Obligatory Election-Related WTF Team Romney Post

This is someone from Team Romney defending a bit of FEMA-bashing that Mitt Romney did in a debate last year, where he proposed that states take over in disaster situations (like states wouldn't also have to use tax money--and that in a big enough disaster covering several states they'd easily be able to a) do what is needed themselves and b) possibly coordinate with other states--logistic nightmare!):



The money-quote:

Most people don’t have a positive impression of FEMA and I think Mitt Romney was right on the button. But I don’t think anybody cares about that right now. I think people care about whether or not their power’s on, whether or not their basement’s going to be flooded. And I think that if the president gets too far in front of this and something goes wrong, people are going to remember, hey, my power’s not out, and the president’s talking about FEMA. I’m not a real big fan of FEMA. That could sway their vote.

I'm already pretty well turned-off on Team Romney for their wallowing in glee over their ability to use the terror attack in Benghazi as a campaign issue. But my read on this comment is "We'll make this Obama's Katrina see if we don't."

Look, I don't think this natural disaster will be resolved come Election Day, and there will definitely be tragedies and deprivations and I can't sugar-coat that--on the other hand, I want someone at the helm when shit's going south who believes in the mission of trying to do government right, because they genuinely believe that government can. And it's not because of some mystical faith in the power of Big Gov'm't, but rather, because of a belief in the power of people coming together to do what we need to do. The alternative is unthinkable to me--but not unimaginable.

I don't think people who can really say they are against FEMA because it doesn't poll well can do government well. I don't think people who can say "Leave it to the states" or worse yet "Leave it to private, for-profit agencies" can do government well. And yet sometimes, we do need it done well.  And that is another good argument for Obama.

UPDATE:

Just check this out about Romney basically still campaigning today in the midst of the natural disaster:

Romney’s event is bad enough – claiming it’s a “storm relief event” in Ohio, where he’ll just happen to be speaking and press has been invited.  (Why do you need press? Same reader Romney needed press on his trip to Israel.  It’s always about Romney.) 

But Paul Ryan’s event takes the cake.  Paul Ryan will be “visiting” two storm relief efforts in Wisconsin to “thank” volunteers – it sounds like he’s actually visiting campaign offices that are somehow doing something for hurricane relief. It seems they didn’t learn their earlier lesson about impeding storm relief efforts by holding these phony events that don’t address the real needs of the disaster relief agencies: money.

But pay attention to what his message is whilst he's calling his campaigning a "relief effort":

"We're counting on Ohio," Romney continued. "I know the people of the Atlantic Coast are counting on Ohio and the rest of our states, but I also think the people of the entire nation are counting on Ohio because my guess is, my guess is if Ohio votes me in as President, I'll be the next president of the United States." 

Romney's remarks on the storm came at the end of his stump speech here this morning, and are indicative of the delicate balance the GOP challenger must maintain between keeping up a campaign predicated in no small part on criticizing the record of President Barack Obama, and not looking opportunistic or unconcerned about the impact of a potentially devastating weather event affecting a large portion of the country.

Yep--a stump steech with an appeal to maybe give a little something, but the most helpful folks? The swing state that might make him president. Seriously, Mitt Romney?   You being president is the most important thing to people about to get fucking flooded?

Have. No. Family-friendly. Language. To Describe. This.