Swing state campaigning in the eastern United States in the last desperate days before the election has been interrupted by a freak, once-a-century weather event exacerbated by a global crisis barely mentioned in the race to become the most powerful person on the planet.
60 million Americans are likely to be impacted by the storm in some way, with several hundred thousand being evacuated from low lying areas susceptible to storm surges and flooding.
Here in New York, the Mayor is holding press conferences every few hours to share the latest on school closures, transport closures, emergency shelters and other precautions. Parts of New York City have been evacuated, and there is a real risk that the storm surge will flood the city subways, so all bus and train services have been suspended. The wind outside could be ominously foreshadowing the destruction to come. Or it could just be wind.
President Obama has been actively managing the situation, and has canceled several events that would, among other things, divert the attention of emergency services personnel needed elsewhere. Governor Romney too has cancelled events in Virginia, for the same reason. This is the real deal, not a 2008 McCain-style faux suspension of the campaign to manage a crisis.
How will the election be affected? Commentators are feverishly speculating. It’ll lower voter turnout. It’ll reduce the effectiveness of the Obama team’s early vote campaign. It’ll allow the President to look more authoritative, more “presidential”. It’ll divert media attention away from Romney’s stalled momentum. It’ll divert media attention away from Romney’s gathering momentum. People will be less likely to vote for an incumbent after a long power blackout (my favourite). The race will solidify because the campaigns will be unable to generate any more cut through. It’ll take Obama out of campaigning in Ohio, putting it back in play.
There’s a great Twitter list of leading election commentators here that is well worth following.
I have stocked up on essentials and bunkered down in Brooklyn with fellow Australian Hayley Conway. We will be tweeting (@ConwayH & @DavidParis) an Australian Frankenstorm experience, for those interested/bored.
