President Barack Obama hugs North Point Marina owner Donna Vanzant as he tours the damage in Brigantine, N.J. At …Just
six days before the election, President Barack Obama toured
storm-ravaged areas with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He told Garden
State residents struggling in the superstorm's aftermath that all of
America shares their pain—and their government is there to help.
"The main message I wanted to
send is the entire country has been watching what's been happening,"
Obama said Wednesday during a visit to the Brigantine Beach Community
Center. "Everybody knows how hard Jersey's been hit."
("Except my boss," shouted Michael Henshaw, 32, a Brigantine resident
who works at an insurance company. "Well, except your boss. If you need
me to call, you let me know," Obama replied, drawing laughter from the
room. That exchange, and many of the details in this post, are from pool
reporter Reid Epstein of Politico.)The White House told reporters that during the worst of the storm's devastation 200 people were sleeping in the center's gym, though that number has dropped to 50. The center still serves as a spot for people to get meals and take hot showers.
Obama traveled to New Jersey, which bore the brunt of the storm's wrath, with Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Craig Fugate. The president and Christie—an outspoken Mitt Romney backer—traded praise over the response to the devastating storm.
"I want to just let you know that
your governor is working overtime to make sure that as soon as possible
everybody can get back to normal," said Obama. "We are going to be here
for the long haul. We're going to not tolerate any red tape. We're not
going to tolerate any bureaucracy."
Christie, wearing a blue polar
fleece jacket with "CHRIS CHRISTIE GOVERNOR" in white letters over his
heart, echoed Obama's message.
"I just want to tell all of you
exactly what the president just said. I know he means it," Christie
said. "I want to thank the president for coming here today. It's really
important to have the president of the United States acknowledge all the
suffering that's going on here in New Jersey, and I appreciate it very
much. We're going to work together to make sure we get ourselves through
this crisis and get everything back to normal. Thank you for coming,
sir."
Aides say the president is focused on doing his job, not on the
election, but the governor's praise and the seemingly smooth federal
response to the storm could help him in his neck-and-neck race with
Romney.Obama and Christie took an aerial tour of some of the destruction aboard the president's Marine One helicopter before the visit to Brigantine.
In brief public remarks afterward, the governor had said of the president, "He has sprung into action immediately to help. He has worked incredibly closely with me since before the storm hit.
"It's been a great working
relationship to make sure that we're doing the jobs that people elected
us to do, and I cannot thank the president enough for his personal
concern and compassion for our state and the people of our state."
(He also joked about those who
ignored his "admonition to get the hell out of here. You are forgiven
this time, but not for much longer.")
Obama returned the praise, saying
Christie had been "responsive" and "aggressive" even before "this
incredible storm. ... The people of New Jersey recognize that he has put
his heart and soul into making sure that the people of New Jersey
bounce back even stronger than before. So I just want to thank him for
his extraordinary leadership and partnership."
The president added that "because of some good preparation, the loss of life was kept lower than it might have been."
He then offered his "thoughts and prayers" to those who lost loved ones. "I speak for the whole country," he said.
Both men cited the urgent need to restore power to the vast areas that lost it during the storm.
Obama, who canceled campaign
events on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to take charge of the federal
response, said he had instituted a "15-minute rule" for returning
telephone calls from governors and mayors. "If they need something,
we'll figure out a way to say 'yes,'" the president said.
"We will not quit until this is done," he promised.
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