President Obama took a quick break from the campaign trail on Monday to be the consoler in chief, telling victims of Hurricane Isaac, which ravaged the Gulf Coast last week, that "nobody's a Democrat or a Republican, we're all just Americans looking out for one another."
After meeting with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along with local officials, Obama — who will accept his party's nomination in Charlotte, N.C., later this week — sent a clear message to the victims while seeking to contrast his efforts with the previous administration: "We're here to help."
In brief remarks on a flooded street in Louisiana, the president took a veiled swipe at his predecessor, George W. Bush, whose administration has been accused of not responding quickly enough to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
In the past, Obama said, "We haven't seen the kind of coordination that is necessary in response to these kinds of disasters."
Even before the storm threatened to bear down on the U.S. coast last week, Obama sought to portray his administration as having a strong handle in both the preparation and recovery efforts. But his trip on Monday was pre-empted by a visit to the area by his opponent Mitt Romney, who also aimed to comfort the victims during his Friday stop.
White House press secretary Jay Carney maintained that Obama's trip to the area three days later wasn't political.
"I think that disasters are apolitical," Carney said. "And I think that the way we respond to disasters should be apolitical."
But he added, "When it comes to the kinds of choices politicians make in Washington about what their priorities are, it is worth noting that last year there was an effort to underfund the money that's used to provide relief for Americans when they've been hit by disasters. That effort was led by Congressman Paul Ryan, who is now running for vice president of the United States."
For more on Obama's trip to Louisiana, click here.
