Joe Henderson
On that January day in 2019, when Ron DeSantis took the oath of office as Florida’s next Governor, he left no doubt what he believed. It was straight out of the Federalist playbook.
“Our rights are endowed by God, not government; that we the people loan power to government under the Constitution in order to protect our rights,” DeSantis said.
“That government’s role is not to run our lives for us but to provide what Lincoln called an ‘open field and fair chance for one’s industry, enterprise, and intelligence.’ “
That’s fine when things are going well, but no single governing philosophy fits every situation. When a global pandemic strikes though, urgent, decisive leadership is required. Sometimes, you just gotta be the boss. DeSantis found out the hard way what that means.
What he could have accomplished with the stroke of a pen instead became a calamity of tentative, fumbling missteps that put people at risk.
He let stay beaches stay open, then complained when the video of spring breakers practicing unsafe distancing went viral. He discouraged public gatherings but hesitated to follow the lead of other big-state governors by ordering them halted.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in Florida.
As late as Tuesday, DeSantis said he had not essentially shut down the state because the White House had not called for that. Even when he finally caved on Wednesday with a statewide stay-at-home order, he declared churches could be open for worship because they are “essential.”
Churches are essential to many people, but most of them have put safety first. Throughout Florida, churches from all major denominations have suspended in-person worship in favor of online telecasts of services. The independent River at Tampa Bay Church was a notable outlier last Sunday when pastor Rodney Howard-Browne defied the public health risk and opened the church doors.
Law authorities arrested Howard-Browne and charged him with two misdemeanors. He said his church would not conduct public worship this week.
“At this point, we believe it is prudent to take a pause by not opening the church doors this Sunday. This will allow an opportunity for people to take a deep breath and calm down,” he said in a statement.
Until recently, DeSantis has enjoyed wide bipartisan popularity throughout the state. He has been free from any serious criticism, either here or beyond the state borders.
That has changed.
NBC’s Joe Scarborough tweeted: “Can anyone explain why Ron DeSantis has been so reckless during the crisis? He’s playing with fire and the deaths of so many Florida seniors. He has ignored health care officials from the pandemic’s outbreak. With so many seniors in the state, I just don’t get it.”
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat to hold statewide office, told Slate that DeSantis wouldn’t take her calls.
“Not to put words in his mouth, but I don’t know whom the Governor is talking to for advice purposes as far as the direction he’s taking the state right now,” she said.
“I don’t know who his advisors are. I think he has become very isolated, and really doesn’t want to hear opposing positions or opinions on what should be done in the state of Florida.”
DeSantis could be standing as a decisive leader and uniting presence, but he is instead coming across as the opposite. It’s a new look for him and not a good one.
This might be what happens when a person’s philosophy doesn’t fit the moment, though. Maybe we should have seen it coming.
10 comments
John Kociuba
April 2, 2020 at 8:19 pm
Dear Citizens ~
Re: Joe Henderson’s Marxist Propaganda
At first reading the piece after quoting FEDERALIST PAPERS one thought the writer was pointing out “intrusion” by the Government in private lives of Floridians.
But no? The piece goes on to slam Hon. Ron Desantis for not being “MARXIST ENOUGH!” Does Joe Henderson understand commerce? The United States Constitution? Florida’s Constitution? Mathematics?
Of course not! Indeed with 120,000 infected nationwide out of 330 million Americans with a fatality ratio of .25% what does Joe Henderson care if america goes into another GREAT DEPRESSION from absorbing media panic as another COMMUNIST PLOT to oust Hon. President Donald John Trump!
One ought consider why Joe Henderson never wrote a piece why there are only 55,000 total hospital beds in Florida or how many of these hospitals are owned by same corporations that exacerbate healthcare costs thru “captive market” share?
Furthermore how corrupt government sits down with AMA in Chicago every year to “price fix” the market whilst denying Doctors the ability to “market labor” services or operations at competitive levels.
Nope! Not Joe! He wants your businesses shut down because 7,000 Floridians caught bad Flu.
Because of people like Joe, unemployment might reach 30% if we don’t end this sabotage on American citizens.
Phil Morton
April 2, 2020 at 8:39 pm
244,000 not 120,000 and the fatality ratio in the U.S. is 2.5% not .25%.
John Kociuba
April 2, 2020 at 8:50 pm
Lmao! Listen…244,000 with 2.5 % ratio out of 330 million is no reason to destroy the Constitution of the United States nor start a Great Depression!
Government will have to spend 20 Trillion to get us out of this man made panic.
Rodney Hirsch
April 2, 2020 at 8:20 pm
DeSantis got the Rick Scott bump when he came into office – that is, positive press for not being Rick Scott.
Unfortunately, he’s handled this about as poor as he could. He’s lead from behind by relying on local governments to set policy, has entered orders without teeth, and has been deferential to his mentor – a man who ignored the virus for months, compared it to the flu, called it a hoax, and said it would magically go away.
The goodwill is gone. Let the bad times roll
John Kociuba
April 2, 2020 at 8:53 pm
Goodwill is gone because Democrat Mayors shut the businesses down ya dummy.
AGAIN. 7,000 Floridian cases with a 0.25 % fatality ratio out of 21.3 million Floridians!
Blam
April 2, 2020 at 9:18 pm
Uh huh. That’s why trump spent trillions and extended the shut down by a month. And that’s why we’re all supposed to wear masks. And why the markets tanked. And the entire world is on lock down.
Democratic mayors? Lol
Michael O'Rourke
April 2, 2020 at 9:51 pm
Who the hell is Joe Henderson? Here’s a little eye opener Mr. Henderson. You are not as important as you imagine yourself to be. I have never h’had. Get over yourself fool. Understand how the commoner thinks. 45 years as a newspaper reporter, if that’s what you’re claiming to be, doesn’t qualify you as a valid critic of a elected sitting governor. It just makes you as big an ignoramus as the equally incompetent Joe Scarborough, whom you have referenced as having some credibility here. It’s simply disgraceful incompetence that has become the standard for those who claim to be members of the media.
Ocean Joe
April 3, 2020 at 11:52 am
Thankfully, Joe Henderson is not thin skinned, and thankfully Joe Scarborough (who used to be a Republican congressman from Florida, part of Newt’s contract on America) didnt wear a gas mask into congress to joke about the situation. Thankfully, opinions..including yours…are still allowed. My opinion is that having the 50 states and FEMA battling each other and the world for medical supplies is a national disgrace. Too much hemming and hawing over implementing the defense production act. Mr. Henderson keep up the great work. How bout a hit piece on the Democrats, afterall, their weakness and dysfunction has handed the reins to the GOP we are now complaining about. How the heck did Rick Scott ever get elected anything besides prisoner of the month?
Ronda Storms
April 4, 2020 at 9:04 am
Who did the naysayers of Governor DeSantis support in the recent governor’s race? That cat Andrew Gillum. Do we have any idea how Gillum would have handled this complicated trial and corresponding pressure? Why, yes we do. Gillum would completely abandon his leadership role and party the time away in a filthy hotel on a booze meth binge with his friend the male escort, squandering precious first responder time and resources to rescue his naked rear end from his debauched, hedonistic revelric crash landing. The judgment of these people attacking Governor DeSantis is completely compromised and should be given no credibility.
Tom
April 5, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Still adjusting to being irrelevant, Rhonda?
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