President Shit for Brains continues to be resistant to facts, evidence, reality, and sadly, the fucking virus itself:
President Trump said Tuesday that he wants the country “opened up” by Easter — April 12 — and continued to play down the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic even as experts warned of a worsening crisis.
A World Health Organization official said that the United States has the potential to become the new epicenter of the global crisis.
If, like me, you are wondering why Trump is apparently immune to the virus, the answer is that viruses CAN infect other viruses, it just isn’t that common. Regardless, opening up the country unless it is medically wise isn’t just insane, it’s fucking murderous. It’s gross negligence and more.
I’ve been investing in my retirement fund for thirty years, since I was 19. When I finished college, I lived in a shitty apartment that had fucking carpet on the walls from the 70’s because it was only $300 a month and every other apartment was $700+ and I drove a 1983 Chevy Celebrity until 2007 while my friends all drove new cars because I wanted to max out what I gave to my retirement and maybe be able to live when I could no longer earn. So I am invested in the stock market. It’s not much, but it is something. But if losing half of it or more saves the fucking life of just one kid’s mom or dad, it was worth every penny. This is not fucking rocket science.
And it doesn’t have to be an either/or. The way to avoid longterm economic effects are to endure the short term pain and get everybody healthy and not afraid to go out. You can open businesses all you want, no one but Darwin Award contestants are going to jam themselves in a fucking movie theater or stay for a week in a Trump Hotel if dying or killing grandma is a potential side effect, so the market is still going to be a hot mess.
Seriously, Larry Kudlow and those like him are going to kill us all, the Grima Wormtongue motherfuckers.
I’ll just end this little tirade with some sound reasoning from NFLTG Hillary:
Please do not take medical advice from a man who looked directly at a solar eclipse.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 24, 2020
Exactly.
dmsilev
I’ve seen it suggested that he’s so desperate to re-open because Trump hotels are bleeding money and loans are coming due.
Gin & Tonic
Boy, do I wish she were POTUS right about now.
Gin & Tonic
@dmsilev: There isn’t a bank in the world that would foreclose on the President of the US.
Phylllis
At least some Governors have good sense. Gov. Henry McMaster (known in these parts as Deputy Dawg) just announced South Carolina schools will remain closed through the end of April.
rikyrah
@dmsilev:
I don’t doubt it
Highway Rob
I had a feeling his reopen-the-country idea had to do with reopening his evangelical supporters’ churches so they could get butts in seats for Easter. Gotta keep that collection plate full. And then…
feebog
Can I add that the idea that you can just shut old people into indefinite isolation to protect them while the general population goes back to work is insane. I’m in my 70s. I still work. I still travel all over the Western U.S. for that work. There are many seniors that do the same. We aren’t staying inside our homes while the rest of y’all resume normal lives.
Phylllis
@Gin & Tonic: Check out James Zirin’s Plaintiff in Chief. He lays out Trump’s byzantine relationships with Deutsche Bank very clearly.
rikyrah
Cole,
I saw you discuss what you were doing concerning your parents on your Twitter feed. Made me ??
You are good people, Cole.
zhena gogolia
@Highway Rob:
WHY DOESN’T HE GET IT????? God, I hate him so much.
Meanwhile, our little church has been meeting virtually for the last two weeks. The ministers make YouTubes, and we have a Zoom prayer meeting. It is incredibly nourishing spiritually.
rikyrah
@Highway Rob:
Absolute insanity ??
Nicole
I am fascinated by the Right Wing attempting to sell, “The older generation will be glad to sacrifice themselves for the economy” to said older generation (seeing as how the median age of FOX News viewers is what, 65?). These now senior citizen FOX News viewers are the same folk who, when much younger, mocked Jimmy Carter for suggesting they put on a sweater to save the planet.
Duane
The Easter date is firmly aimed at the Christianists. They’ll bow down to him as their God. It’s beyond sick. Truly a death cult and they’re too blind to see. He doesn’t care if they die.
Another Scott
Apparently Donnie was trying to sell his interest in the Old Post Office hotel in October. Any deal was supposed to close by January 23. I assume we would have heard if it did happen.
Naturally, he was wanting far too much for it:
Since they lie about everything, they were probably bleeding money back then, also too….
Cheers,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Highway Rob
@zhena gogolia: Ours is anticipating being closed / virtual liturgies thru May, although the [Denomination Withheld*] Diocese of Texas hasn’t made it official yet. But we know from Falwell’s Liberty U what the modern Pharisees will be doing.
*-Withheld because this is a family blog, where sects talk is frowned upon.
Elizabelle
Being an agnostic, this strikes me as very black comedy.
It’s like Hannibal Lecter setting the stage.
scav
@Highway Rob:
Truly, there will be a great fellowship of death.
