Oh Those Fickle Weather Lords

I don’t think I’m living inside a disaster movie – the type where all of that climate change stuff that members of the US House of Representatives Science Sub-committee say is a load of liberal propaganda comes back to bite us – but I can’t be certain. After all, in all those type of films, New York is always one of the first places to go and, judging by the pictures on the news, it might be time for me to stock up on tinned goods.

Yes, Hurricane Sandy has been and gone and left the city that never sleeps looking a little hung-over and that’s before we get into what she did to New Jersey. But now as the clean-up begins all eyes turn to next Tuesday and possible the most divisive and partisan presidential election of the last twenty years.

 But here again, Sandy has had an effect. Up until the first debate, there was no doubt that Obama would win. Romney was partisan, flip flopping, uncharismatic and, as covered in this blog, had managed to insult everyone from Israel to the UK. The only real question was how few electoral votes could he conceivably get? Then the first debate happened and despite strong performances by the President in the second and third ones, Romney managed to close the gap.

Which is where Sandy kicks in.

The storm puts Romney at a real political disadvantage. He can’t campaign without looking like he cares more about politics than people, yet without access to any actual power – he’s not a sitting Governor anymore after all – there is little he can do other than kick his heels and give the press the occasional soundbite.

Obama meanwhile has had a chance not only to look Presidential and professional, but also to actually get something done. He does after all control the federal government, which in this case means FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency – and his swift action has earned him praise not only from the Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who up until this point was one of Romney’s most vocal supporters.

And, of course, not only is Romney not in a position to exercise any power, but the comments about FEMA that he made during the Primaries – that it should be dismantled and its duties handed over to private companies – will come back to haunt him. If he doubled down on them he would come off as heartless, instead he praised it and once again looked weak and indecisive.

I am in no way saying that a super storm is a good idea, and no politician would wish for something like this to happen so close to an election where it might hinder people from getting out to vote. Nevertheless, if Obama does win re-election next Tuesday by even a small margin, then I think he will be thanking his lucky stars that Hurricane Sandy hit land precisely when it did.