While continuing to ignore states whose scandalous, failed policies allowed the Northeast to become a global epicenter for the coronavirus pandemic, left-wing media hacks have carped on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose state doesn’t even in the top half of COVID deaths among all 50 states.
Publix — a big financial supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis — has been getting 70,000 vaccine doses a week shipped to its hub in Lakeland.
Data show it’s the state’s single-largest vaccine supplier.
So where are all those shots going? ? https://t.co/3FEoEPSTBk
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) March 2, 2021
According to recent statistics, as of Friday, the mortality rate for COVID in Florida was 0.16%, roughly the same as a seasonal flu virus.
Nonetheless, CBS News’s “60 Minutes” dug up a few tired political tropes to accuse DeSantis of playing politics with vaccine distribution and then used deceptive editing to smear him for a non-existent corruption scandal.
Many of the governor’s supporters responded by pointing out that the desperate reach in order to force the story to fit their narrative simply ignored the facts.
In the hit piece published Friday, reporter Sharyn Alfonsi tried to float the narrative that DeSantis was favoring wealthy, older white residents over poorer communities.
Notwithstanding the fact that older residents are the most vulnerable and susceptible to problems, she claimed the virus went to Palm Beach rather than surrounding areas because that was a haven for elite billionaires and likely DeSantis supporters.
But residents dismissed her bizarre reasoning.
“I don’t think that they got it for any other reason than being prepared,” said Bram Majtlis, a retired Palm Beach businessman who received the jab on Jan. 5.
“To be prepared you have to have resources,” Alfonsi hyperventilated. “And so I think a lot of people look at Palm Beach and say, ‘Well, they got the vaccine because they’re a rich community.'”
“I really think it has nothing to do with the resources,” Majtlis replied. “In this particular case. Absolutely not.”
But the nonstory didnt stop Alfonsi from trying to spin one. Perhaps it is because she was enjoying the climate in Palm Beach. With DeSantis refusing to lock down like New York, California and other blue run states, the refreshing change has been an irresistible lure to many.
Left-wing news media also appear to be zeroing in on DeSantis as the best prospect for picking up the Trump mantle should the former president decide not to run in 2024. Or, perhaps, stepping into the vice president role if he does run.
Much as their efforts focused on neutralizing Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., with a recent scandal involving a “sugar daddy” singles site, the DeSantis smear could hobble another emerging leader from criticizing the Biden administration or Democrat governors currently under fire.
In addition to making a veiled claim of racism against DeSantis, the “60 Minutes” smear also accused him of using Publix as a preferred vaccine site because it the company had made campaign contributions to him.
But DeSantis emphatically denied this as a false claim, saying he had consulted with a vaccine task force and sought recommendations before settling on the grocery story chain at the advice of the state health department and emergency management division.
He even offered to make Democrat experts available to Alfonsi, but she refused to air them.
@60Minutes I said this before and I’ll say it again. @Publix was recommended by @FLSERT and @HealthyFla as the other pharmacies were not ready to start. Period! Full Stop! No one from the Governors office suggested Publix. It’s just absolute malarkey. https://t.co/obkqYcbrzt
— Jared MASKowitz ? (@JaredEMoskowitz) April 4, 2021
After offering several major pharmacies—including Walmart, CVS and Walgreens additional access to vaccine doses while trying to ramp up its distribution effort, he said Publix was the “first one to raise their hand.”
RedState and the Federalist’s Mollie Hemmingway were among those who said the “60 Minutes” attack continued to feed into the vicious cycle of disinformation and distrust.
“As with the pushing of anti-Bush forgeries, CBS News continues to push partisan propaganda at the expense of the truth,” wrote Hemmingway.
“It is unclear whether its propaganda will keep its viewers from knowing the truth about Florida’s handling of COVID, much less the truth of what has happened in hard lockdown states such as New York and California,” she said.
