And the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, said, "The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies even while his own administration says the virus is real and is deadly, and that we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted.”
At yesterday's Task Force press briefing — transcript — Trump was asked how tweeting "encouraging liberation" — "fomenting domestic rebellion" — "squares with the sober and methodical guidance that you issued yesterday." Good question!
Donald Trump: Well, I think we do have a sobering guidance, but I think some things are too tough. And if you look at some of the states you just mentioned, it’s too tough. Not only relative to this, but what they’ve done in Virginia with respect to the Second Amendment is just a horrible thing. They did a horrible thing, the governor, and he’s a governor under a cloud to start off with. So, when you see what he said about the Second Amendment, when you see what other states have done. No, I think I feel very comfortable. Go ahead.That seems to say that some Governors have overdone the repressiveness of the shutdown and relieving the excesses of shutting down is different from the reopening process. For example, in Michigan, there was an arbitrariness to what you could and couldn't buy in stores that were open (e.g., liquor and lottery tickets but not plant seeds and paint). Governors can amend their shutdown orders — Wisconsin's Governor just extended our shutdown but changed some rules (you can play golf now) — without entering into the phases of reopening described by the Task Force.
Trump gets a second question and — though he's a bit inarticulate — I'm pretty sure my interpretation of what he's asserting is correct:
Speaker 8: Thank you, Mr. President. Just to be clear, when you talk about these states, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, do you think that they should lift their stay at home orders or can you talk—Of course, there's plenty of reason to see a subtext. He's still campaigning for reelection, and he's talking to his people. He can't do his rallies anymore — not for a while anyway — and these protests are Trump rallies of a sort. Trumpsters coming out in force and cheering for freedom and gun rights.
Donald Trump: No, but I think elements of what they’ve done are too much. It’s just too much. You know the elements because I’ve already said, but certainly a Second Amendment and Second Amendment having to do with the state of Virginia. What they’ve done in Virginia is just incredible. Okay, please.
In fact, Trump talked about his longing for old-style rallies. He was asked at yesterday's briefing about a statement from his campaign that said there would be more rallies before the election, and he said, he hoped to do rallies. They're "great for the country" and "an important part of politics actually."
There’s nothing like it. So I certainly hope we can have rallies. We’ll find out. I don’t like the rallies where we’re sitting like you’re sitting. I mean, you’ve got many reporters outside trying to get into this room, and I come in, I’m looking at this room, and I see all this. It loses a lot of flavor. It loses to me, a lot of flavor....Flavor.
Posts
112 comments:
If the state of Michigan got big bucks from the sale of plant seeds and paint, like they do with liquor and lottery tickets, they'd be legal to purchase as well.
An important part of screenwriting is subtext in dialogue. Trump is using subtext. This is way over the head of the Fake News. Obama was “on the nose” or total obfuscation.
Many leftist governors - and Ralph Northam is the worst man in a white hood, wasted no time and went full Pelosi. They shoved all sorts of leftist crapola down the pen and agenda man-hole - much of it had nothing to do with the virus.
And the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, said, "The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies even while his own administration says the virus is real and is deadly, and that we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted.”
Oh pipe down, Jay, and go clean up your nursing homes, doofus..
When I read the Tweets, then considered the states he was mentioning, and understood that their commonality was their overboard prohibitions that defy common sense, I knew exactly what he meant.
Perhaps the Governors of those states can Tweet back:
NO GARDEN SEEDS!
NO PAINTING AT HOME!
You know: things like that.
I am Laslo.
Make sure to get a huge crowd together and yell really loudly. The hospitals are all geared up now.
“There is opportunity for reimagining a progressive era as it pertains to capitalism,” Gov. Newsom said. “So yes, absolutely we see this as an opportunity to reshape the way we do business and how we govern.”
Trump is hardly "fomenting domestic rebellion". He could be completely silent about the growing uproar and it wouldn't make a difference. Like any politician he's just getting out in front of the parade.
Hell with all this stomping on the Bill of Rights, I'd expect the ACLU to arrive any second now. Oh... that's right.
Do it for the kids.
Simpler re-opening plan, with all the details one needs:
1. Announce reopening.
2. Begin reopening.
3. Celebrate reopening.
The purpose of lockdown was to prevent the overwhelming of hospitals. Done. Back to normal.
And the governor of Michigan should be recalled and kept in house arrest ever after, without permission to plant anything, drive anywhere, fix anything, or be Joe Biden's VP candidate.
Because the rules the Governors in those states made, are stupid and unconstitutional????
"The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies even while his own administration says the virus is real and is deadly, and that we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted.”
Notice Inslee isn't saying the protest gatherings themselves represent a public health threat, but simply a threat to the governor's broader authority by giving citizens a public forum to express themselves.
The 2nd Amendment reference is to the unconstitutional laws recently passed in Virginia.
"Be happy in your work, escape is impossible", Colonel Saito.
The County Judge (chief executive) of our county decreed that singles tennis is OK, but not doubles.
Because virus.
I am not making hits up (apologies to Dave Barry).
Trump is calling for breaking windows, and starting fires? Haven't seen any black masks.
The purpose of lockdown was to prevent the overwhelming of hospitals. Done. Back to normal.
That the original purpose of these lockdowns was ostensibly to prevent the overwhelming of hospitals is something that seems to have been lost in the shuffle.
Now, we're told the lockdowns can't be relaxed now, because the virus will spread like wildfire and overwhelm the hospitals as soon people are allowed out and about again. Well, maybe. But it seems to me that same logic would apply equally well to a relaxation of restrictions in July or August or October or next summer or whenever.
What is it that proponents of continuing to lock down are expecting to happen between now and ______ that will make it OK for the restrictions to be removed?
Emotional guy, regrettable tweets. But just what they mean isn't clear. There's much room for interpretation in them. They could just be about paint, seeds, ammo, and whatever it is that they want to do but can't do in Minnesota: ice hockey, ice fishing, dogsled races, snowball fights, lutefisk bake-offs, Garrison Keillor shows, talking funny. So I'm not going to get bent out of shape over the tweets, but I recognize that in giving Trump leeway on things like this, I can't deny the same leeway to other politicians without having double standards. So that upends much political rhetoric and means looking at politics differently.
