Newbie Healey should hold her fire on DeSantis
Memo to Gov. Maura Healey: Don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You are too new to the job to take on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is probably the most successful governor in the country. And we are talking about 50 governors here, including you.
Wait a while. We know you, as a new governor, need a headline or two, especially to divert attention from those who think you are in over your head — particularly in dealing with the MBTA nightmare. But you have time.
And we know it must be irksome to watch fellow newcomer State Auditor Diana DiZoglio steal the show by launching a performance audit of the ailing transit agency right under your nose.
But be patient. Grin and bear it. DiZoglio graciously did offer to share the results of her audit with you and the new MBTA general manager you will appoint, if you can find anyone crazy enough to take the job.
You should stick to going after Donald Trump, which you were good at, suing him a hundred times or so when you were Massachusetts attorney general, and he was president.
It may be unthinkable, but Trump (God forbid!) could become president again. If so, you can have Andrea Campbell, your hand-picked attorney general, dig up those old lawsuits and file them again.
The media will not notice the difference and will not care if they do because they love you so much.
Or, if by some strange turn of events, DeSantis becomes president, you can instruct Campbell to replace Trump’s name with DeSantis’ and then sue away. It makes no difference since they are both Republicans anyway.
Right now, you should concentrate on Massachusetts not Florida. After all, outside of filing the old $55 billion budget that Charlie Baker left behind, you have talked a lot but not accomplished much.
You weren’t even around for the snowstorm on Saturday.
So it came as a surprise that you would attack DeSantis and say he would take the country backwards if he became president. You said, ”The idea of punishing people for some of the things that he talks about” like “this whole Don’t Say Gay nonsense, his positions around education, the canceling of courses on African American history.
“I think it’s really harmful, and it certainly does a disservice to the residents of Florida.”.
Governor, you should keep in mind that many of those Florida residents are from Massachusetts who are living there for a half the year to avoid paying Massachusetts taxes.
While you were not quite accurate, you said it on WGBH Boston Public Radio, so nobody listening would know the difference anyway.
The danger is that if DeSantis hears about it, he could retaliate by flying in another 50 illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard like he did last year. You will recall how his surprise move sent the state into a tailspin.
You said at the time that what DeSantis did was ‘incredibly cruel,” but the immigrants did not seem to agree since none asked to be sent back, but were quite happy to be among the well to do on the Cape
While residents of Martha’s Vineyard were kind enough to the mostly Venezuelan immigrants upon their arrival, they could not get rid of them fast enough.
They were quickly unloaded to Joint Base Cape Cod on the mainland and have since been dispersed to sites elsewhere.
DeSantis could also ask you why if things are so bad in Florida do so many Americans flee their home states, like Massachusetts, to live there. They apparently are voting with their feet.
Starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, but including the high taxes, quality of life, crime and the high cost of living in Massachusetts, some 110,000 people have abandoned the state to live elsewhere, mainly in Florida.
The only people coming to Massachusetts are illegal immigrants. Don’t mess with him, or he’ll send more.