Thank you, Mr. President! #STTS
By Art Gallagher
Many of my conservative friends and colleagues are panning President Obama’s and Governor Christie’s visit to Asbury Park and Point Pleasant Beach as lacking substance. Some say the presidential visit amounts to Christie assisting Obama in changing the subject away from the scandals the Administration is embroiled in; the IRS, James Rosen, AP, Benghazi.
My friends, you have partisan blinders on.
Last week the Washington Post published an article about regular Jersey Shore vacationers heading to Delaware and North Carolina beaches for their summer vacations, because they think New Jersey is not ready for them this year.
Obama’s remarks today were part sales pitch for the Jersey Shore and part pep talk for those of us who are still fighting and weary, seven months after Superstorm Sandy, to recover. Both the sales pitch and the pep talk were badly needed.
Obama’s visit and remarks will dominate the news cycle for the next 24 hours, or so, give or take. The message he delivered to the world today will bring vacationers and their money to the Jersey Shore. The impact will save businesses, create jobs and help make everything All Right.
Next week Congress will be back in session and the investigations will continue. Right now, I’m more interested in the people who are making their vacation plans this week and in my neighbors who are on the verge of giving up, this week.
Thank you, Mr. President.
More from my site
Obama to speak at Convention Hall in Asbury Park on Tuesday
Obama Praises Christie
Thanks Gannett, for the kick in the teeth #STTS
Governor Chris Christie Requests Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration for New Jersey in Anticipation of Hurricane Sandy
Christie to visit Asbury Park and Highlands on Monday
Christie Order Allows Teenagers To Volunteer In Rebuilding Efforts
Did Christie Throw The Election to Obama?
Mainstream Media To Give The Jersey Shore A Needed Boost
New Jersey: Stronger Than The Storm #STTS
Where’s the fleece? #STTS
[…] By Art Gallagher | MoreMonmouthMusings.com […]
Unfortunately, Art, I am actually choking that I agree with you on this subject.
Yesterday, my wife and I drove through some of the hardest hit areas, and it still is bad.
The boardwalk doesn’t even exist in Pier Village south of McCloones – the street has been cut in half to allow walkers and bikers; the other side of the street is now one way – except for the Police cruiser which decided to drive the wrong way straight at us!
No question that Pier Village is still open, however, and the entire Bayshore needs vacationers to come on down.
But I must say that, while the President’s rhetoric is his best point, his policies are as ravaging to the economy as Sandy was to the coastline.
Perhaps the mainstream media reporting on this may (hopefully) convince some that the Jersey Shore is indeed open for business!
Why is this storm different from all other storms? For all other storms (1938, 1944, 1962, 1991), even during war and depression, people had enough money, and enough saving to rebuild on their own, and they did rebuild what was worth building on their own. What did not get rebuilt (like the Heinz Pier in Atlantic City and the Margate Boardwalk) was no longer needed.) People were free to build what they wanted, how they wanted, and if their stuff washed away in the next storm, it was their problem. Nobody has to live by the ocean and bay–we live there because we enjoy it, and we take the risk of flooding. The Constitution created the federal government to fix national problems that states could not handle on their own. Until now, NJ, county, and local governments could handle a bad coastal storm. Now, people don’t have jobs, or savings, and they are afraid to rebuild because new government rules make almost everybody in violation of something. Enough! http://www.grossman4NJ.com. Vote on June 4.
Tourists were heading to Delaware, Maryland, Carolina and Florida long before Sandy to get away from our tolls, parking fees, beach fees, double 13% sales tax on hotels, and high prices caused by high property taxes, 7% sales tax, electric bills padded with hidden taxes and pay to play zoning laws that make it difficult and expensive to get permits to build anything. Enough! http://www.grossman4NJ.com. Vote on June 4.
Art, very well said. As the Governor and President have shown, politics can be put aside in times of emergency and national disasters. The President’s visit was not a political trip and was clearly focused on drawing national attention to the fact that “New Jersey is open for business.”
Hopefully some of the tens of millions of people who see news coverage of todays events on the national news tonight will come to the shore this Summer and spend lots of their hard earned $$$$
@ Mr. Grossman….Whether its a hurricane that destroys much of Southern Florida or New Orleans, devastating tornadoes in the Midwest, massive flooding in some parts of the country etc., there was never a question in past decades that the Government would step in and provide financial assistance in helping the people in the affected area get back on their feet. I would bet that 99.9% of people in NJ never gave it a second thought as to whether they wanted their tax dollars to assist other Americans whose lives were devastated by those types of disasters. I would also bet that NJ/NY taxpayers provided 10’s of billions of dollars in assisting those most affected in prior years. It’s interesting now that in New Jersey’s time of need in dealing with a disaster that is clearly beyond the resources of the state and local municipalities that questions are now raised regarding the government having a role in assisting those in NJ/NY who have assisted so many in the past. It’s especially sickening to hear Congressmen and Senators from states that have received billions (and in some cases 10’s of billions) in disaster aid/relief in the past to have opposed aid to the NY/NJ Metro area.
Bob, with all due respect, not political? There is nothing Obama does that doesn’t have a political agenda behind it. Are we really so gullible to think different? His visit might and it might not help. Does it hurt? No. Will it help? Only time will tell. News today was the economy is picking up. Housing up 10%. What they don’t tell you is that it’s because of investors buying. Unemployment is still a joke with fondled numbers. Stock Market is strong because the fed continues to print money, give it to large banks who in return invest in the market instead of giving average Joe a loan. Time will tell.
Actually Bob to be historically accurate there was a time when areas hit by disaster rebuilt w/out help from the Federal government and nobody expected help from the federal government. Not sure when that changed or why.
Federal disaster relief has been around in some form for over 200 years.
Check out the FEMA Wikipedia page.
Get over yourselves, a sitting President visiting Monmouth County for something other than a fundraiser is a big deal.
I preferred Prince Harry.
” Until now, NJ, county, and local governments could handle a bad coastal storm.”
Ah, Seth; did you notice that Sandy was not just a “coastal storm, something far worse than your typical NJ hurricane?”
OF COURSE the Federal Government is needed to help with something like this. It was too big. But, like your insulting comment to me after the storm; I can understand why you are clueless.
Jim Granelli
Typical Monmouth County Republicanism. They only oppose welfare until it’s their turn to receive it
Obama and his dancing bear Christie are the giver and taker in a massive Keynesian spending endeavor. Obama then uses Asbury Park to declare the wonder of it all, and Art Gallagher says “Thank You” and offers the President cover by asserting this all has something to do with supporting market capitalism for small businesses.
Maybe these three can go stand in front of George Bush and applaud when he said he had to abandon capitalism to save capitalism by bailing out the banks.
The Obama & Christie Show. Letterman, Leno, Kimmel, The View etc and on-and-on. Helicopter in-an-out.
FEMA has not even finished paying policy holders on Irene yet. changing maps, changing rules, changing FEMA reps monthly Lots of press releases and promises but inability to make a coherent and consistent decisions and write the checks to those who paid an “fn” premium.
$40 of $60 billion Sandy fund is pork that won’t be spent for 3-5 years.
As someone who has been involved (heavily) in nearly every disaster Andrew, Katrina, Irene, WTC, Northridge EQ and Sandy the real disaster is FEMA.
If this is bad, wait till the IRS controls your health care.
A little fact checking is needed regarding any statement about the IRS “controlling your health care.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-nrccs-claim-that-the-irs-will-be-in-charge-of-your-health-care/2013/05/28/d4b281c8-c7c8-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_blog.html