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As you’ve no doubt heard, there was an earthquake in Virginia this afternoon, which sent tremors felt hundreds of miles away. The latest estimate shows it was a 5.8-magnitude earthquake, and initial damage reports suggest nothing serious happened.
But given the larger political world, apparently every story is a political story. Here’s Politico’s Roger Simon on Twitter:
Now, it’s certainly possible that Simon is just joking around. He put the word “seriously” in there, which suggests the sentiment was sincere, but maybe this was all just tongue-in-cheek. On Twitter, it’s sometimes tough to tell. (Far-right bloggers complained about the president vacationing during an earthquake, and they seemed quite serious.)
But whether Simon was kidding or not, I get the sense this sentiment actually exists a little too often. Sure, as natural disasters go, this one doesn’t qualify as a disaster at all, and it doesn’t appear there’s anything for FEMA to actually do, but there’s an expectation in some circles that the president should put on a little show for everyone. Obama should “pretend to be doing something,” not because something needs to be done, but because it would satisfy some psychological need the media establishment feels should be met.
I really hope Simon was just joking, but the fact that we can’t be sure isn’t a good sign.
Indeed, it speaks to the bizarre expectations pundits too often apply to Obama. This happened last year when a variety of media personalities made it seem as if the president was to blame for the BP oil spill lasting as long as it did — as if Obama was supposed to put on a bodysuit, strap on an oxygen tank, grab some sheet metal, and get to work.
There are a lot of things lacking in American politics; maturity is high on the list.
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Been There Before on August 23, 2011 4:38 PM:
While I sincerely hope there is no damage from the earthquake, have you noticed whose congressional district hosted the epicenter?
Bat of Moon on August 23, 2011 4:38 PM:
Obama should just tell the earthquake to cut the bullshit.
j on August 23, 2011 4:44 PM:
Ironic that the earthquake was in Eric Cantor's district - he of the 'we don't need disaster funding or warnings'
elisabeth on August 23, 2011 4:45 PM:
So, the central government should do as little as possible -- unless, of course, some rich guy's house in a beltway sururb might have been damaged by an earthquake? Where are the calls to each of the local governors to "do something"? Or, isn't everyone supposed to take individual responsibility???
Chris on August 23, 2011 4:46 PM:
This also implies that the President did nothing. Does anyone think the President of the United States was not informed immediately of an earthquake that caused the Capitol and the Pentagon to be evacuated?
Is this nitwit anywhere even near the President and can comment realistically on what the President did or did not do in response to the quake?
Bernard HP Gilroy on August 23, 2011 4:51 PM:
Do something? Clearly he's not paying attention. In Rabid Rightwing America, the proper attitude is, "How is this Obama's fault?" And I suspect that, before sunset, there will be theories flying around the rightwing nutsosphere detailing exactly that.
ObCAPTCHA: "007 ingdomig" I don't know what it means, but if James Bond is doing it, it must be cool.
sick-n-effn-tired. on August 23, 2011 4:51 PM:
Politico : Never before have have so many clueless hacks been assembled under one banner. Yet our MSM seems to regard anyone from that outfit as a "serious person"
Nitwit indeed Chris
Carolyn on August 23, 2011 4:51 PM:
....and the President could predict this earthquake? I lived through several earthquakes in California, and no one expected the president to do anything! These people are disgusting. Blame all around, but no credit for what is right.
TCinLA on August 23, 2011 4:52 PM:
Three words for all the far right scum:
"Heckuva job, Brownie!"
Did any of these fuckwits complain about Georgie the Lesser and his non-response to Katrina, which was an actual, for real disaster?????
Ron Byers on August 23, 2011 4:52 PM:
There was a smaller earthquake in Colorado this morning. Maybe the President should fly Air Force One to Colorado Springs and play a round of golf there?
Nobody was seriously hurt in either earthquake. No serious damage was done.
Obama shouldn't really care to play "Simon says." Neither should Benen.
Peter Pitchford on August 23, 2011 4:53 PM:
Unfortunately immaturity is the least of our problems, - there has always been immaturity, but now anyone can be enlisted by an all powerful mass media as cannon fodder for class warfare. Lets not blame the victims. The philosophy of the job killing Republicans is entirely based on lies designed to conduct class warfare, ie its only purpose is to facilitate income redistribution from the government, the poor and the middle class to the already rich. Like the Nazis, their message is so pervasive and so dishonest that it can best be described as an onslaught on the human mind - and its effective not because people are immature, rather, its effective because it so pervasive, persistent and unbelievably dishonest. The idea behind "The Big Lie" is that even intelligent people can't keep up with all the lies. They are so powerful they can effect people who are perfectly intelligent and perfectly mature.
kevo on August 23, 2011 4:53 PM:
This just in:
Darrel Issa is planning an investigation into Earthquake Gate, and he is expected to subpoena Mr. Earthquake himself to testify regarding President Obama's deal to let Mr. E have his way with the east coast, while the President pledged to offer amnesty to the offending rubble!
