Full disclosure: I was born and raised in Hawaii, so this story literally hits rather close to home.
It also means I can vouch for much of what these angry, hurting, raw, and proud local Hawaiians are saying in the aftermath of the catastrophic Maui wildfires.
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the death toll sits at 114 but is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue. And while obviously secondary to the human lives lost, it would be remiss not to consider the near-total property damage, lost heirlooms, and historic sites razed.
Even further away in importance from the human lives lost, but also still worth considering: Hawaii is one of the 50 United States of America, meaning it has electoral votes up for grabs — so what’s up with Biden’s callous response to the tragedy on Maui?
Given that Hawaiians are American citizens and thus have a vote, wouldn’t it make some modicum of sense for Biden to do something more substantive than merely showing face on Maui two weeks after the fact? Don’t think the local Hawaiians haven’t noticed Biden’s overall response to this tragedy.
One Maui resident, Mike Cicchino told NewsNation how most Hawaiians aren’t even particularly political (can confirm this to be true) — but Biden’s pathetic antics may soon change that.
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“We’re not very political people. You know? We really don’t go one way or the other, but Biden has really failed us. When something like this, one of the worst disasters in U.S. history happens — he hasn’t been out here, and it’s been two weeks on Tuesday,” Cicchino told the outlet.
That’s when Cicchino asked the million-dollar question: “What kind of president does that?”
Indeed, what kind of president does handle a crisis of this sort in this manner? And if you need a refresher on just how badly Biden has bungled the Maui wildfires, look no further than the following pair of lowlights.
First, when given an opportunity to nationally address the horrific loss of life in Maui, here was the incumbent president’s heartfelt response:
“No comment.”
Yes, Biden actually mustered up the sort of empathy you’d expect from an accused murderer when discussing his alleged victim.
Second, and compounding matters, Biden announced some meager financial aid for the victims of the wildfires.
To be fair, that, in and of itself, is hardly worth criticizing. Sure it was just $700, which is rather insulting, but it’s better than nothing (and there are certainly arguments to be made against wantonly printing money).
No, the real slap in the face came that same day when Biden’s administration announced another $200 million in military aid for Ukraine.
That’s beyond insulting. That’s borderline treasonous.
Given all of that, is it any surprise that Biden is being greeted with cold shoulders from some of the kindest people in the world? And look, if this was the very beginning of Biden’s presidency, maybe his PR team banks on the American people collectively moving past it.
But the country, including Hawaii, is just about 15 months removed from the 2024 general election. That stinging sensation in the cheek from being slapped in the face by the octogenarian-in-chief is still going to be felt next November.
And look, to be sure, Hawaii is “only” worth four electoral votes and has been an absolute haven for Democratic presidential candidates. (The last Republican candidate to win the Aloha State was Ronald Reagan in 1984.)
But by that same token, every electoral vote matters when polls show you in a dead heat with former President Donald Trump, and Biden has been atypically unpopular, even for a Democrat.
Speaking of Democrats, that stronghold they have on Hawaii has largely been a byproduct of the party (successfully) selling the image of being the kinder, more easygoing and more laid back of the two major political parties. Those three traits aptly describe most local Hawaiians, so it’s little surprise that there’s synergy there.
But nothing ruins synergy faster and more wholly than being lied to.
And Joe Biden is doing a heck of a job selling to the Hawaiian people that his party is neither kind, nor easygoing, nor laid back at all.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
