Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[Peter McLennan]

Feb 18: Gov. Greg Abbott requests Major Disaster Declaration to provide individual, public assistance in wake of massive outages.
Feb 19: Biden To Authorize Broader Disaster Relief For Texas.
...

The irony of Texas asking Washington for disaster relief is rich.

The crisis resulted from the coincidence of bad weather and the state’s unwillingness to create or enforce regulations to prepare for it.

So much for the right's righteous doctrine of self reliance.

[digitaldog]

Funny you mention that, and speaking of AOC, she's been busy raising 2 million dollars to help us herein Texas - a state whose leaders regularly vilify her, and whose citizens don't care for her much either.

It keeps growing thankfully:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., raised $3.2 million for relief efforts in Texas as of Friday night before visiting Houston to help in the recovery effort.
"I think this shows that New York stands with you, but the whole country stands with you," Ocasio-Cortez said in a press conference outside a food bank, where she spent the morning volunteering.

Does Alan of NY stand with you? 
Since I'm a frequent traveler to Austin, love pets, here's where I decided to donate (assuming anyone who hasn't yet put me on their ignore lists asks):
https://www.austinpetsalive.org

[Robert Roaldi]

The irony of Texas asking Washington for disaster relief is rich.

The crisis resulted from the coincidence of bad weather and the state’s unwillingness to create or enforce regulations to prepare for it.

So much for the right's righteous doctrine of self reliance.

Yeah well, banks can be too big to fail so the "free market" can be pretty selective.

GM line workers lost some pensions and benefits but management never had to pay their bonuses back.

The self-reliance doctrine is not an actual real thing that anyone lives by. It's just a tactic.

[faberryman]

The irony of Texas asking Washington for disaster relief is rich.

The crisis resulted from the coincidence of bad weather and the state’s unwillingness to create or enforce regulations to prepare for it.

So much for the right's righteous doctrine of self reliance.

Rick Perry, former governor of Texas and former Secretary of Energy under Trump, explained it this way, and I am paraphrasing: Texans would rather freeze to death than let the feds regulate their power grid so they don't freeze to death. You may remember that this is the guy who, when running for president, said during a debate that, if elected, he would eliminate three federal agencies, and then could only name two of them. So the other candidates started giving him some hints and Perry finally gave up and said: "The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops." Which is what I think the current governor of Texas said when he was told the power grid was down. "Sorry. Oops."

[TechTalk]

Since I'm a frequent traveler to Austin, love pets, here's where I decided to donate (assuming anyone who hasn't yet put me on their ignore lists asks):
https://www.austinpetsalive.org

Someone who has you on their ignore list might ask if you really care about pets in Austin or is it a bit of care and a chance to get some really great PR.

[digitaldog]

Someone who has you on their ignore list might ask if you really care about pets in Austin or is it a bit of care and a chance to get some really great PR.

I've got three Whippets and met several in Austin last time I was there so, I care about pets in Austin. The people are pretty great too, as is the BBQ.
My ability to generate PR in these parts is dead and has been for awhile, and I'm really fine with that. 

[TechTalk]

I coun't have described a better defence of what Trump did than that.

Meanwhile, it appears that you have just continually refined the target you seem to want on Cuomo's back—without, it appears, asking yourself any of the questions in the first part of my post.

Did they? Is that the only source of virus transmission to nursing home residents? How many patients discharged from the hospital were actually infectious at the time of discharge? If there were infectious patients discharged and returned to a nursing home, do they automatically become the only possible source of infection to other residents? Were returning patients isolated by the nursing homes with proper protocols? Haven't residents in nursing homes been infected where other patients were not retuning from hospitals? Haven't some nursing homes been inspected and investigated and found to be negligent, sometimes grossly negligent, in their protocols and practices causing virus transmission and deaths from staff or outside sources? How many nursing home residents were infected by returning hospital patients and not thru another source? How has that been determined?

You also don't appear to consider if the deaths could have also increased by adding to the overcrowding of hospitals.

[Alan Klein]

My comments were in the context of the decision made by Cuomo and the choices which he had to weigh regarding nursing homes. Depending on the decision and situation under discussion, those comments might be applicable to other circumstances and decisions—or they might not.

What decisions by Trump are you referring to defending? Is it the same defense that you will apply to decisions that Biden makes—or Cuomo?

Not wanting to shut down the economy in the beginning.  He saw the damage that it would cause and that has been borne out.  Even governors have been trying to thread that needle between shutting things down and opening them up.  It's been a conundrum - damned if you do and damned if you don't. 

