Collectively, we conservatives probably owe Chris Christie an apology

Back in 2012 Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast and New Jersey, among other states was pretty hard hit.  Then President Obama offered then New Jersey governor emergency assistance.  Chris Christie was appreciative and conservatives were...NOT HAPPY with Chris Christie.

I think we conservatives may owe Chris Christie an apology. 

After all, president Trump offered assistance to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler who very impolitely refused.  And now, a Trump supporter was killed on the street as a result. Ted Wheeler has blood on his hands.  Chris Christie does not.  Chris Christie's ability to rise above partisanship was very untimely for conservatives hoping to defeat Obama in 2012.  But it was the right thing to do.  And now, as an unintended consequence, instead of Mitt Romney as president we have Donald Trump.  And for that we should be extremely thankful.

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.

More politicizing Hurricane Sandy

Elections can wait...

Yesterday I postulated that the impact of Hurricane Sandy would be used as an excuse for Obama's impending loss in the 2012 election (after the fact). I neglected to consider that liberals would try to use the storm as a time out on the election clock countdown.

WASHINGTON (AP) - One week before a close election, superstorm Sandy has confounded the presidential race, halted early voting in many areas and led some to ponder whether the election might even be postponed.

It could take days to restore electricity to more than 8 million homes and businesses that lost power when the storm pummeled the East Coast. That means it's possible power could still be out in parts of some states on Election Day next Tuesday - a major problem for precincts that rely on electronic voting machines.

But as the storm breached the coast, even some of those intimately involved in the election seemed in the dark about what options are available to cope with the storm. Asked Monday whether President Barack Obama had the power to reschedule the election, White House press secretary Jay Carney said he wasn't sure.

Not sure? The real storm is going to be a GOP tsunami on election day, and trying to postpone it for voters to 'come to their senses' and return to Obama, is an act of desperation.  A few facts - the storm has had a major impact in a relative small geographic portion of the country.  New York and New Jersey are locks for Obama already, as is most of New England.  The impact in a swing state like Ohio is not enough to justify making special considerations there.  In other words, the impact on the outcome of the election is negligible unless a lengthy delay could actually help Obama.  It's the equivalent of a do-over but before the fact.

One last consideration for liberals to ponder.  If this was 2008 and Bush were president and his press secretary Dana Perino said that she didn't know whether Bush had the power to reschedule an election you would be screaming Martial Law and bloody murder over it.

There is ZERO justification for delaying the election.  Disenfranchising voters is peanuts compared to moving the goal posts or changing the rules right before the end of the game.  That's pure manipulation.

Politicizing Sandy

There has been some discussion today about the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the election. I actually have to give president Obama credit for saying he was worried about people being impacted and that the election would sort itself out.  But pundits have talked about it impacting early voter turnout.  That's not the real issue.  The election is a week away.  Those who were going to vote early can still vote on election day even if it is an inconvenience for them. If high turnout helps Obama, and some of those people who would turn out for Obama need to vote early, then there is some sort of problem for the Obama campaign.