Voters will be watching how Mitt Romney and Barack Obama respond to Hurricane Sandy. Photo / AP
Opinion
On November 4, 1979, when Jimmy Carter's presidency depended on gaining the freedom of the US hostages held by Iranian student militants, he was unable to achieve this goal even when it looked like the Iranians were ready to yield.
Ronald Reagan pounced on this failure and Carter lost. A
few months later, the hostages were released after Reagan assumed the presidency. In 1992, George H.W. Bush, fresh from victory in "Desert Storm", enjoyed a 95 per cent approval rating. But by October 19, the US was in a mild recession and upstart Bill Clinton was driven by the famous words, "It's the economy stupid". Bush was finished.
US political legend holds that there will be an incident, a surprise in late October in a presidential election year, which will separate the candidates at a point where one moves so far ahead that he wins by more votes than anyone anticipates. Is Hurricane Sandy the 2012 October surprise for Obama?
Given the close race, it will take a deciding deed or moment for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney to pull away in the last dash to victory. There is no doubt Sandy is a political storm and not just a weather event.
The memory of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is still clear to American voters. The inability of George W. Bush to lead in that crisis sealed the fate of the Republican Party candidate, no matter who it was going to be. Now, Mr Obama is facing his October event. In almost any other election, this event would be an inconvenience for voters and not the deciding moment for the President or his challenger. But this year is different.
