WASHINGTON -- It's unseemly to campaign in the midst of an unfolding natural disaster, but the Romney-Ryan camp was ready this week with a solution: Don't call it campaigning.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, canceled campaign rallies on Monday and Tuesday. He instead hosted swing-state "relief" events, which included attacks on the president, a video bio of Romney and multiple photo ops in front of boxes of canned goods.

Democrats have called Romney out for pretending he had stopped campaigning. "Hold a campaign rally in a swing state today if you are going to, but don't fucking pretend it is doing anything to help storm victims," tweeted Charles Monaco, a Democratic activist.

It's unsurprising that the entire machinery has failed to come to a halt, given the short length of time campaigns and groups supporting them have to push out their final message.

There has been an effort, especially at the top of the ticket, to encourage supporters to do what they can for those impacted by the storm, including through emails urging donations to the Red Cross. That's more in line with what the Red Cross requests than boxes of food. The nonprofit routinely discourages donations of canned goods, suggesting that cash and blood are more useful in times of emergency.

That effort, though, is relatively small in comparison to what voters on the ground are hearing, be it through inundations of ads or calls. And it's not just coming from Republicans. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, for instance, has sent its list a barrage of fundraising emails, though it has carved out donors in states hit by the storm.

At a Monday event in Avon Lake, Ohio, that took place just after his other events were canceled, Romney addressed the storm but also spent plenty of time attacking the president for his record and policies.

His event Tuesday, touted as a "storm relief" effort, did not mention politics at all. "We have heavy hearts, as you know, with all of the suffering going on in a major part of our country," he said at an appearance near Dayton, Ohio, before collecting and boxing donations to be sent to New Jersey. He spent slightly under an hour on the effort.

The event took place in a crucial swing state -- curiously far from the storm itself, as Politico's Ben White pointed out on Twitter Monday after it was announced.

"Romney is doing a 'storm relief' event in Ohio? Why not come to NYC and give us a hand," he tweeted. "Fine by me if candidates want to go back to campaigning, just patronizing to pretend it's something else," he added.

The Romney campaign did not respond to request for comment on general criticism of the event.

Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), spent Tuesday visiting campaign offices to thank those collecting donations -- and ostensibly those working toward his and Romney's election.

Both Romney and Ryan will be back to campaign events Wednesday, with the presidential nominee in Florida and the vice presidential nominee in Wisconsin. Ryan will campaign in Colorado on Thursday.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican who also served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told Politico Tuesday that Romney would be best served by letting the situation run its course without saying anything.

"This is mostly a challenge for the president. It gives him a chance to be a leader, but, if the damage is the sort that lasts for awhile, the public will get frustrated with everyone," she wrote in Politico Arena. "Gov. Romney should just stay quiet for now."

It's somewhat easier for President Barack Obama to cancel campaign events -- he has presidential duties to attend to that can still work to his advantage by allowing him to display his ability to deal with a crisis. He canceled campaign events for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He will travel on Wednesday to see the damage in New Jersey and meet with Gov. Chris Christie -- an event that will surely be photographed.

His campaign is still running, though. Former President Bill Clinton, a top surrogate, attended events on Tuesday in Minnesota and Colorado. Vice President Joe Biden's Tuesday event was canceled, but he will be back on the road later this week, with stops in Iowa on Thursday and Wisconsin on Friday.

The Obama campaign held a press call on Monday to criticize Romney and released statements doing the same. Its ads, and the Romney campaign's, are still on the airwaves across the country, and more are being released.

Outside groups haven't slowed down either. American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, both conservative groups, announced Monday they had spent $10.5 million in ads for senatorial candidates. Pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future will air $2.1 million of ads in Pennsylvania. The conservative American Future Fund purchased $2.6 million in ad space for pro-Romney spots in Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nevada.

On the Democratic side, American Bridge made a smaller ad buy Monday of $111,000, with an additional $50,000 spent on targeted ads, accusing Romney of treating the rich differently than the middle class.

Even top Romney adviser Stuart Stevens allowed that the campaign video playing at the "relief" event was a bit much. "I don't know how it happened," he said, adding: "Some volunteer just pressed play, I guess."

The relief event over, Romney zipped out of Ohio. "The Romney campaign is scrambling to get the plane off to Florida 4 hours ahead of schedule before Sandy really hits Ohio," tweeted NPR's Ari Shapiro.

Related on HuffPost:

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  • President Barack Obama

    In a hastily organized press briefing at the White House, Obama said Monday that his race with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is the furthest thing from his mind as the East Coast braces for what could be its worst storm in history. "I am not worried at this point about the impact on the election. I am worried about the impact on families. I am worried about the impact on our first responders," he said. "The election will take care of itself next week." ... He also sent out a campaign email on Monday urging supporters to heed advice from local authorities and extending an early thank you to first responders. “Michelle and I are keeping everyone in the affected areas in our thoughts and prayers. Be safe,” reads the email, signed by Obama. -- <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/hurricane-sandy-obama_n_2042403.html?1351610452">HuffPost's Jennifer Bendery and Lynne Peeples </a></em>

  • Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney

    Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney took a moment in an overflow room ahead of a campaign rally Monday to express his concern for those in the path of Hurricane Sandy and encourage the people of Ohio to do what they could to help those out east. “I want to mention that our hearts and prayers are with all the people in the storm's path," he said in Avon Lake, Ohio. "Sandy is another devastating hurricane by all accounts, and a lot of people are going to be facing some real tough times as a result of Sandy's fury." He went on to encourage those who can afford it to make a donation to the Red Cross. "If there are other ways that you can help, please take advantage of them because there will be a lot of people that are going to be looking for help and the people in Ohio have big hearts, so we're expecting you to follow through and help out," he said. Romney concluded the rally by echoing his comments from the overflow room. "This looks like another time we all need to come together," he said. -- <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/mitt-romney-hurricane-sandy_n_2039620.html?1351610466">HuffPost's Elise Foley</a></em>

  • New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) continued his praise of President Barack Obama's work responding to Hurricane Sandy, using a press briefing Monday evening to note that he appreciated the "leadership" Obama was showing in the emergency. Christie, a prominent surrogate for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, said that he and Obama had a private phone conversation on Monday to discuss how the federal government could help New Jersey. He said that Obama told Christie that he could call him directly over the next 48 hours if the state government had issues with federal response to the hurricane in New Jersey. “I appreciate that type of leadership," Christie said of Obama. The Republican governor said most of the call centered on Obama's concern for New Jersey and then he continued to heap praise on the president, saying Obama's work has been "proactive." Christie shortened a campaign trip for Romney to return to New Jersey to handle the storm response. Christie started his praise of Obama during press briefings on Sunday, when he said "appreciated" Obama's outreach to him and the governors of other states being impacted by Hurricane Sandy. During a press briefing on Monday afternoon, Christie described another call he had with Obama and said that the president and his aides have been working to benefit New Jersey. “We appreciate the president’s efforts in that regard," Christie said earlier Monday. "He and his staff worked tremendously hard.” -- <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/chris-christie-sandy-obama_n_2041673.html">HuffPost's John Celock</a></em>

  • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo

  • Newark Mayor Cory Booker

  • Former Vice President Al Gore

    This week, our nation has anxiously watched as Hurricane Sandy lashed the East Coast and caused widespread damage--affecting millions. Now more than ever, our neighbors need our help. Please consider donating or volunteering for your local aid organizations. The images of Sandy’s flooding brought back memories of a similar--albeit smaller scale-- event in Nashville just two years ago. There, unprecedented rainfall caused widespread flooding, wreaking havoc and submerging sections of my hometown. For me, the Nashville flood was a milestone. For many, Hurricane Sandy may prove to be a similar event: a time when the climate crisis—which is often sequestered to the far reaches of our everyday awareness became a reality. While the storm that drenched Nashville was not a tropical cyclone like Hurricane Sandy, both storms were strengthened by the climate crisis. Scientists tell us that by continually dumping 90 million tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere every single day, we are altering the environment in which all storms develop. As the oceans and atmosphere continue to warm, storms are becoming more energetic and powerful. Hurricane Sandy, and the Nashville flood, were reminders of just that. Other climate-related catastrophes around the world have carried the same message to hundreds of millions. Sandy was also affected by other symptoms of the climate crisis. As the hurricane approached the East Coast, it gathered strength from abnormally warm coastal waters. At the same time, Sandy's storm surge was worsened by a century of sea level rise. Scientists tell us that if we do not reduce our emissions, these problems will only grow worse. Hurricane Sandy is a disturbing sign of things to come. We must heed this warning and act quickly to solve the climate crisis. Dirty energy makes dirty weather.

  • Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

  • House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

    "Our thoughts and prayers rest with the families, friends, and loved ones of all those who have lost their lives in the course of Hurricane Sandy, and our hearts go out to the millions of Americans waking up to destruction and devastation in their homes and communities today. "We are all grateful to the rescue workers and first responders working around-the-clock to save lives, restore power, and deal with the immediate aftermath of the storm. Federal, state, and local authorities have worked hand-in-hand to prepare for and respond to this natural disaster, and we will continue to do so as Americans begin to take stock of the damage, recover, and rebuild. "All Members of Congress stand ready to offer our aid and assistance to communities affected by Hurricane Sandy. As we have done in the past, the American people will stand united to confront the impact of this storm and start the work of recovery."

  • Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)

  • Sen. David Vitter (R-La.)

  • Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)

  • Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.)

  • Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)

  • Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.)

  • Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)

  • Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.)

  • Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)

  • Rep. Steve Austria (R-Ohio)

  • Former Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.)

  • Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)

    “Hurricane Sandy hit New York and the Northeast hard last night and will complicate life in our region for the coming days. I am astounded at what I have seen in my own congressional district: flooding throughout Coney Island, Battery Park City, and other areas; widespread power outages; felled trees everywhere you look; and some very tragic fatalities. I am grateful to our local responders and laborers, who are doing a tremendous job on emergency response. And, through the President’s declaration of New York as a major disaster area, we will be able to immediately allocate FEMA funds to begin to repair the billions of dollars in damage locally and bring relief to New Yorkers whose lives have been turned upside down.”