Leonard Pitts: 'Ron DeSantis’ hypocrisy, his secession of convenience from the ideal of the larger us, suggests a different model of Americanism, one... consonant with our divided, schism-ridden politics.'
In 2013, when Hurricane Sandy devastated New Jersey, the then-Florida congressman piously declined to support a bill providing $9.7 billion in aid to those who had seen their homes damaged or destroyed. “I sympathize with the victims of Hurricane Sandy,” he declared, but added that it would not be “fiscally responsible” to increase the debt without a decrease in spending.
Now, nine years later, here he comes as Florida’s governor, asking Joe Biden — a president he has ridiculed tastelessly and repeatedly, no less — to provide disaster relief for his state, which was swamped last week by Hurricane Ian.
That word is used not in the sense of a legal breaking away but, rather, in the sense of an emotional and spiritual one, a pulling away from the whole, such that one can be untroubled by ruin that falls on one’s putative countrymen so long as one’s immediate environs are unscathed. But again, DeSantis is a secessionist of convenience: He scorned federal aid until he needed federal aid.
But DeSantis’ hypocrisy, his secession of convenience from the ideal of the larger us, suggests a different model of Americanism, one which, while it has yet to take broad hold, seems ominously consonant with our divided, schism-ridden politics and, more to the point, with the transactional, what’s-in-it-for-me ethos popularized by his former political patron.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden to visit Florida one week after Hurricane IanPresident Biden will visit Florida on Wednesday to survey damage caused by Hurricane Ian, his second storm-related trip this week.
Read more »
Biden to meet with DeSantis in Florida as he surveys Hurricane Ian damagePresident Biden will meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he visits the state in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Read more »
Biden to meet with DeSantis in Florida as he surveys Hurricane Ian damageThe president will visit Florida to meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis as the death toll from Hurricane Ian rises.
Read more »
Florida and Georgia showcase Trumpism and its potential limits: The NoteIn Florida on Wednesday, President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis after Hurricane Ian.
Read more »
Lone TV debate between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Charlie Crist postponed by Hurricane IanThe lone TV debate between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist before the Nov. 8 election has been postponed due to Hurricane Ian.
Read more »
MSNBC guest blames DeSantis' COVID attitude on ‘wearing masks’ for Lee County's late evacuation orderJournalist Michael Grunwald implied that Lee County’s hesitation to order an evacuation came from Gov. Ron DeSantis’, R-Fla., attitude towards COVID masks and vaccines.
Read more »