The President of the United States reminding citizens, the government works for them, not the other way around?
Who does he think he is? Thomas Jefferson?
When dumbells like Murphy say they never considered the Bill of Rights before imposing their over the top restrictions, I have absolutely no problem with anyone encouraging demonstrations.
The largest state park in NJ is the Wharton State Forest. It covers 122,880 acres and has zero population. Yet no one is allowed to visit.
One thing's fersure - I'm wearing my Global Warming Mask so I won't inhale as much hot air.
Washington declares a major offensive against its citizens to attack Trump. Stark raving...
Today is Patriot's Day in Boston where rebellion against a hated Royal Governor fomented 30 Minutemen to assemble to protest on Lexington Green by blocking the British Empire's Army. The Army guys proceeded to slaughter them, and that in turn brought out the entire area's Armed Militia to assemble at Concord Bridge later in the day. Unexpectedly, the British Army that came out to confiscate their arms got no respect. They just got return fire the whole way back to Boston.
Good news- We can all work for the betterment of the Biden-Clinton family fortune - soon!
He is encouraging the protests because Progressive Governors like Gavin Newsom have declared openly that they will use the power they've seized due to the virus crisis to impose their fascist economic visions on their citizens that wouldn't be tolerated otherwise.
Fascists and totalitarians always use crises to attack civil liberties.
You have to be willfully obtuse to fail to understand that Trump is talking about the difference between reasonable and unreasonable restraints on our constitutional liberties. He is favoring getting back to living like Americans as soon as we possibly can--and not living like communists right now. Every single Deplorable understands this. It ain't rocket science.
Agree with Prof. A, Trump is using the pressers to campaign. His riffs with the media (who are looking pretty lonely and subdued these days) are “talking to his people.” Both in what he says and in the way he says it.
Also liking what Laslo said. As usual!
Carry on.
Listen to Trump and the demonstrators, or get death squads.
Interestingly, a Federalised Illinois National Guard unit 10,000 strong just marched into Ft Belvoir outside DC to be ready to enforce Martial Law putting down Soros/Dem owned guerilla units that try to resist the coming arrests. Or maybe they are just there to see the Monuments.
Global Warming Update: Wuhan Virus causes shortage of CO2.
Beer may lose its fizz as CO2 supplies go flat during pandemic
Coronavirus drop in gasoline demand has side effects in beverage industries
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/beer-may-lose-its-fizz-as-co2-supplies-go-flat-during-pandemic
Dwindling supplies of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants is sparking concern about shortages of beer, soda and seltzer water - essentials for many quarantined Americans.
Brewers and soft-drink makers use carbon dioxide, or CO2, for carbonation, which gives beer and soda fizz. Ethanol producers are a key provider of CO2 to the food industry, as they capture that gas as a byproduct of ethanol production and sell it in large quantities.
I think it’s clear he doesn’t oppose lockdowns, or he would have treated about New York and Indiana and ... but he didn’t. He tweeted about the states that have really gotten capricious about things, and specifically about guns in Va. so, he is clearly not channeling antifa.
Near my home is a small lake that is part of our county park system. Our county park commission (all Democrats) closed the park two weeks ago.
There is a walking path along the road that borders the lake. In the park. On the opposite side of that road is an apartment complex. If I walk on the path on the park side of the road I can be fined. If I walk on the sidewalk on the other side, no problem.
And we pay people good money to make decisions like that.
I suspect Trump may also have information concerning what appears to be Northam's less-heralded but (for his unfortunate constituents certainly) potentially devastating actions. An article recently alleged that it is virtually impossible to be treated with HCQ/zpak in Virginia thanks to a carefully-unadvertised ukase of Northam's which puts him in precisely the same posture as Whitmer before her crawl-down. A pt positive for COVID and with at least one amplifying factor (cancer and chemo) was refused the treatment by two unrelated doctors who appeared to be denying her repeated requests based on an order from Northam. His PR squad, doubtless based on the furor in Michigan and elsewhere, has decided to keep this quiet--which only supports the public perception of the man as a horrible human being.
The contrast between red states that are reopening their economies an d blue states that are not should get very interesting soon.
Texas and California should be a good example. Is Newsom paying any attention to the Santa Clara County study ? I doubt it.
It's very simple. When you are outdoors, stay 6 ft away from people. Wear a mask if you want to. You get 99.9% of the benefit and none of the studitity.
Trust people to do the right thing.
Are you going to be attending the Madison Capitol protest on Friday, Ann?
Given there will be claims of Confederate flags, perhaps you can view it from a distance and photograph?
Inslee is just another loser trying to distract from his own f***ups
Wasn't the first COVID-19 hotspot in Washington state? I don't remember hearing about any particular heroic efforts there.
Didn't Inslee run for president on a "right climate change" platform ? He did! (it seems so long ago).
Turns out we should have been worried over pandemics, not the climate.
the governor of Michigan should (not be allowed to be) Joe Biden's VP candidate.
I'd say she's been punished enough.
Jersey-
The more places that are closed down the fewer places there are for people to go, and so the harder it is to social distance. Close the park one day to enforce social distancing; close the sidewalk the next because it is too crowded.
Where's the contradiction? The administration offered a way out of the shut down mess and also encouraged those who are back on state overkill. Two sides of the same coin.
You got a hushed sense the Walmart dumpster meat Joe exotic was feeding the lions was somehow wrong.
Trump: hold my beer.
Jay Inslee, said, "The president is fomenting domestic rebellion"
Some Washingtonians should personally educate Governor Inslee about what domestic rebellion actually is.
Trump gets that the shutdown and the 2020 election is shaping up as the existential event that some thought the 2016 election was. The Democrats, lead by Pelosi and Shumer and most Democrat governors, are seeing extending the shutdowns as their main weapon to defeat Trump in November, and more importantly, to permanently reset the whole country on a Green Socialist course that can't be undone. As Joel Kotkin has been writing about for years, the California model is basically feudalism, equaling the elimination of the entrepreneurial middle class. Trump is smart enough to know that he can't trust Democrat governors to make the calls on reopening the States based on objective facts alone. Those are political decisions, and a party that sees creating or prolonging crisis as their main tool in enacting their agenda will act accordingly.
