Virus thread, the political one.

[Colinmclelland]

I've just gone from thinking as the incumbent Trump's more than likely going to get re-elected to he hasn't got a snowflakes chance in hell. Now how is your 401k looking? It was never Trump that made it rise, but last night's debacle of a speech certainly helped it fall. You can't only claim credit in one direction to my mind.

Banning international travel seems like the logical extreme extension of tarriffs. Bugger, should have built a bigger wall.

Oh, and the world is about to start printing money.

Let's see, the US economy was "strong" but the US was still running a deficit. Umm... so now it's staring into a recession and the Unknown. Emergency rate cuts? Not a lot of room there. Money printing. We're the same.

And wasn't Italy the reason the world was shit scared the Eurozone would break up a few years ago? Weren't going to be able to deal with their debt, now we've shut the country down, but it's all good? I don't understand that.

There doesn't seem to be an answer to any of this that doesn't involve governments printing shit tonnes of money. Which should be good for gold.

[Walter Sobchak]

Word is that c19 is most dangerous to those who are already compromised...

Thoughts and prayers!

Opinion | It’s a MAGA Microbe Meltdown - The New York Times

#magavirus — try not to spread it around

[thollandpe]

I thought this was supposed to be the non-politics thread about COVID-19?

Good point. Moving this here.

And as for Fauci, who I generally admire, I think he's borderline hysterical at this point. How can you call it a failing (in public) when there was (a) no reason to think this would happen until it happened (b) we had relatively little time to ramp up production of valid and reliable test kits? I'm all for placing blame when blame is due, but it's not helpful at this point. We have what we have and we should be looking forward, not backward. You dont solve problems by looking in the rear view mirror.

If the problem is a decision-making structure that's still in place, then I think you need to evaluate what has happened in order to not keep making similar mistakes.

It's not necessarily contradicting, but it's also dumbed down for media and general populace consumptions [sic]. And like I said, things are changing hourly. You are relying on a governor to relay a message about a complex process to a mass of people that can't even spell "reagent." The term "kit" is even simplified for ease of reporting. There is far more to it than that. We say kit because it's palatable to the general populace. The governor doesn't know what a kit is.

What? Reagent was misspelled by the reporter who wrote that quote. And my bad for repeating it. I'm wondering why you seem to be taking potshots at the people and/or governor of California here.

[Bobonli]

If the problem is a decision-making structure that's still in place, then I think you need to evaluate what has happened in order to not keep making similar mistakes.

Yes, of course. And I think a mature approach is to talk more about the structure/process issues and less about individuals personalities. This will pass. The thing I wonder about is: will we as a nation 'debrief' and learn from this experience, or move onto the next shiny object/scandal/crisis and be doomed to repeat any mistakes that have been made?

[bironi]

Politics?

Why Trump's new CDC director, Robert Redfield, is an abysmal choice (opinion) - CNN

[monadnocky]

This is unfathomable to me. That anyone, regardless of political bent, isn't concerned about this:

Afraid of Coronavirus? That Might Say Something About Your Politics - The New York Times

"In a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, roughly six in 10 Republican voters nationwide said they were not especially concerned that the coronavirus would disrupt their lives. Two-thirds of Democratic voters said the opposite. All together, a slight majority of Americans expressed serious concern.

And Democratic voters were about twice as likely as Republicans to worry that they or someone they knew could catch the virus, the poll found. Sixty-three percent of Republican voters said they were relatively unconcerned."

Granted, "released this week" means that the polling data was from last week (?), and things have been moving at light speed. But.... wow. We are not going to fare well if a significant percentage of the US population are not "especially concerned."

[Matthew Strongin]

This is unfathomable to me. That anyone, regardless of political bent, isn't concerned about this:

Afraid of Coronavirus? That Might Say Something About Your Politics - The New York Times

"In a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, roughly six in 10 Republican voters nationwide said they were not especially concerned that the coronavirus would disrupt their lives. Two-thirds of Democratic voters said the opposite. All together, a slight majority of Americans expressed serious concern.

And Democratic voters were about twice as likely as Republicans to worry that they or someone they knew could catch the virus, the poll found. Sixty-three percent of Republican voters said they were relatively unconcerned."

Granted, "released this week" means that the polling data was from last week (?), and things have been moving at light speed. But.... wow. We are not going to fare well if a significant percentage of the US population are not "especially concerned."

