HURRICANE – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  As we've said here, we're not weather reporters.  You'll do much better at the Weather Channel.

What I want to do regarding Hurricane Irma is examine the political and economic ramifications.

Thus far the political class in Florida, as in Texas with Hurricane Harvey, has been a remarkable success. As each day passes, the quality of the preparation and the organization remains impressive.  And President Trump is getting almost universally high grades for the way he's organized the federal government to respond to disaster.  Of course, there are some who blame him for the hurricanes, or who say that the weather is a Divine curse on Texas and Florida for voting Republican.  That's the Hollywood response.  They've just had one of their worst summers ever, and might consider trying to make a good movie now and then.

FEMA is an agency reborn.  It is providing solid service.  During Katrina, in Louisiana, it was ridiculed, although much of the ridicule was unfair. 

In the aftermath of the hurricanes we can expect to see an economic dip and a sharp rise in unemployment claims, almost all of the rise occurring in the states affected.  That will pass.  The president's approval rating, now at 46% in the Rasmussen Poll, will be sustained if Mr. Trump doesn't step all over himself.  The hurricane recovery can easily be a legitimate launching pad for his infrastructure program, which is critical and should gain widespread bipartisan support.  We may well see a national building program of unprecedented proportions, reminding us of President Eisenhower's national highway program in the 1950s.

Will the disasters, and the response to them, reset the Trump presidency?  I doubt if the overall aura will last long.  We are going into an intense political year, with Democrats knowing that they must make some progress in the 2018 midterms to be seen as a sustainable political party.   Republicans know that their "Republican" president, who has never actually been a party member, may turn against them if they don't produce. 

And North Korea looms.  There may well need to be military action.

September 9,  2017