PLAYPEN: Covid-19 Everything Political

[Alan Klein]

It’s either amusing or tragic - I’m not sure which - that you think this situation warrants removal from a carrier command because it makes us vulnerable but still think the chump in the White House isn’t problematic and deserves to retain his “command.”

Navy captains are not elected by the crew.

[JoeKitchen]

It’s either amusing or tragic - I’m not sure which - that you think this situation warrants removal from a carrier command because it makes us vulnerable but still think the chump in the White House isn’t problematic and deserves to retain his “command.”

I like to think of as being responsible, of which the captain was clearly not. 

Alan makes a good point as well. 

[Alan Klein]

It could, but then why has it not been the case for weeks or months?

Again, Japan was one of the very first countries outside China to have cases and they have simply not materialized in any form of sanitary crisis till date, very very few absolute and relative number of casualties.

One thing is sure, it's not measures taken by Japan politicians that are responsible for the current miraculous status, besides school closure they have done less than any other developed country.

Regards,
Bernard

Well what accounts for it in Japan? Is anyone looking into why?  That might help the rest of us who are doing so badly. It may show that early warnings, shutting things down, etc. have nothing to do with the final outcome. That there are other variables that are selecting out certain countries for greater or lesser infection rates.  Right now, politics is looking for a reason based on elections.  That's no way to find the real reason and stop this damn thing. 

[BernardLanguillier]

As I said in the other thread, if this virus ends and the economy is mending, Trump will get all the credit.  Deservable. He's stood up there every day giving his news conferences, for better or worse.  He's in charge.  Everybody, I mean everybody, reports to him. He's running the show. There's no way he can deflect that, nor does he want to.  He's a stand up guy.  So however it turns out, the people will vote him in or out.  When people and especially Democrats said the election is all about Trump, they couldn't be more right.  The virus has definitely made that so and his daily conferences has assured it.  He's going to stand or fall in November based on what happens with Covid 19 and the economy.

I would argue that this ship has sailed already.

The way he has managed the epidemic is already a disaster.

Fortunately there are competent people around him who are limiting the damage despite him, but a large chunk of what he said and did has contributed to making things worse, with the clear exception of the partial closing of flights with/to China. The last unreal example is his recent comments that he probably won't be using a mask himself. Said in a movie that line would have made me laugh to no end. Only is it not funny at all.

What's left now is the usual marketing machine (of which you are part of) to try to transform facts into something they are not, turn a disaster into a great achievement. Turn his downplaying into presence on the front,... there is always a way to look at things in such a way that the worse is presented as the great.

Regards,
Bernard

[BernardLanguillier]

Well what accounts for it in Japan? Is anyone looking into why?  That might help the rest of us who are doing so badly. It may show that early warnings, shutting things down, etc. have nothing to do with the final outcome. That there are other variables that are selecting out certain countries for greater or lesser infection rates.  Right now, politics is looking for a reason based on elections.  That's no way to find the real reason and stop this damn thing.

See reply #102.

Cheers,
Bernard

[LesPalenik]

It could, but then why has it not been the case for weeks or months?

Again, Japan was one of the very first countries outside China to have cases and they have simply not materialized in any form of sanitary crisis till date, very very few absolute and relative number of casualties.

One thing is sure, it's not measures taken by Japan politicians that are responsible for the current miraculous status, besides school closure they have done less than any other developed country.

Regards,
Bernard

Japanese don't hug each other as much as Italians and Americans.

[BernardLanguillier]

Japanese don't hug each other as much as Italians and Americans.

Indeed. They don't shake hands either.

But they spend long commuted times in very crowded trains.

Cheers,
Bernard

[Alan Klein]

I would argue that this ship has sailed already.

The way he has managed the epidemic is already a disaster.

Fortunately there are competent people around him who are limiting the damage despite him, but a large chunk of what he said and did has contributed to making things worse, with the clear exception of the partial closing of flights with/to China. The last unreal example is his recent comments that he probably won't be using a mask himself. Said in a movie that line would have made me laugh to no end. Only is it not funny at all.

What's left now is the usual marketing machine (of which you are part of) to try to transform facts into something they are not, turn a disaster into a great achievement. Turn his downplaying into presence on the front,... there is always a way to look at things in such a way that the worse is presented as the great.

Regards,
Bernard

Obama did about the same as Trump in the Swine flu epidemic of 2009. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were about 60.8 million cases of infection with the novel type of influenza virus in the U.S. between April 2009 and April 2010, with a total of approximately 274,304 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths.  It took Obama weeks if not months to declare a national emergency. But the economy was not shut down.  He didn't shut down the border with Mexico where the disease is believed to have come from.  We lived with it.  Of course the press liked Obama.  So they reported he did the best he could with the information he had. 

