By John Hinderaker | Powerline
Democrats hope Ian will bring down, or at least put a chink in the armor of, the heretofore invincible Ron DeSantis. But I am confused: didn’t we learn during Katrina that dealing with hurricanes is the responsibility of the federal government? Specifically, the president? And that other officials, like governors and mayors, are irrelevant? So if there are problems dealing with the aftermath of Ian, they will be blamed on Joe Biden. Right?
The Democrats have tried to politicize Hurricane Ian in at least two more ways. Notwithstanding the fact that Florida has been hit periodically by hurricanes throughout recorded history, they blame this one on global warming. The New York Times, which exists to mislead its readers, was particularly dishonest, as is explained at Watts Up With That. The Times claims that severe hurricanes have been increasing since 1980:
But why start the chart in 1980? CO2 has been added to the atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. So what is special about 1980? This chart shows severe hurricanes that have hit the U.S., not since 1980, but since 1860. You can easily see the trick the Times played:
Global warming fanatics do this all the time. They begin a chart at the time when a phenomenon (hurricanes, wildfires, whatever) happens to be at its lowest point, and pretend that any random uptick from that point is a climate change trend. In fact, the long-term trend for severe hurricanes is flat or downward.
But the Democrats weren’t done politicizing yet! The hopelessly inept Kamala Harris couldn’t resist:
Vice President Harris came in for a torrent of criticism after telling an audience that “communities of color” would be first in line for relief in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
“We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity,” she said during a discussion with Priyanka Chopra at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum on Friday.
“If we want people to be in an equal place sometimes we need to take into account those disparities and do that work,” she added.
What in the world was she talking about? Was she suggesting that the federal government would withhold aid from white people in order to prioritize minorities? Apparently so. Harris naturally has been roasted by just about everyone, starting with DeSantis’s fiery aide Christina Pushaw, who tweeted:
This is false. @VP’s rhetoric is causing undue panic and must be clarified. FEMA Individual Assistance is already available to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, regardless of race or background.
Maybe Joe Biden will send Kamala Harris to Florida to oversee the federal government’s hurricane efforts. No doubt she would be as effective in that role as she has been as “border czar.”
