Latest Florida postcard
Republicans have a strange and cynical view of “freedom,” that word they use so often. For them, it means opposing anything a Democratic official does, no matter how helpful. Case in point: the 2009 “Tea Party” protests against President Barack Obama‘s proposed Affordable Care Act, wherein Republican base voters, many of them who desperately needed but could not afford health insurance, took orders from rich insured Republicans and protested against something very beneficial to them.
One of the most vivid demonstrations of this Republican “free dumb” attitude today is the GOP-run state of Florida, where residents take many unnecessary risks and make many poor decisions, apparently in the name of “freedom.” This includes, for example, motorcycle riders wearing tank tops, shorts, flip-flops, and no helmet or protective gear, because such riders over the age of 21 can choose whether to wear or helmet or purchase insurance — they don’t need both. Similarly, Florida automobile drivers regularly can be seen pulling off roads into emergency lanes and grass medians to do casual things like make phone calls and send texts (don’t worry, they do that while driving too), wait for flights to land, or even go fishing by the side of the road. It is, sadly, no coincidence that the terms “Floriduh,” “Floridiot,” and bizarre news stories under the category “Florida Man” proliferate in the media.
But perhaps the best example of Florida “free dumb” is its response to the COVID pandemic. As we have noted previously, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has taken the almost insane position of fighting against COVID protections, such as vaccination or mask mandates. DeSantis has even taken to fining counties, school districts and other entities for establishing such mandates. Not surprisingly, Florida has been at or near the top among U.S. states in COVID cases (total and per capita) and deaths for many months as a result. In one Florida school district alone (Polk County), 17 employees have died of Coronavirus just since the beginning of this school year.
Relying on scientific experts when it comes to the deadly Coronavirus pandemic is common sense, but DeSantis, like other Republicans, thinks there is a political benefit in ignoring science here, especially when the science and health advice (including vaccination and mask wearing) is now coming from the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden. This Republican political battle against science includes attacks by DeSantis on Dr. Anthony Fauci, who serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a post he has held, under presidents of both parties, since 1984. Fauci, notably, has been an early and strong advocate of COVID precautions, including vaccination, mask-wearing, social distancing, and stay-at-home measures. In contrast, the evidence of the anti-Fauci, anti-science attitude by the Florida Republican state government can be seen plainly on DeSantis’ campaign website (he is up for reelection in 2022), which offers merchandise for sale including a “Keep Florida Free” flag, “Don’t Fauci My Florida” t-shirts, and a beer koozie with the DeSantis quote, “How the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on?”
It has been widely reported that DeSantis wants (or at least many Republicans want him) to run for president in 2024, to the point where he already comes in a strong number two in Republican polls. It’s quite an indictment of his Republican Party, however, that DeSantis may be heading to run on a platform of “I stood up to mask-wearing and COVID vaccines so you would have freedom to die.”
Photo by Mike Licht, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/nfPVbf
