ChrisWeigant.com

Gaming Out A Future Pandemic

[ Posted Monday, March 16th, 2020 – 16:15 UTC ]

The administration of President Donald Trump is showing us all, in real time, how not to tackle a widespread medical crisis. Because things are moving so quickly, though, it's tough to tell how much of their woefully inadequate response has been the fault of Donald Trump himself, Trump's scorn for experts of any type who know more things than he does (a category which includes many people, for obvious reasons), or Trump's advisors and aides who have been put in charge of a massive problem but whose main worry seems to be not ever contradicting Trump in public (no matter how wrong Trump gets things). It all adds up to making a bad situation much worse, which is precisely where we find ourselves now. Decisions are made for political reasons, or -- worse -- to avoid making Trump himself look bad in any way. This has shattered the confidence of the stock market, as evidenced by today's record-busting 3,000-point drop. The more time goes by, the more Trump's inadequacies are becoming impossible to ignore, even by his staunchest supporters. Donald Trump, quite obviously, does not have a clue what to do next, is instead out there blatantly lying about the situation on a daily basis, and we're all going to suffer as a direct result. No wonder the market's tanking.

Last Friday, the market seemed to recover somewhat, as Trump finally (finally!) managed to sound presidential for 10 or 15 minutes in a press conference. Of course, the market closed before he actually took questions, but his scripted remarks were precisely what they should have been -- calming and showing some confidence, backed up by private-sector business leaders who were eager to help. The only problem was, the two big things that Trump promised would happen very soon were soon proved to be nothing more than two gigantic lies, once again. Trump distinctly said the new website for people who were experiencing symptoms would be up and running by "Sunday night." He also implied that drive-through testing would be widely available within days. Neither is remotely true. The company working on the website hastily issued a statement saying the website would definitely not be ready when Trump said it would, would initially only work for people in the San Francisco Bay Area, and no timeline was even given as to when it would be ramped up nationwide. One drive-through testing center opened in New Rochelle, New York, but few others have been set up, three days later.

Nowhere is it more evident how callous the lies coming from the Trump administration are than in the availability of testing. At the beginning of the month, Trump administration officials were promising "a million tests" would be available "by the end of the week." On March 4, Vice President Mike Pence swore they were ramping up to 1.5 million tests that week, and by the following week would be up to "4 million tests" made available to the public. By that Friday, March 6, only 500 people in the entire country had actually been tested, while Trump was telling the public that "everyone who wants a test can get tested." Yesterday -- more than a week later -- that number had only climbed to 13,000 people tested. By their original estimates, we were supposed to have 4 million tests by that point, but only 13,000 had been done. That's not just "missing our projections," that is outright lying or massive incompetence, take your pick.

How much of this miserable failure is the fault of Trump and his team of sycophants, and how much is the fault of the federal government in not making adequate plans for future pandemics? We'll likely have to wait a while to find out the answer to that. There could easily be a playbook sitting around some government office somewhere gathering dust that hasn't even been consulted yet, which could have dictated a much better response to the coronavirus. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find out that is the case, and the reason why it was never consulted was due to Trump having fired every single person who knew it even existed. Or, even worse, I also wouldn't be surprised if there was a playbook but Trump ordered everyone to ignore it because he thought the whole thing would just blow over like the flu and none of it would be necessary. At this point, virtually nothing the Trump administration does surprises me anymore, because I've become so numb to their ongoing parade of incompetence. Perhaps there was a playbook developed by the White House pandemic team that Trump fired two years ago, but Trump ordered it all deleted because "it came from Obama, therefore it must be worthless." Again, it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

But, to be fair, it also wouldn't surprise me if that playbook simply never existed at all. It would shock me, to be sure, but it wouldn't surprise me much. The only part of the federal government who seems capable of long-term planning that covers all imaginable contingencies is the Pentagon. At least, that's been my experience throughout my life. Which is why the word "gaming" appears in this article's title.

At some point, we'll make it through the COVID-19 crisis. We as a nation will have learned a lot. So will the government. We'll all learn from mistakes made, and hopefully efforts will be launched to improve things when the next pandemic hits, drawing on all the lessons we're now learning.

But we really need to go further than that. We need to put protocols in place and draw up plans for all possible contingencies so that the next time around everyone will have a solid roadmap of what should happen and when. And the best way to do that is to game it out.

Those old enough to remember the Cold War know what the term "war games" means. There was even a movie of the same name, although it dealt more with a computer that seemingly took over our nuclear force (kind of a proto-Skynet, if you prefer Terminator metaphors). But rogue computers aside, the basic idea is pretty simple. Two groups of military generals and government officials are created, with each assigned a role (president, joint chiefs of staff, etc.). One team was put in charge of the Soviet Union, and the other was put in charge of the United States. Referees would pass between the two isolated groups and all the pieces on the "big board" were moved around. A war would break out, and then escalate. A situation would develop, which sometimes would turn into a nuclear exchange. Sometimes random events would be inserted by the referees ("Sorry, there's a category-4 hurricane in the North Atlantic, if you send your warships to Iceland, you'll probably lose a number of them to the storm"), just to keep things lively.

On one level, the whole thing sounds kind of silly -- because important officials were spending their valuable time essentially playing a gigantic game of Risk. These war games could last days at a time, and were entirely fictional. But that's missing the point of the exercise. There were two main goals from holding these war games: (1) to improve the Pentagon's playbook to include all possible contingencies about how the Soviets might attack, how we would respond, and what would happen next; and (2) to give the people involved some experience with the consequences of certain actions they decided to take. Will you launch a missile attack from American submarines at Moscow? Well, then, you just lost New York City and Washington D.C. to a retaliatory attack. Any government officials who were still in those two cities are now dead, so you've got to continue playing without them. Did you protect the presidential line of succession by moving some cabinet members to remote locations? Then the highest on the list is now acting president and will be giving the orders.

These war games would end with wildly different outcomes. Sometimes diplomacy worked and war was entirely avoided. Sometimes multiple nuclear exchanges took place, wiping out high percentages of the population of both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Tens of millions of deaths are always a possibility when the nukes start flying. And the referees who set up the scenario always would try to show that sometimes random events beyond your control have major implications that the military hadn't yet considered. At the end of each war game, military planners would take any lessons learned and try to avoid pitfalls and adjust the nation's war plans accordingly. That's how the playbook was continually updated.

No matter how the coronavirus pandemic ends, the same approach is certainly worth considering in the future. Instead of playing war games, set up a "virus game" or "pandemic game" instead. Get governors and high-ranking government doctors and officials to participate. Get the appropriate military men involved (mostly National Guard leaders), but also try to get as many representatives of those who would need to leap into action in the same room as possible -- C.E.O.s of drug companies and testing-kit companies and website companies, major hospital administrators, state-level public health officials, major airport managers, as well as leaders of industries that might have to bear the weight of the response, such as airlines, restaurants, sports leagues, etc. Put them all in a closed room, assign them all roles to play, and game the whole thing out. Let them all see in stark detail the consequences of each action or inaction.

America regularly put in this effort to hone our plans for possible military conflict with the Soviet Union because it was rightly seen as an existential threat. Now, a pandemic is less of a threat (it'd be a stretch to call it "existential," since America will still be around afterwards no matter what develops, most likely), but it's still a pretty major threat to our country and our economy. As we all can now see, with every passing day.

Trump's response to the pandemic might be valuable one day as the best worst example. But sooner or later, COVID-19 will cease to be a threat and life will go on. Also sooner or later, Trump will no longer be in the White House and the government can get back to where expertise and intelligence are once again highly regarded in high-ranking officials. And at that point, the government should begin planning in earnest for the next pandemic. And "virus games" could be a valuable part of developing such plans.

The most striking thing about the bewilderingly insufficient response from the Trump administration so far has been its ad hoc nature. Things have happened with absolutely no guidance from the top. Trump obviously wasn't interested in displaying any sort of leadership whatsoever, so others stepped into the void. The major sports leagues decided -- on their own -- to suspend seasons and cancel championship playoffs. Governors -- independently -- decided to shut down schools and ban gatherings of large people. States got tired of waiting for the federal government to deliver test kits and developed tests of their own instead. Amusement parks decided to close their doors. Now, even presidential primaries are being postponed. But none of it -- none of it, mind you -- happened because of any guidance from the top. Trump didn't call for sports to take a hiatus. The Department of Education didn't issue guidelines to schools and universities about whether they should close or not. Neither did the Department of Health and Human Services. Today the Centers for Disease Control finally recommended that gatherings of 50 people or more be banned, but this was long after many governors had already done so. A website is grandly announced, but then it turns out it won't be ready any time soon. Drive-through testing is unveiled with much fanfare, but nobody really knows how it's going to work or where it will take place. Everything has been slap-dash and put together on the fly. This makes it painfully obvious that there simply is no pandemic playbook being followed. It either does not exist or it is being flat-out ignored, one or the other.

It shouldn't have to be like this. It shouldn't have to be like this now, but it damn sure shouldn't be like this in the future. The biggest lesson the federal government needs to learn from the disastrous response by Team Trump is that such plans must be put in place before the emergency hits. And the only way to develop such plans is to see how different actions and aggressive timelines might make a difference in the future. The next president should make it a priority, in fact. Let the "virus games" begin.

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

 

85 Comments on “Gaming Out A Future Pandemic”

  1. [1] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Chris,

    The biggest lesson the federal government needs to learn from the disastrous response by Team Trump is that such plans must be put in place before the emergency hits.

    INDEED! Especially when we knew that this would happen based just on very recent history.

    Of course, that's a lesson ALL governments on the planet should learn and should have already learned.

    But, for the duration of this crisis, it has become clear enough that the spread of the novel coronavirus can only be mitigated by all of us acting as individuals and citizens of planet Earth in terms of how we change our behavior in a global effort to fight back against this insidious virus.

  2. [2] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    CW,

    It’s been over ten years since I worked as a 911 call receiver, but I vividly recall the pandemic training exercises that we were part of. I thought it was put on by the Federal government, but it might have just been state wide.

    For 8 hours (which we treated as if it were 24 hours) we “dealt” with a fast acting epidemic that put our city on lock down and we had to respond to the different “surprise” circumstances that they threw at us — losing two fire departments to the illness....the entire 3rd shift of our call center becoming ill... making arrangements to live inside the call center gates until the emergency subsided.

    I actually had to hike a mile away from our center to “bury” the bodies of four co-workers and get back within a set time frame. (We used bags of concrete to represent the bodies to give us an idea of how heavy it would be.)

    We even got to turn non-employees away from the door where they begged for us to help them...fun stuff!

    My point is that I am fairly sure there were protocols that could have been implemented at the start of this emergency that were not solely because our president refuses to deal with any reality that is not of his own creation. Our government has been aware for years of how truly unprepared the general public are for such emergencies, and they have tried to be better prepared for the unknown. But all of this planning does us no good when those charged with implementing it remain silent.

  3. [3] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    My point is that I am fairly sure there were protocols that could have been implemented at the start of this emergency that were not solely because our president refuses to deal with any reality that is not of his own creation.

    Good point, Russ.

    The only thing I'd add is that your point applies to all governments. I think some of the highest impact learning can come from the actions taken by China and South Korea - what to do, what not to do, when and how.

  4. [4] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Aside from what governments can and should do to respond to crises like this, the "markets" and the top investors on the global stage, generally speaking, have once again proven their incompetence and blatant disregard for anything beyond the tips of their own noses.

    The next American president would do well to keep this reality uppermost in his mind and front and center in his strategy for governing.

  5. [5] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Perhaps, that was a bit harsh. But, it felt good to get it off my chest. Ahem. :)

  6. [6] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Of course, you have free rein, Don. :)

    My only real problem with your advocation for getting big money out of politics has to do with timing.

    Now is just not the right time. And, I know, I know - it's never the right time. But, it really isn't the right time now, in the middle (hopefully) of the novel coronavirus pandemic and of a presidential election campaign.

    Now, I fully understand the sentiment behind 'Now is the time! If not now, when!!

    I just don't see the practicality of your immovable timing on this. First and foremost, because I don't want to put Biden behind the eight ball when it comes to Trumps unlimited resources and, most importantly, Trump's total lack of decency such that I would put nothing past him. Trump may end up making Nixon's vast array of dirty tricks look like child's play.

  7. [7] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    ...And is it any wonder.

    https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/on-fox-news-suddenly-a-very-different-tune-about-the-coronavirus/ar-BB11h8TB?ocid=msedgdhp

    *The British hung Lord Haw-Haw for treason after the war, despite being born American. Disinformation from any media source during a national crisis should be met with the severest penalties. One wonders how many FOX-trotters will perish as a result of this treachery.

    CW speaks of the Trumpian inadequacies in a time of need, Im shocked that anyone expected anything more than what little he has done. Today he was asked (as a joke, undoubtedly) how he would rate his performance during this event, he naturally gave himself a ten out of ten...Meanwhile the walking corpses that believe everything he says nod on.

    Jill Biden will be swinging by the White House with a tape measure anon, I do hope she wears gloves, I'd hate for her to get sick.

    LL&P

  8. [8] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    "Trump may end up making Nixon's vast array of dirty tricks look like child's play."

    Where do you think he got all his political sliminess from? Roger Stone, that's who. In between attending swinger parties with his wife and having Nixon's face tattooed on his back, Stone honed his 'dirty trick' field guide within the GOP as a consultant to both Reagan and Bush (not to mention lobbying for such unsavory types as Ferdinand Marcos, various tobacco companies and the occasional African dictator).

    So, I would say Trump has surpassed Nixon in his filthiness, and still has a few months to put a cherry on the top.

    LL&P

  9. [9] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Maybe my problem, Don, is that I'm far too cynical about this that I would like to admit.

  10. [10] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    About Biden? No, I don't think so.

  11. [11] 
    SF Bear wrote:

    A question for Michale; do you have any insight as to why Trump would order all information about this virus classified? Not even doctors at the NIH or CDC can access the date unless the have a high level security clearance which most do not have. In CA our governor has been inventorying medical resources both personal and material so it can be shared with those areas that need it. however he is denied the latest data on the number and location of cases because of "national security" concerns. What virus data could possible be a security risk? Why would Mr. Trump do this other than to keep secret his incompetence in dealing with this crisis?

  12. [12] 
    Mezzomamma wrote:

    The British are also showing how not to do it, including government statements not matching what medics say, not testing front-line health staff and not setting up support mechanisms for the vulnerable groups. One neighbour is 90, the others are doctors, one a hospital paediatrician--we would not ask them to take on additional risk, and I expect they will be working all hours very soon. A lot of the volunteer community work that the Conservatives seem to be relying on is carried out by over 70s. Thank goodness a few nearby people have specifically offered help with shopping and so on, and our neighbourhood association is thinking how we can advise everyone of helpers and those needing help.

  13. [13] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    ListenWhenYouHear [2] -

    That is very interesting to hear. The front-line people do indeed practice this stuff, as they practice live-shooter drills and (out here) earthquake-response drills. So you're right, there must be protocols.

    I was impressed at the detail level of your exercise, though, I have to admit. Please share other details of what it was like, your post was very interesting to me.

