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Did President Obama's handling of Hurricane Sandy's aftermath; Help his chances of re-election Hurt his chance of re-election Have no effect on his chances of re-election

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was Mitt Romney’s first choice as a running mate before Romney had a sudden change of heart and dumped him for Paul Ryan. Christie was miffed by Romney’s decision, particularly because he was led to believe in the weeks leading up to Ryan’s introduction that he would be joining Romney on the Republican presidential ticket, Politico reported, citing conversations with ‘campaign insiders.’

Living near the coast in the Northeast, I see the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy firsthand. Many have been without power for days; there are long lines at gas stations; some supermarket shelves are bare; and, more to the point here, some in vulnerable areas lost their homes. And because the storm is such a horrible, high-profile disaster, government aid to rebuild is in the offing. But should it be? This question may seem heartless. And, don't worry, you won't hear a politician asking it anytime soon, as doing so might very well cost him the next election. But political...

The power restoration came as gasoline supplies headed to coastal zones devastated by the record storm surge and to motorists whose patience has been tested by gasoline rationing during the painstaking effort to rebuild. With the U.S. presidential election just three days away, about 3 million homes and business remained without power in a region choked with storm debris and long gas lines reminiscent of the 1970s-era U.S. fuel shortage. Angry storm victims wondered when their lives would return to normal.

Angry residents pelted utility crews with eggs as they tried to restore power in Bridgeport, Conn., after the mayor claimed the local power company had "shortchanged" the state's largest city as it tries to recover from superstorm Sandy.

It's just too tempting to compare the media response to government relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the response to Sandy. The dichotomy is stark. ABC News: ***** The residents of Staten Island are pleading for help from elected officials, begging for gasoline, food and clothing three days after Sandy slammed the New York City borough. "We're going to die! We're going to freeze! We got 90-year-old people!" Donna Solli told visiting officials. "You don't understand. You gotta get your trucks down here on the corner now. It's been three days!" Staten Island was one of the...

A powerful new storm system is preparing to batter the East Coast next week, even as millions are still reeling from the devastation left by Superstorm Sandy. The nor’easter storm will bring snow and strong winter winds beginning Tuesday, Election Day, until Thursday. Most of the severe weather will hit northern New England – hundreds of miles north of where Sandy made landfall.

Power outages at hundreds of gas stations and a distribution bottleneck due to flooding damage and power loss has caused a gasoline shortage in the New York metropolitan area that may not be cleared up for at least a week, according to industry experts. What was a problem for drivers when Super Storm Sandy ended two days ago has become a nightmare for frazzled motorists who find themselves in gas lines that can stretch on for hours. Some lines were hundreds of cars long in sections of New Jersey and New York Thursday, and in a number of locations police...

I dare The Obama to come back to New Jersey, to visit our gas stations and tell us some more of his ideas about wind and solar and renewable energy -- and explain again why he killed the Keystone pipeline -- and talk about why he cancelled oil leases on federal lands -- and discuss why his rogue EPA has shut down oil refineries -- and remind us about his illegal moratorium on drilling in the Gulf ... I dare him, I say. In fact, I double dare him.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. - November 1, 2012 -- The Fun Town Pier in Seaside Heights is now a pile of twisted metal and broken rides lying on the beach as waves lap over it. It's one of two piers destroyed in hurricane Sandy where the iconic Ferris wheels seem to be the only thing left standing. It's hard to conceive of how long that could take. Seaside Heights and nearby towns are under martial law.

New Jersey Is Running Out Of Gasoline And Police Are On Hand Robert Johnson and Geoffrey IngersollNov. 1, 2012, 9:21 PMOnce free of the confines of storm stricken Manhattan, it doesn't take long to realize that traveling through New Jersey presents its own daunting set of problems. The first line of cars stretched along the highway for miles raises more questions than concerns, until it becomes clear that the three mile string of vehicles are all waiting for gasoline to continue on their way. Eighty percent of New Jersey stations don't even have gas, while police guard closed stations and...