WaterGirl
I have been saying for 3 years now that eventually Trump’s supporters would turn on him, but that when that happens we will all be very surprised about what would trigger that to happen.
Still hoping they will turn on him, and I have to say that in my wildest dreams, I never would have come up with “he will refuse to take action about a pandemic until 3 months in and then say let the older people die so we can save the economy”.
dmsilev
@Highway Rob: Easter is just under 3 weeks from now. We’re still in the exponential-growth phase of this mess, and even if the social distancing works perfectly, it’s going to take another couple of weeks for that to show up in the new-case count and probably more like 3-4 before the number of deaths starts to level out. In other words, by Easter this could be roughly 100x as bad as it is now (not an exaggeration; at current rates, it takes about 8 or so days per each 10x growth). Hospitals everywhere, not just New York City, will be horror shows. Nobody beside Trump and his cultists will heed any sort of “all clear; everyone go back to work now”.
Kevin Drum had an overview of the Senate bill and it provides income support for almost everyone and runs through June. That’s realistic. We may need longer, but we won’t really know one way or the other for another month or so.
dmsilev
@scav: Yes, but then all the dead will resurrect, so we’re all good, right?
Nicole
Playwright Terence McNally, 81, just died from coronavirus complications:
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-Tony-Winning-Playwright-Terrence-McNally-Dies-from-Coronavirus-Related-Complications-at-81-20200324
:(
(I saw Master Class on B’way, the night the lead Zoe Caldwell had food poisoning and passed out onstage, 15 minutes into the show. My boss at the time, a marvelous lady and a huge theater buff, was really, really envious I was there)
Emma from FL
@Gin & Tonic: The only bank currently loaning to Trump is Deutsche Bank.
scav
@dmsilev: ZZZZOOOOOMMMMMBBBBBIIIIEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!
Highway Rob
@dmsilev:
Don’t have to tell me. My guess is he’s hoping there’s a way he and his rubes can free-ride on everyone else’s precautions, and then he can take credit when the pandemic subsides without him actually having to do anything difficult. That kind of wishful thinking I could do without.
Duane
@scav: Sound like something the Anti-Christ would say.
Betty Cracker
@Highway Rob: Yep, and I’m thinking there’s no way on earth Bill Hemmer, that sniveling Fox News toady, ad-libbed the line about an Easter reopening (re-exposure) being a “resurrection for America.” They planned this shit, and they’ll be beating the drum about the Easter “resurrection” as a day of celebration between now and 4/12.
Well, I hope they’re right, since they’re hell-bent on doing this. I hope everything reopens, and the rate of infection miraculously plummets. But I have a feeling when 4/12 rolls around, that clip will be played as evidence of how insane and feckless Trump was three weeks ago. We’ll see, I guess.
VOR
@WaterGirl: I really wonder if it has dawned on the Fox News crew that their audience is most at risk. Could change the demographics for the election in the fall if 2M seniors die from COVID. One would hope even the dullards would see lower death rates in places like Korea and put two and two together.
gene108
@Highway Rob:
Someone should ask him, why Easter is such a special day?
Dollars to donuts he shoots out a word salad about it being a “tremendous day”, and so on.
**************
I am watching cartoons, while “working” from home, and the commercials are so different than the news channels. It’s refreshing
Penny Dreadful
Trump CAN’T force businesses to open and he certainly can’t force governors to lift stay at home orders.
The press needs to stop covering his antics.
schrodingers_cat
@Betty Cracker: We haven’t reached the peak of the pandemic yet. He will be singing a different tune next week.
Highway Rob
@gene108:
Nero: “This guy Paul is an example of someone who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more.” {Picks up fiddle.}
Humdog
My husband’s job is considered essential. A 65 year old coworker has a 77 year old wife with a fever and a cough. They are worth well over one million and own four homes. He insists on coming to work with my husband at a small shop and going out to see customers. Out of town owner of company has asked him to wear a mask and he does but keeps it around his neck.
I cannot decide if he hates being with his wife or simply wants to take his whole industry down with him. His wife is a Fox News watcher who knows this is all a hoax. Gah!
janesays
NFLTG? Means?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
MSNBC: Phillip Rucker on trump just now: “He used to work in the hospitality industry”
NO you stupid fucking hump: He owns a string of money-losing hotels and golf courses he wants to prop up with federal tax dollars. Jesus Christ
NotMax
“America, get out there out and buy Peeps.”
//
Dahlia
@janesays: No Fucks Left to Give
dmsilev
@schrodingers_cat: Easter is already a delay. Just yesterday, he was talking about “reopening” March 30th. I have a suspicion that “we’ll reopen in three weeks” is going to be the Friedman Unit of our time.
dmsilev
@janesays:
No Fucks Left To Give.