    One has to wonder how far up the government chain those protocols have been developed, though, with the evidence of the past few weeks in front of us...

    LizM [3] -

    South Korea definitely seems to be winning the "most prepared" category, at this point...

    [4] -

    I've always said that presidents get a lot more credit for good times than they deserve, and a lot more blame for bad times when they happen to the economy. But this time around, it seems more than a little bit justified, if you know what I mean... the word "comeuppance" has been drifting around the back of my brain for about a week, now...

    Don Harris [6, 11, 12] -

    Set phasers to ignore...

    LizM [8] -

    Amen.

    James T Canuck [9] -

    Funny, I just read the same basic story in WashPost:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/on-fox-news-suddenly-a-very-different-tune-about-the-coronavirus/2020/03/16/7a7637cc-678f-11ea-9923-57073adce27c_story.html

    Heh. Better late than never, I suppose...

    [10] -

    I'm actually amazed you got through a post on Roger Stone without using the word "ratfucking"...

    Heh.

    SFBear [17] -

    Good question. Now that Fox has changed its tune as well as Trump admitting that things are about to get very bad indeed, it'll be interesting to hear what Michale has to say about things...

    Mezzomamma [18] -

    Yeah, the Brit response was so bad, Trump had to almost immediately reverse his decision to exempt all countries that had Trump golf courses from his travel ban.

    Have things gotten any better in the last few days, or are the Brits still lagging?

    Inquiring minds want to know...

    OK, that's it for now. Sadly, our own St. Paddy's Day plans have been bandjaxed (look it up) by the crisis, so we'll be raising a shot of Jameson's from home tomorrow night, as we watch the primary returns (such as they are) come in.

    My coronavirus mantra as of now: As long as the beer supply holds out, we'll all be fine...

    :-)

    -CW

  14. [14] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Don Harris [FPC]

    We don't know how many people would respond, but trends show that enough people might.

    Trends, like “jumping into the middle of an election midway through it”? How did that go for Bloomberg? What “trends” do you have to provide as evidence? And if you think Ralph running as a “spoiler” would draw votes... it won’t!

    If politicians are not bought by major corporations through campaign donations then why are candidates making such a big deal about whether or not other candidates have a Pac?

    Aren't the Pacs funded by donations from corporations?

    Don't they give 5400 dollars to the candidate and then more to the candidate's pac?

    They can be. My point is that you are focused on donations given directly to a campaign, and those are capped at $5400. No candidate is “bought” for that amount! You aren’t getting Big Money out of the race by having “small donations only”, because that’s not where the Big Money is found!

    It is doubtful that citizens demanding small donor only candidates would accept as legitimate a candidate that had a pac.

    And a candidate making the commitment is likely to understand this.

    The candidate, technically, is never directly involved with a PAC or SuperPAC. They are not allowed to directly communicate with the PACs by law. John Oliver did a great series on how PACs work that you might like to educate yourself with.

    Candidates can say they don’t want anything to do with a PAC, but that doesn’t mean the PAC cannot run ads supporting the candidate. It just means that you won’t hear the candidate saying, “I’m Dirk Diggler and I approve of this ad” at the end of it.

    So candidates can claim not to have a PAC or to support them, but that doesn’t really mean anything! And the problem is that you may never know which companies and corporations are dumping millions of dollars into these PACs to get their candidate elected. PACs pay for ads, for mailings, and can hold their own fund raisers all they like without saying specifically who they are backing.

    You cannot prove a candidate is tied directly to a PAC unless the candidate publicly claims to be or shows up at one of their events! This is why I think One Demand is a joke — you are fighting the already capped donations that must be reported by the campaign thinking you are doing something about the BIG MONEY when you are completely ignoring where the BIG MONEY is found!

  15. [15] 
    Michale wrote:

    FPC

    Russ,

    Do you really think it is wise to call for denying people medical treatment based on their criminal history given your own personal legal troubles?

    I have no personal legal troubles..

    Further, it's their status as illegal immigrant criminals that is the determining factor.

    They are in this country illegally.. They should not be given care that would then not be available to American citizens..

    They should be deported and let their own country care for them as it should be..

    Do you think it's wise to let Americans die because the care they could have gotten went to some illegal immigrant scumbag??

    Being in the country without proper documentation is an administrative misdemeanor.

    Nice spin.. As usual, it's bullshit... It's a crime to enter this country illegally and to remain in this country illegally...

    Are you also suggesting that we deny medical treatment to anyone currently with a suspended license — since they, too, are criminals?

    You DO know you are comparing apples and eskimos, right???

    I don't know the stats for people with suspended license who murder, rape, and assault American citizens.. I imagine there are no stats because it's a bullshit claim..

    Exactly what I expect from you.. In ALL respects.. :D

    Or is this just one of your xenophobic rules that apply to people Trump has told you are scary and you should fear?

    The FACTS speak for themselves.. How many Americans have been murdered and raped and assault and killed by drunk driver illegal immigrant criminals??

    Tens of thousands?? Hundreds of thousands?? Millions??

    Why don't you care about those millions of Americans murdered, assaulted, raped and killed by your illegal immigrant buddies??

    Hay, I got a great idea.. Why don't *YOU* take a dozen illegal immigrant criminals into your home..

    *YOU* pay for their food... *YOU* provide them a home... *YOU* pay for their healthcare.. *YOU* pay for their restitution to the Americans that they rape and rob and assault and murder...

    *YOU* think it's a good idea??

    *YOU* step up and pay for it all..

    Com'on Russ..

    Man up and PROVE to all of us what a great idea it is!!

    What?? No scrot!!!???

    Shocking... :smirk: :D

  16. [16] 
    Michale wrote:

    Gaming The Future Pandemic??

    That's easy....

    Just read Tom Clancy's EXECUTIVE ORDERS

    It will end just fine..

    AND, I am betting with a LOT LESS dead Americans than when Odumbo's incompetence killed over 12,000 Americans with his Swine Flu pandemic..

  17. [17] 
    Michale wrote:

    CW,

    The administration of President Donald Trump is showing us all, in real time, how not to tackle a widespread medical crisis.

    Yea, cuz Odumbo's way of treating a pandemic, which resulted in the deaths of 12,269 Americans, was SOOO much better, right?? :eyeroll:

    But, refresh my memory, CW..

    How many Pandemic/Virus commentaries did you do in 2009-2010 that death with Odumbo's Swine Flu pandemic??

    I searched and could not find a SINGLE ONE.. Now, I may have missed it, to be sure.. I am not perfect..

    So, if you could point me to the commentaries you did that were critical of the government response when that government was a DEMOCRAT government, I would be so appreciative..

    I mean, let's face facts.. THAT government "response" resulted in the DEATHS of over 12 THOUSAND Americans.. I am SURE that should have resulted in at LEAST one or two critical commentaries from you, right?? I mean, after all.. That was the reality of the time...

    Help a brother out, here, eh? :D

  18. [18] 
    Michale wrote:

    SF Bear,

    A question for Michale;

    Only if you promise to respond.. You have a nasty habit like JM has..

    You start a discussion, you don't like that I kick yer ass in the discussion and then ya just disappear rather than acknowledge the logic of my response..

    So, unless yer gonna hang around and actually HAVE the discussion, I am not going to waste my time..

  19. [19] 
    Michale wrote:

    CW

    I've always said that presidents get a lot more credit for good times than they deserve, and a lot more blame for bad times when they happen to the economy.

    Except, of course, if it's a president that you hate with a intense and virulent virus/infection-esque manner..

    THEN that President gets NONE of the credit and ALL of the blame... :^/

    Yea, I know, I know... Yer phasers are on 'ignore'..

