The US Presidency 2020

[Jarnhamar]

You bet.

 

[Brad Sallows]

>What credit do you think he is due in present circumstances?

Not much, and it's debatable whether all his decisions and comments sum to a negative or a positive.  But we could start with the early ban on travelers from China.

It's unfortunate that media personalities and prominent commentators cannot be expediently appointed into government.  They have an unerring instinct for knowing which measures are being taken prematurely, and which have been taken too late.  To heed them or to put them in charge would presumably mean everything would happen at just the right time.  Trump is always too early or too late.

 

[Jarnhamar]

But we could start with the early ban on travelers from China.

Aren't travel bans racist?

 

[brihard]

>What credit do you think he is due in present circumstances?

Not much, and it's debatable whether all his decisions and comments sum to a negative or a positive.  But we could start with the early ban on travelers from China.

It's unfortunate that media personalities and prominent commentators cannot be expediently appointed into government.  They have an unerring instinct for knowing which measures are being taken prematurely, and which have been taken too late.  To heed them or to put them in charge would presumably mean everything would happen at just the right time.  Trump is always too early or too late.

Given his relentless campaign up until March 14th of denying this was even a problem, that doesn't score him many points. Remember when it was 'just 15 cases', and America was doing great? Or another one that didn't age well from late Feb "It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear." That's some good public health policy right there...

He didn't take it seriously, he declared it a hoax, and he derided those who did try to take it seriously in time. He didn't back state level leaders in the critical early stages, going so far as to dismiss the governor of Washington State as 'a snake' when he was raising concerns. He blatantly lied about the imminent universal ability of testing...

He's been a dumpster fire from day one on this. His usual lies, dissimulation, and self-serving falsehoods can be endured in most cases. In this instance it's literally costing lives in how he harmed the efforts to curb early compounding growth.

 

[mariomike]

Given his relentless campaign up until March 14th of denying this was even a problem, that doesn't score him many points. Remember when it was 'just 15 cases', and America was doing great? Or another one that didn't age well from late Feb "It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear." That's some good public health policy right there...

He didn't take it seriously, he declared it a hoax, and he derided those who did try to take it seriously in time. He didn't back state level leaders in the critical early stages, going so far as to dismiss the governor of Washington State as 'a snake' when he was raising concerns. He blatantly lied about the imminent universal ability of testing...

He's been a dumpster fire from day one on this. His usual lies, dissimulation, and self-serving falsehoods can be endured in most cases. In this instance it's literally costing lives in how he harmed the efforts to curb early compounding growth.

Exponential Threat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMwvmJLnc0

 

[Jarnhamar]

Given his relentless campaign up until March 14th of denying this was even a problem, that doesn't score him many points. Remember when it was 'just 15 cases', and America was doing great? Or another one that didn't age well from late Feb "It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear." That's some good public health policy right there...

He didn't take it seriously, he declared it a hoax, and he derided those who did try to take it seriously in time. He didn't back state level leaders in the critical early stages, going so far as to dismiss the governor of Washington State as 'a snake' when he was raising concerns. He blatantly lied about the imminent universal ability of testing...

He's been a dumpster fire from day one on this. His usual lies, dissimulation, and self-serving falsehoods can be endured in most cases. In this instance it's literally costing lives in how he harmed the efforts to curb early compounding growth.

Really great post and summery of Trump's behavior with Covid19 to date.

 

[brihard]

Exponential Threat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMwvmJLnc0

This one is better. "Trump's Coronavirus Calendar".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch7_t2Ri2Zg

 

[Jarnhamar]

This one is better. "Trump's Coronavirus Calendar".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch7_t2Ri2Zg

Crazy how the US went from 5000 cases in March to 112,560 cases in March.

 

[Remius]

Aren't travel bans racist?

Good question.  The Chinese were sure hoping that’s how it was going to be seen as.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/trump-is-the-chinese-governments-most-useful-idiot/608638/

 

[dimsum]

You bet.

The article below is the latest I've seen (and it's about 6 months old) on what his policies would be.  It doesn't seem like an outright ban.  Then again, I haven't really been following this so maybe you have more recent policy info.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/02/joe-biden-gun-violence-2020-018358

Crazy how the US went from 5000 cases in March to 112,560 cases in March.

Probably through increased testing, as well as dumbasses who chose to party during Mardi Gras, go to beach in large groups, and think it's a Dem hoax to torpedo Trump's re-election chances.

 

[OceanBonfire]

2,000 people died...

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1244309931874017280

 

[Jarnhamar]

The article below is the latest I've seen (and it's about 6 months old) on what his policies would be.  It doesn't seem like an outright ban.  Then again, I haven't really been following this so maybe you have more recent policy info.

Not sure about his policies to be honest. I was mentioning about people and organizations supporting the different leaders. He has some anti-gun groups in his camp. Considering the guns and ammo flying off the shelf here, let alone in the US, I don't think disarming people is going to resonate with US voters right now.

Probably through increased testing, as well as dumbasses who chose to party during Mardi Gras, go to beach in large groups, and think it's a Dem hoax to torpedo Trump's re-election chances.

Trumps behavior is a complete right off and as far as I'm concerned the panic and implosion going on in the US is squarely on his shoulders. The video Brihard posted is an amazing example of how little Trump cared and treated this like he treats everything else. Now they're drowning.

There's a part of me that really wants those party goers identified called out and shamed. Their selfish behavior put so many people at risk. I think it was maybe MM or someone who posted a great video about how much infection can spread over a week just from one small beach in Florida.

 

[tomahawk6]

USNS Comfort arrives in NY harbor Monday. She is 70000 tons of awesomeness. USNS Mercy is in LA harbor now. They will be treating nonvirus cases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdTnQ0xXYWA

 

[mariomike]

Hope their loads are light. 

 

[OceanBonfire]

Trump and his economic advisors didn't want to do anything (ride the pandemic through) until they learned that about 2 million Americans could die. At 1:18:14 (C-SPAN):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jf-ZseAIl0&feature=youtu.be&t=78m14s

 

[Brad Sallows]

"Trump and his economic advisors" == "we had a lot of people" ?  Suggest you listen to it again.

 

[OceanBonfire]

"Trump and his economic advisors" == "we had a lot of people" ?  Suggest you listen to it again.

"We had a lot of people who were saying maybe we shouldn't do anything, just ride it, they said ride it like a cowboy..."

I wonder who would tell him to just ride it out... the medical experts? /s

 

[Brad Sallows]

"We had a lot of people" I generally understand as "there were a lot of people" (or even merely "there were some people").  As in: "We had a lot of people trying to get into the concert hall."

And there were a lot of commentators and personalities suggesting "let it burn" as a course of action.

Getting from a hand-waving reference to others to a specific group of advisors is pretty impressive conclusion gymnastics.

 

[kkwd]

https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/30/what-on-earth-is-going-on-with-joe-biden/

How would President Biden handle the situation?

On Monday, Biden once again refreshed concerns about the Democratic frontrunner’s age and aptitude at 77 years old to win the White House in November, offering a nonsensical jumbled word salad on MSNBC with notes in his lap.

Here’s what Biden said:
Boy those very high numbers have to do at least several things. One, we have to depend on what the president’s going to do right now, and first of all he has to… tell… wait til the cases before anything happens. Look, the whole idea is, he’s got to get in place things that were shortages of.

“We have never, never, never, failed to respond to a crisis as a people, and I tell you what, I’m so darn proud. Those poor people who have…” Biden said before realizing what he actually said. “Anyway…”

 

[mariomike]

Sorry for the ageism. But, I find it sort of funny watching septuagenarians battling it out for the nuclear launch codes.