URGENT: America's #1 Public Health Policy

[homersapien 11,354]

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/trump-coronavirus-social-distancing-extension-flattery-self-interest.html?via=taps_top

Pretending to Be Grateful for Donald Trump Is America’s No. 1 Public Health Priority

Things took a turn for the better—or, much more accurately, for the slightly less very bad—late Sunday regarding the White House’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. As of Friday, Donald Trump was still bragging that he’d told Mike Pence not to respond to Democratic governors’ emergency requests if they weren’t sufficiently obsequious, and on Saturday, he suddenly floated the idea of putting the New York area under some sort of federally imposed quarantine, which he presumably envisioned as being like martial law, from a movie. On Sunday afternoon, he sent three tweets celebrating the TV ratings that his crisis press conferences have been getting. Hanging over all of it was his previous threat to declare that Americans should reopen businesses and public spaces by Easter, which falls this year on April 12.

On Sunday night, though, Trump said he was recommending that U.S. residents continue “social distancing” until the end of April—a welcome reversal, especially given the influence it may have on on the #MAGA-movement Southern governors who have been refusing to issue stay-at-home orders. (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves have already partially relented.) As of this moment, Trump also seems to have stopped actively pursuing feuds with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and has dropped the potentially panic-inducing, constitutionally questionable idea of closing state borders; instead, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has simply recommended that residents of New York–area states avoid nonessential travel. While his Monday press conference was filled with bizarre falsehoods about, for example, the population of Seoul, he stuck to the same overall plan he’d introduced the day before, saying that “challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days.”

A Monday CNN report attributed Trump’s decision to extend the social-distancing guidelines to a number of related factors. One was media coverage of New York City’s Elmhurst Hospital, which is located in the borough of Queens, where Trump was born, and which has been deluged with coronavirus patients to the extent that a mobile morgue is set up outside. Another was a model shown to him by health officials Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, which projected hundreds of thousands of potential deaths. A third was the reminder apparently given to him by advisers that “attacking governors who had criticized the federal government, which he had done on multiple occasions, could have a political cost.” (Michigan is a key 2020 swing state, and Whitmer—like Cuomo—has seen her approval rating rise even more than Trump’s has in recent weeks.) The passage of a stimulus package, which stabilized the stock market, also probably helped, given the prominence that market drops had taken in Trump’s prior rambling about reopening “the economy.”

In sum—as Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was said to be part of the group that helped change Trump’s mind, foreshadowed in tweets last week—the president was convinced that a “back to work” message wouldn’t save the Dow Jones but would create a slow-moving health disaster defined by catastrophic televised images for which he, and not Democrats, would be blamed. (Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported that Trump’s campaign aides are particularly concerned that the pandemic is about to escalate in red states and that he will suffer more severe consequences there if he is “seen as too lax.”) So instead, he’s pivoted to a framework in which he will be considered a hero for keeping U.S. coronavirus deaths under 2.2 million by not actively overruling epidemiologists.

The critical factor in any Trump decision is how a given subject makes him feel. Initially, when the possibility of a coronavirus pandemic was largely being raised by Democrats and members of the media, it made him feel defensive, so he denied that it existed. Slowly, the people around him have been able to turn the ship, and now talking about the coronavirus makes him feel like an important president doing serious things on TV. This is what currently passes as a reason for optimism.

It is not ideal that the president can’t be counted on to prevent coronavirus deaths. But Sunday’s press conference shows that, through flattery and fear, he can be prevented from preventing the actual preventers from doing prevention. And every American has a part to play in keeping this going. If you are responding to an opinion poll, say you trust and support the president’s advice about social distancing. If you are a Nielsen household, claim that you watched his press conference even if you didn’t. If you are advising Trump on public health issue, make facially ludicrous claims about his ability to “analyze and integrate data” in order to stay in his good graces. If you are a news blogger, use flattering photos of the president looking resolute and leader-y to illustrate your posts.

We’re all in the fight against the coronavirus, and our president’s sociopathic inability to contemplate the existence of minds and egos besides his own, together.

[bigbird 60,368]

I'm not sure which is better, Slate or Vox

[Grumps 3,693]

I thought it was climate change???????????????

[augolf1716 21,096]

 

[SaltyTiger 7,764]

At least "Russia Collusion" is a term of the past.

[AUFAN78 3,890]

3 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

At least "Russia Collusion" is a term of the past.

I wouldn't get overconfident. You've been around here long enough to understand why. 

[bigbird 60,368]

27 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

At least "Russia Collusion" is a term of the past.

Not for some. Just wait til the election nears.

[homersapien 11,354]

Did any of you actually read the piece?  (I am guessing not.)

[I_M4_AU 7,773]

52 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Did any of you actually read the piece?  (I am guessing not.)

What would be the point?

[homersapien 11,354]

39 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

What would be the point?

Just as I thought.

It's easy to tell by the ad hominem insults and attacks on the source - its all you sycophants have in the way of response. 

This thread is a perfect example.

[I_M4_AU 7,773]

39 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Just as I thought.

It's easy to tell by the ad hominem insults and attacks on the source - its all you sycophants have in the way of response. 

This thread is a perfect example.

If you have time, go look at all the posts you start on this forum and compare that to how many people actually respond to those posts.

[AUFAN78 3,890]

2 hours ago, homersapien said:

Did any of you actually read the piece?  (I am guessing not.)

