close
close

Yiamastaverna

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • Milton threatens Florida. So why does Harris play politics?
    Washington

    Milton threatens Florida. So why does Harris play politics?

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    Florida is about to be hit by its second major hurricane in less than two weeks, and instead of offering to help in any way she can, Kamala Harris is throwing barbs at Gov. Ron DeSantis.

    play

    Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris just gave us a glimpse of what kind of leader she would be in an emergency.

    And it’s not great.

    Florida is about to be hit by its second major hurricane in two weeks, and instead of offering her help in any way she can, Harris is throwing barbs at Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

    DeSantis on Monday called the approaching Hurricane Milton a “monster” and encouraged citizens in its path to evacuate as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, he’s still busy overseeing the cleanup after Hurricane Helene, which killed an estimated 20 Florida residents.

    In other words, DeSantis is busy and really doesn’t have time to do politics.

    But that’s exactly what Harris wants to do.

    Harris’ instinct is to insult DeSantis, not offer him support

    NBC News reported this week that DeSantis reportedly chose not to take calls from Harris after Hurricane Helene.

    This was Harris’ response on Monday when asked: “Moments of crisis should, if nothing else, really be the moment when anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and turn to the people.” will put it first.” People urgently need support now and are playing political games in these crisis situations. These are emergency situations at their peak, it’s just completely irresponsible and selfish.”

    At first glance, Harris’ words are fine. In fact, she’s right.

    But given the context, she does the opposite and puts politics above the people of Florida. All she had to say was that she is ready and willing to help in any way she can.

    And Harris couldn’t do that.

    DeSantis denies even knowing she had called. Rather, he spoke with President Joe Biden as well as the head of FEMA, the federal agency tasked with dealing with such emergencies.

    Responding to Harris’ attack, the governor said on Fox News that the vice president “has no role in this” and had not bothered to reach out during previous hurricanes.

    “In fact, she has been vice president for three and a half years,” DeSantis said. “I have faced a number of storms under this administration. She has contributed nothing to any of these efforts.”

    Opinion: Why are so many Americans siding with terrorists on Israel after the October 7 attack?

    DeSantis: “I have no time for political games”

    He also said he faced storms under both former President Donald Trump and Biden and worked well with both.

    “She’s the first to try to politicize the storm, and she’s only doing it because of her campaign,” DeSantis said. “I don’t have time for political games.”

    If anything, Harris owes DeSantis a “thank you” for his effective management.

    Following Helene, Florida’s governor said he had “managed” the situation and that additional federal aid should be focused on North Carolina, which has suffered even worse.

    Opinion: Republicans for Kamala Harris? A real conservative couldn’t vote for her.

    Two years ago, after Hurricane Ian’s devastating impact on Florida, DeSantis happily welcomed the president to see the aftermath. Both men — who had previously exchanged numerous targeted attacks in the run-up to the midterm elections — were able to put those differences aside to advocate for the benefit of those injured by the hurricane.

    “I think he did a good job,” Biden said at the time. “We have very different political philosophies, but we worked hand in hand. … We were completely in step in dealing with this crisis.”

    This is what leadership looks like in times of crisis.

    And Harris isn’t up to the challenge.

    Ingrid Jacques is a columnist for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques.

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Madoc Meredith
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads