Friday Talking Points -- 19,382 And Counting
The big political news this week was that former Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison for using money from his campaign to pay for all sorts of personal items. Oh, and also that one of the few remaining anti-abortion Democrats, Dan Lipinski of Illinois, was successfully primaried by a progressive candidate this week. Lipinski was also previously against both Obamacare and gay marriage, so this will be a real ideological changing of the guard.
We're kidding, of course. Neither of these stories -- which, in normal times would have been covered extensively by the media -- even caused a blip on the radar this week. Because the nation is gripped in the midst of a viral pandemic and we've got the Keystone Kops running the response. Which, admittedly, is a much bigger story to focus on.
A quick review of where we stand is in order. Less than a month ago, on February 24, President Trump tweeted: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.... Stock market starting to look very good to me." Two days later, during a press conference, Trump exuded optimism once again: "And again, when you have 15 people [in the country infected with COVID-19], and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done." Got that? "Within a couple of days" the number of infected people would get "down close to zero." OK, less than a month later, let's check the numbers, shall we?
As of this writing, that number is -- surprise! -- nowhere near zero. In fact, it currently stands at 19,382. By the time you read this, it will be higher -- much higher (when we began writing this article, it stood at 18,755). And it's probably far from accurate, since not everyone who is sick and should be tested is currently being tested. The administration cannot now even predict the date when enough testing will be available to achieve this rather fundamental goal. Until then, those numbers should be seen as a mere fraction of the reality. And that number just climbed by 5,000 people in a single day, as more and more testing is being performed.
The American Clinical Laboratory Association, representing commercial testing labs, said that as of Wednesday night its members had completed "approximately 43,000 tests to date." Three weeks ago, the Trump administration was promising that "one million," or "a-million-and-a-half," or sometimes even "four million" tests would be available "by the end of the week." We were told this over and over again. Week's end would arrive and the goal (quite obviously) had still not been met. So they started making even higher promises for "the next week." That was two and three weeks ago, and we're still under 50,000 tests performed. Here is some of what the state-level people are now saying about the current situation:
"I watch a news conference and they tell us we have testing capacity, but I am telling you we don't have testing capacity. It is not out there yet," said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during a Wednesday news conference. His state has a current backlog of 1,700 samples waiting to be processed.
. . .
Trump on Thursday insisted that governors have all they need, telling reporters he was hearing "very good things on the ground."
"I can tell you what we're doing is working with local governors to get them what they want," Trump said.
But the president's words don't match reality, state and local officials say.
"We're the boots on the ground. We know what's available," said Kris Ehresmann, infectious disease division director for the Minnesota Health Department. "Some of the commercial labs do not have the materials they need."
That's left states to impose strict criteria on who can be tested, frustrating people across the country who are showing symptoms, worried but were told to wait and see if their cases worsen. In several states, only those who are hospitalized or at high risk, including those with underlying conditions, can be tested.
. . .
Rob Davidson, an emergency room physician in Michigan and the executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare, said the lack of testing combined with a critical need for manpower leaves patients at risk. Doctors are being told to keep working until they have a fever, even if they are exposed to a patient with the virus. They are being told to use one mask per shift unless it becomes soiled. But because of the lack of testing, there is no way to know whether a doctor contracts the virus until it's too late.
"For God's sake, just get us more tests," he said.
Trump is deaf to their pleas, however. In fact, he's deaf to anyone who isn't offering up fulsome praise to him, as evidenced by his tantrum today when asked a perfectly legitimate question by NBC reporter Peter Alexander. Worth noting: an NBC News colleague of Alexander died today of the coronavirus. When Alexander tried to ask why Trump's spokesmen are disagreeing with his rather rosy assessment of the possibilities of a drug for treatment, Trump responded:
"Well," Trump said, "you know I think we only disagree a little bit. I disagree. Maybe and maybe not. Maybe there is; maybe there isn't. We have to see."
Alexander countered: "Is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things, may be giving Americans a false sense of hope?"
"No, I don't think so," Trump said.
Alexander noted it was not yet an approved drug.
"Such a lovely question," Trump shot back. He tried to say he agreed with [Dr. Anthony] Fauci -- despite what he had said just a moment before -- but then again offered a more optimistic tone than the doctor has about the drug.
"I feel good about it. That's all it is -- just a feeling. [I'm a] smart guy," Trump said, adding: "We have nothing to lose. You know the expression: What the hell do you have to lose?"
Alexander responded with what might seem like an innocuous question: "What you said Americans were scared, though? Nearly 200 dead. Fourteen thousand are sick. Millions, as you witness, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?"
"I say that you're a terrible reporter; that's what I say," Trump said. "I think it's a very nasty question. And I think it's a very bad signal that you're putting out to the American people. The American people are looking for answers, and they're looking for hope. And you're doing sensationalism."
He added: "Let me just say something: That's really bad reporting. And you want to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism. Let's see if it works. It might and it might not. I happen to feel good about it, but who knows? I've been right a lot."
But here's the thing: Alexander rightly noted that Trump was saying something that medical experts like Fauci have strained to avoid -- that this drug could be the kind of "game-changer" Trump actually volunteered that he disagreed with that and said it might be. There is a real difference in what they are saying, and it's completely fair for a reporter to ask Trump to account for that.
For the most part, though, Trump remains cheerfully oblivious. From his recent statements: "I don't take responsibility at all. We're doing a great job." When asked if the buck stopped with him and how he'd rate his response on a scale of 1 to 10, Trump answered (because of course he did): "I'd rate it a 10." He also said that the buck "normally" stopped with him, "but this has never been done in this country." So maybe the buck stops with Trump unless there's an emergency, when the buck can just get the heck out of the Oval Office entirely?
On the same day Trump gave himself a perfect score for dealing with the crisis, the stock market sent him a gigantic vote of no confidence in the form of the biggest one-day drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average's history, losing almost exactly 3,000 points.
We have to admit we've lost count of how many times the "circuit breaker" provision has kicked in over the past few weeks in the stock market, which temporarily halts trading when the market is down 7 percent in one day. Four? Five? Previous to this crisis, it had happened exactly once, over 20 years ago. It didn't even happen during the slide which began the Great Recession. The day Trump gave himself a perfect score, it almost hit the second threshold of a 13 percent drop, which would have halted trading for the day. The Dow dropped 12.9 points.
The stock market has posted multiple new records for "largest point drop in history" over the past few weeks, only to see these records fall when they hit an even worse trading day. We can't even give this market crash a day-themed name (like "Black Monday") since it isn't just one day, it is ongoing. Black March? March Madness? We have now moved beyond even week-based themes to having to use the whole month. That's how bad it's been on Wall Street, with no end in sight (the market dropped almost another thousand points today). All gains made during Trump's tenure in office have now officially been wiped out, meaning he won't be asking audiences how "their 401K" is doing quite so much any more.
Of course, the lucky ones got out of the market before the crash. Or maybe "lucky" isn't the best word to use, since it has now been revealed that several senators moved very early on to sell off millions in stock holdings right before the market crashed. Coincidentally enough, these very same senators got classified briefings about the coronavirus right before they sold their stocks. Funny how that works, isn't it?
Well, no. Nothing about this is funny, really. It's no laughing matter. While Trump gives himself perfect marks and throws a tantrum worthy of a five-year-old when reporters ask questions based in reality (rather than the fantasyland which exists only in Trump's head), people are dying out there. Hundreds of them. Soon to be thousands, if not tens of thousands.
Anyone tired of "all the winning" yet? November can't come fast enough.
We actually called for this earlier in the week, and we're pleased to see almost immediate action from three Democratic senators (two of whom have been pushing the idea for quite some time).
This week, Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Amy Klobuchar introduced a bill which would expand in-person and no-excuse absentee voting by mail to all 50 states. This could become a critical requirement if we're still fighting the coronavirus in November. The faith of the public in the American election system is what is at stake here, which is no small thing.
In fact, as we suggested in our article a few days ago, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer really need to demand this -- for the 2020 election, on an emergency basis -- as a piece of the next must-pass coronavirus bailout bill. We need to get started on this right now, to provide enough lead time for the states to get ready for it. Oregon -- the state Wyden and Merkley hail from -- already runs its entire election as vote-by-mail. And they have seen record turnout for their elections as a direct result (63 percent of eligible voters in Oregon voted in 2018 -- and that was only during a midterm election).
This is a public health emergency, and we have to prepare our elections to be able to cope with it. As Wyden put it:
If Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Maryland and Kentucky had vote by mail on the books years ago, they wouldn't have had to cancel their elections. It will give us the highest chance of avoiding delayed elections and ensuring Americans can exercise their Constitutional rights. No one should have to put their health at risk to vote.... Now is the time to bring this practice to the national stage so we can ensure that even during this crisis, the American people can safely exercise their sacred right to vote.
He's right. But it needs to happen now, not later. The states who will have to expand their mail-in voting dramatically are going to need all the time they can get in order to successfully get up and running by November. So Pelosi and Schumer need to start demanding this as the price for Democratic votes on the next must-pass bill.
For pushing the issue at precisely the right time with a piece of legislation, Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Amy Klobuchar are the winners of this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award.
[Congratulate Senator Amy Klobuchar on her Senate contact page, Senator Jeff Merkley on his Senate contact page, and Senator Ron Wyden on his Senate contact page, to let them know you appreciate their efforts. And, even more important perhaps, please don't hesitate to contact your own congressional representatives and demand they get on board with this effort right now.]
This may be somewhat premature, but it certainly looks pretty bad already. So far, Senator Richard Burr has been the poster child of "using inside information to cash in before the markets crash," but three other fast-moving senators (as of this writing) have also been identified. Two are Republicans, just like Barr.
But one isn't. Senator Dianne Feinstein, whose husband has made quite a lot of money in China over the course of his career, sold between $1.5 million and $6 million in stocks right before the markets crashed. Her office, when asked about this, stated that all of her assets were "in a blind trust," but they also admitted that there was a rather large loophole: "She has no involvement in her husband's financial decisions."
So it all must have been a huge coincidence.
Maybe she's right, but we've known DiFi for too long to just take her at her word (full disclosure: DiFi represents us in the Senate, as we live in California, so we know her quite well). This gives off -- at the very least -- the appearance of insider trading and using confidential information given in the Senate to lock in a profit before everyone else is affected, which is (to put it mildly) not the best look for a politician to have right now. Or ever, for that matter.
Which is why she's the obvious choice this week for Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week. Because you just know that every time a Democrat brings up Richard Burr in the next few days, Republicans will immediately counter with: "Yeah, but what about Feinstein?" And, sadly, they'll have a point.
[Contact Senator Dianne Feinstein on her Senate contact page, to let her know what you think of her actions.]
Volume 566 (3/20/20)
The only question that we have is what label historians will put on the epic failures of Donald Trump and his administration to handle a real crisis. Will they call it "Trump's Katrina" or maybe "Trump's Chernobyl" or even "Trump's 9/11"? At this point, none of those labels seems in any way an overstatement.
Starting to look pretty good right now
Too, too funny.
"Y'know, it wasn't that long ago that Trump's devoted followers were ridiculing some of the Democratic presidential candidates for 'promising free stuff from the government' and sneering at how Americans would never warm up to 'socialism.' But I seriously doubt that many of them will be complaining about 'free stuff' when they get a fat check from the federal government in a few weeks, will they? Call it the vindication of Andrew Yang. Because all those MAGA-hat-wearers are now beginning to think that 'free stuff from the government' is starting to look pretty good right about now."
Nothing to see here... move along...
Remember Baghdad Bob? That guy who told Iraqis that Saddam Hussein was winning the war against America?
"Of course, there have been plenty of folks over on the right who have treated the whole crisis as some sort of made-up scheme by the Democrats and the media to 'make Trump look bad,' which kind of ignores the fact that the stock market isn't exactly a hotbed of liberal orthodoxy, but whatever. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said last Sunday that he certainly didn't expect the economy to slip into recession. Larry Kudlow was even more optimistic. Donald Trump himself even said:
We're not thinking in terms of recession. We are thinking in terms of the virus. I think there is a tremendous pent-up demand, both in terms of the stock market and in terms of the economy. And once this goes away, once it goes through and we are done with it, I think you're going to see a tremendous surge.
Beyond the obviously false happy-talk from the White House, though, everyone else is seeing a quite different reality. Here's Trump's own former chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, Kevin Hassett: 'I think that the odds of a global recession are close to 100 percent right now. I think in the U.S., we're going to have a very terrible second quarter.' He also went on to predict: 'We think the jobs number in early April might be as much as minus a million or so because nobody is going to be hired next week.' So, who are you going to believe, all the happy talk from the White House or the consensus of every single economist who doesn't currently work for Donald Trump?"
Chaos everywhere you look
As usual, chaos is king in the Trump White House.
"I've lost count of how many people have now been named the Coronavirus Czar. First it was the doctors at the C.D.C., or maybe it was the N.I.H.? Then it was Mike Pence, who was supposed to be the point man. Then all of a sudden the surgeon general started appearing on television as the administration spokesman. Then we all learned that Jared Kushner was on top of things -- which, I have to say, is not a very comforting thought at all. Then a new doctor was shoved in front of the television cameras -- I've forgotten her name, because she is just the last in a very long line of people who were supposed to be responsible for the White House's efforts to combat the pandemic. Nobody now even knows who is supposed to have the answers to basic questions like when testing will be available to all patients who are either sick or think they might be sick. Nobody knows, and all they do is keep passing the buck to each other. Nobody knows if we'll have enough masks or respirators. Nobody can even answer why the response has been so chaotic, and so woefully inadequate. Oh, and by the way, I'm still waiting for that website Trump promised a full week ago to become available -- but, once again, nobody's even got an answer as to when that's going to happen. There's more organization in a Jackson Pollock painting than in the White House's response to this emergency."
It snuck up on you, pal
Trump, as usual, is trying to gaslight his way out of any possible blame.
"Donald Trump apparently was shocked that even Fox News started taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously this week, and immediately changed his tune to begin lying about what he's been saying for the past few weeks. He tried to tell the country that he had 'always known' it was a pandemic and even 'felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.' He also said the virus 'snuck up' on everyone. Of course, both of these were bald-faced lies, which many took to Twitter to point out. Best response: 'A stampede of elephants covered in bells and sh*tting bottle rockets could sneak up on him.' I guess Trump forgot that his immediate reaction to the pandemic was to tell his supporters it was a 'hoax' dreamed up by the Democrats."
Trump lies and lies and lies
"Donald Trump has been lying about the crisis the country faces from the very beginning. He has piled one lie on top of another. Instead of being honest with the American people about the threat we all face, he has lied to us and told everyone that the virus is going to magically go away in a few weeks, quote like a miracle, unquote. Where are the millions of tests he promised weeks ago? They still don't exist, leaving doctors to refuse to test sick patients because they have to ration the tests they do have for the sickest patients. Remember when Trump lied that 'everyone who wants to get tested can get tested'? That was quite a while ago, wasn't it? And not only is it still not true, the Trump administration is now sheepishly admitting that they cannot even predict when it will become true. Remember the website that was supposed to be up and running by now? It's not. Trump lied that 1,700 people at Google were feverishly working on it. They weren't. He has said that basic safety equipment would be available to all states. It isn't. Remember when he said to buy stocks? The market's down almost 10,000 points since then. Remember when he promised that all coronavirus treatment would be fully covered by insurance companies? This still isn't true. Remember when he said he was shutting down the borders to trade goods from Europe? Even he had to admit that was false. Remember when he swore up and down that he had the virus 'under control'? Nothing could be further from the truth. Remember when Trump said the number of coronavirus cases in the country would -- within a few days -- be at zero? That number is now over 19,000 and climbing by more than 5,000 new patients per day. The only thing you can trust about Trump's response to the crisis is the fact that pretty much every time he opens his mouth, he lies about it."
Shhh! Don't tell the market!
Looks like the numbers are going to be pretty bad, folks.
"Donald Trump likes to boast of his administration's 'radical transparency,' but like much else he says, this is nothing short of a lie. The White House has already banned all executive administration officials from testifying to Congress about their coronavirus response for the rest of the month, and now it appears they are telling states not to release any unemployment numbers so they don't 'spook the markets.' The Labor Department just sent out an email asking states to only speak in, quote, generalities, unquote, and to use terms like 'very high' or 'large increase' for now. The administrator of the Office of Employment Insurance was more direct: 'States should not provide numeric values to the public.' Those numbers are, quite obviously, going to be horrendously bad. For three years, Trump has been bragging about the low unemployment rate, but it looks like this is another bit of bragging Trump won't be doing in the future."
Lookin' out for number one
Hoo boy. Bet this story starts getting repeated.
"Senator Richard Burr apparently got briefed about the seriousness of the coronavirus and immediately pulled millions of dollars out of the stock market as a direct result. That's bad enough and people are already expressing their disgust on Twitter, but this isn't the first time Burr has been looking out for himself in a time of financial crisis. Back in 2008, in the midst of the financial meltdown, Burr warned the public not to panic:
Today's news of Citigroup's acquisition of Wachovia might be unsettling to many in North Carolina. While these are difficult times in our economy, it is important to remember that this move provides for the protection of accounts and the soundness of savings for Wachovia's customers. FDIC has said that all services for customers should continue uninterrupted.
But he told his wife something very different, according to his own admission the year afterwards:
On Friday night, I called my wife and I said, "Brooke, I am not coming home this weekend. I will call you on Monday. Tonight, I want you to go to the ATM machine [sic], and I want you to draw out everything it will let you take. And I want you to go tomorrow, and I want you to go Sunday."
Words fail me to describe the sleaziness of Senator Barr. But I bet his constituents have quite a bit to say about his propensity to cash in during a crisis."
-- Chris Weigant
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Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
It was fun watching Trump’s troupe of clowns standing shoulder to shoulder— so that they all remained in the shot — while telling Americans they should be keeping their distance from each other to avoid becoming infected. Why they needed so many people up there was not clear. Why not have people off camera and have them come up when it was their time to speak?
The press did their part, staggering where they sat to every other seat so that it maintained an empty seat between them.
we live in the east coast epicenter of the thing. it's scary stuff man.
