Florida is now the center of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, with the Florida Hospital Association releasing some disturbing numbers:
Even White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki felt a need to comment on the massive number of cases being seen in the Sunshine State, telling reporters on Tuesday:
“You know, I will note, as you touched on there, 20 percent of the cases we’re seeing are in Florida. There are steps and precautions that can be taken, including encouraging people to get vaccinated, encouraging people to wear masks, including allowing — allowing schools to mandate masks, and allow — allowing kids to wear masks, which is not the current state of play in Florida.
“So, you know, at a certain point, leaders are going to have to choose whether they’re going to follow public health guidelines or they’re going to follow politics, and we certainly encourage all governors to follow the public health guidelines.”
Yet despite all of this evidence that things are getting worse in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) refuses to allow any city or town in the state to impose mask mandates or insist on immunizations. He’s fiddling while his state burns, and it’s becoming clearer by the day that all DeSantis cares about is placating the right wing of the GOP that he needs to win reelection next year and will also need on his side when he runs for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
All of this led former GOP political strategist Steve Schmidt to attack DeSantis on Twitter, using strong language to express how disgusted he is by the Florida governor:
“Ron DeSantis is a 42-year-old punk who got elected to Congress and then Governor, gambled with his constituents lives and lost. His pugnaciousness and ambition were confused by many as a type of charisma. He is the MAGA version of Tim Pawlenty or Scott Walker, meager talents who were never going to play in the NFL. They were always Division 3 Quarterbacks, too slow for the big show.”
The real “leader” of the GOP in the post-Trump era, Schmidt concludes, is Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Here’s the entire thread from Schmidt:
Schmidt is absolutely right. DeSantis, as he notes, has no future. He’s a passing fad, the flavor of the month.
Tucker Carlson, on the other hand, is a true believer, is media savvy, and has an audience of millions who hang on his every word five nights a week. He’s Trump on steroids, and that’s a truly frightening thought.