    Funny. They were never pointed at me...

    "Criminals??? Criminals, Tony. I think that’s the word you’re looking for. Right? It didn’t used to mean me, or Sam, or Wanda. But, here we are."
    -Hawkeye, CAPTAIN AMERICA-CIVIL WAR

  20. [20] 
    Michale wrote:

    CW,

    it'll be interesting to hear what Michale has to say about things...

    Oh... So NOW.. NOW what I have to say will be "interesting"???

    The answer is real simple and afterwards you'll ignore it because it doesn't fit ya'all's Trump/America hate agenda...

    So, please give me ANY logical reason why I should waste my time to address YOUR question when ya'all spend days and weeks ignoring mine...

    Hmmmmmmm?????

  21. [21] 
    Michale wrote:

    So, please give me ANY logical reason why I should waste my time to address YOUR question when ya'all spend days and weeks ignoring mine...

    Hmmmmmmm?????

    OhMyGods, I sound just like DH!!! :D

    Regardless, it's a valid point..

    When I see it addressed, I'll deign to address SF Bear's laughably easy point...

    Anyone who has more than two brain cells to rub together and is NOT a virulent Trump/America hater suffering from HHPTDS would be able to figure out the answer...

  22. [22] 
    Michale wrote:
  23. [23] 
    Michale wrote:

    Once again.. We have ya'all's Trump/America hating HHPTDS...

    Dr. Ronny Jackson says Trump prevented American coronavirus pandemic on level of Italy, Iran
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/dr-ronny-jackson-coronavirus-italy-iran

    And then we have the FACTS.....

    And, since CW points to FOX NEWS as credible, then these facts have the official Grand PooBah seal of approval.. :D

  24. [24] 
    Michale wrote:

    Once again... Ya'all's hysterical and bigoted hate...???

    Former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson praised President Trump Monday night after he announced a list of guidelines that he and the White House coronavirus task force hoped will slow the spread of the pandemic within 15 days.

    "The president has done everything he needed to do in this case," Jackson told "Hannity". "He’s acted quickly and decisively. He did what he always has done ... he went with his instincts."

    "He put together a top-notch team and he was criticized.... despite that, he carried on and did what he needed to do for our country. He put the [China] travel ban in place," he added.

    Jackson said he does not expect the virus to spread at the rate that it has in places like Italy and Iran due to the president's "quick and decisive actions," notably his decision to restrict travel into the U.S. from China in late January.

    "What’s going on in Italy and Iran is not going to happen here I think, because of the president's quick and decisive actions. I think we are going to be more in line with what’s going on in South Korea and things of that nature," Jackson said.

    He continued, "We are going to see that we got on it early ... the president stopped it quickly and it’s going to save countless American lives. I am proud that he’s acted so quickly and decisively in all of this."

    And then the actual FACTS....

  25. [25] 
    Michale wrote:

    Asked to comment on the lack of tests available to the public, Jackson defended the administration, and called it just one example "of some of the regulations in government that the president has been getting rid of."

    Yep.. We can thank the Dumbocrats for lack of testing equipment and supplies...

    Why is it that the Democrats are ALWAYS the source of everything bad happening in this country???

  26. [26] 
    Michale wrote:

    Interesting factoid.. Made even more interesting by the tie in that Die Hard has with Weigantia.. :D

    In the movie DIE HARD, when Alan Rickman was dropped off the building in the final death scene ("God, I hope that's not a hostage.") the look of fear and surprise on Rickman's face is real..

    https://posts-cdn.thefunpost.com/V35fo9dt0SDb6JhJ/0Icvrqzr6IDnPX8p.jpg

    The stunt coordinator and his boys told Rickman that Rickman would be dropped on '3'...

    They dropped him on '1'... :D

    Fun Fact

  27. [27] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    Michale -

    As of this posting, US coronavirus cases: 4,736.

    Deaths: 93.

    Trump, not too long ago: "that number will be down to zero."

    Sheer incompetence.

    Deal with it.

    -CW

  28. [28] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    Oh, sorry, forgot to post the linK:

    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

    -CW

  29. [29] 
    Michale wrote:

    In the movie DIE HARD, when Alan Rickman was dropped off the building in the final death scene

    OK, OK... The SECOND deaht to the final death scene...

    Geeez.. Everyone's a critique...

  30. [30] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    Michale -

    Good luck trying to spin this one as: "it's all Obama's fault."

    No, seriously, good luck with that one. You're going to need it...

    -CW

  31. [31] 
    Michale wrote:

    As of this posting, US coronavirus cases: 4,736.

    Deaths: 93.

    Trump, not too long ago: "that number will be down to zero."

    Sheer incompetence.

    93 American deaths.. And you call that "sheer incompetence"...

    Odumbo had 12,269 American deaths..

    And that didn't even rate a condemnation??

    Yea, we see what the difference is :^/

    Odumbo has a -D after his name.

    You hate President Trump with a passion...

  32. [32] 
    Michale wrote:

    Ya really got to wonder..

    How would ya'all be reacting if we had President Hillary Clinton handling things..

    Ya'all would be swooning and gushing... :D

    It's *ALL* about the D vs R... No other dynamic is at work here..

  33. [33] 
    Michale wrote:

    Trump, not too long ago: "that number will be down to zero."

    That number WILL go down to zero.. And that will happen a LOT sooner than when it reached 12,269 under Odumbo's incompetence..

    And it will be all because of President Trump's awesome response to this crisis...

  34. [34] 
    Michale wrote:

    Biden Should Let the Experts Speak: Trump’s Decisive Leadership Is Helping Fight the Wuhan Virus
    https://townhall.com/columnists/lizharrington/2020/03/14/biden-should-let-the-experts-speak-trumps-decisive-leadership-is-helping-fight-the-wuhan-virus-n2564958

    Life imitates Art..

    In Tom Clancy's EXECUTIVE ORDERS, nefarious and country hating Democrats....

    "Is there another kind??"
    -Jack Nicholson, A FEW GOOD MEN

    .... fought President Jack Ryan during the bio-warfare attack... Democrats wanted to keep travel going and spread the deadly virus from Iran so more Americans would suffer and die..

    In the novel, Democrats were Iran's useful idiots..

    In there here and now, Democrats are China's useful idiots..

    Like I said.. Life... Imitating Art...

    "Art!!! That's not herb tea!!!! That's HERB!!!!"
    -Judge Stone, NIGHT COURT

    :D

  35. [35] 
    Michale wrote:

    Good luck trying to spin this one as: "it's all Obama's fault."

    You have adopted the Trump/American hating habit of claiming things that I did not say in order to make points that simply cannot be made by facts..

    I am not blaming Odumbo for the current crisis..

    I simply point out ya'all's reaction when Odumbo's incompetence killed 12,269 Americans compared to today's reaction when 90-odd Americans have died on President Trump's watch...

    It's a perfect study in political bigotry...

  36. [36] 
    Michale wrote:

    And you are in error on the 93 number..

    From your own HHPTDS News Media..

    Coronavirus shutdowns spread across U.S. as death toll tops 80
    UPDATED ON: MARCH 17, 2020 / 4:56 AM / CBS NEWS

    https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/coronavirus-updates-cases-fears-deaths-us-latest-2020-03-16/

    That is as of 2 minutes ago...

    But it illustrates my point perfectly..

    They hysteria that prompts inflation of the FACTS and of REALITY..

    Ya'all need to take a deep breath...

  37. [37] 
    Michale wrote:

    “Be quiet. Just let the experts speak.” Joe Biden should take his own advice.

    Democrats are so desperate to score political points out of a global pandemic they are playing into the hands of the communist regime whose cover-up led to the pandemic in the first place.

    From the beginning, President Trump acted decisively. Experts like Anthony Fauci credited the initial travel ban from China for saving us “really a lot of hurt.”

    What was Biden saying? Days before the Trump administration finalized the travel restrictions, in an editorial Biden warned against “reactionary” travel bans, claiming it “would only have made things worse” with Ebola. Biden then accused the president of “demonstrated failures of judgment.”

    How about letting the experts speak. When asked if the travel ban helped fight against the Wuhan coronavirus, Dr. Fauci said, “I think it absolutely has.”

    “Clearly early on we made a travel ban with regards to China that was a very smart move right there because what that did was prevent a major influx from China,” Dr. Fauci added.

    While experts on the White House Coronavirus Taskforce were making decisions in the best interests of all Americans, Biden was politicizing them. A day after the ban was announced, Biden smeared President Trump of “hysterical xenophobia” and letting “fearmongering to lead the way instead of science.”

    “Racist” if you do, “racist” if you don’t. When President Trump announced additional travel restrictions on Europe, Biden falsely said it was “based on favoritism and politics, rather than risk,” and claimed it would be “counterproductive.”

    Notice how Biden is hysterical and against all the logical and rational moves that President Trump has made..

    Since EXECUTIVE ORDERS is the comparative staple we are using, Biden is former VP (and rapist) Edward Kealty, opposing President Donald Trump's...ooops I mean, President Jack Ryan's (get the two confused sometimes) from doing what he KNOWS is in the best interests of this country..

    Once again.. Life... Imitates...Art

    If only anyone here actually read the novel and can refute the factual comparisons.. :D

  38. [38] 
    Michale wrote:

    Back to the experts: “Today, the new China is Europe…seeding other countries throughout the world,” Dr. Fauci said. “That’s the reason why we made the very difficult, but appropriate decision to have a travel ban on the European countries.”

    Will it help? “We are definitely ahead of the curve on that,” Dr. Fauci said.

    Rather than being muzzled, like Biden falsely claimed, Dr. Fauci and the White House have continually updated the public. Biden didn’t take press questions after his speech. Instead, from the comfort of his teleprompter, he delivered talking points that could have been written by the communist Chinese regime.

    We should not “fall back on xenophobia,” Biden said. “Labeling COVID-19 a 'foreign virus' does not display accountability for the misjudgments that have taken thus far by the Trump administration." China’s state-run media agrees. While China is busy trying to make President Trump the “fall guy,” its propaganda paper China Daily says calling the disease the “Wuhan virus” or “China virus” is “racist” and “distasteful.”

    Biden himself said the coronavirus was “coming in from China” in February, but that was before China’s propaganda campaign was in full force. Again, what do the experts say? Gordon Chang, who lived in China and Hong Kong for decades, says denying where the coronavirus came from helps China’s “all-out assault on the United States.”

    So, Biden is obviously in bed with Xi, plotting the attacks that will hurt America and Americans..

  39. [39] 
    Michale wrote:

    At the start of the outbreak China silenced doctors. One of them, Li Wenliang, is now dead, a victim of what the communist regime dismissed as a “rumor.” U.S. officials say China’s cover-up cost the world months of critical response time. Now, as communists do, China is attempting to rewrite history, smearing those who speak the truth. Chang says we should continue to call COVID-19 the "Wuhan virus" or “Chinese coronavirus” to hold China accountable for unleashing this global crisis.

    "This isn't a Republican thing. We all need to unite and for people to say, 'this is racist' is irresponsible," Chang said. "There is no race known as Wuhanese."

    Now is the time for unity. Instead of using a crisis as an excuse for Bernie Sanders’ socialist wish list, it is critical to work with the private sector. South Korea’s success with widespread available testing was made possible by Seegene, a molecular biotech company, getting the fastest government approval scientists had ever seen.

    Single-payer, like in Italy where they are rationing care, is not the answer. Cutting red tape and utilizing robust private industry is. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval to its first high-speed coronavirus test to Roche, which will allow the company to provide results within four hours and provide millions of tests each month.

    “I’ve been a lab person. I’ve been a vaccine developer. I’ve been a doctor. I’ve been all those things,” said Dr. Deborah Birx, another expert on the White House task force. “But I have never in my lifetime of government service worked with the CDC in a way that every time a state or local government calls and says, ‘I have this barrier, I need a modification to the regulations.’ That has happened almost daily.”

    President Trump will keep working with the experts. We all should keep listening to them.

    You see, ya'all's problem is you only want President Trump to work with YOUR experts... YOUR experts who are putting their Trump/America hating agenda BEFORE the welfare of this country and Americans...

    And President Trump is telling ya'all to FOD, that he will continue to work closely with the experts who have this COUNTRY'S best interests at heart..

    Not ya'all's "experts" who only have the Democrat Trump/America hating agenda at heart...

    You people run along now and play your political hate games..

    Leave saving the country to REAL patriotic Americans like myself and President Trump..

  40. [40] 
    Michale wrote:

    And let's not forget..

    Biden and the Dumbocrats are ***FUND RAISING*** off of this Pandemic....

    How sick and pathetic is that???

    Of course, you people don't care about that... :eyeroll:

  41. [41] 
    Michale wrote:

    Funny thing about your worldmeter.info website, CW..

    All it's background is cloaked and secret...

    Since it's inflating Covid-19 actual facts and passing on hysterical bullshit as fact, the ONLY logical assumption is it's a Trump/America hating Democrat front...

    "Simple logic"
    -Admiral James T Kirk

  42. [42] 
    Michale wrote:

    It's not just Bernie Bros who are going to stay home by the millions..

    It's not just Bernie Bros who are uncomfortable with Biden

    PITTSBURGH — Francis Caiazza does not have that warm, fuzzy feeling for Joe Biden, and he is not so sure he's going to ever find it.

    Caiazza has voted for whomever his party’s nominee has been since Lyndon B. Johnson, a streak he continued all the way up to and including both of Barack Obama’s elections.

    The only thing Hillary Clinton inspired Caiazza to do four years later was not vote at all.

    Caiazza is no Democrat in name only. He has not only been a Democrat all of his life, but he ran successfully as one in his native New Castle in 1981, when he was elected judge of the Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. He was the first Democrat at the time to earn that seat in 56 years.

    Veteran Democratic strategists will tell you two things in the days since Biden has become the party’s all-but-certain presidential nominee: They are thrilled Bernie Sanders is not the party’s nominee and anxious that Joe Biden is. That's not because they don’t like Biden (they do) or do not think he is in the sweet spot of Democrats' agenda (from their viewpoint, he is). It's just because, after all, he's Joe Biden.

    And that is what concerns voters like Caiazza.
    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/its-not-just-bernie-bros-that-are-uncomfortable-with-joe-biden

    You people need to come to terms with reality...

    Democrats have NO PATH to victory.. Either with the White House or keeping the House.

    It's just NOT going to happen....

    And I am so sure of my facts that support the prediction, I am willing to make ANY wager (within reason) that anyone wants to make... :D

  43. [43] 
    Michale wrote:

    He says he feels “somewhat” better about Biden sidelining Sanders for his party’s nomination, but hardly comfortable. “First of all, I think he's too old to be president," he says bluntly. "I just don't think that he has the energy, the capabilities to really be president. I think there should be somebody younger."

    The only thing that could possibly persuade Caiazza to vote for Biden is maybe who he chooses as a running mate. “I think it would have to be somebody who has some experience in government, like Klobuchar," he said. "I would feel more comfortable with her."

