Mitt Romney has cancelled campaign stops and rebranded some rallies as relief events. The president just delivered non-political remarks at Red Cross headquarters in Washington. And surrogates are surely on their toes to avoid any overly political messaging while millions of people on the East Coast are waiting for their power to return.
A former speechwriter for President George HW Bush told Politico that she doesn't “think there are any points to be scored right now.” That might be true, but both sides also want to avoid losing points with a major faux pas.
The tone will change - but only very slightly - tomorrow when President Obama visits hurricane-stricken parts of New Jersey with Republican Governor Chris Christie, who's been a harsh critic of the president. Don't expect either to say anything political. However, a photo opportunity of Obama working side-by-side with one of his biggest critics will be an image of bipartisanship that will be tough for Romney to match in the last week of the campaign.