The governors who keep torquing down the restrictions will increase the pressure to lift the restrictions. They can obscure this to a degree, and we can expect to see truly marvelous examples of Bafflegab as they and their yes-men confront a restive citizenry that can’t understand why sitting inside fighting with other family members, while going broke and drinking too much beer, is the Only Way To Flatten The Curve. But all the fancy talk won’t alter a thing. Pressure is building daily.
The contrast between relative freedoms in one state and its more oppressive neighbors will increase the pressure. People will start to bootleg and walk away. In the end, the most idiotic governors will be lucky to leave town with a recall vote.
IMHO.
Trump is doing this just about right. Has there ever been a President like him?
The purpose of lockdown was to prevent the overwhelming of hospitals. Done. Back to normal.
My Facebook feed this morning is full of a meme that says "Re-opening the economy now is like not taking the rest of your antibiotics because you feel better." sigh
Because I like my friends and family and I don't want to get into it, I don't say what I want to which is, That is a terrible analogy but let's pretend for a minute it's reasonable to take it seriously - so how long exactly is this "course of antibiotics"? Give me a number. When, to your mind, is it safe to come out again? One thousand deaths? One hundred? Zero? You must have something in mind as to when you will allow me to live my life unimpeded again.
You're all missing what's going on here. Trump's trying to torpedo any Democrat governor that might replace Biden.
"we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted.”
I like Trump speaking to his base. I like the emphasis of reopening. He should also tone it down a bit. He will need a part of the panicked public, especially the nice female panicked part, in November.
Anyway, continuing the shutdowns is now becoming a form of TDS and a continuation of the anti-Trump hoaxes: the more it appears Dem Govs are just trying to ef Trump, the more the damage will be on them.
He's got to keep throwing you people raw meat to make sure you show up to the polls.
This is what you would expect from Trump taking a big gamble. As long as there is no significant summer flyover country spike in covid-19 from your early release program then he's in like Flynn. It would also be good news for the rest of us that covid-19 was a nothing burger.
Sit back relax and enjoy the flight
He's got to keep throwing you people raw meat to make sure you show up to the polls.
Howard, you of all people know that we people would crawl over broken glass to vote for our Dear Leader.
I do pants. But if Trump were to change his personality and not continue to throw you people red meat enough of you would defect to put Unka Joe in
mikee: "The purpose of lockdown was to prevent the overwhelming of hospitals. Done. Back to normal."
Of course, moving goalposts is prog MO.
When I saw the title post and sub heading, the first thing that came to my mind, was jury nullification.
While people use the word 'democracy' when referring to our govt, are mostly just a little off, the vast majority have no clue about what sovereign citizens mean. Jury Nullification says the government IS NOT the final say to the will of the people. Shut downs that infringe in constitutional rights, are not the final say.
When all the restrictions went into place, cooperation was virtually 100%. Now citizens are getting fed up. Lots are asking exactly what goal we are striving to attain.
I was told, we had to bend the curve down to protect hospital capacities. Mission accomplished. Why are we not moving on? I am unimpressed with the answers I am getting, and openly question the honesty of govt actors that are dumping 1000's of deaths into the tallies that are now magically "assumed" covid related.
NorthOfTheOneOhOne @ 9:14 “...torpedo any Democratic Governor that might replace Biden.” Excellent observation. Yes: I can imagine Trump is shooting political skeet. Each one of these bozos who drifts toward tyranny and ineptitude is going to prompt the President to call “pull!” and then unload a barrage of Tweets. And there’s not much they can do in return.
But if Trump were to change his personality and not continue to throw you people red meat enough of you would defect to put Unka Joe in
Howard, not even you are this clueless. Inga, maybe. ARM, for sure.
They're not going to replace Biden because The One gave his endorsement. Of course he might slip on a banana peel or stroke out. However this is helping the blue State governors increase their stature among libtards it's almost out of trump can't help himself but to throw red meat to the TDS people as well.
Explain to me how that is wrong doc Mike? Are you saying that Trump could turn into a regular acting politician and still Garner the same voter turnout that he requires to win the key swing States? I seriously doubt it. Playing his game is the entire soul of Trumps being. He knows to keep doing what he is doing else if he breaks character he's toast.
An article recently alleged that it is virtually impossible to be treated with HCQ/zpak in Virginia thanks to a carefully-unadvertised ukase of Northam's which puts him in precisely the same posture as Whitmer before her crawl-down.
There was a story in the OC Register yesterday about an elderly couple (90 and 88) whose son, an MD, prescribed HCQ for them the day before they entered the hospital with WuFlu + pneumonia. Both were discharged cured in 5 days. The idiot "Infectious Disease" doc at the hospital said he would not treat other patients with this "unproven remedy" or some such stupidity.
Inga
Outside NY and NJ the hospitals are empty and going broke. No elective surgeries. People afraid to go because of the big bad virus and the halls jammed with ventilators and dead bodies and sobbing nurses.
He knows to keep doing what he is doing else if he breaks character he's toast.
So governing well is his character. OK I agree.
Why in God's name are buyer's home inspections for real estate transactions prohibited in PA? Is there any reason the home inspector can't do them alone, especially when the seller has already moved out?
iowan2: "Why are we not moving on?"
The good-faith question assumes good faith on the part of the alarmists and their "experts."
Mistake: many of the measures taken were objectively unrelated to protecting hospital capacities.
Example: shutting down all of sports.
Other motives drove the shutdowns, and drive their continuation now: fomenting panic, destroying the economy, hurting Trump, CYA for politicians, trial runs for greater government control of the economy and civil society, not letting a crisis go to waste, oh, and hurting Trump.
The shutdowns are a political act carried out by politicians for political purposes.
Qwinn: "Why in God's name are buyer's home inspections for real estate transactions prohibited in PA?"
