The brunt of hurricane Sandy has passed, leaving devastation and over 50 dead in its wake with millions of people still without power. Also in the storm's wake is the continuation of the presidential campaigns. Obama recently toured New Jersey to survey the damage and is set to resume campaigning tomorrow in the key swing states Wisconsin, Nevada, and Colorado. After storm relief efforts in Ohio, Romney has resumed
campaigning in Florida while stressing that he can deliver "real change."
As election season draws to an end, the result is still quite unclear. Many national
polls suggest a popular vote tie. However, Obama appears to have a slight electoral college advantage. While Florida and North Carolina lean towards Romney, Obama has a slight lead in the key state of Ohio which, with its 18 electoral votes, could dictate the outcome of the election. Obama appears to lead in most other swing states and Virginia remains a tossup. For a more detailed analysis, go
here.
6 comments:
I wonder if Sandy will have an affect on the vote outcomes. It seems to me, Obama came away from this looking prepared and heroic for his swift actions in the east coast. In the very least, it won't hurt him, but I think this could also give him an advantage over Romney and help lock in a few more votes.
I feel like although Sandy has certainly affected the lives of people on the east coast, it's affect on voter turnout won't be monstrously significant. In my mind, most of those who intended to vote are still going to vote, even if it is more of a challenge due to the hurricane. Certainly, the friends and families of the 50 or so who were killed are going to have other things to worry about, and people without power might have a more difficult time of things. But on the whole, I don't think voter turnout will suffer a drastic decrease.
As for Obama's reacting to the disaster, I agree with Sam. It seems logical that he will be looking a little bit better to anyone affected.
I feel that Hurricane Sandy might have an effect on the coming election. Fortunately it came late enough in the election that Obama won't be responsible for the damage, but the next candidate will. Hurricane might be an issue that both candidates will talk about now that Sandy passed. They will need to mention what they will do to the damage that happened because of hurricane sandy. A promising reconstruction will be welcomed by victims of the hurricane. If a candidate does not seem to care about Sandy, results could be the same as George Bush and Hurricane Katrina. However, bringing hope to the victims will definitely change views of some voters.
Obama could definitely use this to his advantage if his administration handles the disaster well. We already know that Governor Christie, a Republican, approved of Obama's job concerning Sandy so far, which shows that Obama may even get bipartisan support from his disaster relief strategies. After all, nothing brings people together like hurricanes.
I'm glad that this disaster hasn't put a large damper on the campaign. I feel for those who lost loved ones and I think the candidates' swift return to the campaign trail actually sends a very positive message to the voters about pulling through the tough times. Hopefully, this will raise enthusiasm for the election and will prevent there from being dramatic change in voter turnout.
I think hurricane Sandy is going to have quite a significant impact in the state affected by it. I think how Romney has been saving up his money has been mentioned in class would render Romney's campaign strategy ineffective. If people don't have their TV available I guess those advertisement effort in the swing state (Ohio and Virginia) affected by the hurricane would be put into waste.
Also, a lot of polling stations in the swing states rely on electricity (some don't have a paper ballot system); if the power is not restored than people can not vote.
I agree with Bruce's point that the disaster would have little effect on Obama but the next president, but I was wondering why people would not blame the current government for a lack of preparedness in light of the somewhat predictable hurricane itself/season.
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