Less than a week after the Tampa Bay Times listed Gwen Graham as a potential challenger to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022, Graham gave Floridians a peek into how she would be different than DeSantis.
Graham, via her Twitter account, is aggressively pushing for DeSantis to issue stay-at-home orders.
In a tweet on July 23, Graham cited recent COVID-19 statistics in Florida and stated:
“With no end in sight, @GovRonDeSantis, do something. Mandate masks. Issue shelter-at-home order. Save lives.”
On July 24th Graham tweeted,
@RonDeSantis now is the time to issue a stay at home order, before “death panels” become necessary in Florida.
Based on Agency for Health Care Administration data, currently Florida hospitals report 24% bed availability (14,360) and 17% ICU bed availability (1,043).
The shelter-at-home order supported by Graham would have major and far reaching ramifications for Floridians. Such a policy would require everyone living in the state to remain in their homes except for essential services and activities. The order would limit movement and personal interactions outside the home.
In addition, businesses that are deemed non-essential will have to close to the public.
DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order in April during the early stages of the virus. However, his action came at a time when the federal government was negotiating legislation that would provide financial assistance for those impacted by such an order. Ultimately, the Cares Act was passed.
The policy measure supported by Graham goes beyond what current Florida Agriculture Commissioner and frequent DeSantis critic Nikki Fried has most recently called for.
Last week Fried stated, via Twitter, “I called for a statewide mask order nearly a month ago and the situation in Florida only continues to get worse.”
Graham, who aggressively users her twitter account to challenge DeSantis almost daily, appears to be set on charting a unique path ahead of any future decision about running for office.
She told the Tampa Bay Times she would not make a decision on whether to run for governor until after Nov. 3’s presidential election.
“I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know we need good leadership in this state and Ron DeSantis isn’t it,” Graham said.
Gwen Graham: Shutdown Florida Before Death Panels are Needed added by Steve Stewart on
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Gwen is absolutely clueless and clearly behind the curve. Time for her to go find a real job with real work, and leave us Floridians alone to continue to prosper under DeSantis and Trump!
Gwen, give it up. You are already WAY too moderate for the party. You also have not 1 original idea. You can only ride daddy’s coattails so long. Voters do not want to live through your mid life crisis. You got spanked by Gillum!
sure, shut down florida so no one has a business or job to come back to when the virus is over. brilliant. and do it right when cases, hospitalizations and deaths are coming down. see The Tallahassee Reporter’s bar chart of cases for july 27, we’re on the other side of the peak.
I’m new to FL so I don’t know who this person is, but things are getting better in Florida, not worse. The daily case growth rate peaked in late June/early July and has been dropping ever since. Hospitalizations and deaths lagged as expected, but they’ve peaked now as well. Now is not the time to cause further damage to the working class in our state.
Shhhhh… facts just give them a headache
The comments section on this article are incredibly disturbing but not surprising. Just reading through the first few will highlight the tragic endeavors of Republicans to make this pandemic strictly political. The only reason Democrats might be celebrating, is they are hopeful Trump’s die hard fan base might actually see that he lacks the ability to lead. A critical part of being a good leader is the ability to accept constructive criticism, admit your mistakes and learn from them and being able to listen to others more knowledgeable on certain topics and being able to hear and understand them and translate that feedback into your leadership during difficult situations. A man that has repeatedly convinced himself he is the smartest person on the planet and has no need for assistance or perspective from people proven as distinguished and capable in their fields is just an absolute nightmare waiting to happen. No-one knows everything about everything but trump has shown that that is his perception and during this world-wide health emergency it has proven to be reckless and dangerous. Those politicians that have chosen to blindly throw their support behind him are absolutely hurting their constituents. The United States has become an open joke and an example of failure these last few months and you people need to wake up, leave your republican badges at home and try to be a part of the solution here before our economy is buried in bodies.
CNN called and your demo psychobabble is needed for another one of their Democrat slanted polls.
Hospitals are practically empty, those numbers are incorrect.
After the Fox35 Orlando exposé, I don’t believe any of the “official” reported numbers. Additionally, I will not be self-testing, and contributing to the Plannedemic.
Gwen Graham please don’t attempt to use COVID 19 as a political tactic against our Governor.
Governor De Santis as President Trump has this taken care of, and is doing what’s best for our country and citizens.
Put on a mask, stay in your house and shut up!!
Gwen,
Not only did you loose in the primary, but in the process it was uncovered how you allowed Rocky as a high school principalto date teachers on his staff, bully them into a transfer and you sided with You never turned turned Rocky into the Florida Department of Education for a review, you covered up Rocky’s unethical behavior You have no credibility.
“There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”
Isaiah 57:21
There’s an old saying thats not spoken of much today that still carries a lot of weight. “When you don’t know where to turn, go back to the beginning!” You know, like “It’s back to the drawing board!”
It’s either true or it isn’t! I vote true!
