As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast, Gov. Ron DeSantis has done what leaders do by ensuring his state is well-equipped to handle what is expected to be a devastating impact from the storm, the second in two weeks third in two months targeting the Sunshine State.
Incredibly, in the midst of everything he is doing – which includes regular public briefings – both the media and Vice President Kamala Harris have chosen to launch attacks on him from a tenuous source percussion piece It alleged, without evidence, that DeSantis refused to take Harris’ call after Hurricane Helene struck.
“…to play political games with this moment in these crisis situations, this is the height of emergencies, it’s just completely irresponsible and selfish,” Harris said when asked about the NBC News story.
DeSantis, of course, wasn’t having it, attacking a reporter for bringing politics into a hurricane briefing, and then later attacking Harris for being the one who politicized things in a crisis situation that she actually played no role in resolving .
READ MORE: Don’t bring a catfight to a Cat5: DeSantis suggests Harris look in the mirror about hurricane criticism
The topic of the alleged Harris call and alleged rejection by DeSantis was raised Monday night on CNN, where Republican strategist/political analyst Scott Jennings was in attendance Facts dropped on why this attack on Harris could (and should) backfire in the home stretch and not DeSantis:
JENNINGS: I mean, she’s attacking the governor of a state that’s about to be hit by one of the most historic hurricanes we’ve ever seen. Is she crazy? He didn’t ignore her call.
PHILLIP: I think she spoke – to be clear, she spoke generally about the politicization of the storms.
JENNINGS: I think she was talking about Ron DeSantis. He didn’t ignore her call. And in fact, from what I read tonight, he actually spoke to the President of the United States.
PHILLIP: He spoke to President Biden.
JENNINGS: And he has – he has consistently said that he and the federal government work well together. So who is politicizing this?
MICHAELSON: Yeah, I hate to agree with Scott on anything, but I agree – in this case, I agree. I don’t think so, you know, I’m from Florida. I grew up in Tampa. Tampa is right – just on the trail. Many of my friends were evacuated. Others kind of hole up. And I’m not a fan of Ron DeSantis, but he’s doing what a governor should do.
Jennings then spoke more generally about the government’s overall response to Helene and how it too has painted Biden and Harris in a bad featherlight:
JENNINGS: I actually think the facts are bad enough. When the storm came ashore, Biden was on the beach and Harris was collecting money. And that was on September 26th.
On September 27th, devastating consequences occurred in North Carolina. It wasn’t until October 2nd that the president mobilized the military. And only on the 5th they mobilized 500 military search and rescue personnel.
So I think there are two things going on. The people directly affected and what they need and what they can get. People must consult their local officials and governors on this matter. But there is a conversation here about spending priorities, yes.
Regard:
It is legitimately crazy that Harris attacked Governor DeSantis, who is preparing for a historically bad storm. She politicized when she and Biden were SLOW in their decisions. Discussed this evening @cnn (h/t to my friend @EWErickson on the timeline) https://t.co/KUbKYj0JGK pic.twitter.com/MTKqJ72fps
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) October 8, 2024
It is just a factual observation at this point that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did not cover themselves in glory after Hurricane Helene and before Hurricane Milton, with the optics of the beach trip and campaign fundraisers and then the sluggish response to the devastation in the West of North Carolina after Helene took center stage is on the minds of many who are still wondering what happens next.
If Kamala Harris thought attacking DeSantis in the middle of hurricane preparation for a potentially catastrophic storm was a astute idea, she was wrong. On the other hand, it is self-evident for Kamala Harris to be wrong on these issues, which is exactly why she is unfit for the office she wants to hold.
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