Candidates Careful Not to ‘Blow’ Tragedy Out of Proportion

The presidential candidates appear uncertain of how to respond to the turmoil caused by Hurricane Sandy. Their reactions to this natural disaster will provide voters an opportunity to judge the character and moral fibre of their candidates; an important aspect of the election.  As the election date draws nearer, this unsuspected twist in the campaign has caused both the incumbent and the challenger to modify their campaign agendas.  At such a pivotal point in the election process, both campaigns are treading carefully around the tragedy of the hurricane, in an attempt to win over the electorate.

            Indeed, the public is anxious to know how the candidates will react.  As party based notions of voting have been declining since the 1950’s, the impact of direct actions of candidates becomes more relevant (Barry et. al 226).  The current candidate-centered ideology places increased value on character of a candidate rather than their policies or partisanship (Barry et. al 223). This shift in values, magnified by the last-minute nature of the event, leaves both candidates in a precarious situation. 

            The campaign managers of both candidates realize they are under much public scrutiny and pressure.  This is evident in the expedient changes implemented to the Obama and Romney campaigns.

            While the Romney campaign is continuing with its campaign in Ohio, it modified its rally to act as a fundraiser for hurricane victims (Lemire).  Although this may at first glance appear innocent, the changes could be a ploy to attract sympathy from voters affected by the hurricane.  The rally starkly contrasted hurricane aid with the usual republican videos and anti-Obama T-shirts in the crowd (Barbaro, Shear).  Perhaps just the work of steadfast republicans, the intermingling of the two separate causes detracted from solemnity of the issue, and made the hurricane aid seem a rushed addition to a rehearsed act.

                                                                                (Crowly)

Both Romney and Obama must be careful to avoid “playing politics with tragedy”(Lemire) as such a moral taboo would reflect poorly on the candidate (Barry et. al 223).  If either candidate were perceived by the public to be consciously using the hurricane to their advantage, it would result in weaker support at the polls as suggested by the notions of candidate-centered elections. This presents a delicate situation in which candidates must gingerly support the victims of the hurricane without appearing over-zealous.

President Obama’s campaign is taking a different approach in reaction to Hurricane Sandy. Deferring to his role as president, the incumbent cancelled his rally in the swing-state of Ohio, choosing instead to discuss the government’s aid effort in the Situation Room (Dickerson).  The president spoke to this campaign decision this during a briefing, saying that he was “not worried at this point about the impact on the election”, but rather the safety of Americans (qtd in Dickerson).

This admirable action of adhering to presidential duties during such a pivotal time in the campaign has a dual purpose; it highlights his good-natured and caring character while he is temporarily removed from the campaign, and advocates the value of his character, which will increase his popularity (Barry et. al 223).  However, this tactic remains a double-edged sword, which could prove fatal to the incumbent if the electorate suspects he is stepping away from his planned schedule merely to gain attention and public favor.

Although both presidential campaigns reacted differently to the hurricane, both strategies revolved around promoting the candidates personal qualities. Due to this candidate-centered approach, the importance of both parties’ platforms and proposed policies are being undermined.  This is a reason both candidates will appear to act virtuously and with seemingly selfless intent for hurricane victims for the remainder of the campaign.

With little time remaining, it is responses of these politicians, not their policies, which will have the greater impact. The strongest short-term force that can affect an election is the candidates’ attributes (Barry et. al 223).  The sudden hurricane forces both unprepared candidates onto a public stage to try and out-perform one another, but they must be careful to keep a somber undertone in all their undertakings in order to appear earnest.

Barbaro, Michael, and Michael D. Shear. "Storm Pushes Aside Presidential Politics, Mostly." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/politics/storm-pushes-presidential-race-from-spotlight.html?_r=0>.

Barry, Jeffrey M, Jerry Goldman, Kevin W. Hula, and Kenneth Janda. The Challenge of

Democracy American Government in Global Politics. United States: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.

Cooper, Michael. "Hurricane Sandy Brings Obstacles Before Election." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/politics/hurricane-sandy-brings-obstacles-before-election.html>.

Crowley, Stephen. 2012. Photograph. The New York Times, n.p.

Dickerson, John. "Today Hurricane Sandy Is the Most Important Woman in the Swing States." Slate Magazine. Slate MAgazine, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/10/hurricane_sandy_barack_obama_and_mitt_romney_are_trying_to_navigate_the.html>.

Lemire, Jonathan. "Hurricane Sandy Plunges Presidential Race into Uncertainty." NY Daily News. Daily News, 30 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election-2012/election-uncertain-wake-sandy-article-1.1194976>.