President Barack Obama announced that he was canceling a scheduled campaign appearance in Ohio in order to deal with the fallout from Superstorm Sandy. Obama ordered the federal government into full damage control mode in order to deal with the impending storm. Obama’s preparation and concern has earned him high praise from some in the Republican Party.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said on CBS This Morning that “I can’t thank the president enough for [expanding federal aid in his state]. Cooperation from the president of the United States has been outstanding. He deserves great credit.” Obama has, apparently, called Christie three times so far.

Meanwhile, Romney is trying to walk back or downright ignore comments he made in June 2011 in which he appeared to condone tearing FEMA dwon and handing emergency releaf back to the states and “And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better.”

Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said in a statement “Gov. Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions. As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities, and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.”

However, a Romney campaign official has said that they would not abolish FEMA. CNN reported that, on the campaign trail, when asked about FEMA and how he would handle it, “HE ignored the questions.” He was asked five times about how he would handle it.

Multiple analyses have wondered if Hurricane Sandy could be a boon for President Obama given that it puts him in a very presidential mode right ahead of the election.