Oh, Sandy! How a Superstorm Might Affect the Election
Hurricane Sandy is doing more than just
tearing up the East Coast. The "Frankenstorm" is also affecting the
presidential election at hand, with just about a week left until
showtime. According to an article on CNN found here,
“Obama administration officials have stressed that they are being proactive in
ensuring the Federal Emergency Management Agency is ready to aid the millions
of people who will are likely to be affected by the huge storm bearing down on
the East Coast.” Being proactive, to the Obama administration, also means
pulling back from the campaign trail, which is just what Barack Obama did this
Monday, October 29, 2012.
Mitt Romney has been inching up in the
election polls lately, pulling slightly ahead of Obama according to a few
sources. Some people believe that Obama pulled out of scheduled campaign
events in Florida and Virginia and returned to Washington in order to “beef up”
his image as president. Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs
at Princeton University, talks a bit about this in the above mentioned article,
saying: “As voters, particularly those who are undecided, deliberate over whom
they should support, they will watch Obama as he navigates through the storm
and the post-storm clean-up. The crisis offers an opportunity for him to act
presidential in a way for which some voters are thirsting and to demonstrate
the kind of command that has often been lacking."
In contrast to this point of view, there
are others who believe that Obama’s return to Washington and postponing of his
political events communicates a different, negative message. Former GOP
presidential candidate and ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich said in the CNN
article, "You notice that he's canceling his trips over the hurricane. He
didn't cancel his trips over Benghazi,” essentially dissing the president for
not putting his concerns in the right places.
Another
article written by the Denver Post, found here, talks about the negative reaction to George W. Bush and his delayed response to
Hurricane Katrina. The article deems that, “If Obama is perceived as a strong
leader who shows command in a crisis, some undecided voters might be compelled
to back the president. But a botched response or a sense that he's putting
politics over public safety could weaken his support at a point in the race
where there's little chance to reverse course.”
As a
voter myself, I tried to put myself directly into the situation: if I were on
the edge about which candidate to vote for, would Hurricane Sandy and the candidate’s
reactions to it affect my decision? For me, if Obama acted in a way I didn’t
think was fit for the situation, it definitely might turn me off from him.
Then, in Romney’s situation, he is only
a candidate at this point. Therefore, all he can really do is express concern
for the citizens of the U.S. in the path of the storm.
The
presidential candidate’s reactions to something that is a buzzword across the
nation is clearly a large part of their political communication. Romney and
Obama’s reactions to this storm could make it or break it for some voters, but
we won’t really know until the final vote is tallied. I suppose since I’ve been
following this election all along and have put quite a bit of energy into it
(AKA I’m not a last minute voter), Sandy cannot have any affect on me…but for
others, she is quite the wildcard.
While I
was reading up on this issue, it struck me that this might be agenda setting:
the media telling us not what to think, necessarily, but what to think about. It is really going to be
distracting for some people thinking about the hurricane in relation to the
election, rather than focusing on the election itself and the values of the
candidates. In the long run, though, maybe that’s what agenda setting is meant
to do, and in this case the media might be attempting to cause uproar as far as
votes are concerned. The actions of the candidate’s in relation to Sandy are
certainly important, but should that communication affect an entire election?
In my opinion…no, they should not.
We will
see if Sandy can start a political storm, rather than the one she already has
created!
posted by Anonymous | 8:43 PM
15 Comments:
I think you may an interesting point with Superstorm Sandy. I watched President Obama talk about the measures that they would be taking in preparation for the storm yesterday. With the election being next week it is imperative for both candidates to make some last minute impressions before voters go to the booths. For the President I think this will benefit him more because he will be able to take action and help the situation whereas Governor Romney can only really comment on the situation at this point. I think this could positively effect the President and get him ahead in the polls because he is doing his Presidential duties.
This is such a great post. I think that this is Obama's chance to show that he can make the right choice, that choice being that he needs to focus on relief efforts right now and not about the campaign. The campaign will continue even if he is not physically doing it. With him taking care of the people who have been affected by Sandy will show enough about what he wants to do with his presidency.I agree with all that Kristin has said too. Romney will have to continue his campaign and do the best he can to understand that people are having to deal with disaster in their life. I do wonder what impact this entire natural disaster and the relief efforts will have on the actual election day. Could voter numbers be affected by it? Will they have to find another way to handle voting with people not being able to transport themselves to poling places.
I agree that it has put the election in a different light. I do not think anyone has expected anything to happen this close to the election that could influence the outcome of the election. It is hard tricky situation and both candidates need to be sensitive to what is currently happening. With 85% of New Jersey still not having power and other states in similar situation they are not receiving information about the election from the media. It would be interesting to think how they a currently feeling because they are not being affected by the agenda setting.