Fair question. But again, it assumes good faith on the part of the alarmists and their politicians. Mistake.
Doc K,
"The idiot "Infectious Disease" doc at the hospital said he would not treat other patients with this "unproven remedy" or some such stupidity."
Good outcome for that elderly couple! The problem is that infectious disease docs are, as a category, mostly quacks. They ain't surgeons - that's for sure.
"You must have something in mind as to when you will allow me to live my life unimpeded again."
The answer is "Never". Of course, this is not to be said out loud, in plain language.
No duh, Doctor. Trump is the most talented politician this country has ever produced. Against All odds he has gamed the electoral system and become the most powerful man on the planet.
I posted this last night at the Cafe. (Lovely atmosphere. Keep the Cafe open, Ann. Don't let them shut you down.) Because it's on topic, I'm reposting it here with an addendum:
I've been giving Trump the benefit of the doubt. But his tweets encouraging people to "liberate" certain states are a big mistake. That's crossing a line. He is contradicting himself and his own experts. He is provoking antagonism towards the governors, who have enough problems to deal with. Some of the protesters are blocking traffic - that is as offensive to me as when Antifa does it. He is basically inciting a riot, rather than encouraging people to follow his own declared strategy (a gradual reopening of the economy). I'm disappointed that he isn't rising to the occasion.
If Trump's not careful, he could lose this election even to an empty shell like Biden. If a Perot figure were to arise and run as a viable third party candidate, I think Trump would lose just as Bush senior did. His peculiar governing style has its place and can be surprisingly effective, but not in this crisis. He needs to stop treating the governors as the enemy. If he disagrees with them, he should explain it plainly. Calling on people to liberate their states after he acted like the governors should be deferred to is adding too much fuel to the fire. He is sending mixed signals and creating more chaos.
Addendum: After a night of sleeping on it, I still agree with what I wrote. Earth to Republicans: what Trump is doing could create violence. He is virtually inciting a riot. There are medical workers bring blocked from carrying out their duties. This is not a game. Furthermore, the people attending these protests are not even trying to stop the spread of the virus among themselves. They are no different than the pastors who insist on keeping their churches open because God will protect them. That's not how a virus works. Neither spiritual faith nor political zeal will cause a virus to leave you alone, or to infect those you bring it back to. It's one thing to say the lockdown has gone too far, and we need to safely, gradually reopen. It's another thing to encourage "liberation" as if the lockdown is your enemy, and not the virus.
Slightly off-topic, but this weekend is Easter for the Orthodox believers. Many churches are insisting on having regular services, especially in the state churches of Eastern Europe. (Ann, this is a blog-worthy topic, and I can send you some examples if you'd like.) They will be kissing icons, using common communion cups and spoons, and "passing the light" by candles. Many of the priests have said things like "the communion cup is sacred, and a virus cannot travel in it." As a Christian, I appreciate the intense faith in God's care and protection. But faith must be balanced by reason. I would say the same for political zealotry. Loving your neighbor, and caring for your country, should not mean enabling a virus to spread among your fellow believers, or your fellow citizens.
The end of the coronavirus episode is in sight, as the weather gets better.
This is going to bring a long hot summer of political unrest in Europe as well.
Among other things there isn't going to be much money with which to go on an August holiday. Eurpeans are going to work through the summer, or be looking for work, and seething at home.
The pot is boiling in Spain, and when the lid is off I expect the national government to fall, at the very least.
And so forth, in country after country.
it's striking isn't it, buwaya, this popular front regime is as effective as the last one eighty some years ago, same with macron, the enarque twit, gatestone showed his disastrous errors, before and after the outbreak,
I live in Dallas County which starting today we are required to wear a cloth covering over our mouths except there is to be no penalty for not doing so. We were one of the first counties in the state to have a stay at home order. I talked to a local police sgt and he said the order is unenforceable. The only conflict I have heard with the stay at home order was they felt too many people were going to White Rock Lake so they closed off the parking spaces. Within a week the parking spaces were open again. The city and county government here really wanted to control their citizens like is happening in so many parts of the country but they know their people and realized that it would not work. People who want to follow the "rules" do so people who want to live their lives do what they feel is best. We have had 55 deaths in a county of 2.6 million people. I looks like walking around the lake didn't explode the infection rate.
The lock downs were started when the models said 1.1 million people will die, now its down to under 61,000. If you're living in an area where they are enforcing draconian restrictions on how you live your life it is not just your right to protest it is your responsibility to do so.
Andrew,
Trump is a revolutionary leader and his skill is mobilizing a revolutionary vanguard.
The key is that vanguard, not the quibbling, quivering mass. They will follow, or acquiesce to, whomever appears most powerful based on the perceived numbers and motivation of the vanguard.
Lenin was a perceptive chap. Worth some study. He sold (or gave away) his soul to Satan, but that doesn't mean his methods cannot be used for better purposes.
Democrats “cross lines” all the time.
Trump is brilliantly using Rhetoric, he is speaking to emotions, which is needed to effectively communicate to many.
It’s like the statement “SJW’s always Lie”. Rhetorically correct, didacticly not.
well lenin figured out what the social revolutionaries and the peoples will were slow to catch on, violence does not collapse a regime, by itself, political action, propaganda, agitation is necessary, Alinsky took that stateside, Gramsci noted this on the continent,
Thistlerose, well said.
I live at the other end of the state and my county of 360,000 has had zero deaths and four hospitalizations. What I see on social media is some people going TOO SOON TOO SOON AIEEEEEE but I also see an awful lot of people in my neighborhood and friend group quietly bending the rules. The interesting thing to me is that everyone has people outside of their household they can't live without. My neighbor has had her parents and sister's family over. Guy across the street has had buddies come by for beers. We see as much as we want of our best friends who live behind us. Messaged with a friend from church last night who admitted that she does to her grown daughter's house to spend time with her beloved granddaughter all the time.
Maybe half the people I see out and about have masks. PIN pads have no coverings and I see people touching them with bare fingers all the time. People wearing masks who absentmindedly push them aside to scratch noses.
If this were the scary zombie virus that kills everyone, we'd be seeing it by now.