WereBear
Welp, I got furloughed today. Working in tourism, so I was bracing myself. Some of us got our jobs paused and some got an hours/pay cut. Of the two possibles, I’m okay with getting NY unemployment. We’d already pared the budget to afford the newer, safer, vehicle this summer, so there’s not a lot of fat left. Don’t know what kind of check I’ll be getting yet.
On the other hand, I can use the time to finish my second cat book. People do have a lot of time to read :)
rk
In the meantime our hospital decided at long last that we need to wear masks while working. We’ll be issued exactly one mask to be worn during the whole shift. Better than nothing though which was where we were all this time.
Cameron
@Highway Rob: He sees Easter as a giant MAGA rally? Words fail me.
Another Scott
@schrodingers_cat: The latest data on the JH map shows the US having 10,600 new cases in the last daily reporting period. This is going to get much, much worse before it gets better.
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
mrmoshpotato
@Gin & Tonic:
Come sit 6 feet away from the other 65.8+ million of us.
Sister Golden Bear
Here in the SF Bay Area, San Mateo County public health is predicting today that cases will peak in late April through mid-May. Looks like we’ll be hunkering down for quite awhile.
Meanwhile, San Mateo County’s chief health officer, channels his inner Italian mayor:
danielx
@Gin & Tonic:
Certainly not Deutsche Bank, anyway.
geg6
@Highway Rob:
It drives me crazy that Nero is being compared to the Orange Piece of Shit. Nero never actually played the violin while Rome burned and wasn’t the nut so many think he was. In many ways, he was a pretty good emperor, as far such things went back then. He just had a lot of enemies and murdered a bunch of them. As happens when you are a Roman emperor.
mrmoshpotato
@Highway Rob:
LOL Fuck off, you orange Soviet shitpile mobster conman demon spawn.
NotMax
White House, next month:
“He didn’t say Easter 2020!”
hueyplong
I’ll give the Wall Street vampires this much– it’s true that the death of an old person might save the markets. But it’s just one of them who has to go.
Hildebrand
A close friend of the president of my congregation has died from the virus. He was 50. I cannot even begin to imagine his family’s grief. Utterly heartbreaking.
Trump and all the rest of them are ghouls.
danielx
Sometime within the next week or two, he is going to DEMAND that governors lift statewide restrictions. Be interesting to see how many of them tell him to go pound sand.
NotMax
@geg6
Rome got Emperor Nero.
We get Emperor Zero.
hueyplong
@geg6: So it’s Nero libel?!?
Gin & Tonic
“Easter is a very special day for me”
I’m trying to figure out why this annoys me so much, among all the other bullshit that comes out of his pie-hole. Any person’s faith or lack thereof is purely their business, and not for me to judge, even if they are obvious Pharisees. But for someone who is so clearly areligious, who certainly could, unprompted, tell you exactly zero about Christian doctrine, to spout such a glaring falsehood just pisses me off more than it should.
I need to force myself to relax.
The Thin Black Duke
@danielx: All of them, Katie.
geg6
@WereBear:
My John got let go yesterday. He’s getting two weeks pay and then he’ll apply for unemployment It sucks for us financially, but at least he gets Social Security and, since he’s 73, I was worried about him anyway. As for me, the University has committed to paying every single employee until end of April. After that, they’ll be reassessing. However, I don’t expect to lose my job as financial aid officer and VA school certifying official for my campus. But you never know, so I’m crossing my fingers.
Another Scott
@WereBear: :-(
Good luck to you, and to everyone else who Schumer and Pelosi fought to help with this bill. It’s not enough, but it’s a good start.
Cheers,
Scott.
azlib
@schrodingers_cat:
@Betty Cracker: We haven’t reached the peak of the pandemic yet. He will be singing a different tune next week.
My prediction is we will have exceeded the number of cases in China by the end of next week.
WereBear
@Another Scott: I’m rooting for it!
Roger Moore
The real insanity is the tacit assumption the economy can recover from millions of deaths more easily than being shut down for a while. If we plan things well, it shouldn’t be too hard to give the economy a big kick start once we have the virus under control and the doctors say it’s safe to let everyone go back to work. I’m worried that their real assumption is that the doctors are all lying and we’re shutting down the economy just to make things bad for Trump.
FlyingToaster
@Another Scott: Now that we’re testing in Massachusetts, we got a huge jump in cases; 328 new in the past 24 hours.
If we’re on NY’s doubling every 3 days path, I don’t see us peaking before Easter. In fact, I expect that next Monday, at 2 weeks in, Governor Baker will start talking about how long we need to extend the school closures, at a bare minimum.
