Kathleen Blanco, ‘Dealt a bad hand, and did the best she could’

By Rebecca Chaisson on Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Excerpt from a book by LSU professor captures time after Katrina
  • Author Robert Mann, left, on a State Police helicopter with the late Gov. Kathleen Blanco and journalist Tyler Bridges in 2004. (Photo Courtesy of Robert Mann)
    Author Robert Mann, left, on a State Police helicopter with the late Gov. Kathleen Blanco and journalist Tyler Bridges in 2004. (Photo Courtesy of Robert Mann)

    As the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, the following is an excerpt from Robert Mann’s new memoir, “Backrooms and Bayous: My Life in Louisiana Politics,” looking at how the late governor handled the crisis. By Robert Mann Governor Kathleen Blanco’s administration had two periods. There was pre- Katrina, during which she devoted herself, among other things, to creating jobs and r…