Post # 182, Bob McKnight's Florida Commentary
Florida leads the entire nation in Covid-19 Cases.
When announcing his candidacy for Florida Governor in 2018, Ron DeSantis said among other reasons he was running, was because he was motivated by the victory of former President Donald Trump two years earlier. From that sought endorsement, DeSantis has become a undisputed clone of Trump.
One of the hallmarks of Trump is the emphasis on individual freedom as opposed to structure and governmental intervention. In 2019, it was said there was a chance the Trump Administration could have deterred the Covid-19 spreading, with an aggressive masking mandate. Trump refused, but not because he was opposed to the mandate for reasons of freedom. He thought people wearing masks would draw attention to Covid-19 and upend what he thought was a certain re-election. His decision was based on what he thought was best for himself and not the people he represented. It apparently never occurred to Trump to listen to our government scientists who warned him that Covid-19 was real and was spreading out of control. Again Trump saw ghosts everywhere thinking the Democrats controlled science in America.
As I have said many times, Donald Trump does deserve credit for expediting approval of the Covid-19 vaccine, perhaps as no one else could ever done. All that credit evaporates when you look at how Trump has undermined good public health policy and protection.
So where we find ourselves today is Trump clone DeSantis is trying to take up the freedom mantle to fight the government scientists in our public schools. Why does that sound like Trump, who is now a constituent of DeSantis? Governor that is catchy politics, but bad pubic health policy. And the people knows it.
One's freedom to not wear masks affects others with the Delta virus, the most contagious and dangerous form of Covid-19 yet. We have no way of knowing who has been vaccinated, so the risk is even higher. Safety comes first, then individual freedom choices Governor, not the other way around.
This is a record Florida doesn't want Governor DeSantis.