Hurricane Sandy’s Crash Into The Election

As we all know, last week the east coast was struck by the devastating storm, Hurricane Sandy. Dozens have been declared dead, many more have lost their homes, and even more still remain without heat and power. The loss suffered by Sandy is significant and much of the damage has yet to be discovered. Some of this damage will be done to the election, due to take place next Tuesday, November 6.

 No matter what party you associate with, we can all agree that in the wake of a natural disaster, there is no place for politicking. President Obama made this clear Monday when he was asked about the election during a speech about preparing for Sandy.

Obama stated, “The election will take care of itself next week. Right now, our number-one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives, that our search-and-rescue teams are going to be in place, that people are going to get the food, the water, the shelter that they need in case of emergency, and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track.”

Even just eight days before the election takes place, the Obama administration cancelled all campaign events scheduled for the beginning of this week. We saw President Obama forfeit the opportunity to pat himself on the back or throw his opponent under the bus, to effectively and efficiently lead the country in the wake of this disaster.

Governor Mitt Romney took another approach. Romney had a campaign event scheduled in the absolutely critical ‘swing state’ of Ohio on Tuesday. Instead of canceling the event, he turned it into a “relief rally” to benefit the victims of the hurricane. This sounds great, but there are a few problems with this move.

First of all, it took place in Ohio, which is not exactly the heart of the hurricane damage. It is, however, the heart of politics in this election. Both candidates have been campaigning hard in Ohio, and in fact, no republican candidate has ever won the presidency without winning the state of Ohio. This “relief rally” is pretty transparently still a campaign event, and if it weren’t enough that the event took place in Ohio; Governor Romney showed the crowd his campaign videos during the event.

Just in case you’re still not convinced, Romney’s way of masking his politicking was to have people bring in a canned good.This gesture is exactly what the Red Cross expressly said they could not use at this time. Romney came out of his event appearing not helpful, but extremely out of touch with the needs of victims.

During the midst of this storm, the President was working to make sure every effected state got what they needed from the federal government. FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the federal institution that is responsible for disaster relief.

Obama directly ordered FEMA workers to help by any means necessary, bypassing any red tape or bureaucracy in their way. He even gave out his personal phone number to governors of both parties, including republican Governor Chris Christie, and told them to call him directly if they needed anything they weren’t getting. Christie, who has actively supported Mitt Romney, came out on Tuesday and praised Obama for a job well done, as well as thanked FEMA workers for being so efficient.

This hurricane begs the question: what would have happened during a hurricane in a Romney presidency? During a primary debate in June, Romney admitted that he would like to do away with FEMA and make disaster relief the responsibility of individual states.

So what does all this mean for the election, which is just a week away? The repercussions could be vast, and devastating to one candidate or the other. This is a historically close election already, and the hurricane will only further complicate this race. The storm has already had an effect on early voting, resulting in many states that have cancelled early voting for this election.

Additionally, Many states rely on online voting and electronic voting machines, including Pennsylvania and Virginia, who were both effected by the hurricane. Most importantly, there are so many Americans with devastating damage to their homes. Turn on the news and see pictures from New Jersey of hundreds of homes enclosed in sand up to the first story. In just one fire in New York City, eighty homes were destroyed. Many citizens could be without heat and power into next week. These are people whose lives are literally in pieces after this relentless storm. Voting is going to be the last thing on their mind. Even the most dedicated democrats or republicans will put the election on the back burner, much like the President did.

There has never been an election in the history of our generation where voting is more important. The race is already razor thin, so many rights are at stake and Hurricane Sandy just threw a huge wrench into the mix. If after this storm, you have the luxury of being able to get into your car, out of your home, and to the voting booths, you must do so. Speak up, because there are now millions of Americans who may not be able to speak for themselves. Speak up, because you live in a country where your voice matters. Tuesday, November 6th- Go Vote.