    In a state where President Trump won by 40,000 votes, Biden’s challenge isn’t just earning the support of Sanders voters who are uninspired; he also has to win over the Caiazzas of the world who have their own set of concerns.

    Not voting at all in Pennsylvania is as damaging to Democrats as voting for Trump.

    With all the negatives going against Biden and all the positives in favor of President Trump..

    One has to wonder how ANYONE can believe that Democrats will prevail in Nov...

    I wonder how soon it will be until Democrats start clamoring to postpone the Presidential Election..

  44. [44] 
    Michale wrote:

    In the days and weeks since Biden has gone from a media perception of a man hanging on the ropes to having the nomination within reach, he has given inspiring and notable speeches. But he has also continued his endless propensity for gaffes and confrontations, such as the one he had with a union worker in Michigan.

    The publicly recorded spat included Biden pointing his finger in the man’s face, the shushing of his female staffer, his potty mouth, and a poorly formed argument that severely lacked facts.

    The media and Never Trump brigade that has been horrified for years by similar behavior from Trump quickly came to Biden’s defense for behaving, well, like Trump.

    Keystone College political science professor Jeff Brauer says it's possible Sanders supporters want to see a feisty Biden. But that kind of outburst goes against everything the press and former Republicans have said they want, and more importantly, what Biden has said his candidacy stands for. “This is contrary to Biden's overall messaging of bringing normalcy and civility back to politics and governing,” Brauer said.

    That's what makes a voter like Caiazza, a well-respected, established Democrat, pause.

    Biden being Biden...

    And Trump/America haters being hypocrites..

    Ya'all HATE President Trump's In-Yer-Face style...

    Ya'all LOVE it when a Democrat is that way..

    Simple political bigotry...

  45. [45] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    It’s been over ten years since I worked as a 911 call receiver,

    Liar... You have never worked as a 911 receiver..

    If you had, you would realize that NO ONE calls it a "911 Receiver"..

    It's either "911 Operator" or "911 Dispatcher"...

    The HARDWARE used by 911 Operators or 911 Dispatchers is called a 911 Receiver...

    NOT the person themselves..

    Andy Spears, director of government and external affairs at the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board, says every 911 district in the state will receive at least one digital Next Generation 911 receiver.

    The technology should allow dispatchers to locate cell phone users much quicker than the current analog system.
    https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/13139890/tn-911-upgrade-to-allow-texts-photos-video

    Come to think of it, outside of electronics or football, the only "receiver" I know of involving people is of a sexual nature..

    Maybe THAT is what you mean when you say you are a receiver... :D If so, TMI buddy... TMI... :D

    Caught you in a lie, Russ..

    You are a liar.. You never worked as a 911 Operator or Dispatcher...

    Reminds me of the time you kept going on and on about "commissioned police officers"... Police officers are not "commissioned" they are sworn..

    "Commission" officers are basically mercenaries or rent-a-cops depending on their level of training...

    Why don't you leave Public Safety issues and discussions to the experts like me who have actually been there and done that, eh???

  46. [46] 
    Michale wrote:

    Speaking of Star Trek

    http://sjfm.us/pics/TheyreDeadJim.jpg

    hehehehehehehe

  47. [47] 
    Michale wrote:
  48. [48] 
    Mezzomamma wrote:

    CW [19] I wouldn't say things have improved here. There's no clear guidance on what 'self-isolating' should mean if you are over 70 but healthy. The big grocery chains advertise 'no need to panic buy, we restock all the time', but you are still unlikely to find everything you want in a single shopping trip at just the time when you shouldn't make multiple trips. The government has not taken steps to prioritise older or vulnerable people, many of who will have to ignore self-isolating if they want to eat until there is a general lockdown. And while telling people not to go to theatres, restaurants and so on, they haven't taken any steps that will allow those and similar businesses to recoup their losses.

    And this is on top of weather that spoiled many of last autumn's crops and has prevented early planting this spring.

  49. [49] 
    Michale wrote:

    And while telling people not to go to theatres, restaurants and so on, they haven't taken any steps that will allow those and similar businesses to recoup their losses.

    My daughter's daycare was going to close for a month, but was telling all the parents they still had to pay for the full month..

    After a revolt by the parents, the daycare said it was just a misunderstanding, that they were going to just close an hour earlier..

    When all is said and done, it's going to be Democrats who receive the brunt of the blame for all the economic losses.. As it's the Democrats who are pushing the OH MY GODS!!! THE SKY IS FALLING!!! THE SKY IS FALLING!!! DON'T BE CALM!!! DON'T BE CALM!!!! PANIC!!! PANIC!!! fear-mongering...

    There won't be a Democrat who can be elected county dog-catcher come Nov...

  50. [50] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Chris,

    I've always said that presidents get a lot more credit for good times than they deserve, and a lot more blame for bad times when they happen to the economy. But this time around, it seems more than a little bit justified, if you know what I mean... the word "comeuppance" has been drifting around the back of my brain for about a week, now...

    That's completely understandable. I just don't think this is the time to be thinking out loud about comeuppance. Rather, there should be serious calls for governments to act in extreme ways to win this battle against the virus before too many more people die.

    The piecemeal effort underway now around the world where this is cancelled and that is closed is going to get us all nowhere, fast!

    If we are serious about what governments needs to do, we will demand a complete shutdown excepting essential services and needs - grocery stores, pharmacies and the like- for two months. Oh, I'd keep the banks open, too … just because.

    Once this decision is made, then governments must act to protect people and workers by making direct monthly payments. Andrew Yang could set it up!

    Demanding more testing seems a bit quaint at this point. The virus is winning and it needs to be stopped with decisive action by governments and social distancing by all of us.

  51. [51] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Here is some wisdom from CNN's Chris Cuomo that all of us would do well to heed …

    https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/03/17/closing-argument-war-against-coronavirus-cpt-vpx.cnn

  52. [52] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    "Let's surrender the me to the we."

    Amen to that.

  53. [53] 
    Michale wrote:

    Rather, there should be serious calls for governments to act in extreme ways to win this battle against the virus before too many more people die.

    You mean, like a Travel Ban???

    But the Democrats didn't like a Travel Ban before.. They don't like one now..

    This is all mirroring the events that occurred in the Clancy novel EXECUTIVE ORDERS right down the to the former Vice President trying to wrest control from the legal President...

    It's chilling in it's similarities..

    The piecemeal effort underway now around the world where this is cancelled and that is closed is going to get us all nowhere, fast!

    So, to hell with civil liberties???

    Don't get me wrong.. I completely agree with you there..

    It just surprises me we're on the same page with President Trump... :D

    If we are serious about what governments needs to do, we will demand a complete shutdown excepting essential services and needs - grocery stores, pharmacies and the like- for two months. Oh, I'd keep the banks open, too … just because.

    Unless you shut it ALL down except for the REALLY essential needs like Public Safety places, you are simply piece-mealing it as you described above..

    Once this decision is made, then governments must act to protect people and workers by making direct monthly payments. Andrew Yang could set it up!

    Why?? You can't go anywhere to spend it...

    The virus is winning

    Not supported by ANY facts... In every location, the virus is LOSING...

    and it needs to be stopped with decisive action by governments and social distancing by all of us.

    The problem with that is that the Democrat part of the government, with their media lapdogs, are pushing people to panic...

    THAT is bad.. That is the WORST thing ANYONE in a leadership position can do..

    They are pushing FEAR... Illogical, irrational and COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED fear..

    They want people afraid.. Afraid of President Trump..

    But it won't work. REAL Americans.. Patriotic Americans see right thru all the Democrat BS and fear mongering..

    This latest pandemic will peter out with THOUSANDS less dead than from Odumbo's incompetence...

