Top Democrats across the country criticized Gov. Pete Ricketts and other GOP officials planning to attend his steak fry event Sunday in Nebraska City as COVID continues to ravage the state while Ricketts continues to hide the data from the public.
Those attending include Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former Vice President Mike Pence of Indiana.
“Pete Ricketts is becoming an expert on creating super-spreader events that not only spread COVID but reckless rhetoric that creates division across the state,” said NDP Chair Jane Kleeb. “Ricketts won’t even make public the COVID data for all but a handful of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Our ICU’s are nearly full. Instead of addressing this public health crisis, that doctors and nurses are pleading with him to take seriously, he is throwing a party.”
Said Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz:
“Over the course of Florida’s summer DeSantis-Variant COVID surge, our governor has periodically abandoned our pandemic-stricken state to travel around the country, apparently having bigger fish to fry, like raising campaign cash or enhancing his national political stature. We now come to find out he is expanding his frying to bigger game at a steak fry with Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts on Sunday. This trip, coming only days after Florida closed August with the highest one-month total of COVID deaths since the pandemic began, shows some things haven’t changed, though: his colossal irresponsibility and his astounding lack of leadership or concern for the people of the state he is supposed to govern.”
Lauren Ganapini, executive director of the Indiana Democratic Party, added:
“Nothing excites Mike Pence more than preparing for a future failed presidential campaign. The former vice president is lying to himself if he believes he’s the future of the nation because receipts dating back to his time in U.S. Congress show he cares more about extreme partisanship than fact-based and science-proven truths about the issues most important to voters. From the ongoing fight against COVID-19 to public school funding and pre-kindergarten access, there is literally no issue Mike Pence hasn’t politicized and each time, he’s harmed the future of Indiana and the United States. Pence stoked fear and division during his time as an elected official, and he’s all but voided himself from any credibility – especially after being the top ‘yes man’ for the most divisive president in modern history.”
Texas Democratic Party, Co-Executive Director, Jamarr Brown, said:
“As Texans continue to deal with the devastating effects of the latest COVID-19 pandemic surge and are fighting against new tyrannical laws specifically targeting our most vulnerable communities, Sen. Cruz continues to align himself with ultra-conservative leaders and bad actors like Gov. DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence. He has one clear goal, and that is to advance his own toxic political agenda. Our extreme-right, absentee senator is laser-focused on keeping our country divided and pandering to a right-wing base hell-bent on keeping down those suffering the most during these challenging times. Make sure Cruz gets a Cancun-style margarita with his steak — we hear he likes that when he flees the challenges working people are facing in Texas.”
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