WarriorGirl is cheesed because none of the neighbor kids (Watertown Public schools) are in virtual classes, yet. I had to remind her that she’ll be out of school June 10th; they probably won’t be until June 30.
donnah
First of all, Trump doesn’t care about the people who are sick and dying. He is dismissive of what the scientists and doctors are telling him, but he IS listening to his economic friends and Christian leaders.. Trump wants to keep his cult members motivated and also to push for his re-election, and he will simply say whatever he thinks they’ll approve of.
His poll numbers are up, and there are plenty of people who believe he’s doing a good job. The stock market shot up today, and Mitch McConnell is claiming all of the glory for putting the security package together in the Senate. Republicans are going to rally and Trump will come through all of this unscathed. Just like the hooker scandal, just like Mueller Report, just like his tax returns, just like the impeachment. Only now, people are dying. It’s infuriating to see him destroying lives just so he can boost his voters, his hotels, and his ego.
We have to take care of each other, because this administration won’t take care of us.
WereBear
@geg6: Likewise we aren’t losing Mr WereBear’s disability check because of the virus. At least so far. Nothing would surprise me with this administration.
I’m also mentally preparing to be let go should this thing drag on. Which is why I need to concentrate on this unexpected time for my projects: they are more important than ever.
Good luck to all of us!
JPL
@dmsilev: He might even say he never said that.
Duane
@Gin & Tonic: Trumpov ruins everything, even Easter.
NotMax
Actually, dwelling on anything that comes from his mouth, other than countering the lies and distortions, is unproductive.
Flatten the scourge.
Sister Golden Bear
@dmsilev: Undoubtedly true about the hotels losing money and loans being due, but there’s a far simpler explanation: Trump’s toxic narcissism.
Under the surface chaos of their behavior, narcissists’ actions are extremely simple and predictable:
A situation like this where there’s circumstances that they cannot control and which is making them look bad, is quite literally a fate worse than death for them.
So Trump plans to declare victory on April 1, and the problem goes away then — especially thanks to his bestest, most beautiful leadership ever. Of course it’s untethered from any sort of reality but for narcissists the only reality is whatever they believe at this very moment. (Which can be 180-degrees from what they believed 30 seconds ago. If you’ve not encountered this, it’s hard to describe how gas lighting it is.)
Cameron
@Gin & Tonic: What makes you think his reference to Easter had anything to do with Christianity? More likely it’s bunnies and candy eggs.
Mary G
I just clicked on Bill de Blasio’s news conference by accident and heard him say (apparently in response to a reporter on the phone) “I have no objection to you talking to the commissioner, but you should start with the person actually making the decision, which is me.” What an asshole. Very Trumpian.
Roger Moore
@Betty Cracker:
If they end the closures prematurely, the only one getting resurrected will be the pandemic.
JPL
@Cameron: and the family all dressed up at his fancy club in FL. I still remember the clip from last year.
Brachiator
We are two Americas.
Not just greedy vs altruistic.
I have listened to talk show hosts and callers say, “We should listen to Trump and hope he is doing the right thing.”
They will defer to a leader that they “trust” no matter what. It does not matter what the science says. It does not matter what the experts say, even experts appointed by Trump.
In this America, even though the buck does not stop anywhere near Trump, these people marvel in awe and wonder at the heavy decisions that Trump must make. The people or the economy.
The other America is sane.
Betty Cracker
@schrodingers_cat: I think that’s true. We don’t have much in the way of real data from widespread testing, which was convenient for Trump’s earlier news cycles, but happy talk time is coming to an end. Trump can’t sweep a pandemic under the rug. A virus is impervious to bullshit spin.
PS: I heard Modi put India on lock-down. Hope your family there is safe.
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: And chocolate eggs!
NotMax
@Cameron
Saint Ronaldus and the Jellybeans, the direct to remainder bin sequel.
mrmoshpotato
@dmsilev:
?
WereBear
@Sister Golden Bear: Cheryl Rofer makes the same point: we are all in an abusive relationship with him.
He makes promises, he breaks them. He demands our praise and love, he makes jokes about killing us…
Ella in New Mexico
He acts like we’ve got all the testing, PPE and equipment and treatments available everywhere to keep this virus under control. Ignoring every bit of info from the real world to the contrary.
That’s not going to get significantly better in 2 weeks, particularly for the parts of the country–like New Mexico–who have not had their peak of disease yet and as such are still in line behind those hardest hit for supplies. We’re sending everything we have to the “Hot Zones” right now, and there are still shortages. Out of those areas, we don’t just have shortages we have places that literally can’t safely care for COVID patients because they’re still waiting in line for basics.
