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DAYTON, Ohio — Perhaps nothing better encapsulated the tricky calculus of running for president in the midst of a natural disaster than the mixed messages flashing on a giant screen here Tuesday at an event for Mitt Romney.
DAYTON, Ohio — Perhaps nothing better encapsulated the tricky calculus of running for president in the midst of a natural disaster than the mixed messages flashing on a giant screen here Tuesday at an event for Mitt Romney.
At one moment, the screen contained a public service announcement instructing crowd members to text a $10 donation to the American Red Cross on their cellphones. The next, it was home to a glossy campaign video for Mr. Romney that described him as “charismatic” and “authentic.”
At one moment, the screen featured a public service announcement instructing crowd members to text a $10 donation to the American Red Cross on their cellphones. The next, it displayed a glossy campaign video describing Mr. Romney as “charismatic” and “authentic.”
In a corner of the high-school gymnasium where the event was held, attendees lined up to deposit boxes of bottled water and bags of long-grain brown rice for victims of the storm. In another, a woman proudly held up a T-shirt that read “Obama, you’re fired.”
In a corner of the high school gymnasium where the event was held, people lined up to deposit boxes of bottled water and bags of brown rice for victims of the storm. In another, a woman proudly held up a T-shirt that read “Obama, you’re fired.”
The storm that ravaged the East Coast has pushed the presidential campaign into a delicate and ambiguous phase. Suddenly, it was a sideshow, but with a caveat: Americans were still watching, assessing an improvised leadership test to both sides as they sought to navigate the politics of a natural disaster.
The storm that ravaged much of the East Coast has pushed the presidential campaign into a delicate and ambiguous phase. Suddenly, it was a sideshow, with a caveat: Americans were still watching and assessing an improvised leadership test for both candidates as they navigated the politics of a deadly storm.
Mr. Romney, a challenger without the trappings and authority of office to respond to the crisis, attended the gathering, which his campaign called a “storm-relief event” in the gym here, the same location where he was previously set to hold a traditional campaign rally. Campaign signs were taken down, the 2,000 attendees were asked to bring canned goods, and a tieless Mr. Romney delivered sober words standing atop a black and silver trunk.
Mr. Romney, a challenger without the trappings and authority of office to respond to the crisis, made a single stop in the Dayton area. His campaign called it a “storm-relief event,” even though it was at the same gym where he was previously set to hold a traditional campaign rally.
“A lot of people hurting this morning. They were hurting last night. And the storm goes on,” said Mr. Romney, who personally grabbed bags of food from some members of the crowd and thanked them one by one.
At the last minute, campaign signs were taken down, the 2,000 attendees were asked to bring canned goods, and a tieless Mr. Romney delivered sober words standing atop a black and silver trunk.
Yet the existence of the event, at a large venue, meant that Mr. Romney would still appear on television as a candidate after his aides said they would cancel “all events currently scheduled” for Tuesday. A spokesman had told reporters that the decision was made out of sensitivity to the storm’s victims.
“A lot of people hurting this morning,” said Mr. Romney, who grabbed bags of food from some members of the crowd and thanked them one by one. “They were hurting last night. And the storm goes on.”
As Mr. Romney accepted the bags of supplies, reporters repeatedly asked him about his comment last year that states, not the Federal Emergency Management Agency, should lead the response to natural disasters. He did not respond. In a debate during the Republican primaries, he vaguely suggested that that emergency management should be pushed to the states, though he did not directly address the future of FEMA, whose work has made it popular in swing states like Florida.
Yet the existence of the event, at a large site, meant that Mr. Romney would still appear on television after his aides said they would cancel “all events currently scheduled” for Tuesday, out of sensitivity to the storm’s victims.
President Obama withdrew from the campaign trail and spent his day in Washington conducting briefings and surveying the impact of the severe weather, aides said. White House officials said Mr. Obama held a conference call Tuesday with governors and mayors in affected states, urging them to request whatever help they need to address the devastation in their communities.
As Mr. Romney accepted the bags of supplies, reporters repeatedly asked him about his comment last year that seemed to question the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in disaster relief. In a debate during the Republican primaries, he vaguely suggested that emergency management should be pushed to states, though he did not directly address the future of FEMA, whose work has made it popular in swing states like Florida. Mr. Romney did not respond to the shouted questions.
“The president also made clear that his team is working to identify any additional assistance that could further help the state, local, and private sector efforts to bring power back online faster, and that his team would continue aggressively towards this goal,” a statement from the White House said.
The presidential contest steamed ahead at full force on at least one important front. The Romney campaign reserved at least $12 million in advertising time for the final week of the election. Though the campaign was still making purchases on Tuesday afternoon, it had so far set aside large sums for nine states, including $1.3 million in Wisconsin, $2.7 million in Ohio, $2.7 million in Florida, $1.5 million in Iowa and $1.2 million in Nevada.
In the statement, Mr. Obama expressed “sadness” for the loss of life during the storm and pledged to provide “all available resources” needed during the recovery. On the call were 13 governors, seven mayors and the top officials of the federal government’s disaster response operations.
A “super PAC” backing Mr. Romney’s campaign began broadcasting a new ad in eight states that features a woman expressing disappointment about President Obama’s first term. Another released two ads across many of the battleground states criticizing Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy.
Mr. Obama earned repeated praise on Tuesday from an unlikely source: Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey and one of Mr. Romney’s top surrogates. In several appearances on morning news programs, he called Mr. Obama’s efforts for his state “wonderful,” “excellent” and “outstanding.”
