While New York’s Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo faces appeals for his resignation and an impetus for impeachment amid a mountain of scandals, the media appears to be giving Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis a “second look”. .
DeSantis was repeatedly attacked by the national media during the coronavirus pandemic, while Cuomo was inundated with praise for his alleged “leadership”. Recently, last month, NBC News went after the Republican for prioritizing senior citizens and Holocaust survivors as recipients of vaccines, portraying the initiative as targeting “major Florida election blocks.”
Now, with Cuomo being accused by at least seven women of sexual misconduct and facing charges of covering up the death toll in state nursing homes, the mainstream media now appears to be viewing DeSantis in a more positive light.
“After a solid year of living with a pandemic, the national press is beginning to ask the question that even Democrats have been quietly thinking about the State of the Sun: was Governor Ron DeSantis’ response to the pandemic appropriate for Florida?” Axios started a story on Monday.
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Axios pointed to the recent favorable coverage for DeSantis of The New York Times, specifically a report that quoted a Democrat from the Sunshine State as saying, “I prefer to be in Florida.”
“Florida was reopened months before much of the rest of the country, which only in the last few days has begun to emerge for the better part of a year under lockdown,” wrote the Times before listing recent examples of cities and states reversing their restrictions. “None of this looks particularly new in Florida, which slowed down during the worst of the pandemic, but only closed briefly. On the contrary, much of the state has a feeling of an expanding city, a sense of catching up with months of wasted time.”
“Realtors are knocking on the door looking to recruit sellers for the sizzling real estate market, partly because New Yorkers and Californians keep on moving. The unemployment rate is 5.1[%] compared to 9.3[%] in California, 8.7[%] in New York and 6.9[%] in Texas. This debate about opening schools? He came and went months ago. Children have been in classrooms since fall, “continued the Times.
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Despite the appalling death toll of more than 32,000 COVID in Florida, the Times acknowledged that the number “is no worse than the national average and better than some other states that have imposed more restrictions, despite its large number of retirees, young people supporters and tourists. ”
“For better or for worse, Florida’s experience of returning to life as it used to is offers a glimpse of what many states are likely to face in the coming weeks as they move into the next phase of the pandemic – the part where it starts to end “added the newspaper.
The Times published another report earlier this month admitting that “DeSantis is rising and Cuomo is faltering”.
Axios also pointed to an article published by The Los Angeles Times contrasting California’s COVID response with that of Florida.
“California imposed a number of restrictions that affected the economy and left most public school students learning at home for a year,” wrote the newspaper. “Florida has taken a more laissez-faire approach condemned by public health experts – allowing dinners in closed restaurants, leaving optional masks and getting children back to classrooms early.”
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Although the Los Angeles Times noted that Florida’s death rate is higher than California’s, the newspaper admitted that rising unemployment in the State of the Sun is less severe than in the Golden State, where Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is facing a recall.
“We have long known that the state’s Republican pro-business leadership was making a kind of big bargain: that the death toll was the price paid to keep trade flowing and children in school,” concluded Axios. “The closer you are to the loss or the fullness of life, the more likely it will determine how you feel about the state’s response.”