How does DeSantis explain his seeming dismissal of those CDC recommendations?\
"We think that's the most fair way to do it," DeSantis said of his mask move, adding: "Many Florida schoolchildren have suffered under forced masking policies, and it is prudent to protect the ability of parents to make decisions regarding the wearing of masks by their children."
How does DeSantis explains this?
He doesn't even try. This former Freedom Caucus Crazy knows he's a loser.
7/27/2012 update, "Meet Florida governor Ron DeSantis, looking ahead to 2024 and playing to the cheap seats". starts here.
Florida has exceeded its 2020 summer peak
New York Times
Leading the pack again
Worldometer
7/27/2021 update starts here
Headline: Washington Post, 7/23/2021
More than 640,000 more Americans have been confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus this month. About 1 in 5 of those new infections were recorded in Florida.
The timing on this would seem to be a bit awkward for the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis (R). He’s leaned hard into the idea that he found the perfect balance of coronavirus restrictions and personal freedoms, standing athwart the big-government mandates in favor of the little man. Somewhat awkwardly, his campaign is selling merchandise mocking the federal government’s top infectious-disease expert, Anthony S. Fauci, whose cautious approach to containing the virus annoyed former president Donald Trump and, by extension, Trump’s base of support. For a Republican with an eye on 2024 — such as DeSantis — it’s a valuable audience to which one might play.
7/26/2021 update starts here
The State of Florida didn't issue a Covid update yesterday, but the virus rampages on.
New York Times, 7/23/2021
Florida’s leaders expected a summer wave. For many weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said the coronavirus would likely return in bigger numbers — as it did last summer, to devastating effect — because hotter temperatures drive people indoors, into the air-conditioning. [Emphasis added.]
“It’s a seasonal virus, and this is the seasonal pattern it follows in the Sun Belt states,” he said on Monday.
But Mr. DeSantis, a possible 2024 Republican presidential hopeful who has seen his popularity among conservatives skyrocket for bucking some federal guidelines related to public health and being early to reopen Florida’s economy, insisted that — summer wave or not — the state would not impose any new mandates. (Florida never instituted a statewide mask mandate, though local governments did.)
Retiring Guy is not sure what's worse here: Ron DeSantis' inane excuses or Patricia Mazzei's mindless transcription.
7/25/2021 update starts here
Headline: news4jax, 7/23/2021
Stats from Worldometers
Yesterday Florida reported nearly 40% of new Covid-19 cases in the U.S. Heckuva job!
From the news4jax report:
Gov. Ron DeSantis has drawn national attention for bucking federal health-care officials over the handling of the novel coronavirus, but a group of Florida physicians said Thursday the governor’s push to reopen the state and block precautions are a main reason for a sharp increase in the number of residents suffering from COVID-19.
Bernard Ashby, a Miami cardiologist and leader of the Florida chapter of the Committee to Protect Health Care, said DeSantis should spend more time talking to people about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and less time attacking federal infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci in hopes of scoring political points.
“While hospitals in our state were filling up, DeSantis was shouting about ‘Freedom over Faucism,’” said Ashby who leads the group of 405 Florida physicians. “If DeSantis were as concerned about stopping COVID-19 spread as he was about coming up with these clever jabs about Dr. Fauci, we might not be in this position.”
Ashby said DeSantis has bragged about Florida’s approach to handling the pandemic, but he accused the governor of being reactive and not having a plan to protect residents.__________________________________________
July 24 update starts here
They weren't the only ones. (See 7/22/2021 update below.
Yesterday Florida reported 20% of new Covid-19 cases in the U.S. Heckuva job!
Headline from Wall Street Journal, 3/5/2021
Stats from Worldometers
____________________________________________________________________________
7/23/2021 update, "GET ME REWRITE: 3 states report 40% of new COVID-19 cases in US: Florida leads the way", starts here.
Headline: CNN, 7/23/2021 (box added)
Stats: Worldometers
Extremely risky business in FLA.
7/22/2021 update, "March 2021 Ron DeSantis headline at Politico is egregiously, hilariously off the mark", starts here.
Politico nonsense found here.
Stats from Worldometers
A sample:
“There’s a sweet spot in there that most governors have searched for but few have found,” said GOP pollster Whit Ayres, who’s worked for DeSantis in the past. “He’s managed to figure out the sweet spot between good policy and good politics.”
“He’s in the catbird’s seat,” powerful Trump-tied lobbyist Brian Ballard told me. “The future of the party.”
Original 7/21/2021 post, "Chris Cillizza headline still on the mark one year later", starts here.
Sources:
Yesterday, Florida reported 18% of new Covid cases in the U.S.
DeSantis has been trying to happy talk his way out of his incompetence since last summer.