Hey Darrel, think the dirt will stick this time?
Or will this next investigation end with just another empty hole? -Kevo
dweb on August 23, 2011 4:55 PM:
Did any of these fuckwits complain about Georgie the Lesser and his non-response to Katrina, which was an actual, for real disaster?????
and one which the Lesser knew was coming but decided he needed to go give a birthday cake to John McCain instead.....
slappy magoo on August 23, 2011 4:56 PM:
Yes, Obama needs to be on the site inspecting the damage. Otherwise, how else can Republicans whine that he's getting in the way of relief efforts and that he's only there for the photo ops.
max on August 23, 2011 4:56 PM:
Simon may be serious. After all, Obama will be blamed for the earthquake by sundown.
JW on August 23, 2011 5:03 PM:
The subtext being that Obama is reflexively criticized by right and left extremists, as he invariably steers a prudent middle course through political storms.
Suffice to say (albeit a typical response of his knee-jerk supporters) that subtext is an insulting bit of rubbish.
mcc on August 23, 2011 5:05 PM:
http://jmckinley.posterous.com/dc-earthquake-devastation
J.T. on August 23, 2011 5:06 PM:
Nothing to do? NOTHING TO DO?
My G-d, man, there are pictures that need to be straightened!!!!
Also: http://jmckinley.posterous.com/dc-earthquake-devastation
SYSPROG on August 23, 2011 5:09 PM:
Obama can't go to the bathroom without a controversy of which toilet paper he's using. One can only hope the voting public can see what dweebs they are...
Guest on August 23, 2011 5:13 PM:
I hate myself for saying this, but I partly agree with Simon. I'm not saying that Obama should fly to Washington and hold a press conference. But this was a big enough deal that there were evacuations in D.C. Should Obama just trust that everything is OK, according to CNN? Shouldn't he at least be making some phone calls to get first-hand info and be positive that this freak earthquake hasn't caused any problems?
If you agree with that premise, from there it is easy to say the White House should release photos of Obama "managing" the situation, even if it's just a photo of him on his 30 second phone call with FEMA to be sure everything is just fine.
chopin on August 23, 2011 5:13 PM:
Those at politico are as insane with their support of Rethug stupidity as they are of Donkey sanity. Pay no attention. Nothing of value spews from that sphincter epicenter.
mfw13 on August 23, 2011 5:15 PM:
A 5.8 barely even counts as an earthquake...there's nothing for Obama to do. At that level, the worst damage that happens is maybe a few glasses breaking or books falling off shelves, certainly nothing to bother the President with.
Maybe the author should move to California for a bit...
Equal Opportunity Cynic on August 23, 2011 5:18 PM:
Do something? Clearly he's not paying attention. In Rabid Rightwing America, the proper attitude is, "How is this Obama's fault?" And I suspect that, before sunset, there will be theories flying around the rightwing nutsosphere detailing exactly that.
As i mentioned on a different post yesterday, i think that's wonderful news for Democrats. The more the GOP portrays themselves as rabid partisans seeking to blame the President for everything, the easier it makes his campaign.
I mean, the populace is dumb, but this nonsense is only going to gain traction among the 28% who were never voting for BHO anyway.
Roger Ailes on August 23, 2011 5:21 PM:
Roger was trying to be a stand-up comedian, but he got stumped.
bleh on August 23, 2011 5:22 PM:
I think everyone is minimizing the huge, the cosmic, the theological significance of this!
Has it occurred to anyone that the earthquake occurred less than 100 miles from Washington? Is it not clear that God is seriously pissed with the way things are going there?
Moreover, isn't it crystal clear the meaning of where it occurred? Hello? In Virginia, the neighboring state with the Republican governor. And it occurred to the south of Washington, which is the side of the Capitol the Republican-controlled House is on!
How much clearer does it have to be, people? What more will it take? God actually bulldozing the House wing itself? Fatally smiting the entire Republican presidential field? (Except for Huntsman and Romney, who will receive only incapacitating strokes because of their Democratic past.)
FEMA-shmema. We got it practically in letters of fire here, folks.
You Republicans, you better be doing some serious repenting...
walt on August 23, 2011 5:27 PM:
Why do righties behave so badly? Because picking on Obama is a full-time sport now. They feel they've got his number, that he's weak, and that he's easily intimidated.
I know a bunch of people who don't follow politics aside from the chain e-mails they get from relatives. Believe me: those e-mails are ugly. If Obama doesn't think he's at the epicenter of a political earthquake, he's delusional.
Fess on August 23, 2011 5:29 PM:
There may have been evacuations in DC, but that would be generally considered an over-reaction here in earthquake country. A 5.8 - 5.9 is just enough to let you know an earthquake happened. The U.S. Geological Survey (which I'm sure the Rs will de-fund as soon as they remember it exists) describes a quake of this magnitude as moderate, "Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At most slight damage to well-designed buildings." In other words, it's unlikely anything fell off shelves. So the president, who's lived in earthquake country and won't be impressed by the magnitude of this one, should do what exactly? Let the newsies run around with their cameras and film all the breathless folks for whom this was their biggest event of the summer. Interesting, yes, worthy of presidential notice, not hardly.
mcc on August 23, 2011 5:42 PM:
Apparently the Pentagon evacuation was just due to a broken pipe.
