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[wierd]

That would require acknowledging that a shared, real and objective reality exists, and that it is not the same thing that they keep trying to mandate with money and control.

In other words-- NO.

[Reelya]

Trump played an edited propaganda video at his latest press conference that shows a timeline suggesting that it was the media downplaying the coronavirus all along, and Trump was at the forefront fighting to take it seriously. Quite a few media outlets cut away from the feed when he played it. Which is a good thing.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/tensions-explode-at-press-conference-as-trump-defends-handling-of-coronavirus-pandemic/news-story/3f77bdfa6196137623d6522278a9703c

Here's a shot from the video:

[wierd]

Again-- Acknowledging a real, shared, and objective reality is not something the GOP is willing to do.

Which is exactly why people like Trump keep trying to spin it like it was record, flip it over, and try to turn it wrong-side 'round.


It is why every single one of them voted in lock-step to ignore all evidence of Trump's wrongdoing in Ukrainian politics vis-a-vis our election this cycle. It is why they are *STILL* refusing to give stimulus to ordinary people. It is why they are *STILL* trying to find reasons to compel state governors to open their economies back up and send people back to work in the face of a global public health crisis.

NO.

They do NOT ascribe to reality.

Next question.

[Reelya]

BTW I've checked the actual video reel out now, and if you go look at the video, the "it's not at that stage yet" (in terms of being a disaster) stuff from the mainstream media was all around mid to late January, and the video then says these comments were coming out "while" Trump took decisive action. But the decisive action shown is all around mid-March. So they're comparing the apples and oranges of statements about Coronavirus in the USA in mid January, to Trump taking decisive action almost two months later.

So the "while" in the video is all clips from 7-8 weeks later than the actual media comments.

[wierd]

And this should surprise exactly no-one.

(shakes my damn head.)

[ZBridges]

On a positive note, the growth of new cases nationally appears to be plateauing.  Social distancing and the closing of non-essential businesses appear to be effective.

[wierd]

Yes. They are effective.

That effect is to slow the rate of contagion, such that healthcare can manage.  NOT to mean 'Disaster averted! Everyone back to work!! YAAAAY!"

Once you do that latter, LIKE AN IDIOT, that effect GOES AWAY, and you end up with a rocketing upward trend.

[ZBridges]

I agree that it's vital that the lockdown isn't lifted early, which Trump is pushing for.  Luckily, it's generally regarded that the states have the authority to determine when these measures should be lifted.

[thompson]

On a positive note, the growth of new cases nationally appears to be plateauing.  Social distancing and the closing of non-essential businesses appear to be effective.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the plateau is in part due to the testing system being at capacity. In the US there is roughly a 20% positive test rate. In Australia the corresponding number is closer to 2%. Numbers on hospital admissions are probably more reliable, but those numbers are more difficult to parse. That all being said, numbers should be levelling off, they’re just greater numbers than the official stats suggest.

[sluissa]

I agree that it's vital that the lockdown isn't lifted early, which Trump is pushing for.  Luckily, it's generally regarded that the states have the authority to determine when these measures should be lifted.

That's not much solace for those of us that live in Republican lead states that have very large, and often very migratory, elderly populations. But you know what? I'm just about ready to give up trying to save them from themselves.

If the government support goes away. If I'm on my own trying to convince friends and family to take precautions, and not make any unnecessary trips out. I think I just give up. Whatever happens happens.

[nenjin]

I agree that it's vital that the lockdown isn't lifted early, which Trump is pushing for.  Luckily, it's generally regarded that the states have the authority to determine when these measures should be lifted.

It would be the height of irony if, while providing no federal guidance for what to do about the pandemic, Trump uses the Fed's authority to order states to reopen all businesses.

[sluissa]

I agree that it's vital that the lockdown isn't lifted early, which Trump is pushing for.  Luckily, it's generally regarded that the states have the authority to determine when these measures should be lifted.

It would be the height of irony if, while providing no federal guidance for what to do about the pandemic, Trump uses the Fed's authority to order states to reopen all businesses.

I would have gone with the full circle the "states' rights" party has taken. But that's good too.

[hector13]

In more local news, the Republicans insisted on holding the elections last week in Wisconsin, including the state Supreme Court, in which the conservative candidate - appointed by Republican former governor/presidential candidate Scott Walker and endorsed by Donald Trump - lost.

Still a conservative majority on the court, but now it’s only 4-3.

Wisconsin being a swing state that voted for Donald Trump in 2016, I have hope for the future that shit doesn’t happen again.

[Max™]

Thankfully the most critical swing states all either have automatically mailed ballots or allow "no excuse" ballots to be requested for any reason, with only a couple of somewhat out there states like Texas (which again, I honestly did not realize was so backwards outside of the big cities until years later when I lived elsewhere and was looking from the outside) which have been getting more purple recently are still trying to cut back on vote-by-mail stuff.

Also, though we only added ~15k or so known cases yesterday we apparently jumped by 2.6k deaths to hit 26k and the number of recovered vs active cases is terrifying, there are over half a million active cases in the US alone.

[Ziusudra]

And those are just the lower bounds, there's more cases that haven't been tested and deaths that haven't been counted as COVID deaths.