WASHINGTON – There is much being said and written about the interaction between Governor Chris Christie and President Obama after they toured the New Jersey devastation left in Sandy’s wake. However, it boils down to what’s required in an emergency situation when two people have a job to do and they put people first. We’ve just not seen an example of this in so long too many forgot what it looked like.
Between Jeffrey Goldberg asking why Christie is “subverting” Mitt Romney, and Andrew Sullivan asking why Christie has “embraced” Obama, you get an example of the worst of media missing the story unfolding right before their eyes.
It’s incredible to me professionals whose job it is to analyze politics can’t factor in the human element in a moment of epic tragedy that wipes everything else away.
Governor Christie is allying himself with President Obama because the people of his state need him to work with the federal government in every way to recover from a storm that destroyed New Jersey as we’ve always known it.
The Washington Post:
“Obviously, the top priority right now is to get the power back on,” Obama told residents at a community center being used as a shelter in Brigantine, N.J., with Christie (R) at his side. “And as soon as we get power back on … then obviously there is going to be some cleanup and there are going to be some expenses…. I just want you to know that we’re going to be here for the long haul.”
[…] “It’s really important to have the president of the United States acknowledge all the suffering that’s going on here in New Jersey, and I appreciate it very much,” Christie said. “We’re going to work together to make sure we get ourselves through this crisis and get everything back to normal.”
… He said Christie “has put his heart and soul into making sure that the people of New Jersey bounce back even stronger than before.” Thanks to good preparations, “the loss of life was kept lower than it might have been,” Obama said. “But for those individual families, obviously their world has been torn apart.”
President Obama and Governor Chris Christie did what they had to do in a situation that required men to step up and get down to business. It’s stunning we’re in such bad shape in this country that we can’t recognize leadership on the federal and state level for exactly what it is and actually be grateful for the anomaly.
We witnessed the best of America in what happened for a few brief moments between Obama and Christie. It was a sight for weary eyes, because none of us had seen something like this in a very long time.
Taylor Marsh, a veteran political analyst and former Huffington Post contributor, is the author of The Hillary Effect, available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon. Her new-media blog www.taylormarsh.com covers national politics, women and power.