It's starting to double where I live, too.
Don't be scared - stay home, sit on the sofa, go for a walk, stay away from people. I, for one, am glad to. :)
I heard about something going around on social media …
Healthcare workers saying "I go to work to protect you; stay home to protect me!"
If everybody does this, we'll be in good shape. And, we can't stop, even if it looks like the virus is beat because it could come back in a second wave, even more deadly than the first … if history is any guide.
500,000 applications for employment insurance in Canada so far. My turn will come next week as my company closed on Tuesday for, ostensibly, two weeks. Good luck with that.
i guess i didn't realize how bad it was at first. it was 70 and sunny today, first truly pleasant day this spring, and the playgrounds were completely empty.
is it still okay to take a walk through the playgrounds
A recession? Well, ironically, won't it be kind of like a 'fake recession'?
I think Trump is right about the surge when this thing is over. I'm counting on it, in fact.
Walmart Canada is hiring 10,000 people, they announced today.
We're in a county that hasn't been hit hard yet, but started our two-week shelter in place in the middle of this week. Already the changes are notable, but not as extreme as elsewhere.
Stay safe, everyone. Wash your hands. Often.
-CW
I've ALWAYS washed my hands regularly, spring and fall, whether they needed it or not!!
Just went and answered some of yesterday's comments, starting at:
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/03/19/its-time-for-bernie-to-drop-out/#comment-156119
Tom Brady, cockeyed etymology, and one long answer to Mezzomamma...
Check it out.
-CW
Chris [10]
Thanks for the response. No, I didn't mean that Bernie should continue to the end of the primaries, but I apologise if I misread 'nearly half' as 'half'. I stand by what I said about other voices needing to be heard.
Mezzomamma [11] -
But why wouldn't Bernie include those voices in his picks for seats at the table?
Or, to flip it, why wouldn't the Biden folks also pick those voices for seats at the table?
I'm confused...
-CW
And while no one was paying attention:
From Politico:
The Justice Department is abandoning plans for a looming criminal trial focused on claims of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
With jury selection set to begin in just over two weeks, prosecutors asked a federal judge to permanently dismiss the charges special counsel Robert Mueller brought two years ago against two Russian firms linked to a St. Petersburg businessman known as Putin's chef, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
While the DOJ’s court filing seek the case be dismissed did not give specifics, it did seem to indicate that they were seeking the dismissal out of concern for national security secrets becoming exposed.
How weird for evidence that had been declassified at the beginning of the investigation to suddenly get reclassified as top secret just before the trial was to begin. I guess Russia just got lucky!
Chris, another great column. I appreciate your recap of each crazy week, even if you can't include more than 10% of Trump's idiocy in an essay of less than 100 pages.
As to the MIDOW, it HAS to be the Democrats in the House of Representatives who crafted the 2nd (or how many?) Coronavirus Relief bills. Republicans didn't even publicly protest at the massive 'socialist' benefits included in the measure:
'The legislation passed Wednesday provides paid sick and family leave for some for U.S. workers impacted by the illness, expands unemployment assistance, includes nutrition assistance and increases resources for testing. '
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/18/817737690/senate-passes-coronavirus-emergency-aid-sending-plan-to-president?t=1584780325890
MIDOW must go also to the Democratic governors who are ignoring the Trump tantrums and showing their concern for the residents of their state! Especially visible were Govs Newsome and Cuomo. In spite of withering criticism from Trump and his cronies, they have responded fairly quickly to the alarming spread of COVID-19 in their states.
Unless I have missed something, the states that have implemented the most serious measures to blunt the spread of this infectious disease are almost exclusively Democrats - something that Trump noticed too, of course. And rather than applauding their efforts and holding them up to the states' leaders of his OWN PARTY, he attacked them. (At least in part because they refuse to kiss his ring.)
'As governors grow increasingly frustrated by the federal response and the number of reported cases are growing throughout the country, Trump has also resurrected his longstanding feud with Andrew Cuomo, claiming that the New York governor must “do more” to fight the pandemic.
...
Trump foreshadowed his need to politicize even a global pandemic by focusing his anger at Democratic governors nearly two weeks ago, when he called Washington Gov. Jay Inslee a “snake” for criticizing his slow response to the virus.'
https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/03/trump-attacks-democratic-governors-in-latest-effort-to-shift-blame-for-coronavirus-crisis/
As of this writing, that number is -- surprise! -- nowhere near zero. In fact, it currently stands at 19,382. By the time you read this, it will be higher -- much higher (when we began writing this article, it stood at 18,755). And it's probably far from accurate, since not everyone who is sick and should be tested is currently being tested. The administration cannot now even predict the date when enough testing will be available to achieve this rather fundamental goal. Until then, those numbers should be seen as a mere fraction of the reality. And that number just climbed by 5,000 people in a single day, as more and more testing is being performed.
Over 600,000 Americans were infected with Swine Flu under Obama.
WHY was this never mentioned here???
That's the question that NO ONE can answer..
As long as this remains a fact (and it will remain a fact in perpetuity) every complaint about President Trump's actions vis a vis this decades pandemic will remain nothing but a politically bigoted attack, totally devoid of logic or reason..
But one isn't. Senator Dianne Feinstein, whose husband has made quite a lot of money in China over the course of his career, sold between $1.5 million and $6 million in stocks right before the markets crashed. Her office, when asked about this, stated that all of her assets were "in a blind trust," but they also admitted that there was a rather large loophole: "She has no involvement in her husband's financial decisions."
So it all must have been a huge coincidence.
It should also be noted that the sums the GOP'ers made were paltry and small-change compared to the huge sums the DiFis raked in...
Of course, no one (besides the Grand Poobah hisself) will see fit to condemn DiFi... You watch...
FPC,
CW
Your PSA announcement was hilarious, I have to admit.
Heh. heh heh.
Couch potatoes unite!
Danke... :D
My sincerest condolences on Brady infesting your state, and I do mean that deeply. At least now my New England friends won't be so insufferable...
I never liked Brady, but now I have a new NFL superstar to hate..
Mahomes
I've easily gotten twice the complaints about you in the comments section than I've ever gotten about Michale.
And that's saying something.
Well, sheet! Now I gotta work harder at being more annoying.. :D
Yeah, because that would have meant all of this would have happened about a month earlier. How terrible!
[rolls eyes...]
Oh, com'on.. You KNOW that the Hillary & Bill show would have fanned the flames to make money off of it...
And you just HAVE to know that Bubba couldn't handle the social distancing part and swear off of bimbos...
:D
A dishonorable mention for MDDOW must go to Florida's Democratic candidate for Governor, Andrew Gillum. It wasn't bad enough that we now know that he was battling demons, including - but not limited to - alcohol abuse. No, the public learned about this is the most scandalous, tabloid-friendly way possible.
Not to be overlooked is that this reinforces to many Americans the association of African-Americans with illicit drugs.
'The husband and father of three young children was found early Friday by Miami Beach Police in a Mondrian South Beach hotel room with an apparent overdose victim, a man who, according to local media reports, claimed to be a “pornstar performer” and advertised his services as a gay male escort.'
https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2020/03/15/gillum-withdraws-from-politics-after-link-to-suspected-drug-overdose-1267145
China's cases, arguably the worst to date sans maybe Italy, has already peeked and are on a downward trajectory..
Europe is the new epicenter..
The US dodged the bullet by President Trump quickly clamping down and imposing a travel ban..
Europe did not.. That is why they are the epicenter and we're not.
Awesome Job, President Trump!!
Speaking of that, I noticed no one here acknowledges that Ilhan Omar herself has congratulated President Trump on his awesome response to this crisis...
Funny how that Omar is the cat's meow when she is hating on President Trump.. :D
But, back to China..
The Covid infection has already run it's course.. Since everyone (Except maybe Joe & Hunter Biden) knows that the US is better than China in every way, we can look forward to a very short stint of the covid pandemic..
My prediction is that there will be HALF the fatalities here in the US that Odumbo's incompetence produced in the 2009 pandemic...
You heard it here first...
Rusty... Dood!!!
A dishonorable mention for MDDOW must go to Florida's Democratic candidate for Governor, Andrew Gillum. It wasn't bad enough that we now know that he was battling demons, including - but not limited to - alcohol abuse. No, the public learned about this is the most scandalous, tabloid-friendly way possible.
Not to be overlooked is that this reinforces to many Americans the association of African-Americans with illicit drugs.
'The husband and father of three young children was found early Friday by Miami Beach Police in a Mondrian South Beach hotel room with an apparent overdose victim, a man who, according to local media reports, claimed to be a “pornstar performer” and advertised his services as a gay male escort.'
Good call....
There is hope for you yet... :D
Rusty,
In spite of withering criticism from Trump and his cronies, they have responded fairly quickly to the alarming spread of COVID-19 in their states.
Actually Gov Cuomo has seen the light (like Ilhan Omar has) and he and President Trump are singing each other's praises.. :D
And somewhere in the darkness...
The Gambler he broke even...
And in his final words I found...
The ace that I could keep...
Rest In Peace Kenny Rogers
Thank you for all you have given us...
