
Paging the party of civility: Your tweet is ready.
Miami Herald reporter Fabiola Santiago was compelled to delete tweets and issue an apology after commenting that packed beaches in Florida “should work nicely to thin the ranks” of President Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis supporters.
Santiago shared a column by a colleague at the Herald that purported to show that these beaches offer a “glimpse of what may come when outdoor spaces are reopened.”
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
She claimed those beachgoers value money over health despite the fact that they remain under social distancing restrictions.
She Didn’t Mean It
Following a flurry of online criticism, Santiago deleted the tweets and did what most liberals do – blamed the critics for misinterpreting her intentions.
“I deleted the tweet commenting on people at the beach because it didn’t accurately convey my sentiment and I want to apologize for the phrase I used that offended many people,” she wrote. “Regardless of political differences, I would never wish any harm on anyone.”
Even though that’s precisely what she did.
Santiago went on to claim that she was merely trying to save those lives by pointing out the error of their ways.
In fact, my intent was to sound an alarm about prematurely opening up the country and the state. I was trying to open eyes, minds and save lives, not create a controversy about me instead of the issue, which merits discussion. #StayHome #BeSafe #practicesocialdistancing
— Fabiola Santiago (@fabiolasantiago) April 20, 2020
‘Grotesque’
It was a good effort at righting the ship, but Santiago’s intentions or borderline wishes were quite clear.
She later doubled down with another tweet, posting an image meant to publicly shame a group of Ford Mustang enthusiasts who were congregating in a parking lot. The angle of the photo makes it difficult to say whether they were maintaining proper distancing rules.
The image showed what Santiago claimed was “the [Miami Lakes] version of stupid,” adding, “the red-hatted listening to their masters.”
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, who has warned that citizens will start engaging in civil unrest if their freedoms continue to be restricted, called the Miami Herald reporter “grotesque” and “a genuine embarrassment.”
The President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., called her tweet “disgusting.”
This tweet from a Miami Herald columnist tells you all you need to know about her, and based on their hiring choices, likely everything you need to know about the Miami Herald as well. Their flagrant bias continues to go on unchecked. Disgusting. https://t.co/FOmn5zxnaK
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 19, 2020
A Trend
In case you are wondering, Santiago’s sentiments aren’t an anomaly. They’re a trend.
Last month, Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin made the ghoulish hopeful prediction that more Republicans will die from coronavirus than Democrats.
Jennifer Rubin wishes more Republicans die of coronavirus than Democrats.
This isn't surprising once you consider that in August 2019 she also wished that the Republican Party should be "burned down" and that there were no "survivors"
pic.twitter.com/1l4o05e1Rj— Rising serpent 🇺🇸 (@rising_serpent) March 16, 2020
More recently, David Zurawik, a media critic for the Baltimore Sun, appeared on CNN to tell Trump voters “now your loved ones can die.”
“People are dying because of his [Trump] foolishness” – Balitimore Sun’s @DavidZurawik on CNN’s @ReliableSources. “You voted for him, you stuck it to the elites for three years, but now your loved ones can die, the game’s over.” pic.twitter.com/ILW7K8f3QA
— Brent Baker 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) April 12, 2020
Is any of this a surprise?
Of course not, Trump Derangement Syndrome is a staple of media members in the past few years.
Should it be called out?
Every. Single. Time.
Cross posted at the Mental Recession