The Monster (Superstorm Sandy) That Ate The News Cycle

Pity the lonely political blogger this week.

I follow both left- and right-wing blogs and this week before the election is a critical time for Internet pundits.  They are rolling out their final "outrages," dredging up old speeches, hyperventilating over interviews, and pumping rumors into the news feeds of partisan activists.

The hope of bloggers is to insert that final "scandal" into the news cycle that sinks the hopes of the opposition candidate.

But now comes Superstorm Sandy.  The event occurs during a "perfect storm" (sorry) of conditions that will inspire voters to turn off political news and tune into The Weather Channel.   Most activists are weary of the campaign (even though storm coverage features a hefty number of political ads), the event is truly historic, and many of us have friends and family impacted by the event.

At this point, President Obama and Mitt Romney can do "storm-related" stuff to keep their faces in the news, but they really can't establish a narrative.   Even bloggers trying to make political points during the storm aren't getting much footing, because voters are tired of the politicization of every event.

No event can prevent Internet "stars" from being born. "Horsehead Man Jogging During Hurricane Sandy" will provide two belly laughs--one when the shirtless jogger raises his hands victoriously to the sky ("I win the Internet!") and another when the anchors back in the studio react.  And NPR reports that the expressiveness of Mayor Bloomberg's sign language interpreter, Lydia Calas, has become the target of acclaim on the web.