Germany: Obama and Sandy

Der Spiegel

Handling Hurricane Sandy Obama's Moment of Truth

By Sebastian Fischer

Even before the storm hit America's East Coast, President Barack Obama wanted to show that he's ready, that he can lead the country through this crisis. It was exactly eight days before the presidential election on Nov. 6.

"This is going to be a big and powerful storm," Obama said on Monday. He said he had spoken with the governors of all the affected states and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had been put on alert. Food and water provisions were at the ready, he assured, adding that in times of crisis, America sticks together. The country was ready to handle this storm, he said.

This is the president as crisis manager. Obama is doing what Americans expect from a president when a massive storm like Sandy comes along: He is demonstratively setting politics aside and acting as the top catastrophe prevention official. When a reporter then asked him, "What about the impact on the election, sir?", the president answered soberly, unselfishly and energetically. "The election will take care of itself next week," he said. "Right now, our number-one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives … ."

His handling of the storm could determine the outcome of the election. "The hurricane will pose a huge test for Obama in the next few days, one that will make the debate in Denver look like child's play," writes Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, for US broadcaster CNN. Obama lost to Republican candidate Mitt Romney in Denver, giving his rival an unexpected boost in the campaign.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/hurricane-sandy-brings-moment-of-truth-for-president-barack-obama-a-864281.html

Wow...just wow

What ever happened to the seperation of church and state?

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/10/when-christianism-bites-back.html

UK: Praise for Obama

The Daily Telegraph

Romney ally Chris Christie praises Barack Obama on Sandy response

PRESIDENT Barack Obama won glowing praise for his "wonderful" handling of superstorm Sandy from a fierce foe who backs Mitt Romney, as political reverberations of the storm began to be felt. 
 
Mr Obama put campaigning on hold a week before his close election clash with Republican nominee Mr Romney to manage the federal government's response to Sandy, which swamped large areas of the US East Coast.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a blunt spoken critic of the president and a key Romney ally, produced a glowing character reference for Mr Obama, which is already shaping endgame election news coverage.
"The president's been great... I spoke to him three times yesterday, he called me for the last time at midnight last night, he asked me what I needed," Mr Christie told MSNBC.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/romney-ally-chris-christie-praises-barack-obama-on-sandy-response/story-fnddckzi-1226507065582

UK: Join the debate at the Economist

The Economist

US economy

Would the US economic recovery be stronger under Romney or Obama?

Representing the sides

Defending the motion

Douglas Holtz-Eakin  

President, American Action Forum

The answer is yes, the American economic recovery would be much stronger under a Romney administration, and there are three reasons: a focus on growth, a better strategy for growth and a more disciplined federal government.

READ MORE

Against the motion

Jared Bernstein  

Senior Fellow, Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities

The nascent recovery is finally gathering steam and the last thing we need is to waste trillions of dollars in trickle-down tax cuts that cannot be counted on to boost growth and jobs, but will raise both the deficit and after-tax income inequality.

READ MORE

Join the debate:
http://www.economist.com/debate/debates/overview/240

Even from a conservative publication....

PJ: If you read the update at the bottom of this article you'll see another shape-shifting position for Romney. How can Americans trust a person who changes his position on absolutely everything.  Romney has morphed from a 'severe conservative' to a moderate in months...sometimes his positions shift within days and sometimes it only takes hours for the morphing to happen. 
Forbes Magazine

Romney Wants To Disband FEMA- Do You Think N.J. Governor Chris Christie Agrees With The GOP Today?

While it’s swell that Governor Romney is concerned about the future of our kids, at this very moment —as the densely populated Northeastern section of the USA is experiencing a catastrophic disaster at a result of Hurricane Sandy—I can tell you that millions of people in the line of this extraordinary and unprecedented storm are also very much concerned for their  children. However, these folks do not have the luxury today of worrying about the future of their kids. The concern these people are experiencing is today..right now…immediate…and very, very real.

For these people, the need for FEMA is neither political nor abstract.

So, wouldn’t you imagine that the Governor might want to respond accordingly?
Not so much. When given the opportunity to back off the position earlier today, Gov. Romney remained resolute in his commitment to scrap FEMA.

UPDATE: Governor Romney has issued a statement where he now tries to have it both ways. What a surprise.  Check this out:

“Gov. Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions,” Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said in a statement. “As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities, and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA,” he added.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/10/29/romney-wants-to-disband-fema-do-you-think-n-j-governor-chris-christie-agrees-with-the-gop-today/

Canada: And now the attack on the statistician

PJ:  Is the GOP trying to live us to its new image as the anti-science anti-education party?  They've argued with scientists about global warming, have invented bizaare factoids about how a woman's body can deal with rape by shutting down its ability to get pregnant, have claimed that all that stuff about evolution is straight from Hell and now they challenge mathmatics.  

I'm not claiming that math alone will decide who wins the presidential election.  The polls have been confusing and contradictory to say the least.  But perhaps the GOP would be better served to ignore the predictors if they do not believe the math instead of attacking the messanger who tells us what the statistics point toward.

For the party who claims that everyone against their beliefs are 'haters' they sure have been spewing a lot of hate against those who challenge them.
 
Globe and Mail

Romney supporters pick a new target: statistician Nate Silver 

By Simon Houpt 

When perception is reality, as it is in politics, campaigns try to blunt even the appearance of an opponent’s strength. In the past few days, a number of Mitt Romney’s supporters have taken to attacking the integrity of Nate Silver, a statistician who writes a blog for the New York Times that has been consistently predicting a win for Barack Obama.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-election/romney-supporters-pick-a-new-target-statistician-nate-silver/article4723460/ 

 

How Eisenhower is voting

Why I Am Endorsing President Barack Obama

October 29, 2012

by Susan Eisenhower

In the last four years, President Obama has also had to contend with a rapidly changing international environment. He ended the war in Iraq, was the first Democratic president to ratify an arms control treaty with the Russian Federation, and rallied global leaders to put nuclear security at the top of the international agenda. The Obama Administration has also been responsible for decimating the top leadership of al-Qaeda and introducing biting sanctions on Iran. Today the president has significant experience in managing foreign relations, experience that GOP candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, do not have.

As a result of this campaign I am more confused than ever about what Mitt Romney stands for. I know little of his core beliefs, if he even has any. No one seems to agree on what they are, and that’s why I do not want to take a chance on finding out.


Given Romney’s shifting positions, he can only be judged by the people with whom he surrounds himself. Many of them espouse yesterday’s thinking on national defense and security, female/family reproductive rights, and the interplay of government and independent private enterprise. In this context, Barack Obama represents the future, not that past. His emphasis on education is an example of the importance he places on preparing rising generations to assume their places as innovators and entrepreneurs, workers and doers, and responsible citizens and leaders. He recognizes, as many of us do, that access to opportunities must be open to every American, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. This is not an entitlement, but a sound investment in the future.

Read it at Susan Eisenhower:
http://susaneisenhower.com/2012/10/29/why-i-am-endorsing-president-barack-obama/