Chris [12] Ok, the tendency to overlook marginalised groups isn't confined to any one political campaign, and politicians, as a whole, are better at telling us what they think than at listening to what we think. But I hope the Democratic leadership and the campaign committees will pay attention to a more representative spread of voices--the people who made the blue wave happen. Too often, progressive movements have, like conservative movements, disproportionately advantaged the socially dominant (mainly white, mainly male) while the rest of us get the crumbs and often have to clear up afterwards as well.
(I am more than a little grumpy at the moment due to lack of sleep and worry, but wish to salute some of my wonderful neighbours, male and female, who are organising so we can all look after one another.)
FLORIDA IS CLOSED
http://sjfm.us/pics/Mickey.jpg
And we mean, dammit!!
:D
Mamma,
I am still wondering what groups are "marginalized" by the Democrat Party....
But I hope the Democratic leadership and the campaign committees will pay attention to a more representative spread of voices--the people who made the blue wave happen.
Those would be the Democrats who acted and campaigned more like Republicans..
You think people like AOC, who were very blue candidates who ran in very VERY blue areas, made the blue trickle!??
Shirley, you jest...
It's the Dem candidates who ran as GOP-LITE in Trump areas that made the blue trickle...
Progressives and far Left candidates had NOTHING to do with the blue trickle...
"These are the facts of the case.. And they are undisputed."
-Captain Smilin' Jack Ross, A FEW GOOD MEN
All politics aside..
Interesting by-product of the this decade's pandemic..
Coronavirus Could Change the Way Movies Are Released — Forever
The sacred “theatrical window” may go by the wayside as studios scramble to limit their losses
https://www.insidehook.com/article/movies/coronavirus-impact-film-industry-movie-releases
Film industry is considering bypassing empty theaters and releasing first run blockbuster films direc-to-video and online..
Big theater multi-plexes just might be the first business casualty of the current pandemic...
Just as it was foretold in the prophecy, the end of history begins with Trolls: World Tour.
With the theatrical exhibition sector of the film industry now in freefall as brick-and-mortar auditoriums from neighborhood arthouses to big-box multiplexes close their doors, studios have scrambled to figure out their next steps. Everyone’s losing money, but the race is on to salvage what can be salvaged, and Universal seems to be the first to mobilize.
In a decisive, unprecedented announcement, executives have agreed to shift their titles that would otherwise be playing publicly right now — horror remake The Invisible Man, satire The Hunt and subsidiary Focus Features’ Austen adaptation Emma. — to video on-demand availability. More shocking still, they pushed Trolls: World Tour up from its slated April 10 premiere date to go “day-and-date” on Friday, meaning that it will stream on the same day that it ostensibly enters whatever theaters remain operational on Earth.
Truly the End Of Days...
{Holding up his Big Mac and Coke}
"THIS truly is the work of the devil!"
-Brendan Fraser, BEDAZZLED
:D
As of this writing, that number is -- surprise! -- nowhere near zero. In fact, it currently stands at 19,382.
There's an old saying amongst lawyers..
"If the law is against you, argue the facts.. If the facts are against you, argue the law."
We have a corollary of that for the politicization of this decade's pandemic...
"If the number of deaths are against you, scream hysterically about the number of infected..."
The survival rate for those infected is between 96.6% and 99.97% according to the CDC...
To put it into REAL numbers, using your claim and a rough average of the survival rate..
Rounding your 19,382 number up to an even 20,000 and applying a 97.5% survival rate..
That means you are hysterical about 500 people dying from this disease..
Do you know how many Americans died under Odumbo's incompetent handling of his Swine Flu pandemic???
Do yo know how many Americans died from the flu last year???
Is this REALLY a concern to warrant such hysteria???
If anyone wants to give me a bribe to shut me up??
https://us.zavvi.com/merch-memorabilia/the-wand-company-star-trek-bluetooth-communicator/11182731.html
:D
It's BT... You can link it to your cell and actually make phone calls with it and talk to GOOGLE ASSISTANT/SIRI... :D
Isn't that the most awesomest thing ya ever saw!!?? :D
Q.Why did Kenny Rodgers have shit all over his beard?
A. Because he was looking for love in all the wrong places.
"Bad form, Captain Hook! Bad form!"
-Jack, HOOK
@cw,
well there have been no complaints about pie, and yet this pi day passed with nary a word, and certainly not a dedicated column on the destructive influence of cake in the political process. it's a conspiracy i tells ya.
JL
well there have been no complaints about pie, and yet this pi day passed with nary a word,
And HHPTDS claims another victim... :(
New audio book available on Amazon..
GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP!!
by Adam Mansbach Illustrated by Ricardo Cortes
As read by Samuel L Jackson
:D
ffs Michale will you please take a breath and stop with the Swine Flu already. You keep taking numbers from the end of that epidemic and comparing them to the beginning of this one. C19 has a 10x higher mortality rate. We have 263 dead this morning. Twelve days from now that will be over 12,000. I'm not just making this up Michale, there's no cure for this and the mortality rate is currently running about 4%. Infections (in the US are increasing by 40% per day, and so will deaths, lagging by 3 weeks. 263 * 1.4 for 12 days gets you over 12,000. Around this time the social distancing measures taken by SOME states will start to be reflected in the infection rates and we'll see a falling off (hopefully). These are real people Michale, and we need to be focusing on what we can do to reduce those numbers and bring relief to the suffering. If you have any lessons to bring forward from that time that might be helpful now, please do so. Otherwise you're just throwing beer cans at the goalie because it amuses you. If you want to do something useful, maybe have a think about what you're going to do to support your local hospital when they get overwhelmed with the dying. Which is starting to happen already, and will be happening near you in short order.
Peace. Stay safe.
Alin
Michale -
"The captain of the Titanic showed amazing leadership by steering straight at the iceberg, while insisting that icebergs are no more than overblown ice cubes, and by smashing into one, the passengers would all have much colder cocktails as a result."
"Many people in New Orleans are praising George W Bush for his awesome leadership in allowing all those people to die without sending any help. Because he looked so damn presidential when he flew over in his plane."
Seriously, dude: that's what you sound like. Utter derangement. Call it Trump-Worshipping Syndrome.
As for Obama, remember way back when, when you complained over and over again during the Obama years that he shouldn't blame Dubya for anything because Obama was now president and should own everything? Yeah, those were the days (checks calendar) now that we're over 3 years in to Trump's term...
I mean... sheesh... get a grip. In your own terms: Trump screwed the pooch on this one. Deal with it. That pooch ain't gonna get unscrewed no matter how much Fox News you watch...
-CW
Michale -
Almost forgot...
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
Scroll down to the first chart. See that curve flattening any time soon? I don't.
Or click on the World button:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
We're moving up the list. We've passed South Korea and Germany, and we're still moving upwards fast. WE are the new epicenter of the outbreak, because Trump wasted so much time rather than attack the outbreak with the same ferocity that South Korea did.
Those are the facts, Jack.
-CW
Don Harris -
In all the time and energy you've spent here (which is a gargantuan amount, even you have to admit), have you EVER convinced ONE SINGLE PERSON as to the righteousness of your cause? One?
Didn't think so. Maybe you should get another hobby, because you've more than worn out your welcome here.
-CW
Don, stop commenting on old threads!
Cashing in his stocks wasn't the worst thing Senator Burr did. He gave a private briefing on the threat of the coronavirus to his rich donors without informing the rest of his constituents. He not only thought he was more entitled to financial advantages than his constituents, he thought his rich donors had a greater right to protect their health and their lives than his other constituents.
CW,
I have already proven that the worldometer website is driven by propaganda and bullshit.. NOT by facts..
Scroll down to the first chart. See that curve flattening any time soon? I don't.
Yea and no one saw China's flattening of the curve.. Until it flattened..
The reality is things are NOT going to be as bad as the Trump/America haters wish them to be..
I would LOVE to see your comments on Ilhan Omar complimenting President Trump on his leadership.. :D
Trump screwed the pooch on this one.
And yet, DEMOCRAT like Omar and Cuomo are praising President Trump's leadership..
But I have to ask.. If less than 200 dead is "failed leadership"...
What is Odumbo's leadership called when over 12 THOUSAND Americans died..
Funny how you ignore that fact...
I'm just saying..
Let me put it this way.. When we get to the end of this and less than 6,000 Americans died under President Trump's leadership..
Will you finally concede that President Trump did better than Odumbo??
12,269 quatloos (the same number of deaths under Odumbo) says you won't..
CW wrote,
There's more organization in a Jackson Pollock painting than in the White House's response to this emergency."
As a former Fine Arts major I think yer throwing shade at Jackson Pollock.
I'd point out that JP is considered a giant in 20th Century painting because of the "Design Quality" of his seemingly random throwing of paint against a canvas. It's not the splotches it's how they're arranged that separates him from the pretenders.
Folks this is a PSA:
In these troubled times do us all a favor and don't feed the trolls namely, Michale & Don Harris.
Love you guys, but don't you feel lame piggybacking on CW's blog?
MC,
In these troubled times do us all a favor and don't feed the trolls namely, Michale & Don Harris.
And NOW the uber-tolerant liberal shines thru..
