Sorry, wrong number! Why Ron DeSantis was right not to take Kamala Harris call

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— At this writing, Floridians like me are taking Hurricane Milton very seriously, looking at spaghetti models, storm-surge projections and wind warnings. But despite the storm’s status as a Cat 5, headed due east but due for an inevitable turn north before its Gulf Coast landfall, elected leaders remind us no matter how severe the stakes, life goes on after the hurricane as it did before, and politics remain the same.Consider the case of Kamala Harris and her ill-fated phone call to Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis.The vice president and Democratic nominee phoned DeSantis, but per a staffer, the call was refused because it was seen as “political,” NBC and ABC both reported MondayAfter that, DeSantis said he wasn’t “aware” she called.From there, the game of ping pong continued, with Harris telling her traveling press corps DeSantis is “selfish,” followed by the governor claiming the veep is likewise “selfish” on Sean Hannity’s show Monday night.Who’s right? That’s a matter of perspective, of course. Members of the KHive will blast DeSantis for not being willing to have a phone conversation with Harris, though he did have one with President Biden earlier Monday evening.

And DeSantisites — of whom there are millions in Florida and nationwide — will counter the vice president has no legitimate role in storm response, and (as the governor said on Fox) her call was about her campaign.The non-call accomplishes a perversely positive political purpose for the gov and the veep both, elevating their profiles in contrast and providing a means to an end for political goals: one short term, one longer range.Harris would like to defy all odds and public polls and somehow win the Sunshine State without putting in the work.She hasn’t held a rally here and neither has Coach Tim Walz, but she has sent Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to the state as what passes for a consolation prize.

Absent a legitimate role in storm relief, she saw an...