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Update: Obama is speaking about Sandy now live at WhiteHouse.gov
Obama met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, right, and Richard Serino, FEMA Deputy Administrator yesterday
Obama announced the cancellation of his event earlier this morning to return to Washington to monitor the disaster relief efforts. From USA Today:
President Obama canceled campaign events for Monday and Tuesday in Florida and Wisconsin, flew back to the White House to monitor the deadly trek of Hurricane Sandy, and will address the nation on the storm at 12:45 p.m.
Obama had flown Sunday night to Orlando — where he delivered pizzas to a local campaign office — and had planned to attend a rally at Central Florida University on Monday morning with former president Bill Clinton.
But just a few hours before the event, the White House announced that Obama would head back to the White House “due to deteriorating weather conditions in the Washington, D.C., area.”
Clearly, the Obama campaign doesn’t want Sandy to turn into Obama’s Katrina. Elections with an incumbent are often about the perception of competence. Even if a president can’t do much directly in an event like this, it is important to look like you care more about doing your job than keeping your job.
Mitt Romney has also cancelled his remaining events for today and tomorrow. While there is really nothing for Romney to do about the storm, making stump speeches while cities flood and people’s lives are in danger can be end up having extremely bad optics. It is not worth potentially looking very callous to the whole country just to talk to a few hundred voters in a swing state.
Both the Obama and Romney campaigns are encouraging their supports to donate to the Red Cross’s storm relief efforts.
For the next two days the Presidential campaign remains in a holding pattern.
7 Comments
Would be funny if paper ballots had to be used because of electric being still out come election day.
Of course, it would be better if this were in Ohio rather then New York.
Obama recommended going to Ready.gov for more information on planning:
http://www.ready.gov
I still can’t find out if the shelters in DC will allow dogs. I know NY City does but not sure about here.
Hey, Jane…you may have seen this already, but I found this from the Md. gov’s twitter feed: If you click on the symbol it gives you address and a note “pet-friendly” or not. Hope it helps. Not sure if you’re in the MD or VA side of DC area.
Ready: Ohio may well be in the storm’s area; see this on weather.com front page.
Sheesh. That map pretty much covers everyone I know and everywhere I’ve ever lived. Scary.
Just as an aside, just saw Romney give campaign speech in Ohio, man, is he promising everything he is going to do the opposite of. Including but not limited to “restoring” the 700 billion (million? I can’t think today) to Medicare.
Not send jobs to China. People behind him clapped. USA USA
Give them good jobs with benefits. People behind him clapped. USA USA OMG
Lower the corporate tax rate because it’s so fing high. Brainwashed idiots clapping like that is good for them.
My only solace if Willard wins is these idiots will be crushed and ruined like the rest of us.
He’s the commander-in-chief, it’s an emergency with unforeseeable dangers on a scale that’s unprecedented. Duh? Heckuva job, Walker.
Does this mean either candidate is starting to talk about global warming?
No this super hurricane is in no way shape or form is caused by global warming.
Repeat. It is NOT caused by global warming.
This is because God is mad at the Communist Socialist Godless Liberals (and rednecks who live on the east coast who take their money)