Morning Politocadoes!
The President* attempted to assuage fears on Wednesday about a potential outbreak of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. Did he do so with a thoughtful, measured speech that stayed on topic that he then let more knowledgeable officials speak on and answer questions about? You should probably know the answer to that.
Trump once again made the speech all about him and everything going on in his world, blathering about god knows what. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1232829602655023104
But the long and short of it, is that thankfully he didn’t say that HE ALONE could fix it. He’s gonna let Pence take care of it.
PENCE.
Mike Pence, a former morning radio show host whom almost certainly would have lost a reelection bid were it not for Hellworld happening, is remarkably bad about dealing with epidemics. Draggin his feet on lifting a ban on a sterile needles program led to an outbreak of HIV among opioid addicts.
But hey, never mind that I’m sure that’s fine.
Now it’s time for the Pence Show! Starring me! I’m Pence!
I have very little confidence in this administration in the first place but I can’t imagine them to be in any worse of a position in the face of a potential outbreak. Having already made cuts to the epidemic teams in the Department of Homeland Security and at the National Security Council putting a man who famously made an epidemic somehow even worse at the helm is just poor foresight.
Now, while the fears of the coronavirus have been exaggerated in some respects, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t warrant an effective response. The virus is easily contagious and particularly lethal to the most vulnerable in our population. Not having people with the right background and expertise leading a national coordinated effort could potentially make any outcomes worse than they need to be.
Welcome to Thursday! PLEASE BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule is in effect because we’re better than him. If you notice a news item being posted too often, alert a mod so it can be pinned to the top of the thread.