Not so with Trump even though he shut down travelers first from China and then Europe and GB.  The press has different standards of reporting depending on if they like you or not.  Unfortunately, it causes presidents to take measures they might not have taken.  For example, the false charges of colluding with the Russian forced Trump to stop trying to get along with Russia and have better relations with them.  I think the false charges of doing nothing or expecting too much too early about the virus may have made heim over-react in shutting down too much of the economy making things much worse then maybe they could have.  So we all become victims of our own political arguments.  It's always been said that no outsider will ever destroy America. It will be an inside job.

[John Camp]

I think you would agree with me that Trump has polarized the US public like no president before him. Today being pro-Trump has replaced being American as the main identity of many Trump supporters. This means that his words and actions probably have more impact among his crowd than that of any president before him.

Cheers,
Bernard

Well...there was Lincoln. 8-)

[BernardLanguillier]

I think the false charges of doing nothing or expecting too much too early about the virus may have made heim over-react in shutting down too much of the economy making things much worse then maybe they could have.

Why would he have reacted this way if the charges were false?

Cheers,
Bernard

[Alan Klein]

Why would he have reacted this way if the charges were false?

Cheers,
Bernard

Because he wants to get re-elected and doesn't want to seem like he isn't doing his job. In a democracy, leaders look to their voters and react to please them. It's why the Senate approved $6 trillion in money printing 96-0. They're all  cowards   Only one guy in the house of representatives wanted to discuss the spending bill.  And he was booed by the entire House including members of his own party.

It's part of the weakness of democracies.  EVen in China, where Xi is president for life, he too reacts to the public.  Interestingly, a dictator can often do better for their country by making decisions not dependent on looking for the vote.  You have to live with the good and the bad whatever system you have. 

[BernardLanguillier]

Because he wants to get re-elected and doesn't want to seem like he isn't doing his job. In a democracy, leaders look to their voters and react to please them. It's why the Senate approved $6 trillion in money printing 96-0. They're all  cowards   Only one guy in the house of representatives wanted to discuss the spending bill.  And he was booed by the entire House including members of his own party.

It's part of the weakness of democracies.  EVen in China, where Xi is president for life, he too reacts to the public.  Interestingly, a dictator can often do better for their country by making decisions not dependent on looking for the vote.  You have to live with the good and the bad whatever system you have.

But why would he be reacting to the public if the public were happy about this actions and words at the beginning of the crisis?

Cheers,
Bernard

[Alan Klein]

But why would he be reacting to the public if the public were happy about this actions and words at the beginning of the crisis?

Cheers,
Bernard

Because the anti-Trump press is making it seem he did nothing.  So now he's overcompensating.  He doesn;t care if he has to spend twenty trillion to buy votes.  So now the economy will suffer worse than it probably had too.

[LesPalenik]

To get re-elected, he would spend your money in both scenarios.

[BernardLanguillier]

Because the anti-Trump press is making it seem he did nothing.  So now he's overcompensating.  He doesn;t care if he has to spend twenty trillion to buy votes.  So now the economy will suffer worse than it probably had too.

I see... more conspiracy theory about Trump being the big victim...

I wonder who still believes in this.

The facts are really crystal clear here. All the evidence is here.

Cheers,
Bernard

[Rob C]

Hold on, Rob. Lachlan isn't the son of David he's Australian, came to London in early 2000's, now in NYC (?) He posts shoots of models on IG, but much prefers posting shots of his children - can so relate to that !

Oops! Wrong Bailey:

https://imitatemodern.com/artists/fenton-bailey/

Thanks for clearing that one up in my hnead - I was wondering how many boys he had fathered!

Rob

[Jeremy Roussak]

Should England burn the Writ of Habeas Corpus?  After all, it is, apparently to you, an antiquated document from the 1600s.

What on earth do you think you are talking about?

Jeremy

[JoeKitchen]

What on earth do you think you are talking about?

Jeremy

Rob said our constitution should be removed due to its age.  I was making a point that age should not be of concern if the document works. 

[BernardLanguillier]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atV8aa-_D0Y

Surreal.

Shutting up reporters this way and claiming that the inspector general may be sharing biased information highlighting the shortcoming of crisis mgt is just incredible... especially when you know that the inspector general was appointed by the Trump administration itself.

And that is what some here have boasting about in terms of Trump facing the country and managing the crisis???

Cheers,
Bernard

[LesPalenik]

Very unpresidential!