Childish name-calling..
I get it.. Yer pissy Bernie lost....
But ya don't need to be a prick about it.. :D
I'm just sayin'....
Love you guys, but don't you feel lame piggybacking on CW's blog?
Son, I have been here for almost FIFTEEN years..
What gives you the right to question my presence here??
MC,
Just to show you how totally frak'ed yer state of mind is right now???
You give what you probably think is good advice in comment #59 and then totally ignore that allegedly "good" advice in comment #60...
Maybe you should consider that, if you can't follow your own advice... Maybe it's not advice worth following...
Think about it...
OK, my initial reaction may have been too bitchy...
Note.. If you want to adopt a kidding/joshing attitude, liberally sprinkle your comments with :Ds
I'm just sayin'...
Naw, I was just f*cking with you, Michale
FYI her :D don't seem to work
[57]
Sure I'm pissed that the Dems think that sending Joe Biden against Trump was the best move. Doesn't flavor my comments at all. I would be delighted to engage with you as you are a smart (albiet misguided) guy. But all I get from you is (1)ignoring my point and (2) "Whataboutism?" Dude, no one gives a f*ck about Swine Flu or anything else before Trump. We have to go to war with the President we unfortunately have, and all you add to the comment section is that if you ever got to meet Trump you leave no doubt that you'd swallow. You have Trump Derangement Syndrome, not I.
Sorry, Liz, it had to be said. I would simply scroll thru Michale's comments but the guy is smart enough to make a good point from time to time. What a waste of talent. I am hungry to find a Conservative to engage with, too bad Michale is not game.
Whoops! Fergot my happy pill this morning!
Dude, no one gives a f*ck about Swine Flu or anything else before Trump.
And THAT is my point...
If you don't care that Obama's incompetence killed over 12,000 Americans and you bitch at President Trump because around 200 Americans have died...
Do you see the incongruity??
It *PROVES* that the issue is NOT dead Americans..
The issue is SOLELY that you hate President Trump...
You have Trump Derangement Syndrome
Perhaps. I am willing to concede the point... Possibly...
But MINE is based on love of country and respect for a great leader..
Yours is based on hate and bigotry...
That's the difference that makes ALL the difference..
As far as ignoring your point.. It's because it's apparent from the facts that your point is based on hate and bigotry, not on any real issue or concern for dead Americans..
Because if you DID actually care about dead Americans, you would have condemned Obama for his incompetence that resulted in 12,269 of them in the same breath that you condemn President Trump for less than 200 of them...
What a waste of talent. I am hungry to find a Conservative to engage with, too bad Michale is not game.
The problem here is you can't answer the logic, so you claim I am not game..
You care about dead Americans, that's why you are condemning President Trump, right??
Forgive me for being so bitchy...
My Core i7 is down and I am having MW2019 withdrawals... :D
MtnCaddy,
No, it didn't have to be said.
Most of what has been written here - today and for a very long time - has not needed to be said.
Try to be part of the solution and make the comments sections here enlightened as opposed to asinine.
Really, Michale,. Obama did worse than Trump is your best defense of Cheetogod's failings is all you give us Weigentains? C'mon dawg you're smarter than that
The administration cannot now even predict the date when enough testing will be available to achieve this rather fundamental goal. Until then, those numbers should be seen as a mere fraction of the reality. And that number just climbed by 5,000 people in a single day, as more and more testing is being performed.
At the beginning of this crisis, testing was critical in the fight to slow and stop the spread.
But, now, while testing the sick is still important, the rest of us need to act as though we have the virus and forget about our desire to be tested.
From what I understand about where the US and Canada are in our epidemics, the next little while is critical for all of us as individuals in meeting the Stay at Home and other social distancing behaviors. If we don't do all of our parts, then our hospitals will be overrun.
Hopefully, governments will focus on making sure all healthcare workers have what they need in terms of personal protective gear while getting money into the hands of people in order to live and buy the essentials.
Not much else matters these days.
[73]
Juvenile.
but a good pie can be eaten up.
ieeeeewwwwwwwww
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sj6VIlHes4g/UPpeFwl-2GI/AAAAAAAAF5k/GiOXKbtj0SM/s1600/Henny+Youngman+Day+(19).jpg
FPC
@
michale, this one's for you:
RuPaul has yet to comment publicly on fans’ concerns that the drag star is fracking. RuPaul’s Drag Race is currently airing its 12th season. One of the guest judges on the show will be Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who coincidentally introduced a bill in the House that bans all fracking by 2025.
got that? rupaul owns land in wyoming and leases it to oil companies for fracking. AOC is going on his show, which is essentially an endorsement of someone who does precisely what she's written bills to outlaw.
JL
MC,
Really, Michale,. Obama did worse than Trump is your best defense of Cheetogod's failings is all you give us Weigentains?
And you STILL miss the point... I am not defending President Trump's actions..
There is no need..
A> His actions have been awesome to date, as evidenced by the low body count...
and
B> Democrats Cuomo and Omar, previous virulent Trump Haters are defending President Trump's actions..
No.. MY point is ya'all's hypocrisy and virulent Trump hate and how ya'all try to mask it with faux concern for dead Americans..
The facts PROVE this beyond any doubt.
Now, if you want to debate THAT point, feel free.. But my guess is you go thru all these distractions because you CAN'T debate the facts.. :D
JL,
got that? rupaul owns land in wyoming and leases it to oil companies for fracking. AOC is going on his show, which is essentially an endorsement of someone who does precisely what she's written bills to outlaw.
I am still in mourning for my core i7 and don't have the desire to go back over the last commentary...
What was this in reference to??
Liz,
At the beginning of this crisis, testing was critical in the fight to slow and stop the spread.
That is not factually accurate..
And explain to me one point..
When the best course of action is to keep people home and limit contact..
How is forcing millions of people to a central location going to help??
That's the incongruity of the claims of the Left.. What they have been advocating since the beginning of this has been against all common sense and good leadership principles..
Sorry, Liz, it had to be said. I would simply scroll thru Michale's comments but the guy is smart enough to make a good point from time to time. What a waste of talent. I am hungry to find a Conservative to engage with, too bad Michale is not game.
I make good points most ALL the time..
The problem is, like everyone else here, you only call the points you agree with, "good points"... :D
Now, me on the other hand.. I have often commented about people's good points.. Even if I didn't necessarily agree with them...
My "agree to disagree" mantra is famous throughout the land... :D
EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE THE MILITARY'S TOP SECRET PLANS IF CORONAVIRUS CRIPPLES THE GOVERNMENT
https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-top-secret-plans-if-coronavirus-cripples-government-1492878
My gods, people.. It's a frak'in flu!!! A frakin' flu that over 96% of those infected recover from!!!
And now we're talking about a military take-over of the government!!
What say ya'all??
Well, let's check in with a Democrat...
Shameful media still slamming Donald Trump during coronavirus crisis: Goodwin
The coronavirus epidemic is shaking humanity and turning the world upside down. Quick, somebody alert the media.
The Washington press corps is covering one of the largest, continuing stories in recent history the same way it has covered the Trump administration since Day One.
The formula is simple: Whatever the president does is not just wrong, it’s borderline evil. Details at 11.
In the real world, events are unfolding at a pace and scale impossible to comprehend. But at too many news outlets, the aim is not to inform. It’s to render the harshest possible judgment on the man journalists love to hate.
Already The New York Times has twice called the White House response “calamitous,” including once in a supposedly straight-news article.
This is beyond shameful. When antagonists like Sen. Chuck Schumer finally are working with Trump and when the Democratic governors of New York and California swap praise with the president over their partnerships, the media ought to take a hint that this time is different and there is no place for biased journalism-as-usual.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/21/shameful-media-still-slamming-donald-trump-during-coronavirus-crisis-goodwin/
Not even the end of the world will quell the Trump/America hate and allow people to come together as AMERICANS....
#sad
Instead, after failing to bring down Trump with Russia, Russia, Russia and impeachment, they’re now putting their chips on the narrative that he’s bungling the public health crisis.
To get there, they’ve had to reverse themselves on a key allegation. For three years the same media told us Trump was a fascist and a budding Hitler, but now his refusal to rule with an iron fist is also cause for condemnation.
Suddenly, the man whose “Authoritarian style is remaking America” (Washington Post), and whose “Authoritarian Ambitions” were exposed by impeachment (New York magazine), foolishly refuses to use the powers of the Oval Office. As usual, other countries are doing it right and America is wrong.
When Trump advised people to stop unnecessary travel and avoid bars, restaurants and groups of more than 10, a Times headline moaned that the “Guidelines Fall Short of the Mandates in Other Countries.”
The Gray Lady’s latest complaints involve the Defense Protection Act, which gives the president the authority to commandeer private industry. But he’s a lousy authoritarian because, as the Times put it Friday, “Trump Resists Pressure to Force Companies to Make Coronavirus Supplies.”
Get that???
NAZI/HITLER President Trump is being slammed for NOT being a NAZI/HITLER
There is simply no pleasing you people..
The Trump/America hate wins out over EVERYTHING... :^/
And the public, despite the media, gets it that the president is doing his best against an unprecedented and invisible enemy. Polls reflect a belief that, after a slow start, Trump is mobilizing an enormous national response involving both the public and private sectors and is committed to victory.