Makes it hard to have confidence in the "social distancing" approach to mitigation when a large swath of the public doesn't think there's a need to socially distance.

[lumpy]

Yes, of course. And I think a mature approach is to talk more about the structure/process issues and less about individuals personalities. This will pass. The thing I wonder about is: will we as a nation 'debrief' and learn from this experience, or move onto the next shiny object/scandal/crisis and be doomed to repeat any mistakes that have been made?

Depends on politics, atmo.

[thollandpe]

Depends on politics, atmo.

I think what we're seeing is political distancing. Ironically, social distancing requires cooperation and a sense of community. A realization that we depend on each other, others depend on us, and that our actions potentially have a huge effect on others (good or bad). Unfortunately that is anathema to some people's politics.

[Saab2000]

I’m neither “liberal” nor “conservative”, don’t believe in political parties and am largely skeptical of organized religion.

I’m probably a 4-5 out of 10 on my personal “Concern-o-Meter”. Panic and running around screaming that the sky is falling isn’t really part of who I am. That said, I believe in common sense and science and reject conspiracy theories and those who flout them.

Let’s keep this in perspective. It bad. It’s not Ebola bad and that’s the feeling I almost get from some reports.

Meanwhile, my decision to not play in this year’s Masters has apparently resulted in its postponement. Well, they maybe would have postponed it anyway.

I’m going to listen to levelheaded, science-based thoughts from people who know their stuff. What I’m not going to do is get worked up into a froth by politicians who love to hear themselves talk and wonder how a statement will poll with their pollster’s target demographic.

[Blue Jays]

President Trump speaking now with latest updates for the country.
This also includes the National Emergency classification being invoked.

[BBB]

From Democratic hoax and fake news to national emergency. The rocket scientist needs to step aside.

[guido]

Nation Baffled That Former Reality-Show Host Not Prepared for This | The New Yorker

[vertical_doug]

All things considered, it will probably take a more days to get where they need to be on testing etc. But at least now, the purse strings are open and it is moving in the right direction . Add to this, individual state responses, and we probably end up no worse off than Italy. I think Italy ends up around 50-60,000 infected but with a very high mortality. I'd expect US mortality to be below.

[thollandpe]

Glad to see the progress toward more available testing. Frightened at the ineptitude and obsequiousness on display.

"Some of these doctors say it will wash through, it will flow through. Interesting terms. And very accurate. In a number of weeks I think you will find it’s a very accurate term."

[bcm119]

Kind of a haunting read-- the original story about the disbandment of the pandemic response team in 2018.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...xits-abruptly/

[bironi]

Well that's an interesting guess Doug.

[bigbill]

I think I'm getting my midshipman for a few weeks. His spring break was extended by two weeks except they're going to start online classes in a week. He's got his school laptop and since I'm doing my MA in the evenings, he can use my "command center" to dock his laptop during the day. His classes should start around 5am local time so there should be coffee when I wake up. He'll be wrapped up with schoolwork by the time I get home to do my assignments. Now I have to buy more groceries. At least I have toilet paper.

[theflashunc]

The presser was no less disastrous than the one on Wednesday. The answer is to have people fill out a Google Form and then maybe get tested in a Wal Mart parking lot?

That's the best the government of the wealthiest and most powerful nation in history can muster? For a crisis that's been bubbling for three months?

For a President directly exposed to three people with the virus now shaking hands on live television with the captains of industry he's flailing in outreach to for help?

He's a moron surrounded by Yes Men. I look to the helpers instead, cuz it's obvious the federal government is being led by someone completely and totally out of his depth.

[King Of Dirk]

The presser was no less disastrous than the one on Wednesday. The answer is to have people fill out a Google Form and then maybe get tested in a Wal Mart parking lot?

That's the best the government of the wealthiest and most powerful nation in history can muster? For a crisis that's been bubbling for three months?

For a President directly exposed to three people with the virus now shaking hands on live television with the captains of industry he's flailing in outreach to for help?

He's a moron surrounded by Yes Men. I look to the helpers instead, cuz it's obvious the federal government is being led by someone completely and totally out of his depth.

Flash, you and I rarely agree, but man I can't take issue with a single thing you wrote.

Google Form indeed. I'm sure Google would never allow my health information to be compromised (negligently or otherwise).

Now look; I'm thrilled to see the private sector stepping up and helping - even if only because dead customers are bad for revenue - but this is obscenely stupid.

I pray Joe Biden picks a reasonable running mate. I'm done with DJT at this point.