Here’s your daily reminder that having Republicans in elected office is the real public health crisis.

During Thursday’s meeting of the Okeechobee County Commissioners in Florida, Commissioner Bryant Culpepper spoke up about a solution to COVID-19 that he saw on the (right-wing, pro-Trump, batshit crazy) One American News Network: Just use a hair dryer.

Okeechobee County Commissioner Bryant Culpepper at emergency meeting says you can kill coronavirus by holding a blow dryer up to your nose after he saw it on “reliable source” OANN, warns “there’s a lot of baloney out there on social media” #BecauseFlorida pic.twitter.com/n9dGDBQ4WW — Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) March 22, 2020

… One of the things that was pointed out in this interview with one of the… foremost doctors that has studied the coronavirus says that the nasal passages and the nasal membranes are the coolest part of the body. That’s why the virus tends to go there, until it then becomes healthy enough to go into the lungs. This is [gonna] sound really goofy, and it did to me too, but it works. Once the temperature reaches 136 degrees Fahrenheit, the virus falls apart, and disintegrates. Okay? I said how would you get the temperature up to 132 degrees? The answer was you use a blow dryer because it’s capable of doing that. So you hold a blow dryer in front of your face, and you inhale with your nose, and it kills all the viruses in your nose.

All of that is a lie. No scientist has suggested it. Doctors are asking for masks and ventilators, not blow dryers.

But, hell, if Culpepper really wants to go after the virus, why not use a blowtorch? A few seconds of that on your face should do the trick…

After the Lake Okeechobee News posted an article about his comments, Culpepper weighed in by doubling down on his suggestion:

No one is holding a gun to your head to do anything you do not want to do but for some they don’t have alot of options. All this wonderful Science you believe in yet Thousands die everyday from Cancer, Lukemia, ALS so why haven’t they been cured with all the Scientist working on for years

Go ahead laugh all you want and feel like fools when I am proven Right

There you have it. Cancer exists, therefore who cares what the scientists say about anything? Therefore, take my dumb advice!

For what it’s worth, Culpepper is now apologizing — sort of — though it’s not clear what led to his apparent change of heart: Was it the national outcry? The online mockery? Or realizing that OAN doesn’t exist to tell people the truth? (My guess is the public humiliation.)

To All.my Facebook Friends, I am Heartfully Sorry for comments I made on Social Media. I was only trying to give comfort to those in Okeechobee who have no insurance to treat there families

I should have ignored the comments that I perceived as hateful and the embarrassment I caused to my Fellow Commissioners and our Administrator

And her staff

I will not offer anymore suggestions unless they are tried and proven

I ask for All of your forgiveness for anything offensive that I uttered during these exchanges. God Bless and soften your hearts.

It’s hard to take any of that seriously, though, since his entire Facebook feed is just full of right-wing crazy-person posts, including plenty which downplay the seriousness of COVID-19.

Just yesterday, he ranted against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for blaming Donald Trump for taking too long to respond to the virus crisis by saying, “He did try to close down travel from China and YOU ASSHOLE CALLED HIM RACIST. YOU NEED TO S T F U you Filthy Scumbag.”

Classy. Must be quoting Jesus there.

This guy has no business in functioning society, much less elected office.

Unfortunately, Culpepper is in his third term. He won’t be on the ballot again until 2022.