This is a great post and brings some critical questions and concerns that may not have been seen before. The concern over the well-being of the people who have been affected by the hurricane has rightfully taken precedence over the election. I just hope that this understanding will not negatively impact how people view Obama because he is not on the campaign trail. As President, he is doing what he has to do. Not surprising that Newt Gingrich would find a way to put him in a negative light by comparing it to what happened in Libya ( I mean realistically, did they really think the President would just hop a plane over to Libya amid all the protest?) Either way, it still brings up questions as to whether election day should be postponed. If Sandy occurred one, even two days before the election, then it would be more likely. However, with there being still six days, I do not foresee that happening.
Hurricane Sandy put President Obama and Governor Romney in a different situation than in any other race so they do not have any frame of reference on how to handle the situation. On top of that, if either of them do something wrong it could be detrimental to their campaign. High stakes so close to the election. Great Post!
This is such an interesting topic. I agree with Caitlin and Kristen, that this is a unique opportunity for President Obama to showcase something that Romney does not - being President. Depending on how successfully he handles the aftermath, his points could be affected.
Also, other political comments are being made in the aftermath. The former director of FEMA, under President Bush and during Hurricane Katrina, has said that he thinks the Obama Administration has reacted 'too quickly' to Sandy. Whether this comment could effect the rest of the election is too soon to tell. With all the Sandy coverage, it might just get swept under the table.
Lindsey, what a great post. I also agree that this is a unique opportunity for President Obama. Even though I am not sure yet for who I am voting for, I think Obama has the upper hand to showcase something unique aside from Romney. I can't help but think of the title - "The seat is taken" for this post because Obama took initiative for safety immediately. I don't think there is such thing as "reacting too soon" to a natural disaster. It is unpredictable and a good change from past Presidents, ahem Bush, who was rather late in his response to hurricane Katrina. One good thing we learned from that catastrophe is what not to do. Hurricane Sandy is hurting the campaign but is also depicting huge potential for them both. Once again opportunity is facing them head on with real life scenarios. Only time will tell if they can handle it.
I think you have made some great points. It will be interesting in the years to come what comes of this Superstorm. As we talked about in class this is pretty much unprecedented. I think scholars will be analyzing this for years to come, and if it ever happens again the way Obama and Romney act will be looked upon.
I myself wondered if Superstorm Sandy would effect the election. Personally, it does not effect my views, but I can see how it could potentially effect others. There may be undecided voters out there that still have not made up their mind. It seems like Romney has been climbing the polls, but this tragic storm is revealing an attractive side to Obama. I do not see the polls showing a drastic change in the next week.
I like to live in a fantasy land where I think most voters are informed voters. I tend to forget that that is most often not the case. I myself had already sent in my absentee ballot when the hurricane struck, and President Obama's reaction to the crisis could not have swayed my opinion. But I definitely think that there are people who will vote for Obama based solely on the fact that he has a quick and helpful reaction to hurricane Sandy, and there will also be those who vote against him if they do not support the way he reacted to the tragedy. I think that if Obama has a positive reaction thing will help him out in the polls. It's human nature to want to feel protected and if Obama handles things the right way, this could be an advantage for him.
I learned in my public relations course today that the head of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina criticized President Obama for acting too soon with Hurricane Sandy. Personally, I don't think you can ever act too soon with a hurricane. However, it's possible that his comment could have a negative impact on voters. In addition, it will be interesting to see how many people weren't able to vote because they were displaced by the storm.
Sandy has been a very beneficial political move for the President. Because of the severity of the storm, the news will over the storm in which Obama continued to get media attention. This was a great post! You did a good job of identifying the benefits of Obama stepping away from the campaign and fulfilling his duties.
I think Sandy is a very hot topic for voters, especially on the East Coast. This is a chance to see how the candidates respond to emergency situations. President Obama is under particular scrutiny with his reaction. As the current Commander-in-Chief, if his response is received poorly it could deter voters from supporting him. Conversely, it could gain him votes if his response is praised.
I don't want to me just one more person and it is scaring to see all great comments, but I really liked this post.
However I really think that this case isn't a distraction it really has to do with presidential capability to handle with adverse situations. In this point I have do disagree with the idea of the blogpost. I really think that this is a test for Obama. If he could handle that pretty well, it will be reaaly great for him, but if he don't, definitely the confidence sense will leave him and pass to Romney.
Thanks for bringing this point!
This is so interesting to read again, but post-election. Sandy inflicted a great amount of destruction and it's very concerning how long it is taking to get the east coast back together. Obviously, complete restoration will take time, but will another hurricane be handled the same way? There were so many concerns about how the Superstorm would affect the election come November 6, however it's more concerning to me that the election took place while many affected people were still in turmoil. It makes me wonder where our priorities are as a Country.
Post a Comment
<< Home