Since Hurricane Isaac hit Louisiana, six deaths have been reported by the AP and thousands are without power. Although Isaac skipped the RNC Convention in Tampa Convention, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney announced he would visit the hurricane ravaged state of Louisiana and survey the damage. ABC News reported:
In a last-minute change of plans, Mitt Romney will head to visit storm-affected areas in New Orleans today, skipping a previously scheduled joint rally with running mate Paul Ryan in the battleground state of Virginia this afternoon.A Romney aide told ABC News that Romney will “join Gov. Jindal and will meet with first responders, thank them for their work and see areas impacted by the storm in LaFitte, La.”
SEE RELATED:
According to ABC:
The Romney campaign had been working to determine how they could visit the region throughout the week. The trip to New Orleans will be the maiden voyage of Romney’s new campaign plane.The White House announced later this morning that President Obama plans to tour the affected area on Monday.
The White House claims President Obama was already planning to go to Louisiana. A White House reporter asked White House Press Secretary Jay Carney if the decision to go to Louisiana was made before Mr. Romney announced his own trip to Louisiana and Carney said, “Yes, it had.”
However, Politico reported that when Romney announced his plans to go to Louisiana on Friday, the Obama had no plans to there at all:
President Obama will visit Louisiana after all.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told POLITICO earlier Friday that the president had no plans yet to visit the Gulf state and review damage from Hurricane Isaac, even though Mitt Romney announced plans to visit Friday.
But the White House announced a few hours later that he is now planning to go there.
“On Monday, September 3rd, President Obama will travel to Louisiana to meet with local officials and view ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Isaac,” the White House said in a release.
President Obama’s shifted his campaign schedule so that it will allow him to go to Louisiana. However, the last minute Louisiana trip makes it look as if he is going because Mr. Romney decided to travel there. The scenario is tantamount to a scene depicted in the new movie “Campaign” starring actors Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. Both play characters who are running against each other for the same congressional seat.
In the clip below they both see a baby they want to kiss at a campaign event, but as one gets to the baby first the other tries to punch the opposing candidate in the face and winds up punching the baby instead by accident
No doubt the White House may have wished it responded more appropriately to the initial press inquiry about President Obama’s scheduling plans for a Louisiana trip, but the damage may already be done.
