Andrea Mitchell: Red Cross doesn't really want the stuff Romney collected because

[Skidmore]

it is extra work for them and not really what they need. Said clothing has to be washed first and canned goods need to be repackaged. Cilliza is on trying to smooth things over. Says he understands what Romney is trying to do in trying to "take advantage." Halperin has "no criticism of either candidate."

[OldHippieChick]

1. kudos to Andrea for that

This is why the Red Cross, etc., always asks for cash donations. Had rMoney asked for cash donations he wouldn't look quite so crass, but then perhaps if he just wrote a check???

[barnabas63]

2. Halperin..useless tool.

That ***hole won't have the smug look on his face come next Wednesday.

[madaboutharry]

5. He is so predicable.

[reformist2]

3. Relief efforts need the thing Romney is least willing to give.... $$$!

[Segami]

4. Halperin? That weasel is nothing more than a dirt-bag mouth piece for Rmoney.

[Fresh_Start]

6. many cans of food is how the Romney's normally donate to the red cross

don't remember red cross on his list of donations...at least not for any significant amount

[calimary]

7. ...when what the Red Cross REALLY needs is money, and blood donations.

Donating clothes and canned food just makes more work for them, and adds unnecessary expense that they don't need at a time like this.

[beac]

12. Romneys don't donate blood...

they suck it.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

14. so Mitt was well fed just before his Univision appearance?

THAT explains his skin tone.

[southernyankeebelle]

10. I wouldn't be surprised if the red cross doesn't take it that the local Mormon church will be

the charity that get it. Watch and see. I wouldn't give a dime to Romney. I'd be afraid he put it in his personal account.

[fasttense]

8. Collecting canned goods is frequently a useless endeavor

I once listened to a speech about how to work with and donate to food shelters

Concerning canned food drives, they said most people give that can of pickled onions they had on the shelf for years. If you don't want to eat it others probably don't either. Actually she also said that she got lots of sauerkraut for a Thanksgiving canned food drive and she wondered who ate sauerkraut with a turkey dinner (I didn't raise my hand but I love sauerkraut with turkey.)

Or they get hundreds of cans of corn but no green vegetables.

It needs specific coordination to get the right mix of canned foods. A list of what goods are needed is more direct and useful.

[demilib]

20. Every year, my employer would participate in a city-wide can-a-thon.

One year, while I was putting more donations with the pile we have already collected, I noticed the expiration date of some of the donations. Some of the can goods expired 2 YEARS AGO! I don't know if it was ignorance or mean-spiritness, but a co-worker and I had to pull all the donations to check them. There were a lot more than you would think.

[nyhuskyfan]

23. And not for nothing in this case...

But isn't canned food one of the few things that doesn't get irreperably damaged during a flood? I mean maybe the can warps a little, but the contents stay sealed.

I suppose you could say that shelters and staging areas face excess demand from people forced out of their homes, and maybe they would need increased supplies, but they would want things in bulk, not individual cans.

[libdem4life]

9. It becomes painfully clearer that he nor Ann have ever been subject to even the disasters

of their "subjects" or watched on television, etc. His only success has been in raising "funds". Romney and Trump...go get some money from your buddies...while it's still tax deductible...give it to the Red Cross...then come talk to us.

[julian09]

11. Canned hundred dollar bills would be nice

[Wait Wut]

13. Yeah, good luck.

Donating a can of food worth $1.57 that has been sitting in your cabinet for 3 years is easier/cheaper than making a donation of $25. Plus, boxes and boxes of cheap food looks more impressive than a short stack of checks.

[Cal Carpenter]

16. Food drives can make sense for local groups

who provide ongoing food assistance or for local emergencies.

Like you say, it is easier and cheaper for people who want to help to just grab a few things from the pantry. There is also the tangible, hands-on aspect of it that appeals to the donor, especially if there are kids involved.

Sure, the organizations can make better use of money than unpredictable donations (that tend to be heavy on certain items but short on vital staples), but a mix of money and food donations can balance out pretty good.

But, particularly in major, widespread disasters like this it is sort of absurd to think that some boxes of mixed foods collected in Ohio are a logical or efficient use of resources. Something like this requires major coordination. Perhaps a well organized food drive with a specific list of required items so that hundreds of identical boxes can be packed with foods that are both nutritionally balanced and appropriate for the situation (eg ready-to-eat canned stews vs raw ramen) would make sense.

But this half-assed food drive is a joke and it is ridiculous that no one from his campaign team actually vetted this idea and made sure it was appropriate help.

As someone who has worked extensively with food banks and soup kitchens I can't help but rant about this topic, LOL.

[WCGreen]

26. they have food drives twice a year and we head out to COSTCO and get

a couple cases of soup, veggies and toilet paper.

[Matariki]

15. Yeah well, asking supporters to donate directly to Red Cross doesn't make much of a photo op

the way standing in front of a table full of canned corn does...

[EverHopeful]

17. Asking for donations directly to the Red Cross like Obama did

in his email doesn't make for a photo-op but it shows which man actually cares about those who are hurting right now--and which man has the intelligence and good sense to lead. How on earth are any citizens actually considering voting for Rmoney? It makes me nuts.

[malaise]

18. Meanwhile the President pops in at the Red Cross HQ in DC

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/30/obama-visits-red-cross-storm-is-not-yet-over/

Just saying

[meegbear]

19. Halperin has "no criticism of either candidate"?

That douche would never criticize Romney and Obama's doing everything right, so he can't criticize him.

A worthless villager.

[-LOKI -BAD FOR YA]

21. mark is smarter than the other zombie,he wants to seem fair.their will alot of sad faces nov 7 n\t

[RainDog]

22. this incident merely emphasizes how clueless Republicans are

yes, how nice of him to collect canned goods... and how stupid for him to have thought this sort of response would do more than having Federal Emergency Assistance rather than his "private canned goods drive" view of reality.

he's clueless and he's too entitled to care.

[TheKentuckian]

25. Equal doesn't mean "fair"

[City Lights]

24. Good for Mitchell...glad she spoke the truth.

to the two clowns appearing on her show. I think it's sick that cilliza is down with Willard trying to take advantage of this for political gain. Willard should open his wallet and donate a few million to help those in need.