Bill Maher says DeSantis was right to keep beaches open, protect elderly

HBO host Bill Maher told CNN on Tuesday that he thinks Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) was right to protect the elderly but keep beaches open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maher praised DeSantis's "targeted" approach as "smarter" than most other governors and the opposite of how New York state handled the pandemic.

Keeping the beaches open was good, he said, because the virus doesn't spread very well outdoors.

He called DeSantis "a real old-school Republican who just takes care of business, COVID, the hurricane, stuff like that. He just goes about his business. He doesn’t do crazy stuff. But then, when he wants to throw red meat to the base, he’s a performance artist. And he does a lot of really outrageous stuff."

Maher said he gets the strategy, and that is it is probably necessary to take on former President Donald Trump for the presidency, as DeSantis is expected to do by summer.

It almost seemed like Maher was saying DeSantis would be a good Republican alternative to Trump, but I'm sure he and other Democrats will find plenty to criticize if and when DeSantis becomes an official candidate.