“It’s up to him if he wants to respond to us or not,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the Florida Republican.
My Note: This morning Florida is facing another climate related disasters, and the governor is thumbing his nose at those who control emergency preparedness / after-relief. It cost him literally nothing. His conservative constituents are not going to get mad that he delivered aid for them in a time of emergency. Why is disaster preparedness political?
I am embarrassed! May this political hack go off into the dark place reserved for politicians who, so obviously, seek their own interest first.
If you did not think he was evil before; now you know.
Tuesday Follow-up: Biden did play this down. However, made a point of saying he has shared his personal phone number with Tampa's Mayor.
By Ryan Grenoble October 7, 2024
Gov. Ron DeSantis DeSoto County FL 2022 |
HuffPost: The White House called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a Monday afternoon press briefing in response to reports that the Republican has refused to answer phone calls from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris about hurricane relief efforts.
“It’s up to him if he wants to respond to us or not,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters with a shrug Monday, confirming the reports.
“We invited the governor, right, to come and survey the damage areas with the president. Obviously, we were in Florida, we invited the governor of Florida to come. It was his decision not ― to not attend or not be there with the president,” Jean-Pierre said. “The president has reached out around Hurricane Helene. He reached out. It is up to the governor. It is really up to the governor.”
Jean-Pierre noted that federal officials, including Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have nevertheless connected with state and local officials to help with storm recovery.
“We’re going to do the work,” Jean-Pierre said. “We’re going to continue to talk to local and state officials, that’s important as well, we’re going to pre-position as Hurricane Milton is coming towards Florida.”
DeSantis reportedly refused to talk to the vice president about hurricane relief in his state less than a week after Hurricane Helene pummeled the area and while another powerful storm, Hurricane Milton, will likely make landfall later this week.
“Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” a DeSantis aide told NBC News of the Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. The aide added that the Republican governor was screening the calls because they “seemed political.”
When Biden visited Florida last week, DeSantis also decided not to meet with him. The source told NBC they didn’t think the two had talked on the phone despite Biden’s efforts to call DeSantis last week.
The development comes as Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has spread baseless conspiracy theories and lies accusing the federal government of failing to provide adequate storm relief. Last week, Trump claimed Biden hadn’t spoken with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) after Hurricane Helene. Both Biden and Kemp said that wasn’t true. [Trump lied].
One model depiction of Milton's wind gusts as it approaches landfall Wednesday night. CNN Weather |
It's amazing to see how blatantly political Desantis is. But then, we knew how evil the man is for a long time now. There is no excuse any state to ignore offers for help when the hurricane damage is as bad as that caused by Helene.
ReplyDeleteThe group of GOP leaders we have today refuse to acknowledge reality. When asked if Trump was responsible for January 6's riots, they were willing to condemn him on January 7'th. But within a few days, they were in lock step behind him. These people refuse to admit that Biden won the 2020 election, and they obey Trump's dictates, anticipating what he'd want them to do, so that the legitimacy of the Federal Government, its leaders and its actions are questioned. Only things that enhance the power of Trump and his MAGA followers are permissible. Desantis' refusal to take Biden's and Harris's calls offering help is a perfect example of his evil nature.
Thankfully, there are people in the GOP who are honest enough to say that the Federal Government is doing its job and offering help where it is needed. Several other GOP governors in the South are openly saying that Biden's administration, including FEMA, is helping - as they should be in times of crisis.
Hopefully, after this election, Trump and MAGA will be consigned to the dustbin of history. Yet, it won't eliminate the fertile ground from where Trump and MAGA comes. Until we address the needs and grievances of the alienated people who flock to people like Trump, evil people like him will arise again.
Some people say that we must fight a war on poverty. That will always be a losing war, as there will always be "haves and have nots". But we can fight a war against the pain of poverty - we can make sure that people are housed in safe housing, that they have healthy foods to eat, nice clothes to wear, good schools to attend, and opportunities available to all. This way, we might be able to make it possible for those with the right talents and skills to escape poverty and bring their families up the economic ladder with them.
Sadly, Florida is stuck with Desantis and his followers until (at least) the next election. I hope Florida gets wise after Milton hits, and sees that the governor is worthless in times of crisis such as a hurricane....