The Politics Of Reopening
I really can't quite believe I'm writing about this, but in the Trump era I've certainly written about a lot of other strange things I never thought would become big political issues, so just add this column to the pile, I suppose. So here we go: President Donald Trump has needlessly interjected domestic politics into a worldwide pandemic crisis, because at this point he thinks it is the only way to save his re-election effort. Republicans as a whole are going along with this cynical plan, although they're mostly doing so very quietly in the background, in the hopes the voters won't notice if it all goes spectacularly wrong. But politicizing disaster response certainly has its risks, the biggest being a huge backlash if things don't work out as hunky-dory as Trump is now predicting. But we are where we are, so let's examine the politics of reopening states too soon versus too late, because it is extremely likely that this will be a major issue come November, no matter where we happen to be as a country by that point.
Trump, of course, wants the American economy to bounce back as fast as possible. His entire re-election campaign was centered on his supposed masterful handling of the economy, essentially arguing that voters should ignore all the rest of his antics while in office and vote their pocketbook instead. That was the original plan, at any rate, and it may well have worked if the coronavirus hadn't existed. Satisfaction with the economy is one of the closest tracking numbers with the votes an incumbent president gets, so Trump could indeed have ridden this to a second term.
But that was then, and this is now. Trump's grand re-election campaign idea pretty much took a nose dive when the stock market initially did. This was exacerbated by 22 million Americans filing for unemployment in one month's time -- a historic unravelling of the economy by any measure.
Trump now wants this to all turn around as quickly as possible, and he sees the key to doing so as pressuring the state governors to reopen their states sooner rather than later. Trump is even egging on the yahoos who are now protesting in state capitals -- especially in those states run by Democratic governors, and most especially in the states run by Democrats that might be pivotal to the presidential election. He is gambling that he can score some very short-term political wins by doing so, to be blunt. For instance, there's a reason that Michigan's governor has been a prime target, and it's not only because Michigan conservatives are so hard-right. Gretchen Whitmer has been on everyone's short list for Joe Biden's vice-presidential pick, and the protests are seen as tarnishing her political standing in the hopes of avoiding Biden selecting her, plain and simple.
But Democratic governors everywhere are almost guaranteed to be more cautious and prudent than the majority of their Republican counterparts. So an additional goad was needed. This is the reason why congressional Republicans from Mitch McConnell on down were so adamantly against providing any disaster relief money to state or local governments in the current bailout bill (the one that just passed the Senate today). These governments are getting hit very hard by the fact that the economy has ground to a halt, because they are not getting the tax revenue they normally do. Without further federal help, this is going to mean massive layoffs and cutbacks in crucial services within the next few months (if not weeks). But to Trump and his merry band of Republicans, if no more money is provided to the states, then it'll only increase the pressure on them to reopen their economies before the pointy-headed scientists and experts tell them it is safe to do so. Which fits in with Trump's new re-election strategy.
This is all in the short term. How it plays out over roughly the next two months is anyone's guess, at this point. Perhaps some states will be forced to reopen earlier than they would have liked. What seems almost certain is that a lot of red states will indeed reopen early, no matter what the data in their states is telling them. Some Republicans are even openly admitting what this moral tradeoff truly means:
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) on Monday made the eyebrow-raising claim that "there are more important things than living" as part of his continued push to reopen the U.S. economy, despite warnings from public health experts.
"We're crushing the average worker," Patrick told Fox News' Tucker Carlson. "We're crushing small businesses. We're crushing the markets. We're crushing this country.... There are more important things than living, and that's saving this country."
"I don't want to die, nobody wants to die," he added. "But we gotta take some risks and get back in the game and get this country back up and running."
To be completely fair, not every Republican is on board with this callous sentiment. Here is former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele, in reaction:
[Michael] Steele stepped in with a reality check.
"Go to work and die?" he asked. "Go to work and get sick? What is the point of that?"
Steele said the governors who put the restrictions into place are trying to protect their citizens from COVID-19.
"We're trying to get healthy," he said, adding:
"And if you weigh your job greater than you weigh your grandparents' lives or your children's lives or your own life, maybe that's your individual choice, but that's not something that I'm willing to take a risk with my life on."
He said the president should give Americans clarity and a sense of purpose so they're willing to stay home.
"But that's not what this president has done," he said.
The risk for Republicans of reopening early isn't in the short term, though, it's more in the medium-to-long term. If red states reopen early while blue states continue restrictions, then we'll have a massive experiment in pandemic response strategies, complete with a control group. If the coronavirus does stage a comeback in the red states but not in the blue states -- as is entirely possible -- then those state governors (and Trump) are going to look pretty foolhardy. Not to mention reckless. People will have died in a failed effort to make a political point. That's pretty callous, and you can bet your bottom dollar that the Democratic governors who waited are going to call this out in no uncertain terms. At this point, red states will either be forced to shut their economies right back down to try to contain the virus once again, or they may just ignore reality and leave everything open while insisting that everything is peachy, which would lead to many needless deaths. I certainly wouldn't put it past them at this point, not with folks like Dan Patrick contributing to such decisions.
