Rachel Maddow Blasts Romney’s Post-Storm Campaigning: Sandy Is ‘A Real Disaster…Not A Plot In A Sitcom’

Rachel Maddow has not been pleased with Mitt Romney‘s handling of his campaign amid the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy — and made it quite clear Wednesday night when she tore into his “remarkable” decision to continue campaigning as usual.

To make her point, Maddow contrasted Romney’s response to that of President Barack Obama’s. While Obama was touring the devastated areas of New Jersey, she noted, the Romney campaign hurriedly changed their scheduled event into one with the purpose of “storm relief.”

The event was a chance for a good photo-op, Maddow argued, adding that the campaign’s collecting donations in the form of canned goods and groceries did not even comply with the American Red Cross’ guidelines.

“Unless you are specifically requested by relief agencies or public officials to do that, donating canned goods and groceries is just not logistically helpful, especially on a large scale and from across the country,” Maddow said. “Especially if you are a presidential candidate getting national press implicitly telling the whole country that this is the way to help.”

Donating blood or donating money would be better ways to help, she said, but wouldn’t quite make for the ideal photo op. Further criticizing the event, Maddow drew from a BuzzFeed report that said the Romney campaign bought $5,000 worth of canned goods and the like — which were given to attendees to ensure no one stood in line without a donation.

“This is a real disaster,” Maddow said, referring to Hurricane Sandy. “This is not a plot in a sitcom about how to run for president.”

“This is a real disaster, an ongoing one, affecting millions of Americans,” she continued. “And real help really is needed, and that is not the same thing as using the suffering of millions of Americans as an occasion to accrue political capital for yourself by trying to create the appearance that you are helping when you are not bothering to actually try to really help.”

Take a look, via MSNBC: