Republicans Don't Care About You, Part Infinity

Like their Dear Leader, Republicans don't really care about you, part infinity.

Exhibit A:

An Indiana congressman said Tuesday that letting more Americans die from the novel coronavirus is the "lesser of two evils" compared with the economy cratering due to social distancing measures.

Speaking with radio station WIBC in Indiana, Republican Rep. Trey Hollingsworth asserted that, while he appreciated the science behind the virus' spread, "it is always the American government's position to say, in the choice between the loss of our way of life as Americans and the loss of life, of American lives, we have to always choose the latter."

Exhibit B:

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is facing increased scrutiny over her refusal to issue a stay-at-home order as a coronavirus outbreak at a major pork processing plant in her state raises new concerns about the nation's food supply.

Noem is one of seven governors -- all Republicans -- who so far have not issued statewide stay-at-home orders. "South Dakota is not New York City," she said in early April.

Her denial comes as fellow Republican officials in her state, including Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender, call on the governor to take more sweeping action and as the pandemic has forced the closure of the pork processing plant -- a move that will have consequences outside South Dakota's borders.

Instead, Noem has touted her state's role in evaluating hydroxychloroquine [snip]

But South Dakota, a state of 900,000, has 988 coronavirus cases and six deaths. Of those, 438 are employees of a Sioux Falls food processing plant, and 107 are people who have been in contact with those employees, Noem said Tuesday.

Exhibit C:

From New York to Ohio to California, the nation’s governors are leading the way during the coronavirus crisis, using their offices to provide residents with consistent messages that promote public safety.

Then there’s Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A month into an international pandemic, the leader of the nation’s third-largest state has confounded with conflicting orders. DeSantis has made erroneous claims — like last Thursday when he suggested no one under the age of 25 has died from the coronavirus in the United States. He has pushed unproven medical cures while dismissing advice from health experts. He has shared wrong information, potentially affecting millions of people, that went uncorrected for hours.

Unlike other governors, DeSantis doesn’t hold regular public briefings. He has ceded the biggest decisions, like whether to close beaches, to city and county officials, yet he hasn’t talked to many of them. Early on, he clashed with federal officials over whether Florida had community spread of the virus.

DeSantis’ uneven response has made him an outlier among his counterparts across the country. The approval ratings of most governors have soared during the crisis. DeSantis, one of America’s most popular governors a few months ago, has seen his support plummet. One poll found him the third-worst rated governor at handling the coronavirus in the country.

Exhibit D:

Pete Ricketts has closed schools (even before New York City did), banned gatherings of 10 people or more, and closed dine-in areas in restaurants—but he is one of only eight governors in the country to resist a statewide stay-at-home order. The state’s May 12 primary is still on the books, and last week, Ricketts was already talking about easing what restrictions are in place, and a mall in Gretna was planning on reopening on April 24.

“Reopening sit-down restaurants and bars may be a part of that,” Ricketts, a conservative Republican, said on Wednesday. “As we get into this toward the end of the month, we'll be re-evaluating where we are with regard to where the virus is and making those decisions."

By the numbers, Nebraska is in better shape than most other places. With 901 COVID-19 infections and 20 recorded coronavirus deaths, it’s in the bottom 10 states.

But Nebraska also ranks 43rd in the rate of testing, which means there could be many undetected cases. Over the weekend, cases were reported for the first time in three more counties. And the number of cases statewide shot up by 100—the biggest one-day total so far—between Saturday and Sunday.

In Grand Island, the numbers are worse, and some residents are bristling at the governor’s approach to a pandemic that has killed over 23,000 Americans.

Hollingsworth is a multi- millionaire (the 12th wealthiest Member of Congress);  Ricketts is a mult- millionaire (from family ownership of TD Ameritrade and part ownership of the Chicago Cubs); Noem and DeSantis are relative paupers by comparison, waiting to cash out when they leave office.  But it's narcissistic sociopath Donald "I Don't Take Responsibility At All" Trump's party, lock, stock and barrel, regardless.  The cancer has metastasized and needs to be removed at all levels.