The candidates did what they should have done: They suspended campaign appearances and appealed for contributions to the Red Cross. But the political industrial complex, already in motion for next Tuesday’s election, could not demobilize so quickly. …
The Sunday-show roundtables switched seamlessly to meteorological punditry. NBC’s David Gregory identified Hurricane Sandy as the “October surprise.” CNN’s Candy Crowley quizzed David Axelrod on the political consequences of Virginia being “more or less paralyzed by weather.” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos grilled Stephanie Cutter on the same. …
Nobody did more hurricane war-gaming than Politico, which examined every possible political permutation: It could help Obama in Virginia and Ohio; it could hurt Obama in Virginia and Ohio; it could blunt the impact of political ads; it could magnify the impact of political ads; it could make Obama look presidential; it could magnify any Obama mistake; it could stop Romney’s momentum; it could complicate Obama’s “ground game”; it could help New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2016 presidential bid.
In other words: Nobody had any idea.
