Hurricane Sandy - TWC, 2012
I got a kick this morning out of all the political pundits asserting that Hurricane Sandy was going to hurt the Obama campaign and that it will definitely help Mitt Romney's campaign. Huh? For a couple of them, I shot off a response telling them I believe them to be "Dead Wrong!" But what do I know right? These are the accepted political experts, surely they know more than I! Um, nope! For some reason, they seem too caught up in politics to realize that there is a basic political premise...when America is caught in a crisis, the incumbent president is always at an advantage! Hurricane Sandy is no exception.
Case in point. When 9/11 happened, it was universally agreed that President George W. Bush had his finest moment addressing the nation from Ground Zero. Despite "W's" failures during Hurricane Katrina, President Obama has done a great job filling the role of "Consoler In Chief"...see his work during the Tucson Memorials, the tornadoes that struck Alabama and Oklahoma and then the shootings in Aurora, Colorado. President Obama has filled the role as President during disasters and national crisis quite well. Anyone who would disagree with this would have to be blinded by political ideology.
With this in mind, anytime a president is in office during a disaster, he commands all the media attention he deserves. When the president flies into a disaster zone offering Federal disaster aid and comfort, he alone commands the spotlight. When the storm clears, President Obama will be walking the scene of devastation and meeting with actual storm victims. And Mitt Romney? What will he be able to project? "Hearts and Prayers?"
Mitt Romney will be projecting an image of attempting to "look" presidential, but only Barack Obama will be filling the role of being President..something known as Incumbency Advantage, enjoyed by every sitting president.
Will Hurricane Sandy be an "October Surprise?" Probably not based upon the number of folks voting early. But Mitt Romney does have a potential problem. When it comes to Hurricane Sandy, Romney will be a "wannabe" looking in through the window while Obama fills the role as President (like any other sitting president). When pundits claim the hurricane hurts Obama and helps Romney, I say "Dead Wrong!" I say, Advantage Obama!
Case in point. When 9/11 happened, it was universally agreed that President George W. Bush had his finest moment addressing the nation from Ground Zero. Despite "W's" failures during Hurricane Katrina, President Obama has done a great job filling the role of "Consoler In Chief"...see his work during the Tucson Memorials, the tornadoes that struck Alabama and Oklahoma and then the shootings in Aurora, Colorado. President Obama has filled the role as President during disasters and national crisis quite well. Anyone who would disagree with this would have to be blinded by political ideology.
With this in mind, anytime a president is in office during a disaster, he commands all the media attention he deserves. When the president flies into a disaster zone offering Federal disaster aid and comfort, he alone commands the spotlight. When the storm clears, President Obama will be walking the scene of devastation and meeting with actual storm victims. And Mitt Romney? What will he be able to project? "Hearts and Prayers?"
Mitt Romney will be projecting an image of attempting to "look" presidential, but only Barack Obama will be filling the role of being President..something known as Incumbency Advantage, enjoyed by every sitting president.
Will Hurricane Sandy be an "October Surprise?" Probably not based upon the number of folks voting early. But Mitt Romney does have a potential problem. When it comes to Hurricane Sandy, Romney will be a "wannabe" looking in through the window while Obama fills the role as President (like any other sitting president). When pundits claim the hurricane hurts Obama and helps Romney, I say "Dead Wrong!" I say, Advantage Obama!
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