Salting the Wounds, Hammering the Wedge Deeper

“Governors don’t do global pandemics.”

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo

After dispensing medical advice that would have been fatal if followed, canceling one White House Daily CV19 press briefing, and telling the governors – one more time!!! – that they were on their own, Donald Trump has amped up dangerous threats aimed at big city blue states (and what he believes are a couple of rogue red states). He is clinging to the desperate belief that restarting the economy is his key to victory in the fall. Though he may not legally be entitled to do so, he has threatened to withhold federal CV19 aid to states that do not follow his guidelines to accelerate the reopening the economy in the near term.

Not that the federal government has actually been that effective in getting needed supplies and equipment in the first place. And the stench of cronyism even surrounds some of that purported federal aid. FEMA’s mysterious and untransparent Air Bridge Project, helmed by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, has the federal government picking up the tab for private buyers of basic medical supplies from China, at jacked up prices that only benefit China and those private buyers with little or no oversight. A Senate oversight committee is beginning to investigate this ill-defined system. Meanwhile, states are still bidding against each other (and FEMA) for those medical supplies. Even as Trump says he has high confidence that CV19 originated in a military lap in Wuhan… CHINA!

While trying to present a lock-step support for the President, there are rumblings among some GOP faithful that current federal policies could decimate the Party in November. Former George Bush speechwriter, David “Frum last week [third week in April] suggested in the 2020 election as a direct consequence of his botched response to the pandemic, and that he will ‘likely take the Republican Senate down with him’…

“[Frum] argued that President Donald Trump is sacrificing the lives of other Americans to the coronavirus crisis in a ‘desperate’ bid to save himself politically… In a thread on Twitter, David Frum claimed reports the White House is now pivoting its pandemic messaging to the economy showed Trump is ‘consciously choosing to risk higher virus casualties’ in the second quarter of 2020 ‘in hope of jolting the economy into revival in Q3 to save his re-election’ in November… ‘It’s a desperate gamble to save himself by sacrificing others,’ wrote Frum, who is now a senior editor at The Atlantic, warning: ‘It’s also not very likely to work.” Huffington Post, April 29^th. The first quarter GDP, based almost entirely on declines in March, was a negative 4.8%. It is still falling.

“As a handful of states begin to ease stay-at-home restrictions, no state that has opted to reopen has come close to the federally recommended 14 consecutive days of declining cases… Even as the U.S. hit the grim milestone of more than 1 million cases Tuesday [4/29]— one-third of the world's total — Georgia, Minnesota and other states are pushing to reopen businesses, even though new infection rates are still rising.” NBC News, April 29^th. Florida just experienced its highest one-day death rate from CV19 on April 29^th… and Governor Ron DeSantis is announcing a rather immediate reopening of that state.

Trump’s philosophy – let the market set the price for needed supplies – has pushed many municipalities and some states to the financial breaking point. Since the highest demand has been in places where lots of people are crowded together – cities (which are primarily blue, even those in red states) – Trump is openly catering to his rural base that truly hates cities more than ever. They have blamed cities for shutting down the economy and playing up what conspiracy theorists are calling a “fake crisis.” Mike Pence underscores this denial vector by showing up on April 28^th to the Mayo Clinic, knowing there are uniform instructions for visitors to wear masks, saying he and those around him have been sufficiently tested so that his appearance is safe. What a message for the CV19 deniers!

As Senate Majority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, snarled that the federal government is finished with “bailing out” blue states, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, at his April 29^th morning press conference, responded with justifiable outrage. He reminded us all that McConnell’s Kentucky takes $37 billion dollars out of the federal budget more than they put in in taxes… and that New York puts in $29 billion more than they take out. In fact, Oregon is the only blue state that takes out more than it contributes ($7.5 billion). According to the January 19^th Business Insider, even mega-rich states like Florida (drawing $62 billion out more than it pays in federal income taxes) and Texas ($36 billion) are effectively being subsidized (“bailed out”?) by the nation in big way.

