( CNN ) -- President Obama 's remarks Monday on Hurricane Sandy were in some ways the most significant of his presidency . They were , at their core , about the role of government -- all governments -- and the responsibility of citizens to take care of themselves and each other when times are tough . By embracing self-reliance and resiliency -- `` take care of yourselves '' and `` we will get through this '' were themes -- Obama did more to defend and explain the role of government than any presidential debate ever could . The message was political , but not in the partisan sense . It was more akin to the debates at America 's founding on the role of government , and included an appropriate sense of tough love . It was a statement to the nation that reality is sometimes cruel and challenging . It was not filled with a `` We got this '' bravado . It would have been a lie for Obama to say so ; as he noted , this is a massive storm , and -- by meteorologists ' accounts -- of a different nature from what responders have seen before . He did not promise instantaneous response , explaining that first responders and utility company workers should not put themselves at risk until conditions are safer . Nor did he claim that all would be back to normal immediately . Politics : Looking presidential -- The optics of leadership during a disaster . That messaging was not an accident , nor was it partisan . In the statements from the White House to statehouses both Republican and Democratic , there 's a hint that Sandy may help engender a new discussion about our resiliency . The measure of our success has as much to do with our initial response to a crisis as it does with restoring the mechanisms that support our commerce and transportation and all other aspects of our infrastructure . The value of a stronger infrastructure is not just that it does n't fall apart when the winds howl , but that if operations are interrupted , it gets running again as soon as possible . It is not too early to think about Hurricane Sandy as a key point in policy discussions about our aging infrastructure and our lack of commitment to it . For the last several years , infrastructure enhancements have often been tied to the economic debate . The stimulus package had a dual purpose : Get roads fixed , bridges modernized , transportation systems upgraded , and all while putting people back to work . It was an important effort , but its public message referred primarily to jobs and the economy , not public safety . That we have to hunker down for the next few days is a basic -- and correct -- safety response to the wrath of such a storm . But Obama also noted an obvious fact : Our ability to bounce back -- to get the power lines restored , the transportation systems running -- is no small feat . When a storm puts 60 million people in danger , sends tens of thousands across the Eastern seaboard fleeing to the high ground to escape a surge made more threatening by a century of rising sea level ; when it essentially shuts down New York City , bringing the transportation system to a halt and even shutting down the stock exchange -- it is not just a matter of safety in this storm . When we talk about upgrading and improving our infrastructure , we are talking about maintaining our resiliency as nature serves up ever more complicated , unpredictable weather in our new era of climate change . Politics : 5 things to watch in hurricane-wracked campaign . How to do this ? There are plenty of solutions , many with bipartisan support . One involves creating an infrastructure bank , where the private sector directly invests in infrastructure projects , as is the case in many countries , with the promise that toll fees will bring in the financial gains . Architects embrace a concept of resilient design : For example , a new bridge across San Francisco Bay will sway with an earthquake rather than resist it . Public policy planners from New York City to New Orleans are grappling with how to make investments and drive activity , even as big weather puts much of the last century 's infrastructure at risk , and sometimes under water . Electric companies that have fought government requirements to submerge power lines will face criticism about why so many lines are vulnerable . If storms like Sandy are likely in the future , we will begin to see a move toward a more resilient infrastructure , starting with projects that are already under way . Local and state governments are likely to require that primary power cables are underground and protected . Design competitions are just beginning to make resiliency a priority for public projects . Anticipate much more of this in the future ; and , after the election , expect the infrastructure bank idea to gain momentum as legislators recognize that it might be better for the private sector to pay for projects that benefit their communities . Shutting down , as we all are doing this week , makes sense . But afterward , the real focus has to be on getting better at starting back up . No nation is immune to harm , but prepared nations are quicker at getting back to normal . Sandy has caused a lot of damage and suffering , but there are many emergency managers , architects , city planners and politicians who hope that it may also refocus a political effort to invest and upgrade . It is good for the economy , yes , but more important , it is good for our safety . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Juliette Kayyem .
Juliette Kayyem : Obama pointed out roles of self-reliance and government in crisis . Kayyem : Success in dealing with emergency is measured in what we do after . We need to improve our ability to get the power restored , transportation running , she says . Kayyem : We need commitment from private sector , creative efforts to improve infrastructure .