No good deed goes unpunished . . . particularly when it comes to the liberal media, and the person performing the good deeds is a top contender to wrest the White House from Democrat grip.
Example A: this Politico magazine column by Politico's "senior media writer" Jack Shafer.
Don't be fooled by the benign headline: "Ron DeSantis Shows Some Good Manners."
You might anticipate an article praising Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his admirable handling of Hurricane Ian. But to the contrary, Shafer's entire thrust is to cast DeSantis in the most cynical light.
The New York Times was among the many who observed DeSantis’ speedy transition from a red-toothed biter into a fuzzy lapdog with its Thursday piece, “As Storm Hits, DeSantis Pauses Political Bomb-Throwing.” Ordinarily a political opportunist — the sort of guy who flies asylum-seekers to Martha’s Vineyard to score points, beats up on Disney for using its First Amendment rights, retaliates against the Special Olympics and lowers the boom on drag show bars — DeSantis has responded to Ian with the sort of governance you’d expect from Mitt Romney or any other governor who doesn’t consume a pail of bile for breakfast.
Here's some more froth [emphasis added]:
- DeSantis is "the Republican Party’s excitable boy." [Imagine the MSM's outrage if a conservative described a top Democrat as a "boy" or "girl."]
- "DeSantis’ current retreat from acting like a loon"
- "DeSantis’ new courtly manners are only the latest example of his opportunism."
- "The remaining question is whether Hurricane Ian truly tamed the tarnation out of Ron DeSantis or if he’ll revert to the guy he was." Naturally, Shafer answers his own question by predicting DeSantis will soon resume his red-toothed biter persona.
When it came to Ian, there would be no winning for DeSantis with the liberal media. Let him inject the least hint of politics, and the MSM would be all over him. But since he has, instead, conducted himself like a statesman in a time of crisis, well, that's just proof of his opportunistic nature!
Should DeSantis continue his political rise, brace for more such hit pieces at every liberal-media opportunity. The Democrat/MSM motto will be a variation on Cato: "DeSantis delenda est."
Note: compare and contrast Politico's hit piece with this article by Aaron Kliegman at Just The News. Entitled, "With hurricane pummeling Florida, DeSantis turns from conservative fighter to nonpartisan leader," it covers the same ground as Shafer's shot, but does so in a fair-and-balanced manner.
