Post # 346, Bob McKnight's Florida Commentary
President Biden can distribute billions of dollars of relief to Florida.
Hurricane Helene was among the most damaging hurricanes ever to hit America. It started by hitting Florida in the same spot two other hurricanes hit the state, the vulnerable Pan Handle. Relief and restoration from the hurricane were so critical that local, state, and federal governments teamed up to handle the mammoth job. In previous hurricanes, Presidential visits to the site hit by the storm were automatic with the Governor welcoming the President, regardless of the Party.
With President Biden's visit to the Capitol and the Pan Handle, Republican Governor DeSantis sent word that he would not clear his schedule to meet personally or by phone with the President of the free world. Remember, the President has within his powers the ability to allocate billions of dollars of hurricane relief.
Fortunately, with DeSantis' blowoff of the President, numerous local representatives of both parties met and conferred on the damage and what was needed from the government. Although somewhat expected, President Biden elected not to call out the missing Governor and did his job with determination and aplomb.
Governor DeSantis is a clever and resourceful Chief Executive of Florida, so he will have an explanation for his absence. Some Floridians will accept that excuse. This writer will not.
The public wants more cooperation and civility among the political parties, and not less. It is no secret that DeSantis took the same action after the hurricane as his mentor Donald Trump would be expected to provide--self-serving mean-spiritedness.
DeSantis will run for President again, no doubt. He will criticize President Biden for many things, but may find it hard to cite the critical Helene Relief and Restoration meeting on October 3, 2024. On that day, DeSantis was Governor No Show.
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