Saturday
Mar142020
The Commentariat -- Ides of March 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Caitlin Kelly of Wired: "Tonight, former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders will meet onstage to debate for the 11th time in the 2020 campaign season -- but it's never been quite like this.... It's the first time the two men will face off one-on-one in a debate like this. And after spending months portrayed as an underdog, Biden is now the presumptive favorite to be the Democratic nominee for president. Tonight's debate starts at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT), and is hosted by CNN and Univision.... [The debate will] be held at CNN's studio in Washington, DC. There will also be no live audience." The story includes ways to watch.
Mrs. McCrabbie: I don't know what to make of this, but there it is in a real newpaper, and apparently confirmed by a German minister: ~~~
~~~ Philip Oltermann of the Guardian: "The Trump administration has offered a German medical company 'large sums of money' for exclusive access to a Covid-19 vaccine, German media have reported. The German government is trying to fight off what it sees as an aggressive takeover bid by the US, the broadsheet Die Welt reports, citing German government circles. The US president had offered the Tübingen-based biopharmaceutical company CureVac 'large sums of money' to gain exclusive access to their work, wrote Die Welt. According to an anonymous source quoted in the newspaper, Trump was doing everything to secure a vaccine against the coronavirus for the US, 'but for the US only'. The German government was reportedly offering its own financial incentives for the vaccine to stay in the country. The German health minister Jens Spahn said that a takeover of the CureVac company by the Trump administration was 'off the table'. CureVac would only develop vaccine 'for the whole world', Spahn said, 'not for individual countries'." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~
~~~ This US News report is more detailed & less sensational. It seems to back up the essence of the story, but it isn't clear from this report that Trump's aim was to secure the CureVac vaccine "for the U.S. only." Mrs. McC: If that is Trump's plan, it's analogous to a war crime.
Justine Coleman of the Hill: "President Trump said Sunday that he is 'strongly considering' a full pardon for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn. 'So now it is reported that, after destroying his life & the life of his wonderful family (and many others also), the FBI, working in conjunction with the Justice Department, has "lost" the records of General Michael Flynn,' he tweeted. 'How convenient. I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!' he added." ~~~
~~~ "It Is Reported"?? Martin Pengelly & Oliver Laughland of the Guardian: "Although Trump did not cite specific reports, [Flynn's lawyer Sidney] Powell had tweeted hours earlier an unsubstantiated claim that '#FBI still hiding evidence of #Flynn's innocence'." Mrs. McC: Oh. The "reports" are in the right-wing fantasy loop. So (1) make up a story about some miscarriage of justice; (2) pardon the guy based on the invented story.
Some highlights from today's NYT coronavirus updates: "By Sunday morning, known cases of coronavirus in the United States exceeded 2,700, spread across 49 states, prompting the mass cancellation of events and the reordering of American public life. Just one week ago, fewer than 500 cases of the illness had been diagnosed in the country..... Two American emergency-room doctors -- one in Washington State and one in New Jersey -- were in critical condition with Covid-19.... As the U.S. government rushed on Saturday to implement President Trump's restrictions on travel from Europe, part of an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, chaos ensued at some of America's biggest airports."
Derek Hawkins, et al., of the Washington Post: "Airports around the country were thrown into chaos Saturday night as workers scrambled to roll out the Trump administration's hastily arranged health screenings for travelers returning from Europe. Scores of anxious passengers said they encountered jam-packed terminals, long lines and hours of delays as they waited to be questioned by health authorities at some of the busiest travel hubs in the United States." Mrs. McC: The accompanying photo of the U.S. Customs waiting area at Dallas-Fort Worth International is not exactly a picture of "social distancing," even though many of the people in the photo are coming from areas with high coronavirus incidences. It's a "What's Wrong with This Picture?" moment.
Superfluous "News": Karen Heller of the Washington Post believes she has compiled "The Definitive Guide to Bernie Sanders' Hand Gestures."
~~~~~~~~~~~
The New York Times' coronavirus live updates for Sunday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Sunday are here. Both are free for nonsubscribers.
