Mira Oberman
AFP ^[1]
Sept 1, 2012

LAFITTE, Louisiana — One day after he was named official flag-bearer of the Republican revolution, Mitt Romney confronted the limits of his small government rhetoric Friday in the storm-ravaged Louisiana Bayou.

As Hurricane Isaac petered out and headed off northwards, Romney jetted in from his nomination convention in Florida to visit the desperate residents of Lafitte, a small flood-damaged community just inland from New Orleans.

There, with the world’s media looking on, he met 22-year-old mother-of-two Ashley Vegas, whose home was destroyed by a 12-foot (four-meter) wall of water, and whose bare feet contrasted oddly with Romney’s suede loafers.

His advice for the suddenly homeless family? Seek a bailout from the US federal government’s disaster agency FEMA by calling its 211 emergency hotline.

Full article here ^[1]