New Mexico has 83 COVID positives as of yesterday (I’m sure it’ll be updated later today by at least 15 more). We have what could be considered a relatively manageable number of hospitalized patients across the state. But I can’t describe how freaked out my fellow nurses here are because their hospitals are asking them to care for patients without optimal PPE (having to share visors and eye shields, issuing one N95 mask for reuse or having to bring in your own, no full-coverage gowns or suits, non-COVID patients in same ICU with COVID patients) and at the same time hearing inconsistent daily updates rationalizing what the hospital is doing based on lack of resources. They’re terrified they’ll be exposed to someone pre-Positive diagnosis and carry it home. And likely they will.
And this is why I can tell you right now we’re not gonna see the pews full in any churches on Easter that are not 100% Trump Evangelical Cult churches who think the Rapture is upon us.
Jeffro
@Duane: which is funny because if a reporter asked him what Easter is all about, I can guarantee you trumpov doesn’t know.
he’ll either say it’s Jesus’ birthday or the day Jesus died, both of which are (obvs) incorrect
Fair Economist
@Hildebrand: So sorry to hear the virus is striking near you.
@azlib: We will probably surpass China in cases by the end of *this* week. Less than 30,000 to go and recording > 10,000/day. Unless we slow down (unlikely) we will.
Another Scott
@mrmoshpotato:
The Lexicon knows
alla lot.;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Jeffro
@gene108: whoops you got there first ?
mrmoshpotato
@WereBear: ?WereBear’s second cat book doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo?
chopper
@Highway Rob:
jesus night-sweating christ, he wants everyone to die.
NotMax
@Fair Economist
“We’re #1! USA!! U-S-A!!!”
//
Another Scott
@Ella in New Mexico:
One always has to keep that in mind.
Cheers,
Scott.
SFBayAreaGal
@Sister Golden Bear: Where I live with two of my sisters. Right now helping my other sister and brother-in-law in Elk Grove.
Fleeting Ex-istence
Possibly really dumb question, but what if Congress were to actually pass a Declaration of War? Against Pandemic? Theoretically a war framework has everything built in, processes and accountability built in at every level, funding, all that. Is that too weird?
All that said, the last person on the planet who should be in charge is the one we’ve got. I”m alarmed at the eagerness of smart people to confer yet more power to an insane power junkie, but my uninformed hope is that military institutions and people are committed to their oaths.
Shalimar
@Another Scott: Italy has reported their cases for today. US cases come in sporadically because every state reports their own. According to Worldometers.info we are roughly 2200 cases away from passing Italy for most active cases in the world. That should happen within the next 3-4 hours.
joel hanes
@donnah:
Trump wants to keep his cult members motivated
Trump wants to go golfing, and he wants to escape the White House to Mar A Lago, and he wants this crisis to be over.
He can’t have those fun rallies any more, and it’s making him cranky. He’s tired of having to deal with “doctors” and “experts” who sometimes suggest things he doesn’t want to hear. He’s thinking that this serious prezniting phase has gone on long enough. He’s thinking he’ll declare victory and proclaim the virus banished.
He really really wants to spend Easter in Florida, which will be a charnel house by then.
mrmoshpotato
@hueyplong: When will Wilbur Ross offer himself up?
Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]
@mrmoshpotato: 6 Months. During the second Iraq war Tom Friedman kept saying the war in Iraq would be done in 6 months. FOR THE ENTIRE WAR.
edit: Tom, not Milton
Salty Sam
More like Hannibal Lecter setting the dinner table…
Brachiator
@Another Scott:
RE: Per Dem aide familiar w/ negotiations: Dems have gotten universe of people who would qualify for UI expanded to furloughed, gig workers, freelancers; Dems have increased UI benefit by $600 per week for 4 months
I really hate the Democrats’ approach here. The emphasis should have been on keeping people employed and paid their wages, not to funnel money to them via the UI system.
HOWEVER, the GOP Senate bill was total crap, and the House measure a vast improvement. I think I see some parts of the bill that the Democrats will readily sacrifice in order to keep more important protections.
We will see what happens. I don’t think that McConnell is happy with this bill, and may do all he can to sink it, unless Trump is anxious to get something passed that he can take credit for.
Sister Golden Bear
Went to the market and the good news is that they finally had paper products again — all the local grocery stores have been cleaned out for a week.
The bad news, toilet paper was only being sold by the roll, limit one roll per customer. As well as only one box of tissue per customer.
joel hanes
@Sister Golden Bear:
for narcissists the only reality is whatever they believe at this very moment. (Which can be 180-degrees from what they believed 30 seconds ago
Only two days ago, Trump was presenting himself as a fighter who would never give in.
