De-politicizing Hurricane Sandy

Twice I've posted about the political ramifications of Hurricane Sandy.  It makes sense, since this is a political blog.  Trying to look at it with a dispassionate eye is at times more difficult than others though.  

Of course there are political ramifications to a hurricane, whether it be so close to an election or not.  Ask George W. Bush about Katrina if you need convincing.  But the real impact of a hurricane is not political, it is on a personal level.  People can lose family, friends and property.  People can go without food, water and shelter as a result of a hurricane.  Hurricane Sandy has now caused over 100 deaths.  It has done considerable damage to cities like New York and disrupted life for probably millions of people.

People hit by Hurricane Sandy do not face hurricanes on a regular basis.  Relief and clean-up efforts are not going to be as swift and effective as they would be in Florida.  That does not make this hurricane any worse than those that hit or miss the Gulf Coast on an annual basis.  It does mean however, that the recovery efforts will not be as robust.

Setting aside partisan differences in a time like this is important. It's why governor Christie in New Jersey has been so chummy with president Obama when it comes to the storm.  It's not a matter of pandering or, vote buying or even sucking relief funds to his state - at least directly.  It's about helping as many people as possible as quickly as possible and as effectively as possible.  That's all.  We should all  be so focused in times of disaster and recovery.

You can visit the Red Cross website if you want to help in some way.