The Gathering Storm and the Campaign for the White House

Making News

East Coast Braces for Storm of a Century ()

President Obama has cancelled campaign appearances and returned to the White House to coordinate federal agencies working with states and localities. Saying the storm has "fatal potential," he warned those in the path to pay attention. "Please listen to what your state and local officials are saying. When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate." Alex Sosnowski, expert senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, joins us from State College, Pennsylvania.

Photo: President Obama receives an update on the ongoing response to Hurricane Sandy at the National Response Coordination Center at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, October 28, 2012. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Guests:

• Alex Sosnowski: AccuWeather, @asoswx

Links:

• National Hurricane Center on Sandy
• NASA on Hurricane Sandy

Main Topic

The Gathering Storm and the Campaign for the White House ()

Disaster response is already underway as tens of millions of Americans are hunkered down for the full impact of Hurricane Sandy late this evening. From the White House, President Obama said federal agencies are coordinating with states and localities to cope with winds, floods and power outages. Both he and Mitt Romney have reduced their campaign schedules in a race pollsters and pundits say is still too close to call. With just eight days remaining, what's the potential impact on the "ground game" so crucial in Ohio and other swing states that could decide the election?

Guests:

• Molly Ball: The Atlantic, @mollyesque
• Mark Halperin: Time magazine, @markhalperin
• Grant Neeley: University of Dayton
• Patrick Gauding: College Democrats of Ohio, @pgauding
• Alex Triantafilou: Hamilton County Republican Party, @ChairmanAlex
• Chris Littleton: American Majority Action, @clittleton

Links:

• The Atlantic on what Hurricane Sandy might do to early voting
• Time on the five Ohio counties that could decide the presidency
• Halperin's 'Game Change: Obama and The Clintons, McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime'
• Ohio Newspaper Organization on virtual tie in presidential race

Reporter's Notebook

Sandy May Have an Economic Silver Lining ()

The New York Stock Market is closed today -- and maybe tomorrow as well. Many businesses may be destroyed.  Is there any upside to a major disaster? Hurricane Sandy is already history's largest storm north of the Carolinas, and the economic consequences are already clear. But Hurricane Sandy may ultimately have a mixed impact on business. That's according to Derek Thompson at The Atlantic.

Guests:

• Derek Thompson: The Atlantic, @DKThomp