An ABC News/Ipsos survey released Friday finds 55 percent approve of the president’s leadership, while 43 percent disapprove. Those figures are a reversal from a week earlier, when 43 percent approved and 54 percent disapproved.
Of course, to recognize this shift in the national mood would mean the media would have to give Trump credit, and that is forbidden. Stark polarization is what the media like and want — and refuse to see anything else.
This is ALL about President Trump hate.. And it will continue to be all about Trump hate until 20 Jan 2025...
And most likely, far far beyond....
Tellingly, the more information and access Trump gives the White House press corps, the angrier the members get. The president and his team provide daily updates, announce new efforts and take numerous questions.
While many of the questions try to flesh out details, virtually every day there is also an obvious “Gotcha” effort. Frustrated by Trump’s refusal to surrender to their superior intelligence, his inquisitors, graduates of the Jim Acosta school of journalism, end up berating and arguing with him.
One day there were repeated assertions thinly disguised as questions about why the president continues to call the virus the “Chinese virus.” Doesn’t he realize that’s racist?
His answers were to the point: “That’s where it came from” and “Everybody knows it came from China.”
As some commentators noted, the questions parroted a talking point of the Chinese Communist Party. That makes this a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome with a coronavirus twist.
It’s also a clear case of China trying to meddle in our elections. Once upon a time, the media cared about that.
Here again, the Trump/America haters go with fake claims of racism..
"Chinese" is a NATIONALITY, ya fraking morons!!!
It is NOT a race...
Gods, why is it that Trump/America haters are so fraking stoopid!!!???
Is it too late to draft Angela Merkel as a write-in candidate?
I don't see why you would be so upset about the military taking over government.
Again, you make assumptions regarding what I think..
My point is, why aren't YA'ALL upset about the military taking over the government..
Because it all feeds yer Trump/America hate..
Ya'all **WANT** the US military to take over the government.. Because that would mean Trump would be out and ya'all would orgasm over that..
With Trump in charge of the military and Trump confirming your infallable predictions by getting re-elected (unless your vote for Biden costs Trump Florida :D) and your belief that Trump does everything so well, you should be happy about a military take-over. :D
Ignoring the fact that I don't believe Trump does well on everything, that I have condemned Trump when he did something stoopid, my feelings about a military takeover is not what's questioned here..
What's questioned here is YA'ALL'S feelings about a military takeover..
Is it too late to draft Angela Merkel as a write-in candidate?
I am gonna be "racist" and complain that Merkel is a german...
But I am sure Hillary will answer your call.. :D
Great job of taking that joke in the spirit it was intended. :D
Always a pleasure to share spirits with ya Don.. :D
DH,
I got "Rupaul" and "Occasional Cortex" and "fraking"...
I couldn't POSSIBLY care less....
heh
Is there any place on earth where they say bait like baot so I can pretend I was paosting with that accent?
egads.
you don't have to yell
~jon lovitz
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/weekend-update-segment---the-annoying-man/n9897
for the record, i was NOT one of the ones who complaint-ed.
Anyone know anything about 14 SEER Single Packaged Heat Pumps???
[87] Michale wrote:
"My gods, people.. It's a frak'in flu!!! A frakin' flu that over 96% of those infected recover from!!!"
To paraphrase Yoda: "Denial is strong in this one."
Or, better yet: Spock : "Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here." - TOS, A Piece of the Action
Worth repeating: It is NOT JUST THE FLU
By contrast to the Flu, COVID-19 is currently estimated to kill at least 10 people per thousand infected (1%).
"It's about ten times more lethal than the seasonal flu," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, in congressional testimony on March 11.
By contrast to the Flu, COVID-19 is currently estimated to kill at least 10 people per thousand infected (1%).
All you have is THEORIES..
I have FACTS...
And the FACT is over 96% of the people infected recover under President Trump's leadership..
Compare that the less than 70% recovery rate for those infected due to Odumbo's incompetence..
Until you come to grips with the FACTS and explain why there was NO shutdown under Odumbo, then all you have is hate and bigotry...
"It's about ten times more lethal than the seasonal flu,"
And yet, over 96% of those infected recover..
Apparently, it's not THAT lethal..
THAT is what the facts show..
Of course they are going to hype the stats to scare people into obeying..
It's why they showed those gruesome DUI films in Driver's Ed...
Of course YOU people believe them because it fuels your hate and bigotry...
That's why you will NEVER convince me that your cause is just...
Because ya'all can't answer one simple question..
The FACTS prove that Odumbo's pandemic was much MUCH worse than the current Pandemic..
Give this FACT, why are ya'all so hysterical now and didn't say WORD ONE under Odumbo??
Since you can't answer that, can't give a logical and rational reason why, your position is NOTHING but hate and political bigotry...
It's really THAT simple...
Michale please think about what you are saying, if 96% recover that means that 4% do not. The general infection rate is estimated at 70%. 70% of the population is 210 million infected. According to your estimate 4%, or 8.4 million Americans will NOT recover. Not a happy outcome.
Bear..
You are not reading what I wrote..
Under President Trump, there is a 96% recovery rate...
Under Odumbo and his Swine Flu Pandemic, there was a less than 70% recovery rate...
More than 12,000 Americans died under Odumbo...
Where were all your comments about THAT pandemic??
I am betting you never made a SINGLE comment, did you??
This all.. All this bullshit.. All this hysteria and fear-mongering??
It has ONE source and ONE source only..
Ya'all's Trump/America hatred.
NO OTHER CONCLUSION fits the facts..
Now, of course, ya will nit-pick the numbers and argue what the definition of 'is' is...
All to deflect one simple fact..
Odumbo's Swine Flu killed over 12,000 Americans and ***NONE*** of ya'all said a single word..
Due to President Trump's awesome leadership, LESS than 200 Americans have died and ya'all are hysterical and fear-mongering...
"These are the facts of the case. And they are undisputed."
-Captain Smilin' Jack Ross, A FEW GOOD MEN
Don Harris,
Three times I have raised questions concerning One Demands failure to address PAC’s which can accept unlimited amounts of money and do not have to identify where the money comes from and asking how can limiting donations to campaigns to $200 at most is supposed to get Big Money out of politics...and you completely ignore the posts. It’s as if you are avoiding addressing the questions for some reason?!
So here’s the post from the previous comments...just in case you did not see it:
Don Harris,
Doesn't Biden , Bernie and Nader working together have a better chance of beating Trump and is therefore more practical?
Yes, and hopefully Bernie and Nader will fully endorse Biden’s campaign. Your idea of Biden suddenly turning his campaign into a “small donation only” crusade would never happen, especially after this coronavirus outbreak ending large gatherings and putting a strain on most people’s pocketbooks.
The 200 dollar law?
Another stupid question that is not designed for discussion but probably because you think it is a gotcha question or just to be combative or annoying.
I have repeatedly said that legislation cannot solve the problem because the big money legislators will not pass any legislation to get the big money out of politics. Decades of proof to back this up or the big money would be gone by now.
For a question you refer to as stupid and suspect, you sure as fuk don’t seem to want to answer it directly! I find it odd that you seem to be the only person who determines what could work and what definitely won’t work.
The question was not whether you believe Congress WOULD cap campaign donations at $200, it assumes that they not only would, but that they have passed it and if that would rid our elections of BIG Money’s corrupting influence?
I am simply taking the premise of what you are trying to convince CW deserves being reported to the masses as our best way of getting rid of the corrupt influences in politics and asking you if you believe that your idea can fix the problem. It really should not be that hard of a question for you to answer...but you have a habit of avoiding discussing whether One Demand will do what you want us to believe it will do.
You called Citizens United a “red herring”, but it is what allows unlimited amounts of money to be poured into our elections without us knowing where the money is coming from. Your idea takes $5200 of a $5400 reported corporate donation out of the campaign’s bank — leaving it with $200 — but does nothing about the $20 million donation that the corporation pumps into a PAC named “The Institute for Helping People” that will work to get their politician elected.
Face it, you do not want the $200 cap on political donations to become the law because that would mean that there is no longer a “movement”... you are not cool for making a stand that lets you look down on others who don’t follow your wisdom... it’s the law for everyone. If everyone has to do it, that robs you of the glory you think you are deserving of.
CNN's Jake Tapper under fire after admitting he didn't fact-check AOC on Trump-coronavirus claim
https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnns-jake-tapper-under-fire-after-admitting-he-didnt-fact-check-aoc-on-trump-coronavirus-claim
CNN doesn't fact check!!???
SHOCKING!!!!
"No, not really.. I can't back that up.."
-Dr Evil
Michale
The FACTS prove that Odumbo's pandemic was much MUCH worse than the current Pandemic..
Give this FACT, why are ya'all so hysterical now and didn't say WORD ONE under Odumbo??
Isn’t it obvious??? We feel so guilty for not saying anything during the Swine Flu that we refuse to allow a president to sit back and cause people to die like we did last time!
Why aren’t you cheering for our wokeness on the matter?
Why are you trying to silence us?