If the red states are hit with a second infectious spike, then this is going to be an absolute disaster for Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the medium-to-long term. And by "medium-to-long term," I mean "in November," of course. It could even result in a blue wave higher and stronger than any seen in decades, in fact. Republicans might be vulnerable in states that are now considered safe for them, even. Who, after all, is going to vote for a political party that gambles with people's lives for a cynical short-term political advantage?
This will be especially pronounced if the blue states' economies eventually wind up doing better than the states who rashly opened back up too early. If Democrats can point to obvious successes in their states and obvious failures in the Republican states, then it's going to be pretty clear to everyone which approach worked out better.
Donald Trump is gambling with people's lives, plain and simple. If he is incredibly lucky, a second wave of infections won't develop in the red states. Their economies will bounce back much faster than in the states that were extra-cautious. Trump will then endlessly brag that this is proof of his (and his fellow Republicans') economic genius. That is pretty much a given. That is the gamble he's taking, and the payoff if he gets lucky.
But the odds are probably against him. The odds are that things don't work out quite so well, and Trump and the Republican governors wind up having to explain why it didn't work they way they predicted it would. While Democrats hammer them for not protecting the common welfare, as duty demands. That's going to be a pathetically easy case to make, on purely political grounds. Of course, it is somewhat obscene to even be examining a pandemic response in political terms -- you certainly don't see any other Western nation having pointless domestic political squabbles in the midst of a worldwide crisis, and for good reason -- but then that's precisely where the president of the United States has now led us all. He's taking an enormous risk with voters lives, so he better be prepared to pay the political consequences later, if it all blows up in his face.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Chris,
Might we expect more and more Republicans to have reactions like the former RNC chair as states open too early and all hell breaks loose?
As long as the response strategy in the US continues to be divided along blue states vs red states and along other divisive measures, the fight against the virus is going to be a very, very, very long proposition.
In which case I would recommend keeping the Canada/US border situation as is for the foreseeable future.
Yes, this is truly insanity. But despite the near certainty of catastrophe I don't see most Republican Governors holding fast against Trump and his Fox News/OAN base. Instead, with both poorer health and health infrastructure the more rural/Southern states will see needless deaths.
Alas interstate commerce will spill the virus into the more virtuous Blue states. It almost couldn't go better for Vladimir Putin.
Cain't blame you,
Elisabeth. I understand that Mexicans are kinda leery of us gringos.
how much do you want to bet that righties start accusing lefties of WANTING people to get sick, just to prove republican governors wrong?
"Please! Please quarantine the politicization of COVID!" ... WHO DG Dr. Tedros, April 8, 2020, WHO regular press briefing
I'm feeling an overwhelming need to channel Dr. Tedros tonight.
Over the course of this outbreak, Dr. Tedros has been delivering a very important message in order to end this pandemic - we need national unity, regional cooperation and global solidarity.
We need unity at the national level. So many national leaders believe this and are putting it into action as part of their overall response. We should be able to work across party lines, across faiths and ideologies and other differences we have. No matter how difficult this may be it is the right thing to do if leaders care about saving their peoples' lives.
Secondly, we need global solidarity. Dr. Tedros relayed a story about small pox at this press briefing. During the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union came together to fight against Smallpox and they brought along the rest of the world as well. Within 10 years the disease had been eradicated. Now it is time for China and the US to come together and lead the world to victory over this dangerous enemy. We need honest leadership from the US and China and honest solidarity at the global level.
This is the only option if we want to win this war. When there are cracks in national unity and global solidarity this novel coronavirus will succeed. If disunity continues then please prepare for the worst to come, as Dr. Tedros has warned.
[5]
That would fall under the "distract them from the deaths" approach and par for the course for the Repugs.
Great.
The US may be about to find out the hard way that its public health system is not up to the task of suppressing the novel coronavirus. Which is a virus that doesn't care if the human is a citizen or an undocumented immigrant.
Hopefully, lessons like this will be learned and fast.
Michale, are you listening?
Let me try to be more clear - if you live in the US, then you can be a carrier of the virus and infect others with whom you come in contact.
And, speaking of contacts and tracing them, sign me up!
Any leader worth his or her salt would be putting the call out for an army of contact tracers. That goes double for countries that can't seem to get out from under mitigation measures and move to containment efforts.
Another lesson to be learned.
Many more lessons to be learned here:
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-out-of-many-one-36b886af37e9
Hopefully, the governors who wish to end their shutdowns too soon will very soon learn that their economies will be better off in the long run if they follow guidelines and benchmarks for easing out of their shutdowns set out by those who know what they're talking about, and that includes economists who are worth more than their own salt.
It's rather ironic..
In the Democrat states, whose so-called Dem "leaders" have chucked the US Constitution out the window, who had blatantly stated that they give no thought to the Bill Of Rights... THOSE states have the highest infected and mortality rates in the country..
