The all-new "US Politics and coronavirus" thread

[Stacyhs]

That's another lie the news media is not holding Trump accountable for. That one and his continuing to repeat the lie that his ban of some China travelers at the beginning of the outbreak saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

Both of those are lies the press is giving Trump a pass on and addressing only later if some fact-checking happens to address the bull **** yet again.

He also repeated the lie that "anyone who wants a test can have one". Then his own admiral corrected that by saying anyone who NEEDS a test can get one with a doctor's prescription. Trump then repeats his own fantasy version again.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

So, I saw this from an article on Microsoft News.

That's a big deal, if correct. And the fact that it isn't Trump saying it makes it a bit more credible.

If we can test everyone symptomatic, and all of their known contacts, and have some left over for population sampling, that's really big news. Bigger even than Trump getting into a fight with a reporter.

So the next question is is it true?

No it's not true!!!

Lucy pulls the football away yet again Charlie Brown.

May 11, CNN: Fact check: Trump falsely claims, again, that anybody who wants a test can get one

On Monday, President Donald Trump made the same claim about coronavirus testing that he did in early March.

"If somebody wants to be tested right now," Trump said at a Monday news conference, "they'll be able to be tested."

Two months later, it's still not true. ...

In addition to official guidelines on who should get a test, some jurisdictions continue to experience shortages of key testing materials -- which may prevent even people with symptoms from being tested.

Trump was implicitly corrected Monday by assistant secretary for health Brett Giroir, the administration's testing coordinator, who said that "everybody who needs a test" -- not, as Trump said, "wants" a test -- "can get a test."

Weasel words.

In addition, the scenario in the MSN news article requires fully funded public health team to carry out contact tracing. Good luck with that.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

But you did say you wish he hadn't said it which is a criticism of him saying it.

After all the crap Trump publicly spouts daily about Obama and Obama gets criticized for saying Trump's handling of the virus here was "chaotic"? FCSake, Trump is describing Obama as 'treasonous'. UH uh....not gonna fly.

The news media focuses on Obama's leaked call and not where they should be focused, on Trump calling Obama out for treason. That should have been the headlines along with the fact it's yet another lie.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Moved from the medicine thread.

Big picture:

Deaths in the USA have passed the peak. .02% with 2 1/2 recoveries for each death.

How easily you are distracted by those shiny squirrels my son.

Trump Death Clock: 48,554 - Estimated U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Due To POTUS Inaction

In January 2020, the Trump administration was advised that immediate action was required to stop the spread of COVID-19. According to NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, “there was a lot of pushback” to this advice. President Trump declined to act until March 16th. Epidemiologists now estimate that, had mitigation measures been implemented one week earlier, 60% of American COVID-19 deaths would have been avoided.

More at:
Get updates: [see link] Please share:

 

[Regnad Kcin]

To me it has: it's clear he has no idea what he's doing, so how can others? He is no leader.

According to him he’s a cheerleader.

Seems apropos that instead of battling it out on the field he’d try to claim glory for being on the sidelines shouting “rah!”

 

[Stacyhs]

The news media focuses on Obama's leaked call and not where they should be focused, on Trump calling Obama out for treason. That should have been the headlines along with the fact it's yet another lie.

The media focused on Trump calling Obama's admin 'scum' and 'treasonous' regarding Flynn four days ago when it happened. Two days ago they reported on Obama's phone call. Today they reported on "Obamagate". The press can handle reporting on one thing at a time...and as it happens.

 

[Stacyhs]

It looks like even Trump's Senate allies are passing on joining in on Trump's allegations against Obama:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/11/senate-republicans-trump-obamagate-249734

 

[Regnad Kcin]

Once again, he sounds like a schoolboy answering an exam question that he hasn't studied for.

Are you Brits familiar with the American term “wing it?”

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

The media focused on Trump calling Obama's admin 'scum' and 'treasonous' regarding Flynn four days ago when it happened. Two days ago they reported on Obama's phone call. Today they reported on "Obamagate". The press can handle reporting on one thing at a time...and as it happens.

Yeah, and Trump repeats the lie again and again this his faux bold move did not save any lives let alone the hundreds of thousands he claims.

So what they called him out four days ago?

