A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis gave some indication of his administration’s policy regarding monkeypox will be Wednesday, by insulting an old foe’s policy recommendations from a bygone era.
“We are not going to be like (Dr. Anthony) Fauci in the ’80s, claiming that families could get AIDS by sitting and watching TV together,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Rockledge, where he and state health officials were addressing opioid treatment.
After asking the Governor’s Office for clarification of DeSantis’ reference, they sent a link to a long-form 1983 interview with Fauci where he said the “full extent of transmissibility” of the disease was not known.
They asserted further clarification of the specific reference would be found in the Twitter replies of Press Secretary Christina Pushaw.
This is the latest reheat of what has been a durable feud for the Governor against the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
While the comment about AIDS policy is new, Fauci critiques from DeSantis recur frequently. The Governor has cashed in on Fauci’s “flip flops” on issues, bashed him during interviews for doing too many interviews, and characterized the advisor to seven presidents as “intimately involved” in New York’s decision to send COVID-19 patients back to nursing homes during the height of the pandemic.
DeSantis spoke at length about the need to not succumb to “fear,” in comments reminiscent of previous remarks from the Governor during various COVID-19 surges.
“You see any of these politicians out there trying to scare you about this, do not listen to their nonsense. I am so sick of politicians, and we saw this with COVID, trying to sow fear into the population,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis vowed anything the state does “from a public health perspective” will be rooted in “facts” and not “fear.”
States of emergency imposed in other states, he added, will lead to those states opting to “abuse those emergency powers to curtail your freedom.”
DeSantis also suggested monkeypox won’t be the last public health threat, suggesting more viruses could emerge from China.
“Who knows what they’re cooking up in Wuhan? You just never know,” DeSantis speculated.
“You’ve got to remain rational,” DeSantis added. “And do not use it for political gain.”
Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo echoed DeSantis’ “complete answer” and suggested that “headlines” are “trying to make you afraid of monkeypox or fill-in-the-blank.”
“These people are determined to make you afraid and do whatever it is they want you to do,” Ladapo said.
Ladapo said there are 500 known cases in Florida, most of them among men and transmitted via sexual contact. There are no fatalities at this point.
8 comments
PeterH
August 3, 2022 at 3:09 pm
Ron DeSantis will go down in history as one of America’s worst governors. He and his culture warriors in Tallahassee should be voted out of office.
20 years of failed Republican leadership has left our schools in shambles missing over 9,500 school teachers, 50% of third graders who can’t read, 70 COVID deaths per day in August 2022, 33% of Floridians living below the poverty level and a nanny State whose Treasury is dependent on the Federal Government!
And now these lies!
Do Americans and Floridians a big favor vote this political hack out of office. Republicans are America’s problem …. Vote them out of office.
Elliott Offen
August 3, 2022 at 3:57 pm
Someone run up behind Deathsantis and hit him with a syringe full of Monkey Pox! Humanity depends on it! USA has nukes for Christ sakes! Give the Europeans control over the nuclear codes before it’s too late!!!!
SteveHC
August 3, 2022 at 7:37 pm
DeSantis: “ I am so sick of politicians”. DeSantis=politician. And he decries Fauci for having done occasiinal interviews? This governor can’t manage to keep his own mouth shut or face out of the mass media news for even 12 hours. One of the greatest hypocritical politicians of all time, makes Trump look like a genius and Boris Johnson like an angel sent from heaven. Unbelievable.
Just a comment
August 3, 2022 at 9:50 pm
The thing is AIDS could have been better controlled but oh my dick got in the way
Paul Wilson
August 5, 2022 at 2:17 pm
DeSantis is not a dummb Democrat who is trying to take everything from you when he says something it is the FACT that DEMOCRATS don’t want you to hear wake up before it is to late
YYep
August 6, 2022 at 7:32 pm
Sometimes in the dark of night you begin to hear a howling wind while everything is staking and collapsing on your head do you say don’t be afraid to die or the boogyman
Dan
August 7, 2022 at 10:21 am
Feud? What feud? Fauci hasn’t said a single thing to DeSantis. All this rhetoric is coming from DeSantis alone because he’s an unhinged lunatic with a single-minded obsession on this 80+ year old doctor. Florida is governed by an incompetent, irresponsible, obese toddler.
tjb
August 8, 2022 at 2:12 pm
Florida has 6.5 % of the USA population, but 7.6% of the Covid deaths.
The covid death rate should be less than 6.5% but it is not. Looks like Desantis’s policies to curb Covid was NOT effective. Perhaps Dr. Fauci should let DeSantis and Ladapro know that they should stay away from medical advice and policies/.
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