The President’s response to Hurricane Sandy was important to 4 in 10 voters, according to a Fox News report; and of that group, two-thirds voted for re-election. The storm took Mitt Romney virtually out of the news for days. Republican pundits have complained especially about the visual effect of New Jersey’s Republican governor working shoulder-to-shoulder with the President after the storm.
It’s quite possible that these factors turned the election. If so, how should we think about them?
The storm was unique in our history; it was undeniably an act of God.
Whether or not Barack Obama had manipulative political intentions for working with Gov. Christie, I wouldn’t presume to say, and for the question I’m raising now it doesn’t matter. Whether the timing of the governor’s praise for the President was politically expedient or not, the fact is that is that he was practicing high-integrity leadership in placing hurricane relief above politics. Or so it appears from here, at any rate.
If an act of God and a Republican doing essentially the right thing contributed materially to a Democratic President’s re-election, we who believe in God and are social conservatives should be slow to assume that God’s will was thwarted yesterday.
As if it ever could be.
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For this week only, a generous supporter has offered to fully match all new and increased donations to First Things up to $60,000.
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