The GOP states where the leadership is balancing safety with common sense and Constitutional approaches have some of the lowest infected/mortality rates...
The moral of the story?? It's the Democrats who are politicizing this pandemic and using the same MAKE IT HURT approach that Odumbo used in the one of the government shutdowns he was always having..
But, of course, we already know that Democrats are politicizing this pandemic.. It was obvious when the same old RUSSIA COLLUSION DELUSION and FAUX IMPEACHMENT COUP players started yelling and screaming about MORE investigations to nullify a free, fair, duly, legal, democratic and Constitutional election...
President Trump's foresight and bold leadership has already guaranteed him a second term...
That is fact...
Biden?? Where has Biden been but hunkered down in his basement.... :^/
Apologies for my absence... In addition to have toured the nine levels of hell health wise.....
http://sjfm.us/pics/newborn.jpg
We have a newborn in the house and it means a lot of sleepless nights and endless bottle feedings..
Liz,
As long as the response strategy in the US continues to be divided along blue states vs red states and along other divisive measures, the fight against the virus is going to be a very, very, very long proposition.
I highly recommend you read THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC by Kurt Schlichter..
You'll see a LOT of parallels between that fiction and what's happening in reality..
JL,
how much do you want to bet that righties start accusing lefties of WANTING people to get sick, just to prove republican governors wrong?
Oh, that's already painfully obvious..
Just like Trump/America haters WANTED the economy to crash and burn just so they could blame it on President Trump...
There is no thought in their minds, save TAKE DOWN TRUMP...
No matter who it hurts, no matter who it kills...
TAKE DOWN TRUMP..
Sad that Democrats have come to this... So ruled by their hate and bigotry..
Given the blatantly hypocrisy of Democrats, I guess it was inevitable..
Just like Trump/America haters WANTED the economy to crash and burn just so they could blame it on President Trump...
Need another example???
Notice how the Trump/America haters ignored the death count of Odumbo's Swine Flu Pandemic.. Until the current death toll became hire..
THEN it was all about the death count... :eyeroll:
It's painfully obvious that nothing matters to Trump/America haters..
Nothing but their hate and bigotry..
They couldn't WAIT to scream "INVESTIGATION!!!! INVESTIGATION!!!" even while people were dying...
Don't even get me started on how Dumbocrats dragged their heels and politicized the aid package and how they are STILL dragging their feet on the small business aid package..
They only bright spot in all this gloom and doom is that President Trump will be re-elected in a landslide..
Liz,
Let me try to be more clear - if you live in the US, then you can be a carrier of the virus and infect others with whom you come in contact.
Let me be equally clear..
If you are not in the high risk group, you have upwards of a 99.3% chance of surviving an infection..
Given that fact, does it make sense to utterly destroy people's economic lives??
Put another way..
You have 1000 skittles.. You must eat one..
ONE of the 1000 skittles will kill you...
The other 999 will give you 10 million dollars...
The odds are overwhelmingly in your favor...
It's a no brainer..
Which describes the Democrats and their fear-mongering campaign..
Borne of no brains...
It's the climate "crisis" {sic} all over again.. Cherry picked "facts", rumor, innuendo and outright bullshit to scare the sheeple into compliance...
Liz,
On a more personal note.. My condolences for the mass shooting you Canadians experienced recently..
It really surprised me..
Canada has some of the strictest gun laws on the planet.. There is no right to own a weapon in Canada..
And yet.. A mass shooting still occurred...
Why, it's almost as if strict gun laws can't prevent mass shootings...
Who would have possibly guessed that!??
Oh.... wait....
It's only A Matter of TIME:
Coronavirus is NOT the only threat that's out there:
A virus in 2017 in Mongolia, part of the same virus family as measles, infected goats and wiped out 80 PERCENT of the livestock, with a fatality rate of 90 PERCENT. A mutation in the genome of just two amino acids would make it infectious to Humans.
For another example: There is also the Nipah virus, which first appeared in 1998.
Found in both Malaysia and Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh the virus spread from the sap of date palms that had become contaminated. People in Bangladesh harvest and drink the sap raw. Saliva, urine and droppings from fruit bats fall into the pots people collect the sap in.
Humans then spread the virus to each other directly, from person to person. It is only a matter of time before a version develops that is both deadly and highly transmissible.
The fatality rate from Nipah has been 75 PERCENT.
Unregulated live animal markets, destruction of wildlife habitat, unrestricted trade in endangered species and unregulated growth and development, decreasing biodiversity, all bring animals and people and new viruses into contact with each other that never would have happened naturally in the wild before. All contribute to this new threat.
Trump has consistently undermined science as part of his pro-development, anti-environment agenda. Until this changes, the whole world will remain vulnerable.
Meanwhile the list keeps growing: HIV, Ebola, Marburg virus, SARS, MERS, Zika, and now COVID-19, all have made the jump from animals to Humans in recent years.
Yea yea yea..
More fear mongering....