As Cuomo repeatedly points out, a pandemic that spreads without honoring man-drawn borders cannot be shepherded without massive federal coordination. Cuomo points out that what the nation needs is unifying leadership, but what it has instead is a blame-seeking, responsibility-shirking litany of misinformation, delayed and inadequate federal action and a president urging people to ignore the very guidelines he has promulgated. All aimed at exacerbating polarization for political expediency. When this is all over and we are mustering policies and priorities to amplify returning to normalcy, who is going to forget his “us” vs “them” harsh divide, no matter who wins the White House. Is normalcy possible, or is the United States is hopelessly fractured?

To understand the depth of the divide, you can look at the acceleration of videos on YouTube and other generally available public online finding targets that have generated too much credibility in reminding Americans of the realities of this pandemic. “In recent weeks, Fauci has emerged as the latest target in the vast web of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories that have been circulating on social media since reports of the coronavirus first began to emerge out of Wuhan, China, in January. Like other coronavirus villains, from the Chinese government to Bill Gates, Fauci has been charged with an array of nefarious activity, all of it implausible and some of it mutually contradictory. According to some theories, for example, he’s both played a role in creating the coronavirus and exaggerated the risks of a ‘fake’ pandemic. According to widely viewed and shared YouTube videos, Facebook posts and memes, Fauci’s alleged motives include ties to 'big pharma,’ a financial stake in a future coronavirus vaccine and involvement in a ‘deep state’ plot to destroy the economy and influence the presidential election in November. 

“Experts warn that recent efforts to undermine scientists and public health officials like Fauci have the potential to further compound the dangers of misinformation, which has spread alongside the coronavirus as a dangerous comorbidity to the pandemic itself.” Yahoo News, April 28^th. The same Anthony Fauci who, at a Trump-led CV19 press briefing on April 29^th, noted that preliminary test results for a mollifying treatment (not a cure) using the drug Remdisivir were distinctly positive. As Trump touted uniform support for his effort to reopen America among American governors, there are plenty of governors who are being much more circumspect and cautious than to embrace the President’s goals… and have made it clear that they are going to make data-driven, not politically- based decisions.

Trump, on the other hand, is much more interested in assessing blame on China and demanding them to write big global checks. Data? Why bother? “Open the economy” is the mantra. Trump needs distractions. China has already rejected Trump’s position.

Rumblings of meat shortages have prompted Trump’s orders that meat processing plants must remain open (purported under his powers under the Defense Production Act). The relevant workers are noting the lack of safe distancing, testing and other prophylactic measures at those plants, where there have been many serious CV19 outbreaks. Workers, most of whom desperately need paychecks, are threatening simply not to show up. Federal OSHA regulations require a safe workplace, no matter what the President may wish. We still do not have clearly confirmed reliable CV19 tests that produce actionable results! Bottom line: we are hopelessly behind in having the necessary testing and other necessary medical supplies to protect those workers and generally to contemplate any material reopening the economy.

Take a lesson from Germany, which has experienced much lower infection and mortality rates per capita, by far, than has the United States. They lifted significant distancing restrictions a week ago… and the infection rates have already ticked up. The government has now suggested that German residents stay at home as much as possible and consider continuing safe distancing requirements. Think the U.S. can implement a much wider reopening, with much less in place to handle infections than Germany, and just watch our economy soar?! The market soared with Fauci’s Remdisivir announcement and as red state governors completely ignored the infection spread-rate models. He warned us not to get overly excited by this anti-inflammatory and to remain careful. Does the stock market crash when the death toll accelerates again?

Funny, I’m imagining when the vaccine is finally available (next year), if Trump is still in office, does he let the market set the price ($100,000 a shot maybe)? And how does the fed distribute the vaccine? Or does it? Is it even able to? They still have not got viable test kits out to all those who need them.

While there have been some amazing federal bright spots – like US Army Corps of Engineers building masses of operational make-shift hospital facilities in record time – the voices at the top of the federal government have failed like no prior American administration in history, their policies have primarily been words contrary to actions, the nation has not been this divided (at each other’s throats) like this since the Civil War, and there is little in their current data to suggest that we are anywhere near a place where this country can reopen without massive casualties, the dreaded second wave. Once again, we have a continuing Trump administration bad habit: labeling total failure as “success” and leaving it at that.

            I’m Peter Dekom, and if there is a second wave with massive casualties, it will take a miracle to allow the United States of America to hold together and remain a viable democratic country.