    And President Trump is still going to be re-elected..

  54. [54] 
    Michale wrote:

    Here is some wisdom from CNN's Chris Cuomo that all of us would do well to heed …

    Any relation to Governor Cuomo who said to all, "DON'T BE CALM!!! DON'T BE CALM!!! PANIC!!! PANIC!!!"

    ????

    "Let's surrender the me to the we."

    President Trump has been trying to get people to do that since he wiped the floor with Hillary Clinton..

    NOW Democrats want to follow his advice???

  55. [55] 
    Michale wrote:

    In the movie where Matthew McCaunahey (probably spelled that wrong) was defending Samuel L.Jackson for killing the men that raped an murdered his daughter there is a scene where he describes the rape and murder and finishes with "Now imagine she is white."

    I have to admit, I found McCaunahey's closing argument completely dunsel and totally not understandable..

    I mean, I know what he was going for.. he was going for a A FEW GOOD MEN money when Caffey totally destroyed Jessup on the stand..

    But it totally missed the mark??

    I just don't get it..

    "Imagine the child is white" ????

    It's a brutally murdered and raped CHILD.

    What does it MATTER what color she was???

    It's horrific and brutal and perverse and the scumbags who did it should be castrated with a dull rusty spoon, left to rot for a week or so and then strung up by their feet and hung over a pig farm and slowly lowered head first into the hogs..

    And it doesn't matter what color ***THEY*** are either..

    Jeezus....

  56. [56] 
    Michale wrote:

    and the scumbags who did it should be castrated with a dull rusty spoon,

    "Why a spoon, cousin???"
    -Sheriff Of Nottingham, ROBIN HOOD PRINCE OF THEIVES

  57. [57] 
    Michale wrote:

    I would have to say..

    There years have ALSO not been kind to Seven Of Nine..

    But she still has a great rack...

  58. [58] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Indeed.

  59. [59] 
    Michale wrote:

    In that movie color did matter. And the reason he used that line was to make the very point you are making that it should not matter what color she was.

    Musta been a Democrat.. Cause color is all that matters to them...

    :eyeroll:

  60. [60] 
    Michale wrote:

    It was just a bad movie..

    Because NO ONE is racist like that..

    Except Democrats 50-60 years ago...

  61. [61] 
    SF Bear wrote:

    Michale, I'm still here, I haven't gone anywhere, I'm still waiting for you to try and come up with a legitimate reason for making the virus data secret. And I have no interest in what Obama or
    Woodrow Wilson may or may not have done during their pandemics. That is in the past and we can not change the past. I am only interested in what this president does and how that impact life around us.

    While you are attempting to spin gold from the nonsense emanating from Mr. Trump, perhaps you can explain his 180 degree flip on the severity of the virus in the last 2 hrs? Yesterday it was a minor flu that would go away soon and today it is a major big deal. What changed his mind? I am certain it was not medical science, it mus,t have been that personal Ouija board called public opinion that governs his actions.

  62. [62] 
    SF Bear wrote:

    As soon as I posted my last comment about Mr. trump's Ouija board I saw this poll indicating that board is broken. http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NPR_PBS-NewsHour_Marist-Poll_USA-NOS-and-Tables_2003151338.pdf#page=3

  63. [63] 
    Michale wrote:

    Michale, I'm still here, I haven't gone anywhere, I'm still waiting for you to try and come up with a legitimate reason for making the virus data secret.

    Simple.. The intelligence points to a chinese biological weapons factory in Wuhan.. That's where covid-19 originated..

    It makes sense that some of the virus data MUST remain secret..

    And I have no interest in what Obama or
    Woodrow Wilson may or may not have done during their pandemics.

    Of course you are not interesting..

    Odumbo's incompetence killed over 12,000 Americans.. You can't defend that so you beat up on President Trump..

    That is in the past and we can not change the past.

    Funny how yer story is ALWAYS "it's the past" when it's a DUMBOCRAT's past that is called into question..

    But when it's a GOP'ers past, it's ALL relevant..

    Why is that???

    While you are attempting to spin gold from the nonsense emanating from Mr. Trump, perhaps you can explain his 180 degree flip on the severity of the virus in the last 2 hrs?

    Why would I bother to, let alone need to explain it??

    Yesterday it was a minor flu that would go away soon and today it is a major big deal.

    With you hysterical Trump/America haters, it's ALWAYS been a "major big deal"...

    What changed his mind? I am certain it was not medical science, it mus,t have been that personal Ouija board called public opinion that governs his actions.

    Of course you are "certain"... Just as, of course you have NO FACTS to back up anything..

    Just yer Trump/America hate...

    Now, run along and ignore the FACTS like you always do...

  64. [64] 
    Michale wrote:

    What changed his mind? I am certain it was not medical science, it mus,t have been that personal Ouija board called public opinion that governs his actions.

    I know the point of relevance..

    And, as usual, it's IRRELEVANT to life in the here and now..

    It's a Left Winger with a moronic Left Winger outlook on how THEIR see what is and isn't relevant..

    To Left Wingers, it's ALWAYS ***ALL*** about race..

    So, don't accuse me of missing the relevance.. That is factually not accurate..

    The "relevance" is NOT relevant to the world we live in today..

    Not for those who live in REALITY, that is..

  65. [65] 
    Michale wrote:

    Think about Jussie Smollett and tell me that the movie has relevance..

    Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Twanya Brawley..

    Think about all those bullshit racist hoaxes and THEN try to tell me that the very BAD movie has any relevance in today's world..

    You can't because it doesn't..

  66. [66] 
    Michale wrote:

    Michale-
    What are going on about?

    How that bad movie somehow had some relevance in the here and now..

    Though it also doesn't matter whether racists from 50 plus years ago were Dems, Republicans or Mormons. :D

    Of course it matters..

    Except to those who are DESCENDED from the racists.. :D

  67. [67] 
    Michale wrote:

    DH,

    You have an unfortunate tendency to try and make a point and then, when it's refuted with facts, you try to deny the point was trying to be made...

  68. [68] 
    SF Bear wrote:

    RE: #76 -- Wow if there was ever any doubt that you are able to actually debate the merits of a policy you have laid them to rest. Your only response when confronted with a poor policy is to insult and call names. Or, to attempt to divert the conversation to an irrelevant conversation about the past. A policy is good or bad based on it's merits not on it's similarity to something done in the past.
    As to secrecy of data during a health crises your supposition that this virus was a biological attack by the Chinese is preposterous seeing as to how it killed so many Chinese before it ever got here. Nevertheless, if it were an attack, the free flow of medical information through our society would provide the best means of defense. Exactly how is it helpful to keep doctors from sharing what they know about the virus? How is our nation made stronger by not knowing where the outbreaks are most severe so resources can be deployed? You can not directly answer these questions because you know there is no answer other than to protect the image of Mr. Trump. An image that has precipitously turned South because of his misbegotten handling of this crisis. Before you accuse me of panic mongering by my use of the word "crisis" you should check in with your leader for as of yesterday he is now referring to it as a "crisis", yesterday it was just another flu.

  69. [69] 
    Michale wrote:

    Just watched the final Star Wars... Rise Of Skywalker..

    WOW...

    BLOWN..... AWAY........

  70. [70] 
    Michale wrote:

    RE: #76 -- Wow if there was ever any doubt that you are able to actually debate the merits of a policy you have laid them to rest. Your only response when confronted with a poor policy is to insult and call names.

    Oh pulleeezzee.. You Trump/America haters started with the name calling even BEFORE Trump wiped the floor with your chosen one, Hillary..

    You have the gall to complain about name calling when ya'all have elevated it to an art form??