And, of course, it's **ALL** President Trump's fault.. :eyeroll:
What did Odumbo do to stop all of it, eh JM??
Not a damn thing..
But, of course, HE is your messiah so you won't say ill towards him at all..
It's ALL about Trump/America hate... :^/
[14] Michale wrote:
"In the Democrat states, whose so-called Dem "leaders" have chucked the US Constitution out the window, who had blatantly stated that they give no thought to the Bill Of Rights... THOSE states have the highest infected and mortality rates in the country.."
FIRST of all that has NOT happened.
Secondly it is the OTHER WAY AROUND. Drastic measures have been taken BECAUSE they have been the hardest hit. They are NOT the hardest hit because drastic measures have been taken.
Thirdly, the LAW and the CONSTITUTION both give governors extraordinary power when it comes to matters of public health, both Democratic and Republican governors alike.
"The GOP states where the leadership is balancing safety with common sense and Constitutional approaches have some of the lowest infected/mortality rates..."
Tell that to the people of Maryland with a Republican governor, the people of Sioux Falls South Dakota with the biggest hot spot outbreak in the nation, also with a Republican governor, the people of Atlanta, another hot spot, also with a Republican governor.
"Odumbo used in the one of the government shutdowns he was always having.."
Don't you mean the shutdown engineered by the Republican Congress under Obama?
"President Trump's foresight and bold leadership has already guaranteed him a second term..."
REALLY? With a death toll that has more than DOUBLED under Trump from what it was under Obama, that you kept crowing about as an EPIC failure???
JM,
But look at the bright side..
At least, with a REAL leader as Governor, you can go to the beach again.. :D
Feel sorry for those schmucks in California.. Virtual martial law.. And STILL has one of the highest infected/mortality rate in the country...
Moron Gov....
[18] Michale wrote:
"Let me try to be more clear - if you live in the US, then you can be a carrier of the virus and infect others with whom you come in contact.
Let me be equally clear..
If you are not in the high risk group, you have upwards of a 99.3% chance of surviving an infection..
Given that fact, does it make sense to utterly destroy people's economic lives??"
In OTHER words, let 2 to 3 million Americans die from a totally preventable infection. What do you care if they are your parents or grandparents, as long as it is not you, RIGHT???
FIRST of all that has NOT happened.
Facts say otherwise..
But, of course, you don't WANT to know the actual facts..
Secondly it is the OTHER WAY AROUND. Drastic measures have been taken BECAUSE they have been the hardest hit. They are NOT the hardest hit because drastic measures have been taken.
And yet, those "drastic measures" aren't working.
THAT's the fact you can't see...
And, in GOP states, they were hard hit as well initially..
But their COMMON SENSE approach not only flattened the curve but ALSO kept intact most civil liberties..
Tell that to the people of Maryland with a Republican governor, the people of Sioux Falls South Dakota with the biggest hot spot outbreak in the nation, also with a Republican governor, the people of Atlanta, another hot spot, also with a Republican governor.
Uh.. You do realize that Atlanta is a city and doesn't HAVE a "governor", Republican or otherwise, right???
This is the problem with your "facts"?? They are like this... Hysterical and bullshit..
Don't you mean the shutdown engineered by the Republican Congress under Obama?
Yea, of course.. When it's a Dem POTUS, it's the GOP Congress fault..
When it's a GOP POTUS, it's the POTUS fault..
Your hysterical bigotry is so transparent...
REALLY? With a death toll that has more than DOUBLED under Trump from what it was under Obama, that you kept crowing about as an EPIC failure???
Funny how you didn't care about Odumbo's death toll until it was surpassed..
Once again.. Your hysterical bigotry is so transparent..
[19] Michale wrote:
"On a more personal note.. My condolences for the mass shooting you Canadians experienced recently.."
Also on a personal note, welcome back Michale.
In OTHER words, let 2 to 3 million Americans die from a totally preventable infection. What do you care if they are your parents or grandparents, as long as it is not you, RIGHT???
Of course, YOU would prefer to destroy the country and it's economy where TENS OF MILLIONS of Americans will die..
JUST so you can blame President Trump..
You ARE familiar with the concept of "triage", right???
Can such a concept get thru your hysterical and bigoted Trump/America hate???
Also on a personal note, welcome back Michale.
I missed you too.. :D
[21] Michale wrote:
"More fear mongering....
And, of course, it's **ALL** President Trump's fault.. :eyeroll:
What did Odumbo do to stop all of it, eh JM??
Not a damn thing..
But, of course, HE is your messiah so you won't say ill towards him at all..
It's ALL about Trump/America hate..."
WHAT did Trump do to make it better???? NOT A DAMN THING. He went golfing during the month of February while Rome burned.
But of course, Trump is YOUR MESSIAH, so you won't say any ILL towards him at all. It's all about ODUMBO HATE.
[23] Michale wrote:
"But look at the bright side..
At least, with a REAL leader as Governor, you can go to the beach again.. :D"
YEP, that is a bright spot.
