A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis doubled down Tuesday on his contention that roads are constructed without racial prejudice, blasting the idea as part of the “woke-ification of federal policy.”
The Governor, appearing in Miami highlighting resiliency spending, launched into a larger critique of spending priorities in Democratic-controlled Washington when he again mocked the idea that any such political intent went into road construction.
“They’re saying that highways are racially discriminatory,” DeSantis groused. “I don’t know how a road can be that.”
DeSantis has addressed this topic before, and in doing so subtly targeted a member of the Joe Biden administration.
The Governor in November took a brief shot at U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The jab came after Buttigieg commented on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework would address “racism that went into those design choices” of 20th century highways that divided many major cities and destroyed neighborhoods.
When a reporter asked DeSantis in November about the infrastructure bill’s reparations provisions last year, the Governor largely deflected but not without taking a swipe at Buttigieg.
“I heard some stuff, some weird stuff from the Secretary of Transportation trying to make this about social issues,” DeSantis said. “To me, a road’s a road.”
Buttigieg — whose past political experience includes serving as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and running as a Democratic presidential candidate — first made the observation during a White House press conference last year.
“I’m still surprised that some people were surprised when I pointed to the fact that if a highway was built for the purpose of dividing a White and a Black neighborhood, or if an underpass was constructed such that a bus carrying mostly Black and Puerto Rican kids to a beach — or that would have been — in New York was designed too low for it to pass by, that that obviously reflects racism that went into those design choices,” Buttigieg said. “I don’t think we have anything to lose by confronting that simple reality, and I think we have everything to gain by acknowledging it and then dealing with it.”
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Renzo Downey of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
4 comments
Charles
February 1, 2022 at 12:55 pm
Let’s talk truth
that roads are constructed with racial prejudice —- FALSE
That mayor Pete is qualified—- FALSE
There is a woke-ification of federal policy TRUE
That democrats will be slaughtered in the2022 mids —- TRUE
The political backlash will be EPIC —- TRUE
To Florida Politics
STOP RACEBAITING AND MISINFORMATION
Ron Ogden
February 1, 2022 at 1:43 pm
The idea that floats around in Pete Buttagiggle’s brain that old road engineers wore white robes and carried burning crosses is LUDICROUS. Roads and other municipal projects go where the cost is least among the available options, and that means cheap land. Now, at the time when the cheap land was needed for the road was it sometimes the case that poor people lived there? Yes, because it was CHEAP land. But it was not just Blacks or any other race. Once again, Ron DeSantis and a rational, historically-informed point of view triumphs over the organized racism of the leftwing media, including AG, the reporter who thinks of himself as a modern day Hunter Thompson (just look at him).
politics
February 1, 2022 at 1:53 pm
seriously a highway you need to cross to get to the other-side.hmm road kill.and a mandatory you have to cross to go to school. cars doing 70. It is bad enough you build homes were children roll the ball in the streets.wall to wall highway I guess they call it community.Florida is not NY with street lights on every block.so if to build NY again sidewalks and crosswalks on every block helps with jay walking.and better u turns.
Frankie M.
February 1, 2022 at 4:13 pm
Potholes aren’t republicans or dems. Next thing ol Pete is gonna say that housing discrimination, redlining, or gerrymandering still exist today. Everyone knows that Dr. King solved all those problems so that we can just hold hands and sing kumbaya. Where do they come up with all this crazy talk?
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