    Before you accuse me of panic mongering by my use of the word "crisis" you should check in with your leader for as of yesterday he is now referring to it as a "crisis", yesterday it was just another flu.

    And yet, you are STILL silent about the 12,000+ Americans who died under yer messiah Odumbo's incompetence..

    Funny how you only worry about Dead Americans when you can beat PRESIDENT Trump over the head with it..

    It's ALWAYS been a crisis, you dolt..

    But it was DEMOCRATS who said, "DON'T BE CALM!! DON'T BE CALM!!! PANIC!!! PANIC!!!"

    And, when all is said and done, the number of dead Americans will be a THIRD of what Odumbo's incompetence gave us.

    And you'll STILL ignore that fact..

    Funny how that is, eh???

  71. [71] 
    Michale wrote:

    What did you refute and with what?

    You said that that stoopid movie had relevance to the here and now..

    I proved it did not except for racist Democrats

    NOW you go off on a tangent about Brady because you can't handle I refuted yer BS with FACTS...

    AGAIN....

  72. [72] 
    Michale wrote:

    Which comment did I say that?

    I am not going to play the circle-jerk game with you..

    If you want to talk in circles and pretend you didn't say something you did, yer on yer own...

  73. [73] 
    Michale wrote:

    WELCOME TO FLORIDA

    WHERE IT'S PARTY LIKE IT'S COVID-19 99!!!

    https://youtu.be/ZZamrmTMs6w

    :D

  74. [74] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    A time to kill is an excellent film. Not sure how michale managed to make it about tawana brawley and don managed to make it about himself, when the underlying message is obviously in support of pie.

  75. [75] 
    Kick wrote:

    CW
    19

    I'm actually amazed you got through a post on Roger Stone without using the word "ratfucking"...

    Ratfucking? May I hear it in a sentence, please? Ahem:

    After multiple decades of ratfucking, the CREEP with the Nixon tattoo is apparently going to prison for refusing to rat on another fucking criminal POTUS.

    Long overdue on multiple counts. :)

  76. [76] 
    Michale wrote:

    JL,

    A time to kill is an excellent film. Not sure how michale managed to make it about tawana brawley

    Easy... DH tried to make the racism exhibited in the movie relevant in there here and now...

    I pointed out that racism is NOT relevant in the here and now and pointed to all the false claims of racism to substantiate my opinion..

    As to why DH made it about him?? I dunno... You 'ave ta ask him..

    For the record, A TIME TO KILL was a crappy film, a A FEW GOOD MEN wannabe...

    I mean, so??? Imagine the girl was white!?? What kind of bullshit is that???

    It's a CHILD... Who give's a rat's ass what color she was!!????

    Morons.... Morons made that film...

  77. [77] 
    Michale wrote:

    RUNAWAY JURY was a much better film than ATTK....

    And even IT wasn't as good as the book...

  78. [78] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    Other than both being court dramas, the two films have too little in common to be compared. As for the trope that racism is over... tell that to the family of heather heyer

  79. [79] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    Program Note:

    Tonight's predictions are up. Could be the last of this primary season...

    http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/03/17/final-tuesday-predictions/

    -CW

  80. [80] 
    Kick wrote:

    CW
    19

    OK, that's it for now. Sadly, our own St. Paddy's Day plans have been bandjaxed (look it up) by the crisis, so we'll be raising a shot of Jameson's from home tomorrow night, as we watch the primary returns (such as they are) come in.

    Blimey, you mean "banjaxed"!

    Jameson's? Excellent choice.

    As for Ohio!? Is fearr go mall ná go brách. ;)

  81. [81] 
    Michale wrote:

    As for the trope that racism is over... tell that to the family of heather heyer

    Heather Hayer had NOTHING to do with racism.. Heyer was a terrorist or a terrorist groupie.. Either way, her removal from the gene pool is a PLUS for society.. Much in the same way that Michael Brown's and Trayvon Martin's removal was a GOOD thing..

    Your claim that Hayer's removal has something to do with racism simply illustrates the problem of bullshit movies like ATTK amid bogus claims of racism like Jussie Smollett, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and Tawana Brawley...

    With the exception of Affirmative Action, institutionalized racism is dead in the US.. It died the day we elected a black man as POTUS...

    Other than both being court dramas, the two films have too little in common to be compared.

    Except the novels they were based on were both written by the same author..

    Other than that.. Yea.. NOTHING in common.. :^/

  82. [82] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Further, it's their status as illegal immigrant criminals that is the determining factor.

    Actually, hospitals don’t use that as their “determining factor” for who gets medical treatment!

    I don't know the stats for people with suspended license who murder, rape, and assault American citizens.. I imagine there are no stats because it's a bullshit claim..

    I completely agree...which is why I didn’t make the claim....YOU ARE THE ONE DOING THAT!

    The FACTS speak for themselves.. How many Americans have been murdered and raped and assault and killed by drunk driver illegal immigrant criminals??

    Tens of thousands?? Hundreds of thousands?? Millions??

    Why don't you care about those millions of Americans murdered, assaulted, raped and killed by your illegal immigrant buddies??

    Oh goodie! Michale’s “FACTS” are back — those utterly bullshit lies that Michale repeats to himself to help him reach orgasm. By all means, share the numbers and where your data comes from! I don’t care about the millions murdered, assaulted, raped and killed by illegal immigrants because they ONLY EXIST IN YOUR SCARY MASTURBATION FANTASIES ABOUT DONALD TRUMP!

    Hay, I got a great idea.. Why don't *YOU* take a dozen illegal immigrant criminals into your home..

    Like you take in all of those babies you stopped from being aborted, right? Oh wait, I forgot: Sex offenders cannot be foster parents.

  83. [83] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Liz,

    Demanding more testing seems a bit quaint at this point. The virus is winning and it needs to be stopped with decisive action by governments and social distancing by all of us.

    Sorry, Liz, but you could not be more wrong! Testing is the key to defeating this virus. The problem in the US is that we do not have an accurate understanding of the scope of infected people - their numbers, location, where they were exposed to the virus - to make a case for the more drastic measures needed to combat an epidemic.

    We don’t have the tests needed in this country to make an accurate guess at the actual number of people infected or the number of people who have died from the virus. Without that data, it is impossible to know the extent of the precautions necessary to combat it. President Trump’s refusal to admit the severity of the coronavirus for two months has cost us dearly.

    Unlike Michale, I don’t blame the President for the deaths caused by this or any other illness. Michale thinks he’s cleverly drawing attention away from the fact that he cannot defend Trump’s clusterduck handling of this emergency, but he’s just lying to himself and is the only one gullible enough to fall for it.

    Testing is essential to knowing when the virus has run its course, as well. It also is the only way to know if the virus mutates and becomes a bigger threat that must be handled in a different way. So, no, more testing is NOT a bit quaint — it is a MUST!

  84. [84] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Sorry, Liz, but you could not be more wrong! Testing is the key to defeating this virus.

    Oh, I agree … I just meant 'quaint' in the context of testing without a serious nationwide shutdown and not enough testing kits means the virus is going to spread everywhere and testing will just confirm that now.

    The US is so far behind this virus that only a serious national shutdown is going to defeat this virus.

    Of course, that shouldn't stop the surveillance effort in the meantime, I suppose … but the US doesn't even have a prioritized testing protocol at this late stage!

  85. [85] 
    Patrick wrote:

    I hope this brings a smile.

    I live in a small town in Nebraska. Our county has not been affected by the virus. On my way to the gas station yesterday I noticed whole blocks of houses had put their Christmas lights back up. This makes people smile and gets your mind off the pandemic, if only for a while.

    I hope this catches on to other areas.

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