"The earthquake broke open a water pipe inside the Pentagon, causing some flooding on the third and fourth floors between corridors three and four, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency announced over the building's emergency loudspeaker system. The flooding was stopped and repaired within the hour, but people have been told to stay away from the area."
Ron Byers on August 23, 2011 5:43 PM:
I heard on another site that someguys wife was pissed because her slot down at the casino was broken and it took an hour for the casino operators to fix it. I mean the national guard should have been called out.
markg8 on August 23, 2011 5:47 PM:
FEMA should send a bag of ice over to Roger Simon and tell him to stuff it in his pants.
Californian on August 23, 2011 5:51 PM:
I'm a Californian living in DC, and I must say the whole thing was pretty oridnary. Damage is very minor (and superficial), but the inside the beltway groupthink is PANIC. They closed my office early (despite my protests, ensuring my renomination as boss of the year), traffic is immobile as everyone flees, etc., etc., so the Republican chattering class is really just following the beltway zeitgeist that this is quakeaggedon (and that some sort of tax cuts for the wealthy are needeed to get us past this nightmare. Obama should give it the eye roll it deserves and work on learning to hit a controlled draw with his 5 iron until his vacation is over.
dede21206 on August 23, 2011 6:13 PM:
The quake was centered in Eric Cantor's district.
citizen_pain on August 23, 2011 6:16 PM:
To date, Obama has taken upwards of 60 vacation days. At this same point in Dumbya's regime, had had already taken 180 days... 3 times more.
Additionally, Dumbya took the whole month of August off in 2001, after failing to acknowledge repeated warnings that a terrorist strike using airplanes was highly likely if not imminent.
The next person I hear complaining about Obama's vacation time may just a permanent vacation, by way of my two fists.
citizen_pain on August 23, 2011 6:23 PM:
Another observation:
Why is the right wing so incensed about the perceived lack of federal response?
I thought they were all about State's rights?
Shouldn't the feds just step aside and let Virginia and the other states affected take care of their own business?
Why does the federal government need to intercede? I thought it was the problem, not the solution??
pol on August 23, 2011 6:36 PM:
My daughter and I were in the International Spy Museum in DC when the earthquake happened. It was so minor that we weren't sure, at first, that the shaking wasn't some special effect in the building. The worst part was the Metro ride out of the city, because the drivers were instructed to operate the subways at only 15 mph, so the wait between trains was very long and the trains were packed. There was no obvious damage outside.
I don't know why we needed the President to be there...
wheresthebeef on August 23, 2011 6:41 PM:
Jeebus must be mightily pissed at the neo-confederacy. Droughts in Texas and Oklahoma, Mississippi river flooding, forest and brush fires galore in Texas, hurricane Irene bearing down on Florida and now earthquakes in Virginia. You'd think that maybe the teahadists would take a hint. Has Pat Robertson weighed in yet about the South's "pact with the devil?"
Kathryn on August 23, 2011 7:58 PM:
Walt is correct. These foul, and always false, emails are all over the internet and have been since Obama's election. My husband and I have gotten them from family and he's gotten them from senior golf leagues. We put a stop to them, but only one person in the bunch was in the least embarrassed by sending out such crap. Most could care less if they're true or not and continue sending them to this day I imagine, just not to us. It's effected how I view these family members as I can not hold them in as high regard as I once did. People who are informed (nicely) that what they are sending around is provably false, given info on how to check on veracity and still don't care, do not possess the character I believed them to possess. No doubt many of this type of emails would have been around if Secretary Clinton had been elected but the racism that still infects this country is the driver of all the venom directed at Barack Obama, I believe. Personally, I look forward to the day that whites are not the majority and will not miss many seniors when they depart and I happen to be a white senior. In the meantime the president has plenty of trouble with re-election despite the fact that history will judge him to be one of the most effective and intelligent presidents this nation has ever elected (in my opinion). By the way Steve, don't miss Perry's answer about discrimination against African-Americans/civil Rights which he compared to fights against taxes and regulations while campaigning in S. Carolina today. What a frightening box of rocks is Rick Perry.
jrosen on August 23, 2011 11:03 PM:
It's obvious that the quake was caused by the Obama Fault.
bardgal on August 24, 2011 3:16 PM:
Had Obama had actually DONE ANYTHING regarding a 5.9 ANYWHERE ON EARTH, everyone who actually LIVES where EQs HAPPEN, would have LAUGHED THEIR COLLECTIVE ASSESS OFF, probably resulting in a much bigger quake.
5.9
Seriously. STFU. We sleep through those in CA.
RhZ on August 25, 2011 6:52 AM:
and yet, Steve...you keep linking to politico regularly...
thanks for contributing to their bottom line.