State Sen. Butler on Ivey and coronavirus: ‘Right now, I think we need to get behind the governor’

In the early stages of what could be a long path to handling the coronavirus pandemic, the state of Alabama has taken extraordinary actions, some of which have interfered with lifestyle, livelihoods and civil liberties.

That has led some to question the efforts of state government leadership, including Gov. Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. For now, State Sen. Tom Butler (R-Madison) urges his legislative colleagues and others to put that aside, recognize the severity of the situation and line up behind Ivey’s leadership as she attempts to navigate the crisis.

Butler made his feelings known on the state of Alabama’s response to the coronavirus pandemic during an appearance on Huntsville radio’s “The Jeff Poor Show” on Monday.

“We have a national emergency,” he said. “The president this morning actually referred to it as a national disaster. The governor is our chief executive officer. She is the commander-in-chief of the national guard. She has all kinds of input around her. She has had some input from the legislature, and I think our voices have been heard. But this is a health emergency. That the state has never faced before. As the president would say, it’s an unseen enemy. That is true. It is killing people right and left, putting all kind of people in danger.”

“The six-foot social distancing — if we keep doing that will help push that curve down we’re looking for,” Butler continued. “But right now, I think we need to get behind the governor, just stay there. I know it’s going to be hard but the Congress and the president has now signed a huge bill that will hopefully restore and give some relief to people financially, including small business, big business, individual families. This is the biggest problem this country has seen probably since World War II.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.