Nice post Andrew. The move is true to the character he's playing. "Trump" (Zelig?) is always shooting the Moon if you play hearts you know what that means. He's gambling that the roll out will go smoothly and the deaths will be low enough to give him the election. This election is all about turnout. Yes most recent move by Trump is directly focused on turn out in swing States and red congressional districts.
Well living in Washington state, and being not too far from our ground zero in Kirkland - the very miss-managed Life CAre Center - I can hoestly say that the governor has his head firmly planted and is acting not in the best interests of the people of the state, but his own narrow leftist fever dreams.
The state is in ecomnomic distress and the east/west divide gets worse day by day. People like Inslee have no idea where food comes from - it could not possibly involve those horrible rednecks from Eastern Washington, it must come from the food fairy that lives in the back room at Safeway. While all of the high tech software entities can work from home, the medical equipment firms cannot, the restaurants cannot, most of the small business cannot, and the farmers sure as hell cannot.
But Inslee would rather burn it all down so he can stand on the pile of rubble and yell that he is in charge. It will be itneresting the see if he actually honors his current lockdown end date of May 4th. I think we can wait that long, if he has a plan in place to re-open the state in a smart manner - though I doubt he has any plans other than to yell 'orange man bad'. He might be waiting for the IHME modle to be revised downard again to match reality on the ground before he makes a decision, or he might be waiting for Bill Gates to give him the go ahead. I do know he isn't listening to the people or the legislture (which seems to be nowhere to be found and isn't even answering email - at least none of my reps are).
But it will all be good, the destruction of a state, as long as Inslee gets to virtue signal. It will make certain people here very happy.
Odds are we won't live to see tomorrow...
Interesting take on Trump rallies lacking flavor... good word for it. He’s used to an overflowing venue of ideologically red people, but now has a sparse arrangement of ideologically blue people. No wonder he’s not happy about it! Plus, just snark and gotcha moments. Not nearly as fun and uplifting for him or anyone else.
“Playing his game is the entire soul of Trumps being.”
I think that’s true and I also think, in opposition to the statist creeps, it’s a good and necessary thing.
This is a great example of how Trump uses Twitter to stay ahead of the curve. A willingness to appear momentarily feckless until everybody else recognizes the need to follow along (like Biden and the China flights). Dumbasses like Inslee take the bait every time, focused on caviling impotently in Trump’s wake and ignoring the wishes of the people.
It was a beautiful day yesterday in Washington State and people were out in droves. The lockdown is rapidly becoming even more of a dumbshow than it originally was. Down here I even see “non-essential” small businesses reopening on their own volition. With all the appropriate social distancing signage, natch.
I guarantee that the governors of Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia spend the next week thinking about how they can quickly reopen without appearing to be motivated by Trump’s tweet. A freakin’ tweet, for crying out loud. That is some awesome political gamesmanship.
Liberals do not understand that what is allowed is not mandatory.
Stay the fuck in your house. Don't step out until Biden gives the all clear. It's safer that way.
“The contrast between red states that are reopening their economies an d blue states that are not should get very interesting soon.”
Ken B suggested in another thread that it was much too early to handicap the November election. He is probably right. Much can happen between now and then.
But the differences between Red and Blue America are becoming ever more stark. Much of Red America is getting ready to go back to work, and they never really shut down in places like South Dakota. Here in PHX, most stores appear open, and the freeways are moderately busy. A lot of stuff is being done at home, but it is getting done. Closed on the new house Thursday, and there weren’t any COVID-19 related sues whatsoever. Movers packed Wed and Thurs. initially we had them wearing gloves and masks, but the gloves were shredding, so by the end of the first day, my germaphobic partner wasn’t insisting. They are coming back Mon with the trucks to start the physical move. We are hoping for load Mon and unload Tues. owner of the company claims that he has had to hire additional crews to keep within OSHA guidelines.
Occasionally, you do see effects, of course. I was going to spend the 20 minutes waiting for my dinner to be completed at the nearby Home Depot getting keys made for the new house. But the parking lot was full there, and there was a properly spread out line waiting their turn to get in. I asked a guy at the door at the nearby Walmart how often they had lines to get in. He responded that the lines are only in the late mornings. The rest of the time, you just walk in. I am there most days, because they have the nearest McDonalds, and my partner prefers their coffee, so I get her cups refilled most evenings, on my way out to pick up dinner. The biggest thing that I miss is being able to sit down at restaurants, esp at that McDonalds.
Bought the subdivision at the end of the month last month it that we live in in NW MT, and talk to the banker there a lot. Very little impact there at all. The county has a population density between that of WY and AK, so that shouldn’t be surprising.
My point is that COVID-19 is mostly a Blue State problem. Red States were mostly never shut down as much, and are almost all getting ready to open back up. To get back to normal. The Blue State governments are inevitably more autocratic and totalitarian. That is the nature of Blue state governments. It is compounded by their vulnerability to plagues such as this by their demographics. They cannot afford to open back up nearly as much, if they wanted to, and, of course, mostly don’t. They can use this pandemic as an excuse to impose a lot of their wet dreams on their citizenry.
It was great when Trump and his COVID-19 team were telling everyone to quarantine in place. The Blue State governors could hide their autocratic moves behind Trump’s orders. But that is coming to an abrupt end, with Trump throwing the decision making back to the states. For the most part, I expect that most of Red America to go back to normal, while Blue State governors are going to fight opening back up as much as they can. Only now, they won’t have the cover of the federal government ordering them to quarantine. It is all on them, and it already looks bad with their overreach and overreaction. It is going to look worse and worse as time goes on, esp compared to the Red States getting back to normal. Of course, the MSM, as a wing of the Dem party will try to hide this from the public to the extent they can. In any case though I expect to see this dynamic effecting the upcoming election.
It will be itneresting to see how the protest at Olympia goes this Sunday. Will our feckless governor send in the police? Mobilize the Guard? Hide wherever he is currently hiding but virtue signal to the press? Bust a blood vessel seeing all of the deplorables exercising their constitutional rights? Just ignore it all and pretend it never happended? Do what gov Half-Whitmer did initially and threaten the people of the state with more draconian lockdown orders?
