The latest conservative exemplar of freedom is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s proud of the job he’s doing as COVID-19’s Sunshine State tour director. He’s so proud, in fact, his reelection campaign is selling swag trashing the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Because … yay, death!
Nope, you’re not dreaming. The coronavirus is spiraling out of control in Florida again, because its residents and governor seem uninterested in curbing its spread, whether by wearing masks or getting vaccinated, and the delta variant is rushing into the gap between their ears. And the governor’s response is to make fun of public health officials who are doing everything in their power to end the carnage.
This is the kind of forward-thinking we need in the White House, right?
The Washington Post adds:
While the merchandise is focused on Florida before the 2022 gubernatorial race there, DeSantis is seen as a potential front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. A key part of his pitch: He resisted public health experts’ calls for stricter measures against the spread of the coronavirus, spurring criticism on the left and praise from the right for keeping his state’s schools and economy comparatively open.
Media outlets hoping to burnish DeSantis’ supposed brass balls may need to update their reporting, because while DeSantis’ record on the coronavirus was never sterling to begin with, it’s getting measurably worse.
WFTS-TV, Tampa:
COVID-19 cases are rising again in Florida at a dramatic rate, causing one local doctor to fear a looming fourth wave. The newest numbers for the state show a total of more than 2.3 million cases, with 23,747 new cases coming in just last week.
Dr. Thomas Unnasch is a health professor at USF's College of Public Health. “The rolling average here in Florida is roughly twice that of any other state in the nation right now," Dr. Unnasch says.
Okay, that’s not good. Well, turns out it’s actually worse, as The Post notes.
New coronavirus infection numbers plummeted in Florida after vaccinations became widely available, but they have ticked up in recent weeks. The state is reporting daily cases close to four times the national average — 26 new infections per 100,000 residents, the second-highest number in the country. The state’s latest covid-19 death rate is almost double the national figure, and it ranks fourth for current hospitalizations.
DeSantis responds to these horrifying numbers with “Wanna buy a T-shirt?” Warning: If you show up at the pearly gates in a “Don’t Fauci My Florida” tee wondering what the fuck happened, I imagine you’ll at the very least be in for a scolding.
There’s also something vaguely familiar about the DeSantis campaign branding, but I can’t quite put my (vaccinated) finger on it.
Of course, given the right’s war against science and common sense, I assume DeSantis’ new line of Cognitive Dissonance Swag will barely make a dent in his credibility. But it should! For one thing, Florida’s economy didn’t particularly excel during the coronavirus epidemic, despite DeSantis’ efforts to promote the virus. Florida’s had the 24th-lowest unemployment rate in May, and its average 2020 rate was barely better than the national average.