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Haggai 1:7
Gwen Graham, just another political hype, nobody wants to stay at home, people needs to work and pay their bills, we have lost a lot of businesses, we can’t afford to closed down businesses. So stop screaming Gwen Graham.
When I was young, someone told that “no one can be all bad, as at least they are a good, bad example.” Makes me think of Florida.
I laugh at this tragic comedy..the same people screaming about how wrong “handouts” are…are the same people willing to put everyone’s life in danger just so their kids will have a free babysitter 5 days a week and so they can make payments on their overpriced living they chose to live. This Governor is so far up Trump’s skirt he can’t see or hear science dictating what we all know has to be done
Newsflash for you Mr. Hamilton. That “free babysitter“ as you call it is paid for by our taxes. There isn’t anything free about it.
If you want to argue the merits of public schools, or tell us about your opinions of the governor or president, that’s fine. All that is asked is that you at least be honest in your framing of arguments.
Have you not been paying attention for the last 6 Months on Covid? Please don’t bring Science in to this. Everyday the Opinions of the Scientists change on how to fight this. The Scientists and the CDC don’t know what they are dealing with because they change what they say daily and I won’t even bring up the WHO because it is now known that they are bought & paid for by China.
Great job Governor Desantis! You are doing your best to make sure that the people of Florida don’t have to put up with their socialist communist ideas!
Unfortunately Gwen Graham is right that Ron DeSantis has bungled his credibility and health conditions in portions of the state warrant a stay-home order.
At a same time stay-home is devastating to the economy, already service industry jobs are collapsing and people can’t pay rent. I fear large-scale social upheaval and lawlessness.
Somehow we’ve got to ride out the storm, rely on science and pragmatic measures that balance health risk with economic activity, and hope for an early vaccine.
Wow I didn’t want to think Floridians were as ignorant as the media made them out to be but the commentary here illuminates the fact that I was disillusioned to believe that, that despite the idiots who care nothing about others, intelligent people were the majority. We see the impact opening up and ignoring science and data has done for Florida. With facts, you all still want to reopen the world at all costs- children, elderly and the working class that have to live paycheck to paycheck. You comfortable folks living on saving and working via Zoom from your beach house retreats care nothing for the common man that struggles through work with little pay, zero respect from anti-maskers for their health and does so with little or no health insurance. You are a disgrace to our country and should be ashamed to call yourself a Americans!
You presume an awful lot about your fellow Floridians. You just insulted about half of the population, so thanks.
Title correction prior to having the [ “subliminal messages” ] removed:
GWEN [vote joe biden] GRAHAM [vote joe biden]: Shut Down [vote joe biden] Florida [vote joe biden] Before [vote joe biden] Death [vote joe biden] Panels [vote joe biden] are [vote joe biden] Needed [vote joe biden]
Did I nail it or what????
Remember when Sarah Palin got mocked for saying ObamaCare would give rise to “Death Panels”?
Graham Cracker, you lost to an alcoholic sexual deviant!
Just go away, before our great Gov. DeSantis has to issue a stay-at-home & Twitter ban order on you.
Were the Graham Crackers slave holders?
I doubt it.
The Graham’s came to Miami from South Dakota. According to his Wiki page, Bob’s half brother Philip Graham, publisher of the Washington ComPost, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and committed suicide in 1963.
I wasn’t aware of that thank-you, News Maven.
Isn’t it pathetic what has-been politicians will say to draw attention to themselves? Gwen, go do something useful with your life.
Watch for CNN and MSNBC to pick-up on this story and have Gwen on to spread her scary message.
Not everyone can ‘stay at home’ since many folks are not ‘well healed’ enough to do so. They have to earn their living month to month. In addition to that, the various government entities need tax receipts to pay their bills. Sales taxes fund those tax receipts. You have to THINK about what you say when you say ‘Shut Down’. Graham obviously has not done that.
No leadership here. Just a political cheap shot.
Can you please report what the bed availability normally is?
Gwen,
You lost …you couldn’t even beat Guillum, so, please sit down and be quiet because no one cares or wants to hear what you have to say.
Shame on you attempting a publicity stunt for political gain rather then actually caring. So typical.
Our governor has got this#
Thank you! This won’t be good for Florida. Does she propose masking up all the prison inmates, too, or will she just let them all loose to commit more crimes?
The China-owned Demunists, weak-kneed RINOs, the liberal media PACs, college quacks, and the big tech conglomerates have gone all-in on their goal of destroying Our President, Our Economy, Our Republic, and We The People of these United States.
The pain, death, and destruction being experienced by America, Americans, our economy, and our Nation is now a full-blown Democrat Party Campaign strategy. The more America, Her economy, and Americans suffer; the happier they are… and they don’t even hide it anymore. The current Democrat organized, financed, and supported anarchy is just another applied tactic.
Their hatred for America and Americans, and their lust for the destruction of our Great Republic, knows no boundaries and carries no empathy for the innocent… particularly children and the elderly. Be smart, watch your six, protect yourselves and your families, prepare to once again defend Our Republic, and may God bless us all.