Or maybe pay attention, realize he needs to get in front of this and open the state in a smart manner. Take a hint from Texas and do it gradually, encourage mask wearing and continued social distancing when in public, encourage those most at risk to continue staying at home as much as possible, get random serology testing under way immediately, etc.
Earth to Republicans: what Trump is doing could create violence.
Yeah, sure, just like his action on Soleimani caused World War III.
It's obvious that the policy of Governor Gretchen "Half-" Witmer, where lottery ticket sales are essential while seed sales are a danger, can't be defended on the merits. So, of course, you and Governor Inslee are spreading nonsense about potential violence and trying to make the issue people daring to protest her dimwitted Draconian decree.
@Steven,
I am a supporter of Pres. Trump, and not of Gov. Inslee. I also strongly support my own Governor, Mike DeWine (who Trump also has praised).
But I consider blocking traffic, and preventing medical practitioners from doing their jobs, an act of violence,
There are new surges of COVID-19 in countries like Japan. If we return to normal too quickly, the consequences could be deadly. I'm not advocating for a non-stop lockdown. But it should be incremental. The President himself said that.
"Liberate" implies something very different. To say the least, it's counterproductive. I actually want Trump to win this next election. But I'm afraid he's blowing it. I really am. For example, when he tweeted out a meme of himself playing the violin, inviting comparisons to Nero. That's an own goal if there ever was one. He says he's a stable genius. He needs to start by being stable. If you want to see totalitarianism, watch what happens if he loses, and the Democrats take thieir revenge. I want that not to happen, which is why I'm offering some constructive criticism.
In a nutshell, until the shark is killed, the "beaches" should remain closed. Yes, let's start safely opening some things up. DeWine is doing that. But let's not be naive. Some of the protesters who are "liberating" their states are going to die because of this virus, or are going to spread it to someone else who will die. I have a friend of a friend on a ventilator right now. This isn't a game. Most people on a ventilator don't make it.
More Chief Brody, less Mayor of Amity.
you can play golf now
The open space and convection currents are effective multipliers of social distancing. So, without a greenhouse effect, it's not 24 feet separation, but more like 3 feet, perhaps less depending on the direction of the wind.
The Tea-party showed that, unlike Antifa goons, so-called right-wingers can protest without resorting to violence... or even littering. These protests won't get violent if the authorities allow the citizens to exercise their constitutional right to assemble.
The police are ordered to stand down whenever Antifa is running amok. Are they going to attack law-abiding citizens peacefully assembling? The rest of the country will be watching to see what these democrat leaders do. Do democrat governors want to incite violence in an election year?
AA would have made a useful producer on The Apprentice.
you can play golf now
Not in Nevada you can't.
"preventing medical practitioners from doing their jobs"
Where did that happen?
My point is that COVID-19 is mostly a Blue State problem. Red States were mostly never shut down as much, and are almost all getting ready to open back up. To get back to normal. The Blue State governments are inevitably more autocratic and totalitarian. That is the nature of Blue state governments.
Yup. The Democrat Mayor of Tucson ordered everything shut down but a lot of people, more every day, are ignoring her.
Lowes and Home Depot lots are full. Traffic is up every week.
Andrew, I think you are expressing blue state opinions and they may be appropriate for blue states. I wonder if your friend on the vent got HCQ?
The OC Register story yesterday was so emblematic. A wealthy couple in Newport Beach get WuFlu pneumonia. They are 90 and 88. They have an MD son who ordered HCQ for them immediately. They go in the hospital where the "Infectious Disease" guy is opposed to the use of HCQ but gives it to them anyway. They are discharged cured in 5 days and go home.
The Infectious Disease guy says he will not use it on anyone else. Blue State thinking.
aco Wové said...
"preventing medical practitioners from doing their jobs"
Where did that happen?
Nevada and Michigan and some other blue states, as well. HCQ banned.
Here in NY and NJ, all nonessential medical is shut down: no dentistry but emergency dentistry, and everything from ophthalmology to orthopedic procedures banned unless emergency. I know several private practice physicians who normally do very well who are in dire financial straits at the moment.
Blogger Michael K said...
My point is that COVID-19 is mostly a Blue State problem. Red States were mostly never shut down as much, and are almost all getting ready to open back up. To get back to normal. The Blue State governments are inevitably more autocratic and totalitarian. That is the nature of Blue state governments.
.....
The OC Register story yesterday was so emblematic. A wealthy couple in Newport Beach get WuFlu pneumonia. They are 90 and 88. They have an MD son who ordered HCQ for them immediately. They go in the hospital where the "Infectious Disease" guy is opposed to the use of HCQ but gives it to them anyway. They are discharged cured in 5 days and go home.
_______+++++++
why could not the MD son have treated them at home or his clinic without sending parents to hospital?
is that not an option anymore? medical ethics against family treatment?
[aco Wové said...
"preventing medical practitioners from doing their jobs"
Where did that happen?]
I've known Jay Inslee - personally and professionally - since 1991. Let's just say he's not particularly bright.
He is known in the state for being fairly ignorant. It is actually amazing that he got elected as governor - it does not put the electorate in the state in a good light. Of course if the Republican party in Washington would get off their ass and run a candidate for governor that wasn't a multiple time election loser then there might be a competitve race for the post. But I am certain that space aliens will visit me at home before that happens.
Blogger Andrew said...
... Many of the priests have said things like "the communion cup is sacred, and a virus
cannot travel in it."
)))))______
Well if the priests fortified the communion per science recommendation >>> win-win
@Michael K,
First, I always enjoy your comments, and usually agree with you. This is one of those rare times when I'm not on the same page as most commenters here.
Concerning: "Andrew, I think you are expressing blue state opinions and they may be appropriate for blue states. I wonder if your friend on the vent got HCQ?"
Well, I live in Ohio, which is a red state, but more accurately a "purple but leaning red" state. Gov. DeWine (R) is very popular here, and he has been locking down the state on multiple fronts before other states followed suit.