In 3 to 4 weeks all those Trump supporters who went to the beaches and protest rallies will begin dying off from coming down with the infection.
You can't cure stupid or stop evolutionary natural selection.
California reports highest one-day rise in coronavirus cases
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/493977-california-reports-highest-one-day-rise-in-coronavirus-cases
Democrat Governor
N.J. Reports Record New Deaths, Expects Hospital Shift South
https://sports.yahoo.com/jersey-reports-record-379-deaths-191351782.html
Democrat Governor..
Who said, incidentally, that he gives absolutely "NO THOUGHT" to the Bill Of Rights...
Michigan coronavirus daily death numbers spike to new high, but with a caveat
https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/04/michigan-coronavirus-daily-death-numbers-spike-to-new-high-but-with-a-caveat.html
Democrat Governor...
You seeing the pattern???
Michigan coronavirus daily death numbers spike to new high, but with a caveat
https://tinyurl.com/yd8ajw74
Democrat Governor...
You seeing the pattern???
Testing something...
https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/04/michigan-coronavirus-daily-death-numbers-spike-to-new-high-but-with-a-caveat.html
Testing something..
https://www.mlive.com
Testing something...
mlive
Testing 2
mlive.com
CW..
Anything with mlive DOT com trips the NNL filters...
Just FYI
In 3 to 4 weeks all those Trump supporters who went to the beaches and protest rallies will begin dying off from coming down with the infection.
You can't cure stupid or stop evolutionary natural selection.
Wanna bet??
Oh, they might get infected...
But they have an upwards of 99.3% of surviving...
That's why the media doesn't report the number of deaths.. By and large they report the number of infected...
It's a scarier number.. :eyeroll:
"They call him 'The Sand Spider'..."
"Why do they call him that??"
"Probably because it sounds scary.."
-TRUE LIES
:D
[36] Michale
"You can't cure stupid or stop evolutionary natural selection.
Wanna bet??"
We already have a bet. Trump is going to LOSE in a landslide!
now that IS ironic.
@m,
hey there stranger!
welcome back to the fight. this time i know our side will win.
victor lazlo, casablanca
https://youtu.be/GDm3qr3Zlu0
JM,
We already have a bet. Trump is going to LOSE in a landslide!
Funny.. You said the *EXACT* same thing in the run-up to the 2016 election.. :D
Well, yer track record is gonna remain perfect..
Always wrong :D
Talk about infections that keep coming back...
Welcome back, Michale. :D
"Ouch!! And the ref takes a point away!!!"
-Jim Carrey, LIAR LIAR
:D
JL,
hey there stranger!
welcome back to the fight. this time i know our side will win.
victor lazlo, casablanca
Thanx :D
You REALLY had to reach back for THAT quote, eh?? :D
Still know that President Trump is going to be re-elected?? :D
@don,
that is not the case at all - i don't see you as an infection. i try not to put a derogatory label on people when i can avoid it. however, whatever it is that michale does, you do the exact same thing with much less variety and MUCH less entertainment value - which makes your statement ironic.
JL
[25] Michale wrote:
"Uh.. You do realize that Atlanta is a city and doesn't HAVE a "governor", Republican or otherwise, right???"
You do realize how state government works, right????
The Republican Governor of Georgia overrules ANY measures that the Democratic Mayor of Atlanta might put into place.
Local governments ONLY have as much control as the state government ALLOWS them to have.
[25] Michale wrote:
"Funny how you didn't care about Odumbo's death toll until it was surpassed.."
Funny NOW that the number of deaths is more than DOUBLE under Trump what it was under Obama and still climbing, how it doesn't matter to YOU anymore...
Talk about transparent!!!
The Republican Governor of Georgia overrules ANY measures that the Democratic Mayor of Atlanta might put into place.
Local governments ONLY have as much control as the state government ALLOWS them to have.
Not factually accurate..
It's why Jacksonville opened it's beaches while FL still had a beach ban in place...
Funny NOW that the number of deaths is more than DOUBLE under Trump what it was under Obama and still climbing, how it doesn't matter to YOU anymore...
Why is that funny??
It didn't matter to you before.. You find it funny it doesn't matter to me now??
I find it hilarious how dead Americans ONLY matter to you when you can use them to beat President Trump over the head with...
welcome back to the fight. this time i know our side will win.
victor lazlo, casablanca
For the record....
"I'm not back!!!"
-Bill Paxton, TWISTER
I am still off and on with this bug.. Not THE bug... A bug...
But I just wanted to check in and let everyone know I am still this side of the ground.. :D
Welcome back, Michale. Be good.
I can see you are already up to your old tricks on your first day back posting. I had hoped your time away might have been a bit more reflective on things. I'm sure you have been following the goings on around here and it has been rather nice of late, you might agree.
And, thank-you for your concern about the evil that visited upon Nova Scotia. But, you have drawn the wrong conclusion, naturally.
This unimaginable evil included not only guns but many fires and no less than 16 crime scenes! SIXTEEN crime scenes and at least 23 people in a community of hundreds before the perpetrator was shot dead.
