No one can deny that the storms caused by the remnants of Ida coming through Jersey were horrible. It didn’t matter, South Jersey or North Jersey, it was bad. I have a friend in the north who lost everything to flooding. Living in Gloucester County, not far from where the tornado touched down I know others who lost everything.

Fortunately, possessions can be replaced…eventually.

Friends, neighbors, perfect strangers are all pulling together to help those in need. It’s heartwarming to see.

But…

What really angers me is that Governor Phil Murphy and his Democrat friends, in both North and South Jersey, wasted no time in playing politics with the damage caused by the storms.

In South Jersey the Guv went the extra mile to play politics. Most of the storm damage, and where the tornado touched down, was in the Second Congressional District, but Murphy made sure to drag the Democrat First District Congressman, Donald Norcross, along with him. It’s a safe bet team Murphy didn’t bother inviting Congressman Jeff Van Drew, the member of Congress who actually represents the area. That’s what a real leader would have done.

Not only that, Murphy dragged the Third Legislative District trio of Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assemblyman John Burzichelli and Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro along for his South Jersey press conference in Mullica Hill. Problem is Mullica Hill lies in the Fifth Legislative District. I suspect suspect Murphy didn’t put the LD5 legislators front and center because the trio lives in Camden County and couldn’t find Mullica Hill with a GPS.

To add insult to injury everyone, all Democrats, took the opportunity to blame climate change.

In the South, according to Politico, Murphy, Norcross and Sweeney all “talked about climate change,” from the Politico article:

Murphy said he spoke during the storm to state Senate President Steve Sweeney, who joined the governor and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) on a tour of damaged homes in Gloucester County.

Sweeney and Norcross, who have spent much of their lives in South Jersey, marveled in horror at the damage from tornadoes, which they said were largely unheard of in the past.

“What we see behind us is change,” Norcross said during Thursday’s press conference.

The three elected officials — all Democrats — talked about climate change and getting more money to the state from the Biden administration’s infrastructure plans.

In North Jersey Congressman Tom Malinowski made sure to blame flooding on climate change.

It’s not my intent to debate climate change in this post, but I will say over in Pennsylvania all the talk has been about the Schuylkill River and flooding. The river, according to 6ABC crested at 16.35 feet, meaning the record of 17 feet still stands.

The Schuylkill River’s all-time record of 17 feet was in 1869, 17 years before Carl Benz invented the car.

Was the flooding in 1869 caused by climate change too? Did the politicians use that flooding for political purposes? Probably not!