Frankly, I give Cuomo the benefit of the doubt for his directive.  The problem with Cuomo is that afterward he tried to hide the figures and cover them up. Of course, until he got caught, the sycophantic press slobbered all over him giving him an Emmy for his performance.

[digitaldog]

Not wanting to shut down the economy in the beginning.  He saw the damage that it would cause and that has been borne out.

Half a million fewer (dead) consumer and counting : that has been borne out.

[TechTalk]

Not wanting to shut down the economy in the beginning.

That wasn't a decision by Trump. Governors made those decisions. Here's a decision that he did make... minimizing the seriousness of the virus to the American people in the beginning—and for some period of time thereafter.

Frankly, I give Cuomo the benefit of the doubt for his directive.

You give him the benefit of the doubt by accusing him of causing the deaths of thousands of people? I pity the accused in any trial on which you're a juror!

[Alan Klein]

That wasn't a decision by Trump. Governors made those decisions. Here's a decision that he did make... minimizing the seriousness of the virus to the American people in the beginning—and for some period of time thereafter.

You give him the benefit of the doubt by accusing him of causing the deaths of thousands of people? I pity the accused in any trial on which you're a juror!

That's what I'm talking about.  He was accused of putting the economy first.  He figured, maybe hoped, that the virus would pass but wanted to save the economy.  Many people accused him of killing thousands because of that decision.  It's Monday morning quarterbacking.

[TechTalk]

He figured, maybe hoped, that the virus would pass but wanted to save the economy.  Many people accused him of killing thousands because of that decision.  It's Monday morning quarterbacking.

He knew how deadly the virus was and how easily it would spread. He minimized those facts to the American public who were at risk. Would you like to listen to a recording of him telling Bob Woodward that fact?

[James Clark]

Since I'm a frequent traveler to Austin, love pets, here's where I decided to donate (assuming anyone who hasn't yet put me on their ignore lists asks):
https://www.austinpetsalive.org

Started by Run by an acquaintance of mine from college.  Thank you so much!!!! 

Edit:  Ellen is ED - not founder

[Alan Klein]

He knew how deadly the virus was and how easily it would spread. He minimized those facts to the American public who were at risk. Would you like to listen to a recording of him telling Bob Woodward that fact?

Governors know how deadly the virus is also.  Yet they open their states trying to get their economies back as well. 

[digitaldog]

Governors know how deadly the virus is also.  Yet they open their states trying to get their economies back as well.

And many of those governors have the smell from Trumps anal glands on their lips. 🤮
The buck never stops with Trump.

[TechTalk]

Governors know how deadly the virus is also.  Yet they open their states trying to get their economies back as well.

Blatant misdirection. But, I'll play along this time. Which of them knowingly misled their constituents about the risk they faced from the virus and the ease with which it spread in public statements to them?

[faberryman]

Rudy Giuliani has kept a low profile since being sued by Dominion Systems and Smartmatic for $4 billion in the aggregate for spreading lies about their voting machines and software changing votes in the recent election, and being sued, along with Trump, the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers, by the NAACP and a congressman for conspiracy in causing the Capitol riots. It appears he recently appeared on Steve Bannon's podcast to share a golfing story about looking up Michelle Wie's skirt and seeing her panties every time she bent over to putt during a Pro-Am. He didn't mention whether he had his hand down his pants when doing so. Yes folks, that is America's Mayor.

https://sports.yahoo.com/michelle-wie-responds-to-rudy-giulianis-highly-inappropriate-story-about-golfing-together-174513678.html

[faberryman]

Speaking of creepy people, Trump will make his first public appearance since the Capitol riots in a few days at CPAC, a conservative fan fair, in Orlando, Florida. In listing his co-presenters, CPAC makes it sound more like an arraignment than a conference.

"This year's conference is drawing a slew of potential Republican presidential candidates including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, South Dakota Sen. Kristi Noem, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Rick Scott."

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/20/trump-to-speak-at-cpac-470443

[digitaldog]

"This year's conference is drawing a slew of potential Republican presidential candidates including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, South Dakota Sen. Kristi Noem, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Rick Scott."

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/20/trump-to-speak-at-cpac-470443

Special Guest Stars: Proud Boy, Q, Oath Keepers, KKK, Cowboys for Trump....

[Robert Roaldi]

Speaking of creepy people, Trump will make his first public appearance since the Capitol riots in a few days at CPAC, a conservative fan fair, in Orlando, Florida. In listing his co-presenters, CPAC makes it sound more like an arraignment than a conference.

"This year's conference is drawing a slew of potential Republican presidential candidates including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, South Dakota Sen. Kristi Noem, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Rick Scott."

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/20/trump-to-speak-at-cpac-470443

I wonder who his speechwriter is these days.