even if it is a joke, it’s in bad taste but what can you expect from a regime headed by an Insult Comedian with a dead nutria pelt atop his head?

Heckuva job, Davey.

The featured image of former President Beavis, Brownie, and then DHS honcho Michael Chertoff serves as a reminder of how badly Team Bush screwed the pooch twenty years ago. Bush may look good in comparison to the Kaiser of Chaos, but his presidency was a disaster. Katrina was one of many things they bungled. It was also politically costly as it led to Democrats retaking the House in 2006. Something Team Trump should consider as they wreak havoc on FEMA.

The weirdest thing about the GOP’s FEMA hate is that hurricane country states are ruby red. For some reason, they think President Pennywise gives a shit about them. He only cares about himself, power, and money.

Heckuva job, voters.

The last word goes to John Fogerty: