With the pre-election spin from Republicans putting the blame for Romney's loss squarely on Sandy, I think it's time for us Democrats to jump on this bandwagon and agree -- and make this argument on our own terms.
Perhaps Sandy did help Romney lose -- but not because Sandy was some random event completely out of Romney's control, and that no matter what Obama did, he was going to benefit from a devastating storm. That's nuts!
The reason Sandy was so bad for Romney was because of how he'd staked out extremely public positions that turned out to be completely, totally and painfully wrong. And after Sandy, everyone knew it.
1. There has been a tremendous amount of discussion about Sandy being worsened because of climate change. So, many people asked themselves anew: which candidate gives this country and our planet the best chance to fight against climate change?
2. Sandy reminds us that the federal government has a role to play. When you see cities devastated, houses burning, people losing everything, and some even losing loved ones, people might well ask themselves: Which candidate believes that the role of the federal government should not be weakened and should, in fact, be part of the solution?
3. Calling to cut off funding to FEMA does not really square with the reality that we need FEMA. Very charitably, maybe, Romney was remembering a time when that fine agency was headed by a political flunky. But with someone in charge of FEMA who actually knows what he/she is doing -- FEMA really does do a heck of a job.
4. One candidate emphasizes that we should sink or swim on our own (as it turns out, quite literally). The other candidate believes we are all in this together. Which message resonated best over the past week?
5. People, naturally, assess how each candidate handles the days before and after a crises. One candidate returns to campaigning. The other candidate manages the aftermath.
Perhaps this last point is "unfair", given how it is one candidate's job to manage the aftermath. But there was nothing Romney could do? He could not tour the damage, comfort victims, spend a day actually volunteering rather than pretending to volunteer? That was impossible for a candidate for President of the United States? Really?
If Romney had faced reality through the course of his campaign -- that we need to fight climate change (something that should be a "conservative" value!), that the government is not inherently bad, that a well-run FEMA is a necessity, that we are all in this together, that a person like himself can genuinely help and not just pretend to help via a photo-op -- he might have come across as someone worthy of putting your faith in.
When in fact the exact opposite of all of this is true, people can't help but reach the exact opposite conclusion: that such a candidate should not be making decisions about how to run our government.
So, yes, Sandy contributed to Romney's defeat: because Sandy showed us, with crystal clarity, how wrong Romney would be for our great nation.