Thank God that we don't have nearly the number of these events as you suffer in your country - for a number of reasons. And, that is the conclusion you can draw.
President Obama did not have to deal with a pandemic but he stood up an office in the national security apparatus in the WH in order to help deal with such a health crisis before it developed into a pandemic.
President Trump, not understanding how easily such a health crisis could occur and not knowing, apparently, that SARS and MERS were wake up calls - hell, THIS pandemic may be a wake up call, imagine that! - allowed this important office to be shut down just before the onset of an actual pandemic.
Science, solutions, solidarity.
I need your help with that, Michale. Please help me!
welcome back to the fight. this time i know our side will win.
victor lazlo, Casablanca
And, by that, I know you mean that the novel coronavirus is on the side that will lose. And, ALL of us, are on the side that will beat it.
And, that we will only beat it through national unity and global solidarity. If we don't work together on this, then prepare for the worst.
Science, solutions, solidarity.
And, thank-you for your concern about the evil that visited upon Nova Scotia. But, you have drawn the wrong conclusion, naturally.
Actually, by your own words, my conclusion is dead on ballz accurate..
This unimaginable evil included not only guns but many fires and no less than 16 crime scenes! SIXTEEN crime scenes and at least 23 people in a community of hundreds
As you yourself state, GUNS are not the problem..
before the perpetrator was shot dead.
By a good guy with a gun..
So, in this case, not only were guns NOT the problem, they were obviously the SOLUTION...
President Obama did not have to deal with a pandemic
Uh yes he did...
Science, solutions, solidarity.
Yea?? And Democrats show their solidarity by dragging President Trump and this country thru ANOTHER witch hunt, even WHILE PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING!!!
How, exactly, is that "solidarity"?? :D
I had hoped your time away might have been a bit more reflective on things.
I had hoped my time away would have given ya'all time to come to your senses and throw off the shackles of Hyper Hysterical President Trump Derangement Syndrome..
I guess we're both disappointed, eh? :D
I need your help with that, Michale. Please help me!
I stand ready as soon as ya'all are able to face reality and facts.. :D
right you are, liz.
i meant that, re: "the novel coronavirus is on the side that will lose. And, ALL of us, are on the side that will beat it."
As you yourself state, GUNS are not the problem..
Go away, Michale. And, never come back as far as I'm concerned.
I knew that, Joshua. :)
Go away, Michale. And, never come back as far as I'm concerned.
Facts are facts, Liz...
If you take away all the guns, people will still mass murder other people..
Australia proved that FACT beyond any shadow of a doubt..
As far as your solidarity thing goes. The problem with you people is that you define solidarity as doing everything your way.
You really should read that book The People's Republic. It's a primer that shows where you all are going on the road you're on.
Still know that President Trump is going to be re-elected?? :D
now i'm not so sure. covid-19 sort-of threw everything into flux, so it's really anybody's ballgame.
plus the dems nominated the only guy with a chance of winning.
that's an exaggeration of course, there's always a chance. just that biden has more general election prospects than any of the primary opponents he defeated.
Indeed!
not an exaggeration.
not much of an exaggeration. in my opinion.
That's all I can take for one day.
In the Democrat states, whose so-called Dem "leaders" have chucked the US Constitution out the window, who had blatantly stated that they give no thought to the Bill Of Rights... THOSE states have the highest infected and mortality rates in the country..
The GOP states where the leadership is balancing safety with common sense and Constitutional approaches have some of the lowest infected/mortality rates...
Bullshit. Larger populations are going to have larger numbers. Florida and many other southern states have both a higher per capita infection rate and per capita death rate than California (by official test numbers). New York is a special case as it's one of the highest density cities on earth (especially Manhattan) which makes it an infectious disease paradise...
You really should read that book The People's Republic. It's a primer that shows where you all are going on the road you're on.
The actual road we are going on or the road that most aligns with your political bias and convenience of argument? The authors bio does lend much confidence...
Bullshit. Larger populations are going to have larger numbers. Florida and many other southern states have both a higher per capita infection rate and per capita death rate than California (by official test numbers).
Facts to support???
New York is a special case as it's one of the highest density cities on earth (especially Manhattan) which makes it an infectious disease paradise...
Yea.. it's only "special" because it refutes your bullshit claim.. :D
The actual road we are going on or the road that most aligns with your political bias and convenience of argument?
Read the book and you tell me..
Much of what is in the book has it's basis in the here and now...
The authors bio does lend much confidence...
In other words, YOUR political bias causes you to disregard the concept... :D
now i'm not so sure. covid-19 sort-of threw everything into flux, so it's really anybody's ballgame.
I concede that things are different now..
But the end result will be the same.. I am still sure of that..
So sure that I am willing to make ANY reasonable wager.. :D
*I* have the strength of my convictions.. :D
Let's see if anyone else does.. :D
It's **ALL** about the politics..
