The president is set to arrive in Atlantic City, New Jersey at 1pm today. He is set to leave at 4:30pm. Hopefully, that will provide enough time for a helicopter trip up and down the coast so that he can survey the extent of the damage. Seaside Heights, where I grew up going to the shore, hardly exists anymore. Governor Chris Christie will accompany the president and they can discuss the many ways in which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can help the Garden State. Mitt Romney can’t really say anything since he spent the primaries bashing federal agencies like FEMA and taking the position that, in situations like this, Gov. Christie should be on his own with no assistance from the federal government because the Feds can’t help New Jersey without “jeopardizing the future for our kids.”
So, Romney can just plop himself down in a comfy chair and watch how the federal government is supposed to work. Because, remember, Romney said we should defund FEMA in the context of the utterly devastating tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri. Eric Cantor didn’t want to pay to help the people of Joplin unless he could take the money out of little children’s school nutrition programs or your unemployment insurance. That is because Republicans see every disaster as an opportunity to raze public housing and make the 47% of the people who can’t take responsibility for their lives eat a shit sandwich.
Predictably, the Romney campaign is trying to Etch a Sketch his history of opposing federal disaster relief out of existence, just like they’re trying to pretend he didn’t recommend the liquidation of the American automotive industry. Yesterday, Romney ignored more than a dozen questions from reporters about his prior comments about FEMA, and his campaign released a statement saying that he supports how FEMA works and won’t destroy the agency.
As Chris Christie would say, only a numb-nuts ignoramus idiot joker loser would respond to a natural disaster like the Joplin tornado by talking about eliminating FEMA. Romney won’t say the same thing again because this time around he correctly thinks it would cost him votes. So, he should say nothing. Just sit in your comfy chair and watch, Romney.
If Mitt were a decent human being capable of real human emotions like empathy and graciousness, and running for leadership of a political party that shared those feelings, he would say that he appreciates the President’s efforts in marshaling the resources of the federal government to help a region of the country in dire need of that help.
Needless to say, that won’t happen.
It’s interesting to watch how things are transpiring this week in the campaigns. Unfortunately I was subjected to 10 minutes of Fucked Noise this morning while on an errand. They had on Ed Rollins who was arguing that Romney shouldn’t be campaigning in states that were hit by Sandy, as he is, but instead should get out of the way of first responders and focus on swing states like Colorado, Wisconsin, and Nevada. He was particularly critical of the choice to campaign in blue Sandy states, like PA.
So a couple things with that … first Rollins is obviously tuned in to the polls and he knows the blue states are safely blue. Rollins is part of that nearly extinct species, the rational Republican (Gerson is probably the only other one left).
Second, Rollins realizes that the optics benefit Obama if he’s seen as managing the crisis well but figures that the best Romney can do is focus on votes elsewhere.
Third, Romney is obviously not listening to Rollins and is pursuing a different strategy. Everything I’m seeing in this swing state suggests that strategy is a) a tidal wave of negative ads against Obama, and b) create the impression that he’s the frontrunner. In theory both could help – the negative ads could influence a few votes away from Obama and the frontrunner impression could keep some votes for Romney that might otherwise go 3rd party or stay home.
Obama’s team, on the other hand, is following a stay-the-course strategy with, of course, the important adjustment of having Obama focus on the hurricane recovery.
The two strategies suggest that Obama’s team feels that this is close, but their’s to lose, and Romney’s team feels that it’s close enough that they might be able to spark a last minute shift of swing voters and take the election.
I would say that both teams are right, but the O-team much more right than the R-team.
I like your comment.
One thing though: “Rational Republican” Ed Rollins. He is a wise strategist, yes. But I wouldn’t exactly compliment him on his principles. He did take Michele Bachmann as a client, didn’t he?
So apparently a paid consulting gig, even for someone as crazy and awful as Michele Bachmann, trumps Rational Republican principles with this guy. Not surprising, considering the snakes that slither in the pit that is political consulting, though – on both sides of the aisle.
Oh, I didn’t say he had principles. Just that he doesn’t fall for obvious wingnut groupthink.
The Romney campaign is looking ridiculous. Of course it always has to those of us who hang here. Who knows how anything plays with the ignorant lot who don’t pay attention to politics. But it’s hard to see how the optics of this could be anything less than a disaster for Romney. If he flies out west to campaign in Colorado, he’ll look like a dick. If he campaigns in Ohio and Pennsylvania while allegedly collecting canned goods for victims, he’ll look like a dick. Meanwhile, the president looks like the president, cool and concerned, leading the way, reminding people why government is important.
Any idea if the Dems will make any sustained attempt before the election to point out the reality of Rmoney’s prior remarks on FEMA, or the actual votes of Cantor’s Do-Nothing Repub Congress vis-a-vis prior disasters like Joplin? Or if they will even denounce the “conservative” movement’s position on “wasteful” and “unnecessary” federal agencies like the obviously worthless FEMA? Back to the States, like the Founders intended!
Because Our Lib’rul Media certainly will not be independently pursuing this line of analysis. Smacks too much of actual “journalism”. “What’s the line today, Guvna Romney?”
I’m sure the “independent” voters will be able to sort it all out. They’ll certainly see through the Bishop’s categorical denials of prior positions and his ardently professed love–I say LOVE!–for FEMA….
I feel like that’s a job for surrogates, if anyone – Obama would step on his own image if he turned around and made an issue of it.
Maybe, maybe not. Plouffe said today that the campaign re-starts tomorrow. Obama’s going to have to say something about the hurricane … and whatever he says will make national news. I would not be surprised if he doesn’t mention the importance of FEMA, why this is a necessary role for the Federal government, and that his opponent has suggested de-funding FEMA.
