As Hurricane Ian has devastated elements of Florida, the nationwide political highlight in America has shone brighter than ever on Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor, rising star of the onerous proper and possible presidential contender in 2024.
Since his election in 2018, DeSantis has made his title as a ruthless culture-warrior, an ally of Donald Trump but additionally maybe his most critical rival.
DeSantis has embraced an extremist agenda on all the things from immigration to election integrity, positioning himself as Trumpist on coverage however extra mainstream on persona and temperament. He has championed “don’t say homosexual” laws in Florida faculties and this month used taxpayers’ cash to ship two planeloads of migrants from the southern border in Texas to Massachusetts, a Democratic-run state.
That transfer prompted anger, investigation and authorized motion. The transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, stated DeSantis was “hurting folks with a view to get consideration”. However such opprobrium didn't deter a governor taking part in to a Trumpist base. For his subsequent transfer, DeSantis instructed, he would ship one other planeload of unsuspecting asylum seekers to Delaware, the place Joe Biden has a weekend dwelling.
However then Hurricane Ian hit. And like bold Republicans earlier than him – most famously Chris Christie of New Jersey, whose photograph ops with Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 had been reckoned to have harm him within the 2016 major – DeSantis realised he wanted to speak to the president.
On Wednesday, the Fox Information host Tucker Carlson requested: “Given how politicised issues are in the mean time, are you assured you’re gonna get the federal help Florida wants?”
DeSantis stated: “So I truly spoke with the president and he stated he needs to be useful. So we did submit a request for reimbursement for the following 60 days at 100%. That’s important help, however it’s a major storm.
“We dwell in a really politicised time, however you understand, when persons are combating for his or her lives, when their complete livelihood is at stake, after they’ve misplaced all the things, for those who can’t put politics apart for that, that you just’re simply not going to have the ability to achieve this.
“So I’ll work with anyone who needs to assist the folks of south-west Florida and all through our state.”
Critics had been fast to level again to Hurricane Sandy, which battered the east coast 10 years in the past, and the way DeSantis approached the matter of federal help then.
DeSantis was elected to Congress in November 2012, changing into a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, the far-right Home group which might morph into the nest of Trump supporters and election deniers it constitutes right now.
Sandy hit in late October, unusually far north, bringing chaos to New Jersey and New York and resulting in greater than 100 US deaths. Months later, in January 2013, DeSantis was one among 67 Republicans to vote towards a $9.7bn federal help package deal for Sandy victims.
He stated then: “I sympathise with the victims of Hurricane Sandy and imagine that those that bought flood insurance coverage ought to have their claims paid. On the similar time, permitting this system to extend its debt by one other $9.7bn with no plan to offset the spending with cuts elsewhere just isn't fiscally accountable.
“Congress shouldn't authorise billions in new borrowing with out offsetting expenditures in different areas. If a household maxes out its bank cards and faces the necessity for brand new spending, it's compelled to prioritize by decreasing its spending in different areas … this ‘put it on the bank card mentality’ is a part of the explanation we discover ourselves almost $17tn in debt.”
Instances change. Now DeSantis – who budgeted $12m, from federal Covid reduction funds, for efforts to maneuver migrants to Democratic states – is dealing with “one of many greatest flood occasions we’ve ever had” and wishes federal assist.
“Pricey Mr President,” his formal help request started. “I request that you just situation a Main Catastrophe Declaration for the State of Florida on account of Hurricane Ian and authorise and make out there all classes of particular person help and public help.”
Mockingly, in mild of his comparability of help for Sandy victims to irresponsible dwelling economics, DeSantis additionally stated that as Ian would “hamper native exercise … federal help by the People and Households Program will assist alleviate these family finances shortfalls”.
Reporters seen. Responding to the New York Instances, a spokesperson stated DeSantis was “fully targeted on hurricane response” and added: “Because the governor stated earlier, now we have no time for politics or pettiness.”
Late-night comedians, nonetheless, had loads of time for declaring DeSantis’s hypocrisy – and pettiness.
Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Present on CBS, maybe put it most pithily: “Should you can, get out of the storm’s path. Worst-case state of affairs, inform Ron DeSantis you’re Venezuelan, perhaps he’ll fly you to Martha’s Winery.”
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