We have been awestruck by the massive destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The devastation in Atlantic City, the carnage in Seaside Heights and the war zone that once was Breezy Point are incredible. Reports this morning estimate that damages will reach $50 billion dollars; second only to Hurricane Katrina’s $106 billion.
As the storm dissipates and the focus turns from rescue to what will most certainly be a long and arduous recovery, we are mindful of the political rhetoric that played out before the storm came crashing down on the east coast.
We heard a lot of talk from small government conservatives about the evils of big government. We heard a lot of talk about reducing the size of government. We heard about defunding FEMA and repealing the collective bargaining rights of public employees. We heard about the need cut government programs and reduce government spending. We heard about the evils of the redistribution of wealth. And last but certainly not least, we heard small government conservatives talk about “I” and “My” and how government was infringing on our individual rights.
We haven’t heard a lot from small government conservatives the past few days. As the devastating realities of Hurricane Sandy come to light they seem strangely quiet.
Oh, there are some, like the Wall Street Journal who believe that Obama and the federal government should stay out of the Hurricane Sandy fray because: “Energetic governors and mayors are best equipped to handle disaster relief because they know their cities and neighborhoods far better than the fed ever will.” But that’s not what we are hearing from the governors and mayors whose states and cities have been impacted by the storm.
New Jersey has been the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is a fiscally conservative Republican and avowed supporter of Governor Romney. In fact Governor Christie gave the keynote address at the Republican National Convention that handed Romney the party’s nomination. By all accounts Governor Christie is a straight shooter; a man willing to put principle ahead of politics. When FOX NEWS asked Christie if Governor Romney would be touring the storm damage; Christie said he had no interest. He said that with all the damage and destruction his state is facing at this moment anyone who thinks he gives a damn about presidential politics doesn’t know him very well.
But Governor Christie has been effusive in his praise of the president and of FEMA for their professionalism and support in helping him and his citizens through this difficult time. He has called upon the National Guard and Army Corps of Engineers for assistance. In fact Christie will be touring the storm damage with the president today.
So why is Christie touring the area with the president after having dissed any notion of a similar event with his chosen candidate, Mitt Romney? Because the president will provide huge sums of money, manpower and support that will help Christie rebuild his state. Romney brings nothing more than a photo op and a traffic jam.
Everyone knows that if the president and FEMA were not making a substantive contribution to Christie’s recovery efforts, Christie would tell them to go to hell in a heartbeat.
Austerity measures can have grave consequences. Imagine the citizens of New Jersey left to bear the brunt and cost of Hurricane Sandy on their own. Governor Christie gets it. But many conservatives don’t.
This is what happens when radical ideology and reckless rhetoric meet the real world. The firemen that small government conservatives wanted to lay off are the same ones who pulled people from their burning homes in Breezy Point. The first responders who risked their lives to air lift trapped homeowners in Atlantic City out of harm’s way were the same one’s whose pensions small government conservatives wanted to cut. And those EMT’s and paramedics who rescued at risk infants from New York city hospitals when their generators quit are the same one whose collective bargaining rights small government conservatives couldn’t wait terminate.
Our guess is that none of those firefighters, first responders, EMT’s or paramedics were asking victims if they were members of the Tea Party.
America works better when federal, state and local governments work hand in hand…neighbor helping neighbor…friends and family helping each other. The collective “WE” always works better than the isolated “I.”
Are we using Hurricane Sandy to engage in a bit of political demagoguery? Damn right! Because we remember the conservative rhetoric that would leave the state of New Jersey on its own.
So to all our conservative friends who believe that the federal government doesn’t fix problems…it IS the problem.
To all those who kneel at the alter of Grover Nordquist and want to "reduce government to the size that you could drown it in a bathtub."
As you look down from your lofty perch at the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy remember these words:
Perhaps “you DID build that”...
So to all our conservative friends who believe that the federal government doesn’t fix problems…it IS the problem.
To all those who kneel at the alter of Grover Nordquist and want to "reduce government to the size that you could drown it in a bathtub."
As you look down from your lofty perch at the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy remember these words:
Perhaps “you DID build that”...
...but you’re sure has hell going to need the government to help you rebuild it.
Don't believe us...ask the victims.
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