I would contrast DeWine with Inslee and other governors this way: DeWine has been very transparent about what he's doing. He has tried to be consistent. He has shown genuine empathy for those suffering because of the economic consequences. And he has reiterated repeatedly that his goal is to save lives. He also has done his best to work with the President, and despite being egged on by local journalists, has never badmouthed him. He also has gotten things moving quickly regarding medical supplies, and Trump has praised him for that.
But I know several Trump supporters who are not political junkies like we are, and they are losing heart. That is, they think Trump has performed poorly. They are worried he's not the right man for this crisis (they don't think Biden is either). Yes, Trump closed down travel from China, and then Europe. Yes, he's deregulated, and pushed things forward. But he's also likened COVID-19 to the flu, and said that it was under control. There's blame to go around regarding China, WHO, the Dems, etc. But the buck stops with him. And he has not been consistent, he has contradicted himself, his experts, and his allies. He needs to step up his game.
Concerning the man a friend of mine knows who's on a ventilator, that's a very good question. I'll see if I can find out (about HCQ). But on that note, Trump's hailing of that drug has unintended consequences. Other people need that drug too, for non-Covid reasons, and now its in short supply. That's an example of Trump's instincts bring counterproductive. He's not a doctor, and he needs to stay in his lane. If he wants the Dems to pay a price for going too far with lockdowns, there's a way to do that without adding so much fuel to the fire.
Just my opinion, and I still consider myself a Trump supporter. But if Biden withdraws, or picks a popular VP, or a viable 3rd party candidate rises up, Trump could lose. Ohio is a bellwether, and that's the impression I'm getting.
Michael K, I believe it was Andrew, the commenter just above me here, who alleged that people protesting (presumably against continuation of these "lockdowns") were "preventing medical practitioners from doing their jobs". I hadn't heard that, and wondered where he had.
Yes, he's deregulated, and pushed things forward. But he's also likened COVID-19 to the flu, and said that it was under control.
At the end of all this hysteria, it is going to be very much like the flu except that there is no vaccine.
Trump's hailing of that drug has unintended consequences. Other people need that drug too, for non-Covid reasons, and now its in short supply.
My wife has taken it for three years for rheumatoid arthritis. She refilled her prescription not long before the hysteria began. She takes 1 1/2 200 mg pill per day. She has enough for 3 months. By the time the people who have taken it run low, the supply will recover. It is out of patent and easy to make. Also rabid Democrats are refusing to take it (I assume) and that leaves more for us deplorables.
I think Trump, like Arizona Governor Ducey, also a businessman with no political history, is exactly the right man to deal with this crisis.
When World War II began, the situation with raw materials and priorities was a mess. Roosevelt was wise enough to get Bill Knudson a business executive to take over War Production.
Idiot ARM says Knudson was a Deep State member because Roosevelt made him a major general. Another private businessman was Ferdie Eberstadt, who solved the distribution of critical materials.
Without those businessmen, who Roosevelt had vilified for ten years, we might not have won the war.
that people protesting (presumably against continuation of these "lockdowns") were "preventing medical practitioners from doing their jobs"
I thought that reference was to idiot Governors like Michigan and Nevada who were banning HCQ. I under stand that North Carolina also has a quiet ban on the same drug because Trump mentioned it. I have no problem with leftists like ARM and Inga and Freder refusing it if they become infected. That will help with the shortages that Andrew fears.
It is actually amazing that he got elected as governor - it does not put the electorate in the state in a good light.
Well, to be fair ... one can lay that at the feet of Rob McKenna in 2012. Well, actually the person whose advice Rob followed when he filed suit against Obamacare without providing an alternative plan. That cost him the election.
People simply won't vote No unless there's a viable alternative. That's something I think the left is going to learn again in November.
Regarding the Republican Party in Washington state? The fact we have Phil Fortunato, Tim freakin' Eyman and the police chief from the tiny town of Republic vying for the banner reveals all you need to know about the so-called Washington state Republican Party.
Paco, Michael, etc.
Here's what I was referring to. I don't usually quite The Daily Beast, but I'm in a hurry. There are other sources and examples. I heard this about Michigan, and they had more than one incidence. Michael K., thanks for your followup.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/michigan-conservatives-not-concerned-about-covid-19-block-ambulance-during-protest-against-social-distancing
The term "weak sauce" comes to mind.
the daily basilisk leaves you with scales on your skin,
On the other hand, the possibility that something happened is enough to give the pro-lock-everything-down faction ammunition, so I'll give you that.
I won't give that article any God damned credit.
The protestors at Lexington and Concord put the lives of several English soldiers in danger. And you know what? They were right to demand the respect of their God given rights that they deserved. Those freedoms include many things, like being able to walk in a park or fish on a lake.
Threats to arrest protestors while hardened criminals are released from incarceration puts the lie to what is happening. It's not about health. It is, as Representative Clyburn said, Winnie Xi Flu "is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision."
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/report-clyburn-says-coronavirus-relief-package-a-tremendous-opportunity-to-restructure-things-to-fit-our-vision
The Leftist Collectivists are trying to remake society so that their power is expanded. They only care about power. Not people. And not the virus.
Power.
> I've been giving Trump the benefit of the doubt. But his tweets encouraging people to "liberate" certain states are a big mistake. That's crossing a line. He is contradicting himself and his own experts. He is provoking antagonism towards the governors, who have enough problems to deal with.
Simple
His tweets are good politics.
People think in associations.
Trump previously picked The Squabs to be the face of the Dems.
Now Trump is appointing Dem governors who overreacted as the face of the party.
Who wants Democrats to come micromanage your life according to liberal ideals?
Trump recognizes political gold by instinct. He said "Politics is all instinct".
Andrew is what Adams calls a "Word Thinker". He doesn't hear the music.
@Unknown,
"Andrew is what Adams calls a "Word Thinker". He doesn't hear the music."
Lol. That may be true. I am too analytical to a fault. But sometimes, regarding Trump's tweets, I do hear and enjoy the music. And I'm a fan of Adams. I think he's a genius.
But a tweet that causes people to be more likely to spread a virus, among other things, is just not my cup of tea.
