The California fires and their political opponents seem to be dancing in the flames and having fun in the ashes.
From the mountains to the sea, the wreckage and ruins are Biblical in size, scope, and wall-to-wall destruction.
At least five people died. Thousands of structures were destroyed. More than 130,000 people have fled for their lives. In some ways, it’s as if it were the entire population of Billings, Mt. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Or how West Palm Beach, Florida suddenly perked up and moved en masse.
And the threat is not over yet. The winds that fuel the wildfires are expected to pick up again and continue to blow for more than a day. Things seem destined to get even worse in Los Angeles and a wide swath of its besieged neighbourhoods. Even worse.
Yet the response from the country’s next president and many of his political allies has been completely devoid of compassion or consideration. In their rush to score points and politicize one of the worst natural disasters in California history, most people don’t even think about offering ritual hopes and prayers.
“The governor,” Donald Trump sneered. Gavin Newscam,” accused President Biden of bringing up old canards about wasted water allegedly flowing into the ocean. (In fact, the state’s reservoirs are at or above historic levels.)
Richard Grenell, who was recently appointed as President Trump’s special envoy, claimed that “the far-left policies of the California Democratic Party are literally burning us out.”
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah blamed the devastation on environmental oversensitivity that prioritized the survival of “little fish” over the lives and livelihoods of suffering residents.
And more.
It’s not just unsightly as the cost of damage mounts and new hell rains down on Southern California.
This is unprecedented.
“I can’t think of any president, Republican or Democratic, who has tried to inject partisan politics into ongoing disaster relief efforts,” said Dan, former California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson’s communications strategist who now teaches.・Mr. Schnur says. at USC, UC Berkeley, and Pepperdine.
“Presidents of both parties have always said very harsh, very unpleasant things about the other party,” Schnurr said. “But never has the president, or the president-elect, started shooting when people were still in danger.”
Falsehoods and misinformation are bad enough.
“We demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean fresh water to flow into California!” Trump wrote on social media. “he [to] Blame. “
(This is because California leaders have threatened to withhold federal disaster aid if they refuse to give farmers and cities more water at the expense of the environment, and if others refuse to share their share.) )
In fact, much of the blame for this violent apocalypse lies with Mother Nature. We could have killed every delta smelt that ever had water in its gills — to name an endangered species that conservatives would like to flog for lack of dam construction — but that’s not the case in recent days. It wouldn’t have made any difference to the days.
The severe lack of rain has extended the wildfire season into the typically wet month of January. In the critical early hours after several fires broke out, fierce winds grounded helicopters and other aircraft, the scale exploded and embers spread like confetti for miles around. .
The steep terrain, along with the area’s safety infrastructure, posed challenges to the large firefighter force. (The latter can also be blamed on a lack of investment and a persistent mentality that neglects prevention until it’s too late.)
But California’s critics won’t let these facts stop them from sharpening their axes or pushing their agenda.
But what’s worse is the total lack of humanity. It is as if yet another measure is needed to demonstrate the depravity of our current politics.
“We have a roadmap for this as a country,” said Christine Taylor, a professor at Wayne State University who has written extensively on the politics of natural disasters. That requires empathy and a lot of federal support, she said, which “sends a huge signal that the government is here and we have your back.”
President Trump, by contrast, sees the firestorm as a “political opportunity to foist on Gavin Newsom.” And stick it to the states that didn’t vote for him,” Taylor said. “And using disaster and disaster response as a lever to punish political opponents is another brand blow for us.”
Leave it to Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and Gavin Newsom’s nemesis, to remind us — improbably — of how politicians once responded to disaster.
“Our prayers are with everyone affected by Southern California’s horrific fires,” said DeSantis, who has overseen the state’s response to the deadly hurricanes. “When disaster strikes, we must come together and help our fellow citizens in any way possible.Florida is committed to helping Californians respond to these fires and rebuild their devastated communities. I have offered to help make this possible.”
Compare Mr. DeSantis to Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs. He used the right-leaning Newsmax network to parrot water-wasting misinformation and attack the Federal Emergency Management Agency with false claims that it diverted nearly $2 billion in relief money to “illegal aliens.” did. care. “
One that comes to mind is Joseph Welch, the lawyer who verbally decapitated Joseph McCarthy in a nationally televised Congressional hearing that brought the Wisconsin senator’s reckless and brutal Red Scare campaign to an abrupt and well-deserved end. These are the famous words of
“Have you finally run out of manners, sir?” said Mr. Welch. “Have you forgotten your manners?”
Source link
