Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was on his political tippy-toes last week when Democratic President Joe Biden arrived to inspect the devastation by Hurricane Ian. Biden pledged all the machinery of the federal government to get Florida back on track. This was a common gesture of human solidarity.
DeSantis was all business, making sure to not repeat “the hug” that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was accused of giving President Barack Obama in 2012. Obama was in New Jersey to help with the recovery from Hurricane Sandy. And after a warm greeting by Christie and an inspection tour of the devastation, Christie explained how “incredibly helpful” Obama had been.
In many parts of the new Republican Party, this was regarded as heresy. Many Republicans blamed Christie for making Obama look good. Some Republicans also blamed Christie for Mitt Romney’s defeat by Obama a week later in the 2012 presidential election.
And DeSantis was determined not to repeat that political mistake when he met with Biden. The final irony of this story is that in 2012, when Christie was desperate for help after Sandy struck, DeSantis was a member of the Tea Party Caucus in Congress.
Tea Party Caucus members have supported nondefense budget cuts, reduced spending on social services and a general policy of limited government. They are opposed to big government and big spending. As a faithful member of the Tea Party Caucus, DeSantis voted against the federal aid package for New Jersey and New York after Sandy.
Now, DeSantis has his hand out for the same help that he opposed for other Americans.
DeSantis has no choice now but to turn to Biden for help, because Florida cannot come back without federal assistance. He has bashed Biden at every turn, not just on policy, but with juvenile name-calling and taunts.
He spends his days tearing down the same president and government that will now use our tax dollars to rescue the people of Florida and rebuild the state.
Biden, the bigger man, said during his visit, “Today, we have one job and only one job, and that’s to make sure that people in Florida get everything they need to fully, thoroughly recover.”
Former Florida Republican congressman David Jolly told MSNBC that DeSantis always claims “that people should absorb their own risk and people should take care of their own lives.” But now, Jolly said, the “no government conservative” is “about to become a big government Republican.”
Worse, DeSantis has been deliberately cruel toward migrants who have no homes and no hope — tricking them and dumping them in places far from the immigration courts and other services they need.
Now, the homeless and hopeless people of Florida are counting on the compassion DeSantis never found for others.
President Ronald Reagan always got a big laugh when he said that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” It was witty, but not funny. Our government shows up when we need each other. There’s nothing funny about that. Ask the people of Florida.