Do you hate America so much that you’d rather we stay quiet and let another 12,000 citizens die without anyone speaking out?!?
Amen. :)
[108] Michale wrote:
"All you have is THEORIES..
I have FACTS..."
NO YOU DON'T, YOU have OPINION
"And the FACT is over 96% of the people infected recover under President Trump's leadership.."
Remains to be SEEN, NOT Proven YET
"Compare that the less than 70% recovery rate for those infected due to Odumbo's incompetence.."
BULLSHIT.
Let's say 30,000 people died under Obama due to the FLU over the course of a SINGLE YEAR.
The alternative with Covid-19 Under TRUMP, with a 10x fatality rate by Dr. Fauci, would be 300,000 Under TRUMP. FACT.
"Until you come to grips with the FACTS and explain why there was NO shutdown under Odumbo, then all you have is hate and bigotry..."
Until YOU come to grips with reality MICHALE, ALL you have is STUPIDITY.
Michale: You are bragging that there is a 96% recovery rate, that means 4% DO NOT RECOVER! Based on the 331 million US population and an estimated 70% infection rate that means 9 million folks will NOT RECOVER. That is a very different order of magnitude from the 12,000 under Obama. It is by calling this "hysteria" and "fear mongering" and thus not putting into place the policies that could have have mitigated this pandemic your Dear Leader has made sure this will be a full blown disaster. When this is all over even you will wish he had done even a tenth as well as Obama.
[109] Michale wrote:
"And yet, over 96% of those infected recover..
Apparently, it's not THAT lethal.."
God, talking to you is like talking to a BRICK WALL!
Here are the FACTS:
Why there was no shutdown under OBAMA. AND, why Covid-19 is NOT LIKE THE FLU:
1) The FLU has been common in Humans for may years. - Covid-19 has NEVER appeared in Humans BEFORE. This is the FIRST TIME EVER.
2) There IS a vaccine for the FLU. - There is NO vaccine for Covid-19.
3) Covid-19 is MORE infectious than the FLU. The FLU is infectious for 3 to 4 days. - Covid-19 is infectious for at LEAST 10 days on average.
4) Recovery from the FLU usually takes ONE week to TEN days. - Recovery from Covid-19 Takes TWO to FOUR weeks on average.
5) The FLU hospitalizes about 40,000 people per month. - Covid-19 would require about 900,000 people to be hospitalized per month. Total U.S. hospital capacity for CRITICALLY ill patients is ONLY 100,000.
6) Put another way. The FLU puts as many as 810,000 Americans in the hospital over the course of a year. Covid-19 would raise that to anywhere from 2 million to 20 million people over the course of a year in the hospital.
JUST FOR MICHALE:
According to the CDC, H1N1 / Swine FLU killed 12,500 Americans under Obama in 2009 / 2010.
Under TRUMP, projections are Covid-19 worst case scenario could kill 200,000 to 1.7 MILLION people in 2020 / 2021.
Dr. Fauci again: "Covid-19 is 10x more lethal than the FLU."
[110] Michale wrote:
"Because ya'all can't answer one simple question.."
ALREADY ANSWERED. SEE ABOVE
"The FACTS prove that Odumbo's pandemic was much MUCH worse than the current Pandemic.."
TOTAL FUCKING LIE. FALSE. (Pardon me Elizabeth, sorry!!)
Michale, on THIS issue, you are FULL OF SHIT.
It really is THAT SIMPLE.
Michale
My ONLY conclusion is that YOU are BLINDED by your OWN hate and bigotry for OBAMA.
Don,
When there are small donor candidates that do not have their own PACS the PACS will be campaigning for the big money candidates and the participants will not vote for the big money candidates. They can spend all they want for nothing when enough people will not vote for big money candidates.
What if the PAC’s campaign for your small donor candidate? Does that mean they are not truly “small donor” anymore? See, this is something that you cannot control — who PAC’s choose to support. The PAC’s can run ads pushing for your candidate and the candidate cannot stop them from doing that. And this is where you seem to want to skim over where the Big Money truly is located in campaign financing.
What assurance can you provide that your small donor candidate isn’t in cahoots with the BIg Money behind one of the PAC’s that your candidate claims to not be associated with? NONE!!!
I have explained many times how One Demand could work.
Have you? Have you really EXPLAINED how One Demand could work, or have you just claimed that it would work without bothering to explain how it would accomplish the lofty goals that you say it could? You always pose the “is it possible that it could work?” rhetorical question, but you never address the questions: what is the probability that it could work? What needs to happen to increase the likelihood that these things will occur? (Such as getting people that have no interest in politics to suddenly decide not only to vote, but that they are going to actually spend money on something they claim not to care about!)
Also, your law would limit everyone. One Demand gives people a choice. Peolpe such as Kick could give as much as the law allows to candidates that will take it. And people that want small donor only candidates will not vote for those candidates.
One Demand gives people a choice? That choice being to only vote for small donor candidates (regardless of their ties to the Nazi Party or their Pro-Incest platform) OR to write in your own name (which you claim will make a political statement that differs from the statement being made by the crazy people who also vote for themselves in these elections!). Those are my choices according to you. I can support someone who I disagree with on every topic except on small donor campaigns, or I can throw my vote away by writing my own name in as One Demand requires and allow Trump to win my state by one vote, thus giving him enough EC delegates to be re-elected!
But at least we now know that the goal of One Demand is NOT TO GET BIG MONEY OUT OF OUR ELECTIONS!!!!
It’s just there to allow you to complain and look down on others without the hassle of having to try to create any real change! Great to know!
As for Ralph...you are right! It could work! Now you just need to get him to agree to it! Focus on Ralph! He’s going to be the real spokesperson for One Demand to get the movement started! I’m sure CW will one day regret missing this opportunity that you have offered him for so long, but it’s time to focus on someone not afraid to be the visionary needed to create real change! That person is definitely RN! We will miss you!
JM,
The alternative with Covid-19 Under TRUMP, with a 10x fatality rate by Dr. Fauci, would be 300,000 Under TRUMP. FACT.
Dood!! You can't used the words "would be" and "FACT" in the same sentence..
You are making a prediction. And as you and your fellow Trump/America haters have made clear, Predictions are NOT FACTS..
According to the CDC, H1N1 / Swine FLU killed 12,500 Americans under Obama in 2009 / 2010.
Under TRUMP, projections are Covid-19 worst case scenario could kill 200,000 to 1.7 MILLION people in 2020 / 2021.
CDC!??? BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The Center For GUN Control???
BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
CDC is a political hack organization.. If they told me that the sky was blue and water was wet I would need independent confirmation..
Michale, on THIS issue, you are FULL OF SHIT.
It really is THAT SIMPLE.
I provide FACTS do back up my claim..
What do you have in the way of facts???
Nothing..
My ONLY conclusion is that YOU are BLINDED by your OWN hate and bigotry for OBAMA.
Of course that's your only conclusion..
Because you refuse to look at the FACTS..
SF Bear,
DOOD... READ WHAT I WROTE!!!!
Michale: You are bragging that there is a 96% recovery rate, that means 4% DO NOT RECOVER! Based on the 331 million US population and an estimated 70% infection rate that means 9 million folks will NOT RECOVER.
The 70% recovery rate was from ODUMBO'S incompetence in the Swine Flu of 2009..
The 96% recover rate is from President Trump's leadership in the current pandemic...
Quit trying to conflate the 2.. you look like a moron..
When this is all over even you will wish he had done even a tenth as well as Obama.
Are you so secure in that total bullshit belief that you are willing to make a wager on that???
I am...
Which sounds crass, but it's the ONLY way I can get you people to concede when yer wrong...
Isn’t it obvious??? We feel so guilty for not saying anything during the Swine Flu that we refuse to allow a president to sit back and cause people to die like we did last time!
Why aren’t you cheering for our wokeness on the matter?
Yea.. Cuz *I* have *ALWAYS* been so cheering about insipid wokeness.. :eyeroll:
Do you hate America so much that you’d rather we stay quiet and let another 12,000 citizens die without anyone speaking out?!?
Did you hate America so much in 2009 that you would let 12,000 Americans die without saying a word??
Are we done with moronic and insipid questions??
And, if you DID have the same attitude under PRESIDENT Trump that you had under ODUMBO, you could at least you could hold your head up high as a man.. person of integrity... A person who is NOT a hypocrite...
But, of course integrity & honor hold no interest for you...
Collins blasts Democrats for blocking coronavirus stimulus plan, says they’re ‘playing with fire’
Senate Democrats late Sunday blocked a GOP-backed $1.3 trillion coronavirus rescue package as five Republicans watched helplessly from self-quarantine, prompting U.S. stock futures to dive and sowing fresh doubt the parties can forge an agreement as the nation descends into economic disaster.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/collins-blasts-democrats-for-blocking-coronavirus-stimulus-plan-says-theyre-playing-with-fire
Anyone wanna tell me why Dumbocrats are blocking this much needed Covid Aid Package???
Oh, I know.. Your Dumbocrats want to make sure that more people die of covid... That way you can blame Trump for MORE deaths than Odumbo had..
Sometimes you and your Dumbocrats DISGUST me...
This is one of those times..
Well, this is weird..