Yesterday, he was proposing a date after which he would give in.
mrmoshpotato
So many governors that can tell Dump to stop being Putin’s bitch.
joel hanes
@Cameron:
More likely it’s bunnies and candy eggs.
More likely it’s about golf and access to ladies of negotiable virtue. Mar A Lago is his lair, and he misses it.
joel hanes
@Sister Golden Bear:
I was at Safeway (union shop; employees have paid sick leave) fifteen minutes after the opening of the “seniors only” hour this morning.
No TP or paper towels at all.
mrmoshpotato
@Gin & Tonic: Maybe because he’s a godless Soviet shitpile who bangs porn stars when his third (2nd mail order) wife is home with his 5th baby?
NotMax
@joel hanes
“Where else am I going to get advice from some random wealthy schmuck with chocolate cake crumbs on his tie? Huh? Answer me that!”
//
JustRuss
I’d love to get Trumps old calendars and see how he spent the 10 Easters prior to 2017. I’ll bet at least half of them he played 18 holes.
NotMax
@JustRuss
mrmoshpotato
@Another Scott: Ah. Thanks.
trollhattan
In case anybody had their fingers crossed.
We still have l’il Rand.
Ksmiami
@Elizabelle: you mean the dinner table right?
Bluegirlfromwyo
@danielx: It’ll be interesting to see if Andrew Cuomo doesn’t choke him at that point.
KSinMA
@rk: That’s good. Friend of mine is a doc in a hospital where they don’t have any masks yet.
JaneE
What Trump wants and what is going to happen may not be the same thing. I expect my governor (Newsom) to keep the state on lock down until there is some evidence that the virus has been stopped. Whether or not the Republicans comply is the only question.
People around here are mainly Republican, but there are also a lot of three or more generation families in town, and no one wants grandma to die.
mrmoshpotato
@JustRuss: Sucking the Kremlin’s asshole like he’s been doing since 1987?
Elizabelle
WaPost: I regret that I have but one grandparent to give for my country
Yes. It is Alexandra Petri.
Ksmiami
@Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]: The famous Friedman Unit- just keep the faith in Bush/Cheney
BobS
@Highway Rob: How many Easters do you think Trump spent inside a church?
Suzanne
@feebog: Not to mention…. SuzMom lives with me. So do I go back to work and bring it home? I should note that, prior to this, I was in hospitals all the time.
Roger Moore
@Elizabelle:
Modern conservatism in a nutshell. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Wolvesvalley
Late to this thread, but it still seems alive.
Here is a relevant Washington Post op-ed that ought to be read aloud on every TV news network every hour for the next few weeks.
Highway Rob
@BobS: None of them, Katie.
Uncle Cosmo
@NotMax: A Mr. Mostel is holding on line 1. He does not sound amused.
Llelldorin
@feebog: What’s amazing is that that’s the less crazy idea being touted. The crazier one is “we all just go back to work, and y’all can die if you’re gonna.”
Ksmiami
@Betty Cracker: Please stay safe Ms. Cracker. As a former Miami resident, I am very worried for Florida right now
sdhays
@dmsilev: He’s also just naturally stupid and impatient. He can’t ride anything out. He has the attention span of a gnat and the same level of patience. He can’t comprehend even the short term – he only comprehends “right now”.
But I don’t doubt that this is an existential crisis for the Dump Organization, and since that’s an extension of himself, it’s adding to the pressure to “just move on”.
catclub
it is usually when he watches the Masters and lies about how he could qualify.
mrmoshpotato
@Uncle Cosmo: I read that as “Mr. Molest.”
trollhattan
@catclub:
“They said sir, please sir, enter this year. We need you! But I was busy.”
NotMax
@Uncle Cosmo
Y’know, actually mulled over that before posting but figured his innate sense of the absurd would take it in stride.
JPL
@catclub: He could win this year.
Luciamia
He’s the Peter Pan president. ” Just think happy thoughts and UP you’ll go! “
germy
Gammyjill
Trump’s running scared of the November election. He’s afraid he’s going to lose if the economy is terrible, so he’s suggesting we get back to work. But he doesn’t know if it will cause lots of deaths so he’s talking like he know all the answers. He’s talking like he’s the only one that can fix it, but he’s too scared to actually do what the experts say need to be done to fix it.
Poor Donald Trump. I bet he’s a lot of fun to play poker against because he scared so easy.
Duane
@Brachiator: The Republican’s are desperate to cover-up their utter failure with the coronavirus, and the failure of their policies. They’re willing to let people die.To them the end justifies the means.
mrmoshpotato
@trollhattan:
And of course they were all big, burly golfers who were all blubbering like babies.
So sick of this shit. (Not you troll)
NotMax
@Gammyjill
“I win again. It’s a pair of twos. That’s 22! Beats the 11 from your pair of aces!”
