Mehdi Hasan takes a deep dive into 'The truth about DeSantis’ awful record on covid', a pandemic and primary election update

Now that Ron DeSantis is officially running for President, his record is receiving the kind of scrutiny a candidate for the highest office in the land should get. In this case, Mehdi Hasan took a deep dive into The truth about DeSantis’ awful record on covid.

Ron DeSantis is officially in the 2024 race, leaning on his partisan and polarizing approach to the Covid-19 pandemic. But, Mehdi says, his actual Covid record is nothing to brag about, and we shouldn’t let DeSantis rewrite the history of the pandemic in the Sunshine State.

Mehdi has learned from Republicans, just as much as the radical right has learned from the radical left. In this case, he's following Karl Rove's strategy to attack your opponent's strengths. Good. He's subjecting Ron DeSantis's claims of success during the pandemic by asking "oh, really?" and "at what cost?" Let's look at the numbers. First, here are the top five states with most COVID-19 deaths according to the CDC.


Next, the top twelve U.S. States by population 2020 and 2022 from Wikipedia.


The top five states by official COVID-19 deaths and population are the same. The only difference is that Florida and New York switch places between third and fourth. But there are more important statistics, as Mehdi Hasan pointed out in his tweets promoting this video.

Don't let DeSantis gaslight you on Covid.

Florida has a higher per capita death rate than CA; has had a majority of its deaths since vaccines unlike CA & NYC; & a higher per capita death rate than other states with elderly populations.
I brought receipts:https://t.co/XAAyiNi1S6

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 27, 2023

Follow over the jump for his receipts.


Top ten states by COVID-19 death rate per 100,000 from CDC

Florida vs. California COVID-19 death rates per 100,000 from CDC


COVID-19 death rates per capita for California, Florida, and New York before and after May 1, 2021


Percent of COVID-19 deaths for California, Florida, and New York before and after May 1, 2021


Age-adjusted COVID-19 deaths for California, Florida, and New York


COVID-19 deaths for states with high elderly populations, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

I didn't even have to check Mehdi's numbers. He really did bring the receipts and anticipated the expected criticisms, as he pointed out in another tweet.

I love how MAGA blue check folks are screaming in the replies ‘what about the elderly and age adjustment’ even though I deal with and debunk the elderly/age whataboutism in the commentary *and* in the tweet text below. Sharpest tools in the box, those guys. Sharpest! https://t.co/D2dUZdwHtk

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 27, 2023

There's more.

Florida under DeSantis also had the highest number of Covid deaths of any state in the country for three straight months last summer. https://t.co/XAAyiNi1S6

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 27, 2023

And the highest rate of infection three summers in a row. That's a high cost for increasing population (much if not most from immigration of conservatives from other states) and jobs while keeping K-12 students in class.

In addition, Mehdi documented DeSantis's flip-flops over staying at home, masks, and vaccines, which he did in response to "mask hysteria" and conservatives turning against vaccines because of misinformation and conspiracy theories, driving an increase in U.S. COVID deaths and a decrease in life expectancy. He needed their votes and so he changed his official positions, if not his actual mind. Consequently, he's become a bad example for Floridians when it came time for them to get their boosters.


COVID booster rates, Florida vs. U.S.
I wasn't impressed by his record even before he did all that, as I wrote three years ago.

In my opinion, the worst has been Florida's Ron DeSantis. Nonnie9999 of Hysterical Raisins, who lives in Florida, agrees, making him the subject of her poster in Floridiot!

Infidel753 called him DeSanitize in the comments. I shared the link in a tweet and the person who responded called him MoRon. Put them together and it's MoRon DeSanitize. May that become a meme.

It hasn't, but it's not too late, especially since he became even worse on the disease.

I'm not done with MoRon DeSanitize, as I plan on updating the Disney-DeSantis feud as tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature. Stay tuned.