I say YES. YOU say NO....Numero Tre! Enjoy!
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If you already can't sleep at night, this won't help:
Trump is not just in denial but also indifferent to an unfolding American tragedy
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
(CNN)It's a "public health train wreck in slow motion," in the words of one health expert, and the best President Donald Trump cares to offer the thousands more Americans projected to shortly die of Covid-19 is the unsubstantiated prospect of a "beautiful surprise."
The US just hit its third highest ever peak of new coronavirus cases, multiple states are registering their own daily records and three are now taking the extraordinary step of imposing quarantines for citizens from pandemic hotspots. The world's most powerful nation lacks a coherent national strategy to meet another cresting viral crisis, the capacity or even the willingness to take steps that might stop it.
It is also led by a man who is suggesting by his actions and attitudes that he doesn't care that much about the unfolding tragedy.
Trump, who has previously predicted a "miracle" would occur or the virus would just disappear in the warmer weather, again declared falsely Wednesday that the danger had passed -- even with the nation racing towards another deadly summit of infection. In his latest misleading effort to create a picture of normality, Trump welcomed Polish President Andrzej Duda to the Oval Office.
This is the first after Covid, after the start of the plague as I call it," Trump told his visitor, who was happy to play along after being given a huge political gift of a visit a few days before a national election and approvingly noted "the end of the coronavirus."
But the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is like watching a "public health train wreck in slow motion," said Dr. David Blumenthal, president of The Commonwealth Fund, in an Alliance for Health Policy and Commonwealth Fund webinar on Wednesday.
"It can be frustrating and perplexing," he added. "But now is the time to stop dwelling on the past and to start looking forward, and to ask ourselves how we can seize the moment, learn from experience and make things better."
Instead, the President's attitude appears to have crossed into callous indifference.
Trump has long denied the worsening situation over his failed gamble of pushing for aggressive state openings to revive the economy on which his reelection hopes may depend. He has constantly flouted guidance on mask wearing and social distancing, insisted on being pretty much the only entity in the Western world holding indoor events that risk turning into deadly super-spreaders and has failed to hardly ever mention the victims of the pandemic.
His behavior has brought about the extraordinary spectacle of a President running for a second term ignoring a massive national crisis that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and has no end in sight.
Trump reached for his familiar tactics of distraction on Wednesday, all but accusing Democrats of supporting unidentified demonstrators who he said want to haul down statues of Jesus Christ, as he stepped up the culture war tactics he adopted during the nation's national reckoning on race.
In a Wednesday news conference, Trump largely ignored the huge and worsening national crisis. But he delivered his latest evidence-free prediction of stunning medical advances on vaccines and therapeutics not yet supported by any evidence.
"I think you're going to have a big surprise, a beautiful surprise, sooner than anybody would think."
Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the White House coronavirus task force who hasn't held a public briefing with top health officials in weeks, apparently sought to spin the situation when he traveled up to Capitol Hill for lunch with Republican senators.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Pence mentioned lowered mortality rates from the virus and said that the provision of emergency protective equipment in hospitals was in good shape.
Given the terrible economic consequences of lockdowns imposed to bend the curve of infections several months ago, there was always going to be a limited tolerance for long-term shutdowns. But the White House has long since given up offering Americans advice on how to prepare themselves for venturing out into the world.
Indeed, Trump gladly ignored his own government's advice on when it was safe for states to reopen.
The facts of the pandemic now clearly show that northeastern states that imposed painful restrictions on their people for longest -- such as New York and New Jersey -- have been most successful in reducing infections. Those that most enthusiastically accepted Trump's urging to open -- such as Texas, Florida and Arizona -- are now racing towards their own crisis points.
One exception is California, which despite months of draconian public health measures is still in the middle of its battle. The rising infections in opening states also raise the grim possibility that even those who have carefully begun to get back to business in the northeast and the Midwest will see infections soon tick up again.
A new battery of infection figures and academic projections on Wednesday reflected how the United States is heading into an intensifying duel with the virus, even as its economic competitors like the European Union -- now mulling a ban on American visitors and which has a higher population than the US -- begin to contemplate life after successfully suppressing the pandemic, at least for now.
Arizona is currently seeing the highest number of new coronavirus cases per capita of any state in the country, and more than any other state besides New York or New Jersey has experienced, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University which puts the rate at about 38 new cases per 100,000 people per day.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott warned in an interview with KFDA-TV on Wednesday that his state was facing a "massive outbreak" of the virus. Florida piled up another daily record, of 5,500 new cases of Covid-19. CNN data based on figures collected by Johns Hopkins University also finds that 26 states now have rising infection rates, including 10 where cases are going up by 50% or more each day. Another 10 states are steady and 14 states are seeing falling new infections.0 -
It is possible that many of the actions taken or not taken by Trump regarding the virus are due to his overwhelming need to control others while at the same time sewing chaos.
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I think we need a T shirt for the people who don't wear masks: I'm not wearing a mask because I don't care if I make you sick. I'll bet all the people who think masks are a sign of weakness? rebellion? are wearing pants because it's the custom and they've elected to go along with it.
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One of the many reasons I love this thread is that I see and admire the many contributors who actively engage in understanding the complexities of the political and legal arena and share their analysis.