You know, I was never on the Obama-greatest-politician/campaigner ever bandwagon (and there probably aren’t many still on that after this past month). I feel that on the strategy side of things Obama and Plouffe have been lucky that their No Drama Obama approach usually works, but there have been missed opportunities and mistakes due to that strategy.
However, tactically they are probably the best in modern times. From the micromanagement of the delegate counts in the 2008 primaries to utilizing state-of-the-art targeting methods to knowing what messages work and for whom. So whatever he’ll say tomorrow will fit the need they are seeing in the polls.
Something else that is pretty clear is that while the national polls have always been close – dating back 2 years against generic GOP candidates – they’ve always had comfortable leads in the key swing states. Likely they’ve been “campaigning” in those states, through federal funds allocations, etc., since January 2009.
Say nothing? Apparently he’s out comparing FEMA to the time he and some pals cleaned up a football field that got covered with trash! Ya’know, that All-American can-do spirit that doesn’t require government assistance. Yeah, there’s no difference between the scale of picking up after a home game and a multi-state disaster. The density between his ears amazes me. The tone-deafness of his media staff… I dunno, are they stupid, callous, detached from reality, pick one or all of the above?
BUT, I have idiot step-children that are STILL going to vote for Romney because 1) Government is BAD. And 2) Obama is BLACK. And 3) Their irrational, hypocritical beliefs about Jesus. It makes me ill with rage and despair.
I think we should bring the argument home. It’s not just that Romney wants to eliminate FEMA; he wants to ultimately privatize social functions. The post office, the schools, medicare, social security, prisons… So we should say where this leads: a private company profiting from disaster or conveniently going bankrupt when they have to pay out.
The private sector knows how to make this stuff work. Once they are handed the highway system, we’ll have state-of-the-art toll booths from sea to shining sea, each of them with enormous advertising potential, lighting up the skies at night with neon and video, and entertaining drivers for miles with those terrific musical jingles that stay with you for hours, or at least until the next tollbooth.
Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22, understood this better than most:
These ruggedly individualistic job creators know the true value of government … it’s their hole card.
The collecting-canned-goods-thing feels almost like it was meant to mock the FEMA/Red Cross efforts. The Red Cross has asked for donations of money instead of canned goods for decades now. Does Romney not understand the reasoning behind it?
In Romney’s perfect world, Governor Christie would be meeting today with a manager from Halliburton, touring areas to decide which ones would be profitable to rebuild, which ones can be bulldozed and then exploited for financial gain and which areas would become future toxic waste sites.
Whatever Christie’s failings as a human being, and whatever his political ambitions, I do think he genuinely regards Romney as a dick.
Pres. Obama spoke a few days ago about an internal battle looming in the Republican Party if he wins. In that battle, I have no doubt Christie and Romney will be on opposing sides.
In that battle, I have no doubt Christie and Romney will be on opposing sides.
Hard to say. Romney won’t stay on any one side for long, even his own.
I see your point.
Well then, Christie and the Tea Party will be on opposite sides.
Anyway, if Romney loses, I don’t know that anyone will care what he says.
This is what I think too. If Romney loses, his national political career is over. He’s of no use to the Republicans except in his role as a potential foil to Obama. If he fails in that endeavor, they’ll have no more use for him.
Right, he’ll be useless, even more than he is now. No one will even rember his name. The talk shows are definitely not going to keep him on politcal life support as they do McCain who nasty old man act keeps him standing.
How do you get Christie and teabaggers on “opposite sides?” Last week as reported by the Boston Globe
When will Democrats and liberals ever learn not to be misled by the occasional lapse of any Republican politician into saying or doing anything that looks sane and is for the benefit of ordinary people? Christie and Huntsman are borrowing a page out of McCain’s and Romney’s old playbook. Act all bi-partisany and get Democrats saying nice things about you for a few years — most helpful for their general election POTUS campaigns. Alas, McCain’s opportunity came eight years too late for him to win, and Mitt may be four years too late. In 2016, Christie will be 54 and Huntsman 56.
For a longer rant on this see I ain’t buying Christie by Live1 at dKos.
Would add that the same crapola is what bamboozled Californians in 1966 when an excellent governor was dumped in favor of the fading class B actor. Oh, a re-run appeared in 2003.
Christie faces reelection in 2013 in a blue state, and he’s angling for a Presidential bid in 2016.
I think either of those is adequate explanation for him working with the President in a crisis – no need to draw any conclusions about his core convictions or his future platform.
yes, watch this
Hurricane Sandy Seals the Election for Obama
WTF! Damn, dude is just ridiculous. So he paid damn near $5000 for supplies for his campaign rally disguised as “storm relief” when he could have given that money to the damn Red Cross directly.
This mofo really plans to buy his way into a presidency!
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/romney-campaign-bought-own-supplies-for-storm-relief
I know how RomneyCo could salvage their campaign! Just send WonderBoy Paul Ryan out to some church for a photo-op of him filling up a sandbag. Now that the storm has passed, I’ll bet they’re gonna need some of those.
Better yet, get him to take his shirt off to fill that sandbag, since it’s such hard work. And mist his face with water, so we’ll get to see him wipe the “sweat” from his brow. That’ll surely change the narrative in the “News” industry.
“Hey, too bad about all those people who lost everything in that terrible storm, but did you see Shirtless Paul Ryan filling that sandbag? Let’s review the video.” and again, and again…
Call me cynical, but it just might work. Take note, Romney campaign!
Actually it is shut up and watch me DO THE JOB.
Romney never actually had to run the companies he bought and raped.
And he never actually had to run essential services while he scooted by MA.
There is absolutely no substitute for competent government (which many Republicans think is an oxymoron) and I think/hope voters will vote on that instead of ungrounded ideology and lies.