Warren, Senate Democrats call for investigation into Trump administration response to coronavirus
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/warren-senate-democrats-call-for-investigation-into-trump-administration-response-to-coronavirus
In the middle of a house fire, Dumbocrats want to plant the matches on the GOP...
"meQtaHbogh qachDaq Suv qoH neH"
-Klingon Proverb
TRANSLATION:
Only a fool fights in a burning house..
And Dumbocrats are the biggest fools on the planet...
just that biden has more general election prospects than any of the primary opponents he defeated.
Which says it ALL about the Democrat's chances of winning the White House..
Considering all the baggage that Biden brings to the race..
On The Record: A Former Biden Staffer's Sexual Assault Allegation
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/19/837966525/on-the-record-a-former-biden-staffers-sexual-assault-allegation
"ALL WOMEN ARE TO BE BELIEVED"
-Democrat Party Mantra
Funny... Looking back over the comments in my absence..
Not a SINGLE person commented on this issue...
Sweep things under the rug much????
This sexual assault accusation and all women are to be believed are the reality of the here and now..
Surely it deserves a discussion, eh?? :^/
Ahhh, Michale is back and Don Harris came up with,
Wake up. Wise up. Rise up.
Get Real.
All is well in Weigentia. Welcome back, Michale! I look forward to tearing into your baloney later when I have the time.
I see Mike is back to spew more of that BS he defines as "facts." Or maybe he's back to settle that bet:
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/03/20/ftp566/#comment-156171
What is Odumbo's leadership called when over 12 THOUSAND Americans died..
Mike insisted on highlighting this repeatedly... demanded the constant deflection to Obama over and over ad nauseam as if somehow it would make Trump look favorable by comparison. So with the passage of time, I'd say the approximately 1,000 deaths per month under Obama are looking stellar compared to the multiple days where 1000+ Americans died in a single day under Trump, and Trump is just getting started, of course, so we'll obviously have to revisit these figures after a year has passed for a fair average of that comparison Mike insisted on shoving down everyone's throat repeatedly.
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??
Let me put it this way... more than 6,000 Americans died under President Trump's leadership in just a few days' time so anyone opining about the superiority of Donald Trump's leadership by the comparative metric Mike set for us all would look like a full-blown indoctrinated member of the zombie cult of Trump bleating sheeple.
12,269 quatloos (the same number of deaths under Odumbo) says you won't..
Ouch... pony up... such are the perils of putting your faith in a con artist pathological lying moron and believing the incessant whining of the talking heads claiming "hoax" and "common cold." Mike lost that bet in just a few days' time under the leadership of Trump... with many and multiple months and months to go before it meets the metric he foisted on Weigantia in order to deflect from Disaster Donald. :)
[39]
Talk about infections that keep coming back...
Welcome back, Michale. :D
That's just rich, Don Harris. I'm telling ya this coronavirus catastrophe really brings out the secret comedian within you!
Funny... Looking back over the comments in my absence..
Then you found my link proving my per capita numbers...
And I see Victoria is back, spewing her fact-less BS..
Again, funny how the morons ignore Odumbo's 12,000+ American dead..
And try to attack President Trump....
The epitome of lameness....
I guess only dead Americans matter to Victoria when she can use them to beat President Trump over the head with...
But even she is to chicken to make a wager about President Trump's guaranteed re-election.. :D
Baawwwkkk Bawwwkkk Baaaawwwkkkk
I guess she is conceding that I am factually accurate with my prediction.. :D
"Silence Gives Assent"
-Weigantian Charlottesville Rule
Then you found my link proving my per capita numbers...
Yea.. Just like your "proof" that there have been catastrophic climate change models that have been factually accurate..
NON-EXISTENT... :D
Too lazy to look I see... in both cases...
he calls them. that's RICH.
~bert
https://youtu.be/cUusX1Js6R0?t=36
46,899 dead due to covid-19 and counting...
All is well in Weigentia. Welcome back, Michale! I look forward to tearing into your baloney later when I have the time.
Better hurry.. I won't be here long..
Plus you already proved the epidemic under Obama was handled just fine...
Too lazy to look I see... in both cases...
It's not up to me to prove your bullshit..
If you can't do it, that's telling..
46,899 dead due to covid-19 and counting...
I can almost see the glee you have here...
#sad
It's not up to me to prove your bullshit..
But it is up to you to handle reading and remembering, eh, Lazy boy.
If you can't do it, that's telling..
Yes it is.
I can almost see the glee you have here...
Projecting again? Yes, most definitely #sad
Better hurry.. I won't be here long..
So this is a drive by spewage rather than a continuous stream? :D
But it is up to you to handle reading and remembering, eh, Lazy boy.
Really?? You think that yer BS is actually worth remembering??
BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You funny...
Projecting again?
Notice how you didn't deny you feel glee.. You just tried the old I KNOW YOU ARE BUT WHAT AM I rebuttal..
Yes, most definitely #sad
So this is a drive by spewage rather than a continuous stream? :D
That has you hooked on every word...