//
SiubhanDuinne
Deborah Birx sounds rather shaky.
trollhattan
@mrmoshpotato:
Union golfers, part of the Teamsters! Very rough guys, believe me.
pluky
@janesays: No F**ks Left To Give.
germy
mrmoshpotato
@germy:
NotMax
@trollhattan
“Don’t make us go all mashie niblick on your ass.”
:)
noncarborundum
@chopper:
Particularly his base, it would seem.
mrmoshpotato
@trollhattan: ??
Duane
@Jeffro: I’ll bet Trumpov has been real faithful about attending Easter services over the years. He’s the biggest hypocrite ever. Yes I’m being judgmental. He deserve it.
germy
@mrmoshpotato: Good solution to the trolley problem.
Gravenstone
@Highway Rob: And instead of the Lord rising 3 days after, we’ll have hordes of Trump supporters (and entirely too many in their periphery) dropping dead 3 weeks after. Not quite symmetry, but close enough for the Apocalypse.
sdhays
@trollhattan: I wonder if any of the Senate Republicans’ attitudes would change if Rand Paul needs to get put on a ventilator or even dies. The odds are against it, but would that make shit finally get real for them? I know he’s not the most popular member of the caucus, but they all know him and work fairly closely with him.
Elizabelle
@Gravenstone:
Fixed it for you.
Brachiator
The latest news:
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: You got me to look in on C-Span. Dang you.
“Unbelievably” is a Trump favorite too, isn’t it? Truth in labeling for him.
He’s getting lots and lots of questions about the Easter timeline. Fauci is backtracking and talking flexibility.
Elizabelle
Trump is thinking of opening up large sections of the great wingnut heartland. Texas.
“They’re raring to go.” He just said it again.
Elizabelle
A reporter calls out to Trump’s back
“It takes one person to [infect] a whole county.” He exits to shouted questions about Easter.
Raven Onthill
I’ve started calling Trump a genocidal maniac. This slighted edited remark of mine (sorry for the repeat) from nearly three years ago still rings true to me:
mrmoshpotato
Sad news about Chicago’s Lincoln Park pirates.
Awwwww…….fuck ’em.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@mrmoshpotato: can I sit with you? I work IT for a lab. We are being so careful with PPE. Do everything you have to for one lab before you have to dispose of your gloves. No going out to talk to people and save all your water breaks and bathroom breaks for one time if you can. We are getting all the admin and Client service people home to work but there are things you just can’t do outside a lab. It’s been nuts. My husband does IT for a University going to desktops to work. Also been nuts…
NotMax
@Elizabelle
Great horny toads, why do any of those slavish stenographers continue taking anything he says as being in the same universe as credible?
Roger Moore
@germy:
Yeah, the thing I always think about the trolley problem is that the person who is most morally culpable is whoever is in charge of safety at the trolley company. As far as I can see, there have been four safety failures in three categories (failed brakes, people on two sets of tracks, no warning system) to set up the problem. That speaks to a lack of appropriate safety culture at the trolley company, and the real blame lies on the people who failed to establish it.
joel hanes
@NotMax:
Why does anyone attend Trump’s pressers without at least wearing a mask?
Why does anyone attend Trump’s pressers in person at all?
artem1s
@sdhays:
are any of them popular? Even with each other? None of them seem to like each other at all. It’s a confederacy of disagreeable people who can barely tolerate each other. Is it possible they are all rooting for everyone else to die and thinking if they are spared they finally get all the stuff to themselves? Every time we have a tragedy or death at least one of these deplorables finds something unimaginably hostile or bitter to say about those in grief, need or trouble. So no, I’m not sure there is a single death among them that would bring the message home.
Elizabelle
@NotMax: @joel hanes:
I know. And it is highly amusing to see the reporters social distancing — very few in the seats, which must be distressing to Trump — while Trump and his hostages are packed in behind the podium.
NotMax
@joel hanes
No direct evidence but Occam’s Razor says they aren’t permitted entry with a mask.
Elizabelle
The FTF NYTimes article on the deplorable Dan Patrick is worth a click, and probably free since it’s corona-virus related.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Suggests Seniors Willing to Die For U.S. Economy
Gov. Greg Abbott has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order, preferring local control. But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said as a senior citizen he’s “all in” on keeping the economy going.
The embedded GIF is funny.
Just One More Canuck
@gene108: Jesus is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more
NotMax
@Elizabelle
Yeah, and now the cable shows will spend half (or more) their allotted time reacting to this nonsense in lieu of dismissing it outright and using the time to provide informative and helpful information.
Ella in New Mexico
@dmsilev:
You just gave me hope.
