Wednesday's Daily Brief: Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts Begin

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 Arianna Huffington: How Hurricane Sandy Downgraded the Election and Upgraded Our Barn-Raising Spirit Arianna Huffington: Hurricane Sandy may have been downgraded from Category 2 after it barreled through the Caribbean, but it sure didn't feel like it. What was unmistakable, though, was how quickly and completely Sandy downgraded our election. As Sandy moved in, the election was almost literally moved off the map. But Sandy didn't just knock the campaign off the front pages; it transformed it as well. At a moment of extreme polarization, Mother Nature brought us together. Suddenly the artificial walls that our political process erects to separate us into little demographic micro-groups to make us believe we have no mutual interests got blown away by the massive hurricane. The collective effort, the we're-all-in-this-together spirit, has been great to see. But it shouldn't take a natural disaster to make us tap into our natural humanity. GREEN East Coast Assesses Damage After Sandy's Wrath IMPACT Hurricane Sandy Megastorm: How To Help POLITICS Romney Refuses To Talk About His FEMA Plans POLITICS New Polls Show Obama's Ohio Edge Holding WORLD Afghan Presidential Election Set For 2014 BLOG POSTS Al Gore: On Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy is a disturbing sign of things to come. We must heed this warning and act quickly to solve the climate crisis. Dirty energy makes dirty weather. Jamie Lee Curtis: Aftermess Yes, it was a super storm but we are a super society which is super because of our ability to help ourselves and each other. Mohamed A. El-Erian: Sandy's Market Impact -- From the Known to the Uncertain If history is a guide, and notwithstanding the significant devastation created by Hurricane Sandy, there should be limited expectation that even this stark situation will prompt Congress to take concerted and meaningful action. Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm: Ohioans Won't Be Fooled By 'Car Guy's' Desperate Car Lies Mitt Romney must realize that he has lost the industrial Midwest because he's completely lost a grip on reality. He's decided to throw a Hail Mary pass that will cause his already-struggling campaign to implode in Ohio. Robert Reich: Romney's Latest Lie, His Former Lies, and Why We Must Not Put Liars in the White House Lies like the latest from Mitt Romney, financed by deep pockets, are hard to refute, but they must be refuted. Otherwise, there is no accountability in our democracy.

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