After months of unanswered Republican super PAC ads, the Obama campaign bolstered its Michigan campaign with at least $64,000 in ads, the first time it has advertised there since the Republican primaries. It also continued to broadcast ads criticizing Mr. Romney’s economic proposals and promoting the president’s plans for a second term.
“It’s been very good working with the president,” Mr. Christie said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “He and his administration have been coordinating with us. It’s been wonderful.”
Representatives for the candidates still held rallies. Former President Bill Clinton pressed ahead with two planned stops in Colorado on Tuesday. Mr. Romney’s wife, Ann, attended a “victory rally” in Iowa after making a stop at a storm-related event in Wisconsin.
On Wednesday, the president will join Mr. Christie in viewing damage of the storm, the White House announced on Tuesday. Mr. Obama’s press secretary said the president and Mr. Christie will talk with victims of the storm and thank first responders.
With the election approaching and polls showing a close contest, each camp confronted the same quandary: whether moving ahead in campaigning would earn it the votes they needed to win or whether it would be seen as crass, unpresidential behavior as cities coped with deaths and extensive flooding.
The effusive comments about the president from Mr. Christie come after Mr. Christie has spent weeks criticizing the president and his leadership on behalf of Mr. Romney’s campaign. Some Republicans on Tuesday privately expressed frustration that Mr. Christie went as far as he did in thanking Mr. Obama a week before the election.
Mr. Romney’s storm-relief event here, with the singer Randy Owen as a guest performer, tried to find a compassionate way forward. Hundreds of people arrived with food to donate.
The effects of the storm were felt in Ohio, where wind gusts of 60 miles per hour were reported Tuesday morning in the central part of the state, along with scattered power failures and school closings. The banner headline of the Columbus Dispatch said, “A Storm For The Ages.”
Devante Williams, 22, said he had driven three hours from Indiana after hearing that he could contribute to the relief effort. He wanted to make a $100 cash donation. “It’s just the right thing to do,” he said.
But even as the candidates altered their campaigning, their dueling television commercials were roaring along on Tuesday. The campaigns and their third-party allies are making a final push on already saturated airwaves with millions of dollars worth of new commercials. A “super PAC” backing Mr. Romney’s campaign began broadcasting a new ad in eight states that features a woman expressing disappointment about Mr. Obama’s first term in office. Another released two ads across the battleground states criticizing Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy.
Mr. Romney, surveying the piles of donated goods, recalled a time in high school when classmates discovered a football field littered with trash.
Mr. Obama’s campaign continued to broadcast ads criticizing Mr. Romney’s economic proposals and promoting the president’s plans for a second term. Ads by Mr. Obama’s campaign also urged people to vote early.
“And the person who was responsible for organizing the effort said, just line up along the yard lines. You go between the goal line and the 10-yard line. And the next person, between 10 and 20, and then just walk through and do your lane. And if everybody cleans their line, why, we’ll be able to get the job done. And so today, we are cleaning one lane, if you will,” he said.
Representatives for the candidates still held rallies. Former President Bill Clinton stood in for Mr. Obama in Florida on Monday and planned to press ahead with three stops in Iowa on Tuesday. Mr. Romney’s wife, Ann, attended a “victory rally” in Iowa after making a stop at a storm-related event in Wisconsin.
With the election just seven days away, and polling showing a close contest, each camp confronted the same quandary: whether moving ahead in campaigning would earn them the votes they needed to win or whether it would be seen as crass, unpresidential behavior as cities coped with dead residents and extensive flooding.
By Monday night, the Romney campaign had announced the new storm-relief event in Dayton, with Randy Owen, the singer, as a guest performer.
Hundreds of people arrived with food to donate. Among those who attended was Devante Williams, 22, who said he had driven three hours from Indiana after hearing that he could contribute to the relief effort. He wanted to make a $100 cash donation. “It’s just the right thing to do,” he said.
Mr. Romney, surveying the piles of donated goods, recalled a time he was in high school when classmates discovered a football field littered with trash.
“And the person who responsible for organizing the effort said, just line up along the yardlines. You go between the goal line and the 10 yard line. And the next person, between 10 and 20, and then just walk through and do your lane. And if everybody cleans their line, why, we’ll be able to get the job done. And so today, we are cleaning one lane, if you will,” he said.
But he did not talk politics.
But he did not talk politics.
Top aides to Mr. Romney said they feared the possibility of a split-screen moment that showed Mr. Romney attacking the president next to images of flooded homes.
Another person at the event, Paulette Flaum, said that she had long been skeptical of Mr. Romney, but that his decision to turn a rally into a storm-relief event was evidence that he was “a generous man.”
Another of the event’s attendees, Paulette Flaum, who bought bottled water, said she had long been skeptical about Mr. Romney, but said his decision to turn a rally into a storm relief event was evidence that he was “a generous man.”
“He wants to help people,” Ms. Flaum said. She peered around the room. “This is a nonpartisan event. But most of us are Republicans.”
“He wants to help people,” Ms. Flaum said. She peered around the room. “This is a nonpartisan event. But most of us are Republicans.”
Michael Barbaro reported from Dayton, Ohio, and Michael D. Shear from Washington. Peter Baker contributed reporting from Washington, and Ashley Parker from Boston.
Michael Barbaro reported from Dayton, Ohio, and Michael D. Shear from Washington. Jeremy W. Peters contributed reporting from New York.
