The Ugly Politics of a Tragedy

New Jersey and Parts of New York City are quite literally a disaster area.  Hospitals are without power after the back-up systems also failed.  The National Guard had to carry the patients out to relocate them to another hospital that can give them care.  There is little power, train stations are flooded, tracks are littered with debris (such as boats), some track is simply missing.  There are people in  New Jersey that have lost most of what they own.  Think about that, all their family photos, mementos, their keepsakes of people who have passed away; things that can never be replaced.

Chris Christie is being given sh*t about saying that President Obama has been available and given him the resources he needs to help the citizens of his state rebuild their lives.  I am floored.  This is how far people are willing to go to play politics days before a presidential election?  A very sad state of affairs, very sad.  No, it is shameful.

While of course going to survey the damage is nothing more than a photo-op, but the reality is this; had he not gone and done that photo-op he would be lambasted for that.  Sadly, we have gotten to the point in this country that no matter who is president when these tragedies take place they are a in a no-win situation; damned if they show up, damned if they don't.

Tucker Carlson has gone as far as to say that Christie can't stand Romney and he is saying this to get back at him for some reason that he doesn't clearly define.  Others have said he is positioning himself for a run for the presidency in 2016, therefore it is in his interests for Governor Romney to lose.

It wasn't all that long ago that people were talking about Christie was going to be the VP pick, and what a mistake that would be.  Christie was a supporter of Mitt early on, giving him calls of RINO for turning his back on the more conservative candidates.

Lets look at the facts, Christie has travelled around the country to campaign for Mitt.  It seems to me that people are taking their hatred of President Obama out on Christie.  The truth of the matter is, the president does very little when it comes to a disaster.  Most of the work is done on the state level.  The president signs a declaration of major disaster that allows FEMA to start flowing federal money into the state.  But the real work is done by NGO's such as The Red Cross, The United Way, and countless others.  The calls for the National Guard comes at the state level.  The federal government can do nothing without permission at the state level (Remember Gov. Blanco during Katrina dragging her heals?).

Yes, there is an election in five days.  Yes, I personally believe that President Obama being re-elected would be a horrible for this country.  Yes, Governor Christie is not a conservative.  None of that changes the facts that we should be thinking about the people who are living in the aftermath of the storm before we think about the politics of it all.

I think that the people who are criticizing Christie who is dealing with an overwhelming situation should STFU.  He is the one that is walking around looking at the affected areas with the residents and listening to their tears and stories of grief.  I watched a little of it on the news yesterday and I had tears streaming down my face watching this woman talk about the things from her deceased husband and son that were lost.  She is devastated.  While it is true that she should be grateful that she survived, it doesn't make her loss any easier to deal with.  Her emotions are raw.

I was appalled at how the left politicized Katrina and turned President Bush into a murderer and uncaring monster to score political points. I am equally appalled that it seems the right is bound and determined to do something similar to Governor Christie for simply saying that President Obama has helped to give him the resources he needs.

This is not about politics.  This is about a tragedy of almost biblical proportions.  Real people are in pain, almost sixty people lost their lives, the temperatures in that area are dropping in the overnight, and these people are without heat and basic necessities.  The water systems are not working correctly in some areas, which can cause major health problems.  People are living in makeshift shelters, trying to get over the trauma of losing most of what they own.  There will be people who will be unable to work and will not get paid.  In these times when people are already struggling to pay the bills, think of the long-term effects that can have on their lives.

Get over yourselves.  This isn't about politics, this is about helping your fellow-man.  If you are unable to help, then the least you can do is shut up.  This is a time to come together and do what we can to help those who have lost everything.

Instead of complaining, donate to The Red Cross here.

This has just furthered my belief that politics are ugly and downright inhumane.