Slate? For the love of god man, I couldn't get past the lies in the first paragraph. 

[AUFAN78 3,890]

31 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Just as I thought.

It's easy to tell by the ad hominem insults and attacks on the source - its all you sycophants have in the way of response. 

This thread is a perfect example.

Irony

[homersapien 11,354]

30 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

Slate? For the love of god man, I couldn't get past the lies in the first paragraph. 

I rest my case.

[SaltyTiger 7,764]

2 hours ago, homersapien said:

Did any of you actually read the piece?  (I am guessing not.)

Don't watch all those Hallmark movies with our wives either..... they are all the same with a slightly different twist.

[homersapien 11,354]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

If you have time, go look at all the posts you start on this forum and compare that to how many people actually respond to those posts.

Mostly its just as I would expect mindless sycophants (MAGAs) to respond (or ignore).  Rarely do I get reasoned rebuttal. 

What's your point?

 

[I_M4_AU 7,773]

3 minutes ago, homersapien said:

What's your point?

You’re consumed with hate for Trump.  It’s not healthy and we all need to be healthy nowadays. 

[homersapien 11,354]

48 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

Don't watch all those Hallmark movies with our wives either..... they are all the same with a slightly different twist.

Fine. To be clear, I don't care if you care to read my posts or not.

I was referring specifically about the people who don't read it but feel compelled to respond anyway. I don't know why - it would never occur to me to respond to a post I didn't read.  I'd just move on without responding at all.

I suspect people who make such "drive by" posts without even reading the subject material are projecting their insecurity regarding intellectual debate. They want to avoid it. 

Why they don't accomplish that by simply not responding at all probably reflects their need for attention.  Thus, the childish emotional responses, attacks on sources, and ad hominem attacks.  

 

 

[homersapien 11,354]

34 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

You’re consumed with hate for Trump.  It’s not healthy and we all need to be healthy nowadays. 

Don't conflate "hate" with fear and disgust.

And when it comes to things that cause direct harm to my family and love ones, there is a very fine line - or vanishing line - between the two.

I will admit I see Trump - as well as other tools of the far right such as Fox cable and the many other various agents - as sometimes causing direct harm. (I can provide examples if you really wish.)

When that happens, I will admit to crossing the line between fear/disgust to outright hate.  I don't think that's a bad thing, or even an "unhealthy" one. Being blind or tolerant to the harm people or institutions may cause is far worse. 

Your mileage may vary.

P.S.:  Many of the posts I make on this forum represent a way for me to blow of the steam of frustration.  That's a healthy thing.

[AUFAN78 3,890]

21 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Fine. To be clear, I don't care if you care to read my posts or not.

I was referring specifically about the people who don't read it but feel compelled to respond anyway. I don't know why - it would never occur to me to respond to a post I didn't read.  I'd just move on without responding at all.

I suspect people who make such "drive by" posts without even reading the subject material are projecting their insecurity regarding intellectual debate. They want to avoid it. 

Why they don't accomplish that by simply not responding at all probably reflects their need for attention.  Thus, the childish emotional responses, attacks on sources, and ad hominem attacks.  

 

 

When an author starts the first paragraph with lies there is no room for intellectual debate. You see the author at that point wasn't an intellect and one parroting an unintellectual piece is no different. Debate dead. Over.  

[homersapien 11,354]

42 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

When an author starts the first paragraph with lies there is no room for intellectual debate. You see the author at that point wasn't an intellect and one parroting an unintellectual piece is no different. Debate dead. Over.  

[Grumps 3,693]

4 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

When an author starts the first paragraph with lies there is no room for intellectual debate. You see the author at that point wasn't an intellect and one parroting an unintellectual piece is no different. Debate dead. Over.  

Exactly. When it is immediately obvious that the intent of the article is not to inform the reader then there is really no point in continuing.

[homersapien 11,354]

On 3/31/2020 at 8:20 PM, Grumps said:

I thought it was climate change???????????????

Public health policy.

Nothing (positive) will happen with environmental policy until Republicans are out of power. 

Trump to roll back Obama-era clean car rules in huge blow to climate fight

• Announcement will allow vehicles to emit 1bn more tons of CO₂
• Experts say move will lead to more life-threatening air pollution

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/31/trump-epa-obama-clean-car-rules-climate-change

[homersapien 11,354]

18 hours ago, Grumps said:

Exactly. When it is immediately obvious that the intent of the article is not to inform the reader then there is really no point in continuing.

The only point open for debate was Trump's unrealistic wish for society open up by Easter.

And that's not really debatible.  He said it.

You guys are making a pendantic argument that is beside the actual point in order to change the subject from his public display of absolute cluelessness.   

All he cares about is his reelection chances and he is willing to risk lives in that cause.  Or at least that's what it amounts to.

[AUFAN78 3,890]

5 hours ago, homersapien said:

The only point open for debate was Trump's unrealistic wish for society open up by Easter.

And that's not really debatible.  He said it.

You guys are making a pendantic argument that is beside the actual point in order to change the subject from his public display of absolute cluelessness.   

All he cares about is his reelection chances and he is willing to risk lives in that cause.  Or at least that's what it amounts to.

More mental gymnastics. His optimistic desire to open by Easter was simply that, optimistic. Reality shows he listened to experts and extended quarantines. Politics aren't necessary.