Why did you do that
germy
NotMax
@NotMax
Silly redundant NotMax. No edit function, so –
Make that informative and helpful reports.
artem1s
https://twitter.com/sjgoody1/status/1242306376199802880?s=20
Best response ever to Gov. Patrick.
Elizabelle
David von Drehle of the WaPost apparently has a “mild to moderate” case of COVID19 and would not wish it on anyone. He’s suffered a fever for nine days; is having vivid dreams. He says some other patients have suffered blinding headaches, although he has missed those so far (just regular ones).
WaPost: I probably have a ‘mild to moderate’ case of covid-19. I don’t think I could survive worse.
This one is nothing to play around with. And his case is “apparent” because there was no testing available. Although a doctor listened to his lungs, told him he likely had it, and sent him home.
germy
germy
Several guests who attended a party at Trump’s Los Angeles golf course have contracted coronavirus
trollhattan
@germy:
“Legalith it, don’t critithith it.”
–Peter Toth
WereBear
@germy: Don’t forget CPAC
Also, they are apparently proud about never washing their hands. Which could explain so much.
joel hanes
@NotMax:
Occam’s Razor says they aren’t permitted entry with a mask
Yes, that’s what I think.
And Fauci is no longer allowed to speak, lest he again show inadequate obeisance to Dear Leader
No one should be attending these shitshows.
No one should be broadcasting them.
NotMax
@germy
From the link:
Trying not to snicker, shall resort to muffling with the elbow.
catclub
never mind if it is true,
But would they be willing to die for OTHER people’s (possibly darker)
grandchildren?
NotMax
@joel hanes
Not even press conferences, they’re Kool Aid conclaves. Heartening to see that break into regular programming live coverage is tapering off.
catclub
@Elizabelle:
Any spirits with chains warning about chains forged in life?
WereBear
@catclub: Priceless :)
NotMax
@catclub
Dolt 45, as Scrooge, would dismiss it as fake boos.
;)
Ruckus
@Shalimar:
We are also 5 times the population size of Italy. CA has 2/3 the population of Italy.
Miss Bianca
@Elizabelle: Oh my God, I laughed at that! Needed that after today!
Elizabelle
@catclub:
LOL. You have thought way further ahead than Dan Patrick on this one.
Elizabelle
@catclub: LOL. Von Drehle probably deserves a visit from Marley, cuz he’s totally a conventional wisdom guy.
But his dreams have been way more rugged.
Bex
@BobS: He went to some awful megachurch last year, but that was politics.
Another Scott
@Shalimar: Thanks for the pointer to the Worldometers.info site. Lots of good information there. E.g.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-symptoms/
:-(
Cheers,
Scott.
Bill Arnold
@donnah:
Cite? The fivethiryeight moving average doesn’t show a jump.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/
If you’re talking about that IPSOS poll that had approval of his handling of coronavirus at 55%, it was a small sample (512 adults) and 5% error.
(Journalistic malpractice (or deliberate propaganda) to report it without an explanation of polling error.)
https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2020-03/topline-abc-news-coronavirus-032020.pdf
Bill Arnold
@Roger Moore:
Stealing that. It might have legs. (If it’s original.) (Others might want to try it out on twitter.)
brantl
@Gin & Tonic: With the kind of things she says on twitter, that’s where she should have campaigned.
J R in WV
@Sister Golden Bear:
My Kroger’s store today was also a limit one per customer, but it was a 6-pack package. We already have a 12-pack of my preferred brand… but I have IBS and sometimes need quite a bit to get even near to cleaned up. As others have remarked, I am only a few steps from the shower room, so not a huge deal…
I also got a big pack of paper towels, and they had a ton of produce, so cilantro, italian parsley, red leaf lettuce, carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, asparagus (99 cents sale!) and limes for at least 3 weeks. To go with the select-a-booze and tonic. Hoping the tonic prevents tropical diseases! But don’t really care.
Hang in there Sister, it might get better!
brantl
@mrmoshpotato:
Come sit 6 feet away from the other 65.8+ million of us.
-THIS NEEDS TO BE A NEW ROTATING TAG LINE! – Cole, WaterGirl?
mrmoshpotato
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone: I’m sorry.
There’s an empty chair 6 feet away. :)
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: Great fucking frilled lizards!
mrmoshpotato
@Elizabelle:
mrmoshpotato
@brantl: You could nominate it, you amateur! :)
(Nominates self, like an ass)
brantl
@noncarborundum:
Particularly his base, it would seem
Sometimes, even solutions that sort of work, still don’t seem ideal.
SW
I have come to the conclusion that the only thing that is going to end this bullshit is for this asshole to get the disease and be hit hard by it. I wouldn’t like to see it kill him. But I would like to see it put the fear of Allah into him.