The Romney campaign underscored for media this week that disaster relief funds will never be an issue for those in need. Pointed questions were raised in the wake of Hurricane Sandy stemming from a discussion between the two presidential candidates more than a year earlier over the role of the federal government in disaster relief and whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) budget should be cut.
Wall Street Journal columnist Karl Rove predicted a win for GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney in his column Wednesday night, with a comfortable although fairly close win. Rove, a Republican strategist, wrote, “Sometime after the cock crows on the morning of Nov. 7, Mitt Romney will be declared America's 45th president. Let's call it 51%-48%, with Mr. Romney carrying at least 279 Electoral College votes, probably more.”
Both candidates suspended their regular campaign schedules to address the issues raised by the superstorm over the past several days. As President Barack Obama was touring disaster sites and assuring the affected states there would be federal aid, Romney was also busy transforming a political rally in Ohio into a storm relief effort and encouraging supporters to bring canned goods and other supplies for victims of Hurricane Sandy.
"We won't be able to solve all the problems with our effort this morning,” Romney said to those gathered as he hefted a box on to a table. “One of the things you learn in life is you make the difference you can, and you can't always solve all the problems yourself.”
As the issue of how the candidate would have handled the Frankenstorm crisis returned to the fore in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Romney campaign immediately hastened to respond with a statement to the media.
"Gov. Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions,” said spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg. "As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities, and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.
“A Romney-Ryan administration will always ensure that disaster funding is there for those in need. Period.”