At a press conference this morning on Staten Island, a host of local officials, including Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, gathered to highlight the needs of the hard-hit borough in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. And, although many pols spoke, no one was more impassioned than Borough President James Molinaro, who called the Red Cross an “absolute disgrace” and even urged the public to cease giving them contributions. “Because the devastation in Staten Island, the lack of a response,” Mr. Molinaro said to explain his comment to NBC after the press conference. “You know, I went to a shelter...

A wave a looters followed the Sandy storm surge in Coney Island, creating a double-whammy for business owners trying to pick up the obliterated pieces. The thieves started down Mermaid Avenue Tuesday morning as the chest-high water receded, turning the seaside community known for its hotdogs and tourist attractions into a lawless free-for-all. "People were running in and out of Rent-A-Center carrying these big flat screens. They were holding on tight," said witness Aisha John, 20. "I couldn't understand how someone could steal a big TV in broad daylight, but no one cared.” She said people were running out of...

State troopers have been dispatched to gas stations along the New Jersey turnpike to supervise Sandy survivors already shaken by the storm as authorities anticipate the tempers to grow as fuel supplies diminish. They are again being tested yet again by dangerously dwindling gas supplies amid massive blackouts, leftover from Monday’s killer storm. Throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, gas is running out, and many stations within the city are additionally crippled, as they have no power.

If you've been watching the coverage of Hurricane Sandy and wondering how to help, you'll have a chance to pitch in on Friday. "Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together," a benefit concert to aid victims of the storm that devastated the Northeast, will air at 8 p.m. ET on the networks of NBC Universal. Money collected will be donated to the American Red Cross relief efforts. The special will air Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, USA Network, SyFy, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, E!, Style Network, G4 and more. It will also be live streamed on NBC.com.

New York taxi and car service companies started pulling vehicles off the road on Thursday as the fuel crunch deepened, with the vast majority of storm-hit service stations in the greater New York area now out of gasoline or without power. Outages and fuel shortages have forced many gasoline stations to shut, and now threaten efforts in New York and New Jersey to get back to business after Hurricane Sandy. Large numbers of homes and businesses that have lost power are also reliant on gasoline- or diesel-run generators, including many of the Wall Street banks in lower Manhattan.

Closing the nation’s big stock exchanges for two days thanks to Sandy isn’t the end of the world — indeed, yesterday’s reopening of trading was largely uneventful, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing largely unchanged with normal volume. But what if something worse had hit, a terror attack or some other disaster that meant a more prolonged delay of trading on a major US market? The answer: It won’t be pretty. Capitalism doesn’t quite cease without the stock markets in operation, but it comes pretty damn close. And it could happen, because Sandy just exposed the sad fact that,...

Tempers Flare: Residents Complain Government Is Too Slow Distributing Food And Supplies Mac Slavo October 31st, 2012 Hurricane Sandy made landfall just 36 hours ago and already we’ve received reports of looting in hard-hit areas with some people brazenly taking to Twitter to post pictures of their new found wealth. Ahead of the storm panic buying left grocery and hardware store shelves empty as concerned residents stocked up on food, water, batteries, flashlights, and generators. With the run on supplies over the weekend, tens of thousands of people were inevitably left without essential survival items due to shortages across the...

A group of 5 thugs took advantage of the empty streets of NYC. The victim was a man who had his wallet and phone taken. As they leave, one of the perpetrators appears to stand on the victims head as the group departs.

Gov. Martin O’Malley called Hurricane Sandy a “violent storm” and ordered Marylanders off roads and highways because deaths may occur. Sandy is expected to bring wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour and dump as much as eight inches of rain between Monday and Wednesday — making it one of the most powerful storms in Maryland in recent memory. O'Malley said the storm will be "unlike any storm we've had to weather." “Hurricane Sandy is going to come over Maryland, she’s going to sit on top of Maryland and beat on Maryland for a good 24 to 36...