Probably all of us have heard some talking head or rightwing nutter in the crowd call this Frankenstorm "Obama's Katrina," a tasteless triviality but one that the horseracers and Romney-Kochs seem to want to revel in.
To some extent, the comparison is inevitable -- although that doesn't lend it any class. Still, the question came to me -- and this post is more a presentation of a thesis for discussion than a diary:
What if Obama bests the storm?
If this monster bears down as hard over the next 24 hours as the hype is selling, there will undoubtedly be photo-ready flood-outs, if not outright disastrous occurrences, that the media will glom on to and the Right will be ready to pounce on...
But what if this administration gets the disaster relief right? Romney will have to make the choice between another Libya-like flub and subsequent drubbing and actually not politicizing a natural disaster in the face of federal government intervention that works.
What about the media? Will storm coverage be as omnipresent in the days up to the election, or subdued in the relative ebb of 'bad news for Obama'?
Would effective storm relief give POTUS a bog old boost over the finish line?
Tue Oct 30, 2012 at 5:14 AM PT: Via TPM:
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that President Obama deserves "great credit" for his response to Hurricane Sandy, during an appearance on "CBS This Morning" Tuesday. He said he had spoken to the president three times, including when Obama called him at midnight.
"I can't thank the president enough for that," Christie said, referring to the major disaster declaration Obama signed for New Jersey, expediting federal aid to the state. "Cooperation from the president of the United States has been outstanding. He deserves great credit."
Christie said there are currently 2.4 million households in New Jersey without power.
So, we'll see what comes from the rest of today and throughout the week.