Hurricane Sandy to sideline Obama

After Hurricane Sandy forced changes to Mitt Romney's and Joe Biden's schedules, the White House announced late Saturday night that President Obama will forgo campaigning during the height of the storm.

On Monday, Mr. Obama will attend a previously scheduled campaign event in Orlando, Fla., with former President Bill Clinton and one in Youngstown, Ohio, but, instead of continuing on to events in the battleground states of Virginia Monday night and Colorado on Tuesday, he "will return to the White House to continue to monitor Hurricane Sandy, which is currently forecasted to make landfall along the Eastern seaboard" late Monday, the White House announced in a statement.

Play Video

Millions brace for Sandy's arrival

"The President is being regularly updated on the storm and ongoing preparations, and he has directed his team to continue to bring all available resources to bear as state and local partners continue to prepare for the storm," the statement continued.

"FEMA has already deployed teams and has pre-staged resources to potentially affected states and areas ahead of the storm, and FEMA remains in close contact with emergency responders in states up and down the East coast to ensure there are no unmet needs," the statement read. "The President will continue to receive regular briefings on these efforts, and has made clear that he expects his team to continue to lean forward as Hurricane Sandy approaches."

Saturday, Romney's campaign announced that his campaign events scheduled in Virginia for today were cancelled due to the storm's impending effect on the region and, instead, he will join his running mate, Paul Ryan, at Ryan's previously scheduled events in Ohio.

• Hurricane Sandy forces Romney to cancel Va. campaign swing
• Dire forecast as Hurricane Sandy approaches

On Friday, the Obama campaign announced that Vice President Biden would not campaign Saturday in Virginia Beach as planned. Later, following the news that the University of New Hampshire would close for the storm, first lady Michelle Obama cancelled her Tuesday visit to the Durham, N.H., campus.

[marmatkat]

Check out the Republican efforts to cut funding for, guess what?

"When Republicans retook the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, they made deep cuts in the President Barack Obama's 2011 request for the Polar Joint Satellite System, a system of new satellites needed to replace the old ones, which currently provide 85 percent of the data used in hurricane forecasting. House Republicans proposed further deep cuts in the program in fiscal year 2012.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Director Jane Lubchenco called the cuts "insanity." She said that failure to fund the satellites would create a significant gap between the time the existing satellites failed and the new system became serviceable. Lubchenco said that the gap would be like "going backwards in 20 years' time" in hurricane forecasting."

[clb2012now]

I don't want to see the President's face until he is ready to disclose or not disclose whether he sent help to the 4 American's in Libya. Obama could announce that he gave the order to kill Osama Bin Laden the same day. Yet won't admit whether or not he ordered assistance to rescue Americans. Should the firemen and policemen not have gone into the towers on 9/11/2001 cause they didn't know what was happening in the buildings?

[nearl451]

Well, unlike Romney, the President has responsibilities and a job to do.

What we are unsure of is how political Romney will make the disaster, undercutting Federal and State and volunteer efforts to recover from it.

Who knows....maybe the kindler, gentler Mitt will show up and applaud the efforts of FEMA and the volunteers AND the President (well I can dream can't I?).

[nearl451]

Or... maybe Ryan/Romney will revert to the "who needs FEMA anyway" routine, instead advocating States and locales take care of their own.

I guess we'll see the strategy by Wednesday Morning.

Stay Tuned, 'cause it may even be some other recreation that appears.

[ingunejoe]

well yes he does, but he hasn't been doing much of it lately. Too busy campaigning and being on talk shows. Flawed logic that he would jump a plane to campaign and do the "View" and the "Letterman Show after 4 Americans were killed in a terrorist attack, but cancel plans due to a storm. But hey at least he is doing a small part of his job.

[kycwtn]

What is a SHAME is that a Consulate attack in Benghazi where four Americans were killed and our Embassies were under attack around the world didn't "sideline' Obama for a second! Nope on to Vegas and then a party with Beyonce and JZ and don't forget Letterman! Got to go see Letterman! I wonder if the pilot of Air Force One knows how to get to Washington?

[Dewey-Boo-Guy]

Apparently you missed the part of the third debate where Romney made the same false statement. If was informed that Pres. Obama was at the White House the next day calling the attack an act of terrorism. The SHAME is on your group of people who perpetuate falsehoods when you know the truth.

[msimamaji]

Lest we forget, FEMA is still in operation.

Don't believe a word Romney says. He's nothing more than a con-artist. He was hand-picked by the Koch Brothers, Karl Rove and the Wall Street Banksters because of his ability to con the public.

When the GOP takes over, they will eliminate FEMA. That's the truth Romney won't tell you.
You cannot give the military 2 trillion dollars, tax cuts to billionaire "job-creators" so that they can off-shore jobs, and start a war with Iran - and fund FEMA. The math simply does not add up. So if we turn this country over to the GOP, we can kiss FEMA good-by.



With the GOP running the country, Sandy will be historic in an entirely new way. It will be the last natural disaster with FEMA stepping in to help the victims.

I will also point out that extreme weather is one of the by-products of global climate change - so in the future, we can expect more disasters like Sandy.

Sandy is a reminder to us all. We need to re-hire President Obama and to fire the entire lyin'-Ryan, Shifty-Mitty GOP.

[RollotheNorman]

LOL, lets play RepubliCON for a moment: Karl Rove's first name is spelled just like Karl Marx! Therefore Rove must be a Marxist-Leninist! There's your RepubliCON logic.

[Jeepster44]

Benghazi!!!!!!

[abbe91]

My pet goat

[bubbarush]

So the Des Moines REGISTER is owned by BAIN CAPITAL = MITT ROMNEY.
Funny how the news media covers that up, doesn't report it.

[eroteme2]

Obama going to Washington! Wonder if he will go to the White House, if so wonder if he will be able to find his Oval Office.

[crankyoleman]

Samew old vitriol here, nothing new and no facts to chew on. Sad part is this election has boiled down to choosing who is the better liar. They both have been working overtime at spreading disinofrmation.

[eroteme2]

Great political move!