:D
I just popped back in here to provide this link to the WHO regular press briefing today:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
And, I'll be more than happy to participate in a rational discussion about the important topics covered.
Really?? You think that yer BS is actually worth remembering??
More than yours. I at least back mine up!
My glee is not with death but the total hypocrisy of your inability to criticize Trump under worse conditions than you tried to hammer us with...
That has you hooked on every word...
In your dreams, lazy boy...
I just popped back in here to provide this link to the WHO regular press briefing today:
WHO???
Shirley, you jest....
Like THEY have an credibility..
Next you'll be quoting the UN... :D
More than yours. I at least back mine up!
And yet, you NEVER have.. :D
In your dreams, lazy boy...
And yet.. HERE you are... :D
BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
And, I'll be more than happy to participate in a rational discussion about the important topics covered.
The problem, of course, is you CAN'T have a rational discussion on anything if it involves the WHO...
Their Trump/America hate is well documented and their leader is a scumbag...
And yet, you NEVER have.. :D
Now, you know that's a steaming pile of bullshit...
And yet.. HERE you are... :D
And have been for the last two weeks, but please jump in to your usual dismissive one liners and faux laugh. The usual sign you can't keep up your end of an argument...
Mike
74
Funny... Looking back over the comments in my absence..
Not a SINGLE person commented on this issue...
MULTIPLE persons did, though, and if sexual assault allegations bothered you, you wouldn't belong to the Trump cult of flailers and hypocrites.
Sweep things under the rug much????
You mean like Donald Trump and his multiple payoffs?
Come to think of it, I guess when you're used to paying for "stimulus" like Trump, you would put your name on the check after f***ing the entire country. Heh.
MULTIPLE persons did, though, and if sexual assault allegations bothered you, you wouldn't belong to the Trump cult of flailers and hypocrites.
Facts to support???
Nope???
Of course not..
You mean like Donald Trump and his multiple payoffs?
And yet, President Trump is STILL President and you Democrats morons haven't proved shit.. :D
Once again.. Bashi hangs on my every word.. :D
Now, you know that's a steaming pile of bullshit...
Yea, you KEEP claiming that.. Yet, you have NO FACTS to back up yer claim.. :D
And have been for the last two weeks, but please jump in to your usual dismissive one liners and faux laugh. The usual sign you can't keep up your end of an argument...
Yer not MAKING an argument..
Yer simply spewing fact-less bullshit that you have NO SUBSTANTIATION for...
Yawn.
47,139 dead due to covid-19 and counting...
Mike
79
And I see Victoria is back, spewing her fact-less BS..
I'm not back, I never left.
Again, funny how the morons ignore Odumbo's 12,000+ American dead..
And try to attack President Trump....
Said the moron who whined incessantly about the "decidedly non serious" novel coronavirus and repeatedly set that metric for Trump that he blew past in a few days. So nice of you to shine a klieg light on the incompetence of Donald Trump using your own criteria. No one else need do a thing when you've done it for us.
I guess only dead Americans matter to Victoria when she can use them to beat President Trump over the head with...
You're not Donald Trump, but it is your metric, moron. I guess if you didn't want Donald Trump measured by it, you wouldn't have prattled on and on about it. Tough break when Your Rotisserie-Chicken Colored Worship can't even live up to what you assured us was "incompetence." Epic fail for Donald... according to you, of course.
But even she is to chicken to make a wager about President Trump's guaranteed re-election.. :D
Not chicken... just completely and totally not interested in making a wager with anyone.
I guess she is conceding that I am factually accurate with my prediction.. :D
Oh, please. You got your ass handed to you... by your own self... volunteered it too... over and over and over ad nauseam. Hoisted by you own Picard. ;)
Bashi
88
So this is a drive by spewage rather than a continuous stream? :D
Heh.
Well, my normal schedule still applies...
My time now belongs to my lovely wife.. :D
"See ya tomorrow!! MAYBE!!"
-Bill Murray, GROUNDHOG DAY
:D
Mike
97
Facts to support???
Read the blog. You claimed no one discussed it. You're a bald-faced LIAR.
And yet, President Trump is STILL President and you Democrats morons haven't proved shit.. :D
I'm not a Democrat, but were I to speak for the Democrats here in Weigantia -- not that they need any help from me -- they didn't have to prove a dang thing... because you did it for them when you set the metric which Trump couldn't live up to... and Trump is just getting started. Epic fail by your metric.
I believe the Democrats would most definitely like to thank the inveterate gullible Trump chump for volunteering that metric by which Trump should be judged. :)
Victoria, er, Kick wrote,
the Democrats...didn't have to prove a dang thing... because you did it for them when you set the metric which Trump couldn't live up to... and Trump is just getting started. Epic fail by your metric.
I believe the Democrats would most definitely like to thank the inveterate gullible Trump chump for volunteering that metric by which Trump should be judged. :)
And this is just sooo many reasons I don't get why anyone has Trump Deification Syndrome. No way I'd put up with even a fraction of this in a Democratic President.