Liberal comedian Sarah Silverman took a shot at MSNBC host Joy Reid Friday for raising hysteria over a new proposal by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
What did DeSantis propose?
The Florida governor announced a proposal on Thursday that would allocate $3.5 million in state funds toward re-establishing the Florida State Guard.
An announcement explained:
The establishment of the Florida State Guard will further support those emergency response efforts in the event of a hurricane, natural disasters and other state emergencies. The $3.5 million to establish the Florida State Guard will enable civilians to be trained in the best emergency response techniques. By establishing the Florida State Guard, Florida will become the 23rd state with a state guard recognized by the federal government.
The Florida State Guard was launched in 1941 during World War II after the federal government activated the Florida National Guard to fight overseas. The FSG was disbanded in 1947 after the Florida National Guard was released from federal active-duty.
The proposal was immediately met with hysteria from Democrats, who claimed DeSantis is a “wannabe dictator.” However, as DeSantis’ office noted, 22 other states currently have a state-forces similar to the Florida State Guard.
What happened with Reid and Silverman?
Reid claimed Friday that DeSantis’ proposal is evidence of authoritarian and fascistic impulses.
“So… y’all know this is fascisty bananas, right…?” Reid said on social media, linking to a CNN story detailing DeSantis’ plan.
In response, Silverman pointed out that Reid’s comments proved that she did not actually read the story she posted before offering her comment on it.
“Please read the article before you post this stuff you’re a news outlet,” Silverman hit back. “The truth has to matter.”
The very CNN story that Reid shared, in fact, showed how DeSantis’ proposal is not “fascisty bananas,” but rather akin to what 22 other states already have.
From the story:
States have the power to create defense forces separate from the national guard, though not all of them use it. If Florida moves ahead with DeSantis’ plan to reestablish the civilian force, it would become the 23rd active state guard in the country, DeSantis’ office said in a press release, joining California, Texas and New York.
Only six U.S. states — Arizona, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming — have never established a state defense force.