Andrew, Andrew, Andrew.
When you start a sentence "Earth to Republicans", you've self-revealed that you identify the people in the second category as the "other". Trying to claw back afterward and pretend you're actually a Trump supporter doesn't work.
It works even less well when you treated as a reasonable proposition the idea that Trump's tweet amounted to an inspiration for people to commit violence. That's a standard left-wing propaganda line that would never strike an actual Trump supporter as anything other than a personal insult.
By the time you actually reference the Daily Beast, your claims of being a Trump supporter are as exploded as a supernova.
So, please, just drop the ridiculous pretense. You are not a Trump supporter who honestly thinks a tweet in support of an in-car protest could cause people to spread the Wuhan coronavirus. You're a liberal who was trying to concern-troll, and quite openly showed that you aren't clever enough to pass an ideological Turing Test.
@Steven,
I like you, but you don't know me.
A person can say "Earth to ____" about his own party or group. I've heard plenty of people say that over the years, trying to wake up their own side about danger on the horizon.
I am a Trump supporter. I have been from the beginning. One of the reasons was China. I used to be in a church with a large number of Chinese people. Many of them were the descendants of refugees from Mao. Trump has been right about China for decades, and I appreciated that long before the virus.
I could give 100 other reasons why I supported him (and still do), and another 100 reasons why I was against Hillary (spoiler alert: her husband's relationship with China was part of it), and 100 reasons why calling me a liberal is so absurd I shouldn't bother responding.
I don't know your age. I'm 49, going on 50. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I've lived longer than you. I grew up in an ultra liberal family, but became a conservative in my teens. That was in the 80's. The main reason? I realized that Reagan was right about the Soviet Union. So my pedigree goes back a ways.
But I don't believe in blind loyalty, and I don't believe in obsequiousness. My concern right now is not trolling. I actually want Trump to win the election. I think he's the best person to restore the economy, because he's already shown how it can be done. He has that magic wand that Obama couldn't find. I think for the Dems to return to power would be a nightmare.
But if he tweets in all caps, "SOCIAL DISTANCING!" and also tweets "LIBERATE ___!" to me he's engaging in contradictions that could lose him the election. If those protesters spread the virus, let's just say it won't be a good look for him. The virus won't care who gets the political benefit, and who gets the detriment. But more importantly, people will die. That's not hysterical, that's reality. Or was the President not serious when he talked about death? If you support him, as I do, was he making that up? "A lot of death"?
And yes, I am worried about actual violence breaking out. I've read my Solzhenitsyn. Maybe it would be from our side, maybe from theirs, may be it would be a false flag, maybe it would be an accident. But it's possible.
I quoted the Beast, because I didn't have time to do a research project. So do your own research. I live in Ohio, and know people in Michigan. There are ACTUAL doctors, and ACTUAL nurses, and ACTUAL ambulance drivers, who are saying the protesters have hindered their work. If you don't care about that, even in pure political considerations, then I don't know what else there is to say. But I want those people to get to work on time. Someone's life might depend on it.
But don't call me a liberal. Don't try to read my mind. If you do, you're speaking out your ass.
@Steven,
I like you, but you don't know me.
A person can say "Earth to ____" about his own party or group. I've heard plenty of people say that over the years, trying to wake up their own side about danger on the horizon.
I am a Trump supporter. I have been from the beginning. One of the reasons was China. I used to be in a church with a large number of Chinese people. Many of them were the descendants of refugees from Mao. Trump has been right about China for decades, and I appreciated that long before the virus.
I could give 100 other reasons why I supported him (and still do), and another 100 reasons why I was against Hillary (spoiler alert: her husband's relationship with China was part of it), and 100 reasons why calling me a liberal is so absurd I shouldn't bother responding.
I don't know your age. I'm 49, going on 50. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I've lived longer than you. I grew up in an ultra liberal family, but became a conservative in my teens. That was in the 80's. The main reason? I realized that Reagan was right about the Soviet Union. So my pedigree goes back a ways.
But I don't believe in blind loyalty, and I don't believe in obsequiousness. My concern right now is not trolling. I actually want Trump to win the election. I think he's the best person to restore the economy, because he's already shown how it can be done. He has that magic wand that Obama couldn't find. I think for the Dems to return to power would be a nightmare.
But if he tweets in all caps, "SOCIAL DISTANCING!" and also tweets "LIBERATE ___!" to me he's engaging in contradictions that could lose him the election. If those protesters spread the virus, let's just say it won't be a good look for him. The virus won't care who gets the political benefit, and who gets the detriment. But more importantly, people will die. That's not hysterical, that's reality. Or was the President not serious when he talked about death? If you support him, as I do, was he making that up? "A lot of death"?
And yes, I am worried about actual violence breaking out. I've read my Solzhenitsyn. Maybe it would be from our side, maybe from theirs, may be it would be a false flag, maybe it would be an accident. But it's possible.
I quoted the Beast, because I didn't have time to do a research project. So do your own research. I live in Ohio, and know people in Michigan. There are ACTUAL doctors, and ACTUAL nurses, and ACTUAL ambulance drivers, who are saying the protesters have hindered their work. If you don't care about that, even in pure political considerations, then I don't know what else there is to say. But I want those people to get to work on time. Someone's life might depend on it.
But don't call me a liberal. Don't try to read my mind. If you do, you're speaking out your ass.
@Steven,
I wrote you a long response, but it must have been eaten up somehow. Or maybe Ann hasn't gotten to approving comments yet.
Nutshell version:
1) I'm 49, and have been a conservative Republican since my teens.
2) I am not a liberal, and you need to avoid presumptuous mind reading.
3) "Earth to ___" can be spoken to your own team, when you think they're blowing it.
4) Medical workers have been blocked in Michigan from doing their jobs by protestors. I tried to find a quick news source. Do your own research.
5) I am a Trump supporter, but I'm not a loyalist or a sycophant. I think he's in danger of blowing this election. I don't need your permission to express my opinions, and that doesn't turn me into a liberal.
6) You are not as smart as you think you are.
Thank you for playing.
Post a Comment