Bray, there is no way this pandemic would have been minimized or ignored. The toll it is taking on Italy, Spain, France, the UK, and Iran makes it impossible to minimize. What is happening in the NYC metropolitan area is horrific.
My problem with all of this involves how we are formulating public policy. I want the career technocrats like Dr. Fauci to provide their expert technical advice, but I don't want them to drive public policy. He sees solutions thru the narrow prism of his field of expertise. He wants to stop the spread of the disease and save lives. The economic damage is not his concern. I would note however that he reacted differently to the H1N1 virus that infected 60 million and caused 12,000 deaths. Obama may have done the right thing, intentionally or not, by delaying the response to that pandemic. Imagine if he replicated the current approach in 2009 when the economy was in the dumpster.
I have been very disturbed by the process of how public policy decisions are made. The MSM is playing an advocacy role in partnership with the Dems and Deep State. They are using emotion, distortion, and omission to stampede the public to support bad policy. Ben Rhodes had it down pat as he pushed through decisions like the Iran Deal. Trump was forced to react the way he did because of the political consequences.
We must now fight sanitized wars with little or no collateral damage. Trump has been asked a number of times about what is the acceptable level of deaths due to the virus. The politically correct answer is none as Cuomo is wont to say stridently. So how can Trump open up the economy if the metric is no life will be lost if he opens up the economy. Pointing out that we seem to tolerate the loss of tens of thousands of lives to the flu every year is considered to be naive or worse, insensitive.
Not only has Trump become a prisoner of this process, but so have the governors who feel compelled to declare statewide shutdowns regardless of the data. The more draconian the measures, the better since it is win-win. If the virus infections are low, they can point to the measures taken. If things go South in terms of the virus, they can say it would have been far worse if they hadn't taken such severe actions.
I am seeing this happen here in SC. The governor has been under lot of pressure politically to declare a statewide shutdown. Some cities have unilaterally declared shutdowns, but the state AG has said that they don't have such authority.
When all of the data are analyzed months and years from now, I am convinced that the conclusion will be that we overreacted by cosmic levels adding huge amounts to our national debt and taking counterproductive actions. TDS has played a major role in this crisis.
Yeah no fault at all of the NY public officials, early on, mocking the President, telling the public to carry on as usual, ride the subway; "don't worry, be happy".
And then Kumo hoarding 16,000 ventilators and who knows how many masks.
Some RAT governors issuing directives to providers not to utilize the hydroxychloroquine/combination therapy for those afflicted with the virus.
LA deciding to go ahead with Mardi Gras....
not too smart.
Unfortunately, the perps do not learn lessons, period. Note: not one acknowledgement, let alone apology or regret for the hell they put President Trump and the country through with the Russia hoax.
See my post # 84.
Your (this) reply says it better than I did in 84. Good post!
No fault of the RATagandists' Panic-demic®. 24/7 "sky is falling" coverage, nothing comparable during H1N1
They should be charged criminally for creating a public panic, disseminating false information and attempting to destroy the economy.
TDS has played a major role in this crisis.
Ya think?
When all of the data are analyzed months and years from now....
I'll bet that way before that, it will be shown that the socialists, both foreign and domestic, will have COLLUDED and CONSPIRED to bring down this President...deliberately releasing this Lab-produced bioweapon, fully knowing it would kill thousands world-wide.
But they don't give a $h!+!
....they're communists.