As Hurricane Sandy swept across Virginia, President Barack
Obama and Republican Party contender for president, Mitt Romney, canceled their
scheduled visits to the commonwealth.[1]
President Obama canceled his scheduled appearance in Prince
William County on Monday. Vice President Biden also withdrew from an event
scheduled for Saturday at Virginia Beach.
Meanwhile, Romney canceled a planned rally for Sunday at the
Farm Bureau Live amphitheater in Virginia Beach while soon after also scrapping
the remainder of his schedule in Virginia for campaign stops in another ‘battleground’
state, Ohio.
For President Obama, campaigning will cease entirely while
he retakes his role as Commander-in-chief to confront the devastation wrought
by the “frankenstorm.”
It’s difficult to pass up the political irony of this
situation. For all of the money[2]
and hours that have been spent campaigning by both candidates, the presidential
election may ultimately come to down to how President Obama handles Hurricane
Sandy and its aftermath. And all Mitt Romney can do is lend his apathy and
acknowledge the presidents place in responding to this emergency situation.
If the hurricane does give President Obama an election boost
in the polls, it will be curious to see if far-right conservatives conjure up a
conspiracy theory to account for President Obama’s hurricane-assisted victory. Did
President Obama conspire with NOAA to cause a pre-election hurricane??
Of course, the hurricane and the destruction that it left
behind is no laughing matter. Hurricane Sandy once again reminded Americans
just how tenuous life, liberty, and the possession of property can be, which
makes the unceasing partisan fighting throughout the country all the more
trivial.
While both campaigns have made this election out to be a choice
between two starkly polar political platforms, it is a shame that each can only
come together minimally when faced with brutal natural disasters.
I hope this election is the last of its kind for at least a
generation. It’s uncertain that this level of partisanship in America can hold society
together over the long haul. Whether we like it or not, we’re all in this ship
together.
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