The Surgeon General of the US is a Black American..
But YA'LL claim President Trump is a racist and a racist would NEVER allow the Surgeon General Of The US to be a black American..
So... APPARENTLY, ya'all are full of shit when you claim President Trump is a racist...
Shocker...
So.... When I asked why ya'all were silent under Odumbo when his incompetence killed 12,269 Americans, Russ's FIRST answer was "Because Odumbo didn't say HIS virus was a hoax!!!"
Which was proven a bullshit answer because JL established as fact that President Trump didn't say the covid is a hoax either...
NOW, Russ's SECOND answer is to claim that everyone here was American and America hating douche-bags in 2009 and revel'ed in Odumbo's incompetence that resulted in over 12K dead Americans..
This answer seems to be confirmed by Liz..
So, that's where we are right now vis a vis ya'all's TOTALLY different reactions as to 12,269 dead Americans under Odumbo (ya'all were fine with that) vs ya'all's reaction to less than 200 dead Americans under President Trump (End Of The World Hysteria)...
Ya'all should realize if yer in a deep deep hole, you need to stop digging..
I'm just sayin'...
Are you practicing physical distancing, Michale?
Are you practicing physical distancing, Michale?
I have been since my Thanksgiving open heart surgery.. :D
*MY* life hasn't changed much except I have no money coming in.... :(
Funny how it's all GOP Senators who are quarantining themselves..
You can bet if THEY have it, some Dem senators have it..
But Dems are more concerned about their un-American agenda...
:eyeroll:
Michale,
I have been since my Thanksgiving open heart surgery.. :D
Glad to know it … and, you take extra good care, ya hear!
*MY* life hasn't changed much except I have no money coming in.... :(
Me, too.
And, as for you, Don … thanks for keeping Biden's name alive … your posts here are the only place I see it, these strange days. :)
DH,
As the resident expert on facts, how would you interpret the facts in comment 134 in regard to CW's request for me to provide one person that thinks One Demand or the application of One Demand through the Nader campaign is a good idea?
I think the fact is, you should feel lucky if CW pays you any mind, even if it's to tell you to shut the FRAK up.. :D
I know that *I* feel speeshal when he bitch slaps me.. :D
Liz,
Glad to know it … and, you take extra good care, ya hear!
I do my best.. Thank you.. :D
Me, too.
Yea, this too shall pass.... If we had a President NOT named Trump, we wouldn't be hearing a thing about it. :D
I don't agree with you on that, Michale.
This virus is different and, on this one at least, things are not centered around America.
I just hope that governments the world over, including mine and yours, learn lessons well and put a plan in place for the next novel virus to come along.
For example, our prime minister Trudeau just mentioned something about a 'Blue Dot' app that actually alerted the government to this novel coronavirus before the WHO issued its first warning.
I guess, ultimately, technology will save us!
This virus is different and, on this one at least, things are not centered around America.
Neither was it during the Ebola scare..
That was Africa..
Neither was it during the Swine Flu in 2009..
THAT was Mexico..
The ONLY difference between those pandemics and this one is one of politics..
I just hope that governments the world over, including mine and yours, learn lessons well and put a plan in place for the next novel virus to come along.
Unfornately for the Global New World Order adherents, the "lesson" to learn is one of nationality before Global Order...
I guess, ultimately, technology will save us!
Yea.. Skynet was such a good idea at the time.. :D
The ONLY difference between those pandemics and this one is one of politics..
Well, my point was that this virus is worldwide in its spread and devastating in its wide-ranging impacts.
In any event, I don't suspect that I will EVER be as cynical as all that. It's just not in my DNA.
Well, my point was that this virus is worldwide in its spread and devastating in its wide-ranging impacts.
As has every pandemic been since the we were kids...
In any event, I don't suspect that I will EVER be as cynical as all that. It's just not in my DNA.
Oh com'on... :D Yer that cynical every time you refuse to admit President Trump is doing a good job...
Reposted for clarity..
Well, my point was that this virus is worldwide in its spread and devastating in its wide-ranging impacts.
Every pandemic we have been thru since we were kids have been worldwide and devastating in it's impact..
1958 H2N2 Flu
1968 H3N2
2009 Swine Flu
2013 Ebola
2014 Ebola
The list goes on and on..
The ONLY reason this current pandemic is the "END OF THE WORLD" is because ya'all's Russia Collusion delusion didn't succeed in taking out Trump and ya'all's Faux Impeachment Coup was a MONUMENTAL and EPIC failure in removing Trump...
So, now ya'all have a new shiny.... :eyeroll:
Some of the prominent lefty blogs are running video loops on the theme of "Dementia Joe", and making the point of Biden's vulnerability in interview and/or debate situations. I fear you guys have managed again to select the only politician in the country capable of losing to the orange moron Way to go!!
None of ya'all explained how exactly President Trump could be a racist and yet, still have a black American as Surgeon General Of The US???
That's a conundrum..
IF President Trump is a racist as ya'all claim...
Some of the prominent lefty blogs are running video loops on the theme of "Dementia Joe", and making the point of Biden's vulnerability in interview and/or debate situations. I fear you guys have managed again to select the only politician in the country capable of losing to the orange moron Way to go!!
Considering that is **EXACTLY** what they did in 2016.....
Ya gotta admire their consistence... :D
Don Harris
So there may be a few isolated cases of a PAC working to help a small donor only candidate.
Or there will be PAC’s working on behalf of every one of them. This is the thing....you cannot prevent them from pumping money into the elections to get your “small donor candidate” elected.
But this will not affect the majority of small donor only candidates. it is by far better than what we have now, though not perfect. Isn't that what you say about the big money Dems? They are not perfect, but they are better than Republicans?
Or it is just as likely to affect the majority of small donor only candidates.
Citizens will have to pay attention and take appropriate action to make sure candidates are not pretending to be small donor only candidates.
Right, because that’s exactly what all those people who don’t follow politics want to do! And citizens won’t be able to tell if one of your small donor only candidates is secretly working with the PAC’s they are claiming not to support! It isn’t the $5400 donation to their campaign that buys a politician; that’s chump change!
So big money might have an effect on a small amount of races in a national election, but the vast majority of races will be dominated by small donor only candidates when enough citizens only vote for small donor only candidates.
And when will that be? 8 years? 20 years? No, Big Money WILL have an affect on all races in a national election because there is nothing to even suggest that “the vast majority of races will be dominated by small donor candidates”. You just say that they will come out of the woodwork, but you have offered no actual evidence that would support your claims. You have no plan for getting non-voters on board. I hate to break it to ya, but CW is not gonna reach people not into politics!
What assurances do you have that big money candidates will represent ordinary citizens over the big money interests that financed their campaigns?
The same assurances that you have that small donor only candidates will represent their constituents first and foremost — none! I judge each person based on their own merits. You write off anyone who accepts $500 or $1000 in campaign donations as being corrupted by Big Money!
Tensions flare on Senate floor as coronavirus bill derailed for second time by Dem objections
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tensions-flare-on-senate-floor-coronavirus
Democrats are trying to KILL more Americans!!!
Playing politics with the covid pandemic...
So, while every day Americans are floundering and drowning, Democrats want more STICK IT TO THE CORPORATIONS laws, even though it's those "evil" corporations who are helping every day Americans..
President Trump and the GOP want to HELP every day middle class Americans and small businesses..
Democrats just want to push their anti-American hate Trump/America political agenda..
The American people will remember in Nov...
SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCKED THE CORONAVIRUS RECOVERY LEGISLATION.. **ALL** DEMOCRATS VOTED AGAINST IT...
Remember that come Nov, my fellow Americans..
You write off anyone who accepts $500 or $1000 in campaign donations as being corrupted by Big Money!
As do ya'all..
*IF* they have a -R after their name.... :eyeroll:
Collins: "Can Not Believe" Democrats Won't Pass Coronavirus Relief Bill; "Is This What We've Come To?"
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/23/collins_can_not_believe_democrats_wont_pass_coronavirus_relief_bill_is_this_what_weve_come_to.html
Democrats putting their own hate/bigoted agenda before the safety and welfare of the Americans people??
Yes.. That is what we have come to...
Sen. Susan Collins said Monday on the Senate floor that she "can not believe that the answer" to the coronavirus crisis from Senate Democrats "is delay, delay, delay. No sense of urgency."
"Never have I seen Republicans and Democrats fail to come together when confronted with a crisis."
"Is that what we’ve come to?" Collins said, criticizing Democrats over the delay.
"We don’t have another day. We don’t have another hour. We don’t have another minute to delay acting."
It's funny..
You people and Democrats had hounded and hounded President Trump for his alleged delays...
NOW that President Trump's leadership is a shining example that even DEMOCRATS have acknoledged, NOW Senate Democrats are the ones dragging their feet and delaying...
Funny how the WPG (Weigantian Peanut Gallery) is so silent when it's DUMBOCRATS who are being obstructive and killing Americans... :eyeroll:
Hopefully and mercifully, a new column will be up soon - this thread is officially exhausted.
And, by the way, Michale,
Oh com'on... :D Yer that cynical every time you refuse to admit President Trump is doing a good job...
I'm not that person.