This morning I read a piece from Tonya Russel: "It's fine to say you don't want to get involved in politics, but this in itself is a privilege — it means the laws and regulations in place don't harm you. In each election, minority, female, immigrant, disabled, LGBTQ+, and poor individuals see issues pertaining to their well-being dragged into debates and voted on by policy makers who often do not look, act, or live like them."To that I would ad - and so many more.
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Hey Wren! Reminds me of the jacket Melania wore that said...."I don't care... do you?" That's what she and her dear husband think all the time! Such a stupid response to the testing.... "Let's not test, so then there won't be as many cases.... therefore they will just all go away." Done. What a bunch of idiots!
We wear masks, I have a blood-pressure cuff, an oximeter and my temperature gun just came.... So yes.... we care!
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Wearing a mask isn't difficult. It shouldn't be a political statement.
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Joy is the realization of oneness, the oneness of our soul with the world, and the world-soul with the supreme love.
Rabindranath Tagore
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In my reading up to now it would seem that Lindsey Graham is at times turning away from Trump. He is an opportunist. Seems to need someone to hold onto - read that as lead him in a decent direction. That took place when John McCain was still around. Too bad his second role model was Trump. I do think watching some of the snafu's Trump has created along with Barr, has at least slowed Lindsey somewhat. Who'd da thought -- it is almost a comfort to see him challenging some of Trumps recitations of non or un-facts. Still, I do see him as an opportunist -- ready to take whatever breeze that blows in and roll with it if he deems it able to carry him where he thinks he needs to be.
Trump is doing such damage, but there are many forces lined up who are not for him. Not for many of those who Trump has consigned over to his side to destroy our government either. I think Barr is being called out at the same time -- by 80 % of those he attended law school with so while I find it very scary, I'm not going to give up my hope that there will be just enough people willing to save what we in the U.S.
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Does Brad want to save his job or just get a few late brownie points to try and soften the landing.
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👍👍👍
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illinoisLady- thank you. I like that one
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I saved it as well. I'd like to post it on my Facebook feed. Do you have an attribution, IllinoisLady?
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Trishyla, I don't. A friend sent it to me just the way it is. I did think it was wonderful when your feeling a little discouraged, a little scared, a lot sad over the state of affairs we are going through daily with the madman who thinks he is a president. I read that and felt like I had a right to hope, to care, to keep trying and to love people I don't know and other people that I do, but haven't liked very well lately. I think we all deserve much better than what we are seeing now. I think if we SEE good headlines it will give GOOD a lot of universal energy and maybe we will start getting more good -- and if that goes forward far enough we could even have some pretty wonderful headlines on November 8th. I won't share what I think the headline might be then, but I bet it would be almost identical to everyone's here. I going to concentrate on that a little everyday.
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Oh, I like that one , Ruth! It reminded me that we could totally cut down on the number of DUI arrests in our country if the police officers stopped administering sobriety tests! 🙄 Every time he says something bone headed, I think he can’t get any worse. He consistently proves me wrong.
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Hello tax dollars, goodbye!!
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Thank you for posting that great story, IllinoisLady. I really needed it today. I went for a walk last night, tripped and broke my ankle.Now I'm not only stuck af home (for four months and counting) now I'm stuck on the couch.
I'm so over 2020.
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I hear ya. I broke my arm ( first broken bone in my life at age 73 one month before 74th. birthday in Sept. ) last yr. and hoping this yr. would not seem so dismal. It is. Have some more cancer to deal with. I am going to continue to fight on. There are better days and I'm going to be looking for the ones with my name on them. I am sorry to hear about the ankle. Maybe you can rent some outstanding movies to help take your mind off some of this yrs. turmoil and the ankle at the same time.
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Oh, Trishyla, OUCH! Only consolation is that at least you'll be safe indoors for awhile.
As an Angeleno, do you have any theories as to why CA is seeing a rise in coronavirus cases despite having had the earliest and strictest shutdowns in the country? Were the young people on the beaches & in the parks that numerous, stupid & careless? Or did CA see an influx of visitors from "hotspot" states?
I fear the sh*t will soon hit the fan here. IL has seen a 65% drop in positivity rate over 6 weeks (we're at 3%, at our worst it was 24%), but cases crept up a little today; tomorrow we are moving into Phase 4 of reopening (e.g., restaurants can have indoor dining, gyms, theaters & clubs can reopen at 50% capacity--25% for Chicago--with compulsory masking and social-distancing) but I think that's premature. Not eating anywhere but my own home or a social-distanced and strictly-disinfected restaurant patio/rooftop.
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In Ca, bay area. I think people got careless. They were going to the beaches not social distancing nor mask Memorial Day weekend. One restaurant in Monterey I think it was opened up for dine in, no precautions, and got cited 15k. Owner said it was worth it. Newsom is now saying he may have to go back to essential businesses. These idiots defying the rules don't get that they will suffer too when their businesses close down or workers are laid off. No 600 a week after end of July. How the hell is it an infringement on their constitutional rights?? Businesses have the right to refuse service. It's mind blowing. People are so spoiled here. I lived in a civil war in 78 in Iran. Talk about rights....you had none. Too much freedom has it's faults.
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Here we go again with rump trying to get scotus to overturn aca. He's rushing stuff through in case he loses.
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