Saturday, October 3, 2020

Falling Ill Fallout (UPDATED)

The politically damaging fallout continues from the outbreak of COVID-19 that's sent Donald "COVID Donnie" Trump to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.  It begins with this piece of a continuing trend:

The White House didn’t confirm that President Trump’s personal valet tested positive for the novel coronavirus until the media broke the story in May. It didn’t confirm that Vice President Pence’s press secretary contracted the virus until the media reported it a few days later. It didn’t confirm that Trump’s national security adviser had it until the press reported it, and it was only after Bloomberg News — which first reported several of these cases — revealed that counselor Hope Hicks had tested positive that the White House acknowledged it.

It appears that the first time the White House was the first to confirm a positive coronavirus test in the administration was Trump’s tweet about his own positive test early Friday morning.

The diagnosis immediately destabilized a broad range of institutions and efforts. Stock futures dropped by hundreds of points. Questions immediately arose about possible succession plans or preparations. Trump's ongoing reelection campaign lost its candidate for some to-be-determined period — and lost any hope of redirecting the race away from the ongoing pandemic.

That instability will only be heightened by the long track record of obscuring or misrepresenting health information related to the president.

Needless to say, a pathological liar and his pathologically lying regime will continue not to be trusted to provide accurate and timely information about the virus, either as it's affecting COVID Donnie (man, that nickname hits now) or the nation for that matter. 

Then, there's this succinct analysis about the political impact:

“He’s f**ked, we’re f**ked,” said one White House aide who is not authorised to speak publicly. “No matter what we do, the next two weeks or more will be about him not being able to protect himself or us from Covid.”

When informed of the Biden campaign’s announcement that the former VP and his wife, Dr Jill Biden, had both tested negative, the aide replied: “Double f**ked.”

Michael Starr Hopkins, a Democratic strategist, also opined that Trump’s positive diagnosis spells the end of his campaign’s attempt to get Americans to focus on anything other than the pandemic.

The person who said recently that the virus "affects virtually nobody" now has the virus.  

The re- focus on the pandemic, specifically how COVID Donnie was unable to protect the country or himself through science- based, reasonable actions, means at least two weeks of devastating messaging:

With Mr. Biden already leading in the polls, and Mr. Trump’s electoral prospects dependent on his ability to campaign, the president has little time to change the trajectory of the race. The fate of his re-election bid increasingly seemed to hinge on his own health — and whether he will able to overcome the disease and persuade voters to give him another four years.

The split-screen between the candidates on Friday represented a striking reversal from the last few months, during which Mr. Trump pushed on with his rallies and belittled Mr. Biden for adhering to health protocols and running a “basement campaign.” [snip]

The president’s illness is certain to keep the coronavirus pandemic front and center in the remaining weeks before the election, a development that would appear to favor Mr. Biden, whose campaign message is focused on criticism of Mr. Trump’s stewardship of the deadly disease.

In the White House, advisers to the president acknowledged that the positive test would remind voters of how dismissive Mr. Trump had been about the virus, not only with the neglect of his own safety but also in his overly rosy assessments about a pandemic that has killed more than 208,000 Americans. Mr. Trump’s recklessness, one adviser acknowledged, amounted to a political “disaster.”

Increasingly, it appears that the Rose Garden announcement meant to showcase the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to a hijacked seat on the Supreme Court was a superspreader event.  Here are some of those in attendance testing positive so far:

o Trump and "Melanie";

o  Campaign manager Bill Stepien;

o Kellyanne Conway;

o Sen. Mike Lee (Utah);

o Sen. Thom Tillis (NC);

o RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel;

o Notre Dame president Father John Jenkins;

o at least three members of the White House press corps.

Masks were not required at the indoor Coney Barrett events at the White (Supremacist) House that day, either.  With the exception of the press corps members, all of the above chose to follow their Dear Leader's reckless example.

Something about sowing the wind, and reaping the whirlwind might apply here, no?

As always, stay focused and VOTE!

BONUS:

 

UPDATETwo more Republican rats have tested COVID positive --  Sen. Rick "Mr. Medicare Fraud" Scott (R-FL) and the dumbest man in the Senate, Sen. Ron "Tiny" Johnson (R-WI).

UPDATE II:  Add Trump debate prepper Chris "Krispycreme" Christie, whose obesity is an added risk, to the list.  The schadenfreude is becoming overwhelming.

 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

And the care provided to the idiot in chief at a military hospital, by presumably some military members will be first rate, in spite of his denigrating and egregious, and much repeated, remarks. This irony will be lost on him, but because he has no morals and probably doesn't think anyone else should either, he will probably be worried every time someone comes in to do anything with his IV. I certainly would be if I thought I were being treated by "losers" and "suckers." Thankfully, these military personnel will be upholding their medical oath and their oath to the Constitution. I wish he would do the same with his oath. P.E.C.

W. Hackwhacker said...

Anon -- absolutely, Ms. Cake!