I'm saying they need to call Trump out EVERY TIME he repeats these lies. He keeps repeating them until people forget he's been called out on the lie. And the press is complicit if they let him do that.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

It looks like even Trump's Senate allies are passing on joining in on Trump's allegations against Obama:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/11/senate-republicans-trump-obamagate-249734

They are going to be shrinking away like flies after the dog **** has been carted off in the trash truck.

"It's the economy votes stupid" (Not you Stacy.)

 

[newyorkguy]

Copied from the medicine thread. >Deaths have peaked; the rate is 0.2%.

How is it clear that deaths have peaked? As of today the death rate is at 5.9% which is huge for a virus.

 

[EHocking]

At least 72 protesters in Wisconsin have tested positive

I don't understand how Wisconsin is doing contact tracing when they are not asking +ve cases where they have been.
From the article,

In the weeks following the election, those who tested positive were specifically asked if they had participated in the election as either a worker or a voter. However, no such specific question was asked of those who tested positive in the two weeks since the protest.
...
When asked why health officials had asked people who tested positive for the virus in the weeks following the April 7 election but not specially about attending the protest, DHS Sec. Andrea Palm did not provide a reason. Instead, during a conference call with reporters, she reiterated the work of contact tracers.

“Whether you went to the polls as a poll worker or as a voter or whether you came to the protest or went to another large gathering that would be part of the information we would get when those contact tracers were making contact with positive cases and subsequently the people they may have exposed,” Palm said.​

So are were they asked where they were or not?

Confused

 

[Minoosh]

I'm all for covering the Q&A, but just in case he had something worthwhile, or even something horrible, to say, I think that should at least get some mention in coverage.

The simplest explanation is that he never has anything worthwhile to say, and whatever he does say is probably going to be inaccurate anyway. Nothing he says about numbers would carry any credence at all. These are campaign events for him.

 

[Bob001]

Food for thought: the 1918 pandemic helped fuel the Nazi movement.

Experts have frequently compared the current health crisis to the 1918 pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. A new report by Kristian Blickle, an economist at the New York Fed, suggests that along with high death tolls and an economic downturn, the 1918 flu also correlated with the rise in support for extremist right-wing parties, particularly the Nazis, in regions with the highest death rates.

https://www.salon.com/2020/05/10/th...n-nazi-support-will-this-pandemic-be-similar/

 

[Lurch]

It looks like even Trump's Senate allies are passing on joining in on Trump's allegations against Obama:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/11/senate-republicans-trump-obamagate-249734

I wouldn't ho so far as to say "passing." That cabal of imprisoned lackeys still want to have their cake and eat it. They're willing to haul in everyone short of Obama himself, and are willing to let Drumpf rage on unchecked. They get to cover their traitorous arses by stopping short of the unpopular move of haling Obama himself before their sham committees, but get to enjoy the noise of the Trumpers echoing the ravings of the Orange excrescence.

 

[Sideroxylon]

I wouldn't ho so far as to say "passing." That cabal of imprisoned lackeys still want to have their cake and eat it. They're willing to haul in everyone short of Obama himself, and are willing to let Drumpf rage on unchecked. They get to cover their traitorous arses by stopping short of the unpopular move of haling Obama himself before their sham committees, but get to enjoy the noise of the Trumpers echoing the ravings of the Orange excrescence.

Yeah, Obama being interrogated by a kangaroo court would not go well and they know it. He has the wits and undoubtedly receipts to make them look like fools.

 

[Aridas]

So, I saw this from an article on Microsoft News.



That's a big deal, if correct. And the fact that it isn't Trump saying it makes it a bit more credible.

If we can test everyone symptomatic, and all of their known contacts, and have some left over for population sampling, that's really big news. Bigger even than Trump getting into a fight with a reporter.

So the next question is is it true?

Honestly? Actions speak louder than words. There's almost no point in trusting the words of random Trump Administration person #57 without some really good reasons to do so, because they lie and mislead practically as their default when protecting Trump is at all in play.

 

[a_unique_person]

He can't do it. He can't move a conversation forward. **** him. He's probably wrong about the basic premise that the U.S. is outstripping the world in covid testing; asking him why that's important is clearly futile.

Per capita it's miles behind.

 

[Craig4]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/11/politics/mitch-mcconnell-barack-obama-coronavirus-response/index.html

McConnell is getting a little uppity here, telling a former president what he should and shouldn't do.

 

[Craig4]

Per capita it's miles behind.

I was going to use the phrase **** show.