As Hurricane Sandy’s destructive winds hurdled waves up and down the coast of New Jersey the past few days, a new aura of agreement has arisen between President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The New York Times has a photo of the two men — who often reside at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum — walking side by side in an effort to clean up the mess that is now New Jersey.
As many are probably well aware, this crisis event is creating a “rally around the flag” response from politicians. The partisan qualms that have kept Christie away from President Obama, and next to candidate Mitt Romney, have been thrown out the window.
The reaction to Sandy is similar to the September 11 terrorist attacks that brought the Republicans and Democrats together in 2001. But I wonder how long the bipartisan nature will last, and how large of a crisis it would take to cause a permanent shift in the parties.
Events like the Gabby Giffords shooting and the Aurora, Colorado movie theater attack didn’t seem to do the trick, but a natural disaster with a long recovery could instill some long-term relationships.
Although the country wishes those along the east coast a fast recovery, we cannot forget what Mayor Rahm Emanuel once famously warned — never let a serious crisis go to waste.
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Interested in more on polarization? Check out my first story in a three part series tomorrow morning at IowaWatch.org.
The Path to Polarization: The existence of a “culture war” has become common thought in America, but is the war real? Stop by tomorrow to find out.
The Path to Polarization - A Look at Generations 