President Obama and Ala. Gov. Robert Bentley
tour storm damage last month,
pledging aid
for Alabamans hit by tornadoes
(Larry Downing/Reuters)
Politico's Marin Cogan
reports that in the wake of the recent run of natural disasters, some Republicans are shifting their rhetoric towards government, recognizing that it actually can play a positive role.
“It brings into focus why this group came to Washington,” says Rep. Jeff Landry, a Louisiana freshman who, as a sheriff’s deputy in St. Martins Parish during the 1990s, helped sandbag and drain a community flooded by the Mississippi. “I don’t think the freshman class is opposed to spending. I think the freshman class is saying we need to prioritize spending.”
Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks was holding a mobile office event in his district when the tornado sirens went off late last month. He hopped on the highway to get home to his family. An F4 tornado crossed the highway about 30 minutes later.
Brooks said he thought he was fulfilling one of the government’s primary roles. “It’s a proper function of the national government to assist people in times of national disaster. Don’t get me wrong — individuals have responsibilities,” he said, adding that he urges his constituents to keep first aid and food supplies that they can use for up to 72 hours, but “the federal government has a proper role. Some states would not have the capability to deal with the storms on their own.”
It's nice seeing these guys recognize that the federal government isn't the source of all evil. In fact, its job is to help. Now the only thing we have to do is get them to realize that the reason we need health care reform is that getting hit by a massive heart attack is pretty much the same thing as getting hit by a massive tornado.