On Friday's Bill Press radio show, several "objective" journalists agreed with Press that Hurricane Sandy is a big boost for Obama's election hopes. " Looking at Bloomberg’s endorsement and other factors would you have to say that if there were a political winner out of Sandy, it’s President Obama. " This was early Friday morning, before the negative press coverage really began to kick in.
Joining Press in his sanguine assessment were his guests Margaret Talev of Reuters and Susan Page of USA Today. He told Talev:
PRESS: We know the main story about Hurricane Sandy is the biggest story we ever had and a lot of people are really suffering and were really hammered in this path of death and destruction. But, let’s face it, hitting a week before the campaign there’s also a political side to Hurricane Sandy. Looking at Bloomberg’s endorsement and other factors would you have to say that if there were a political winner out of Sandy, it’s President Obama.
TALEV: There’s no question at all whatsoever and if you ask the Romney folks they will tell you the same."
Even the Romney people would say Sandy's a big win for Obama? You might think they'd at least tell the reporters that it's not classy to say "This fatal natural disaster is a big win for us." Susan Page insisted Sandy could be the "October Surprise" Obama was waiting for:
PRESS: Were you surprised about Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsement. He’s been pretty grumpy about both of these candidates until yesterday.
SUSAN PAGE: Man that really came out of the blue. He’s been pretty critical of both these candidates for not facing up to issues like gun control and climate change.
PRESS: I know yeah.
SUSAN PAGE: it’s one you know it really makes it underscores the way Hurricane Sandy may be the October Surprise, right. Something that really has an impact on the race because he has he has a fair amount of credibility I think across the country and of course he first ran as a Republican before he became an independent.
PRESS: I think he was a Democrat before he became a Republican.
SUSAN PAGE: So he’s a Democrat Republican Independent. So he really covers all the bases.
In his column, Bill Press touted how reporters (probably the ones who appear on his liberal show) pounded Romney for answers. He always favors pushy reporters with Romney, just not for Obama:
On FEMA, Romney’s now trying to have it both ways. Once he realized that, in light of Hurricane Sandy, his June 2011 pitch for transferring all responsibility to the states might come back to bite him in the behind, he quickly denied wanting to eliminate FEMA. Yet the very next day, he refused — 14 times! — to answer reporters’ questions about whether or not he would retain the agency.
But Romney didn’t fool New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Forced to choose between a president who offered disaster relief and a wannabe who thinks the federal government should get out of the disaster relief business, Christie didn’t hesitate to throw Romney under the bus. He realizes what a disaster it would be if states ravaged by a tornado or hurricane were left to cope on their own, with no federal help.
Hurricane Sandy reminds us what’s at stake in this election and how wrong Mitt Romney is in his disdain for government. The New York Times summed it up best: “A big storm requires big government.” There is no other way.