The New York Times' coronavirus live updates for Saturday are here. The page is open to nonsubscribers. Among the highlights: "Spain and France announced drastic, countrywide restrictions on Saturday to contain the spread of the coronavirus.... The virus has been reported in more than 2,100 people in 49 [U.S.] states, as well as Washington and Puerto Rico, and has killed at least 48.... It was unclear if Mr. Pence, who interacted with some of the infected Mar-a-Lago visitors, had known that the president was tested. Answering a reporter's question about his own status, Mr. Pence said, 'I'm going to speak immediately after this news conference with the White House physician's office,' which he said had previously advised him that neither he nor his wife needed to be tested.... Despite being pressed repeatedly at the White House news conference on Saturday, Mr. Pence did not share substantive new details about Mr. Trump's earlier claim that Google was developing a website to help people decide whether a test for the coronavirus was warranted and where they could get one.... As thousands of Americans flee from Europe and other centers of the coronavirus outbreak, many travelers are reporting no health screenings upon departure and few impediments at U.S. airports." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Access to the Washington Post's live updates on the coronavirus pandemic also is free. There is currently on the WashPo's front page a list of other virus-related stories that are free to nonsubscribers.
Jessie Hellmann & Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump has ordered for travel to be suspended from the United Kingdom and Ireland as the United States seeks to stem the spread of the coronavirus domestically. The restrictions, which take effect Monday night at midnight, don't apply to American travelers returning to the U.S., Vice President Pence said during a White House briefing on Saturday.... Trump said Saturday his administration is also considering domestic travel restrictions. 'If you don't have to travel, I wouldn't do it. We want this thing to end. We don't want a lot of people getting infected,' he said." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Trump Unaware of His Own "Decisions." Here's Trump saying that "we're looking very seriously at" extending the European travel ban to the U.K. & Ireland (begins about 34 sec. in):
~~~ About 15 minutes later, in the same press briefing, mike pence said, "The President* has made a decision to suspend and travel to the United Kingdom & Ireland":
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The Hill story linked above is a good example of how journalists clean up Trump's goofs, leaving readers as clueless as Trump is.
Susannah Luthi of Politico: "... Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has been tested for coronavirus after being questioned about it Friday. 'I also took the test last night,' Trump said during a briefing at the White House. 'And I decided I should, based on the press conference yesterday. People were asking, "Did I take the test?"' Asked when test results would be returned, he said: 'A day, two days. They send it to a lab.'... Late Friday, press secretary Stephanie Grisham released a memo from the White House physician saying Trump had dined at Mar-a-Lago with a person who has since tested positive for coronavirus. However, Navy Cdr. Sean Conley did not recommend testing the president as a necessity." Mrs. McC: So testing an old man who has been around three known virus carriers is unnecessary? I don't get it. It's almost as if you can't believe a single word that comes out of this White House. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Jason Hoffman & Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "... Donald Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus, according to a statement from the White House.... 'Last night after an in-depth discussion with the President regarding COVID-19 testing, he elected to proceed,' according to the statement about the results released by press secretary Stephanie Grisham with Trump's permission. 'One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago, the President remains symptom-free. I have been in daily contact with the CDC and White House Coronavirus Task Force, and we are encouraging the implementation of all their best practices for exposure reduction and transmission mitigation.'
Jonathan Swan of Axios: "Vice President Mike Pence sent White House staff an email Saturday afternoon recommending 'social distancing' and to 'avoid physical contact' to keep themselves and their colleagues safe from the novel coronavirus.... This is the first staff-wide email Pence has sent across the complex during his time as vice president -- and is the latest sign the White House is shifting its posture against the pandemic. As recently as Thursday, Pence, who is leading the President Trump's task force to combat COVID-19, told CNN he was still shaking hands with people at the White House."
Susannah Luthi & Evan Semones of Politico: "The White House on Saturday began checking the temperatures of anyone in close contact with ... Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence. White House staff met reporters at the door of the press briefing room with a thermometer, checking the temperatures of everyone coming in for a noon press conference on coronavirus developments. A man who appeared to be a journalist was blocked from entering the briefing room because his temperature was deemed too high."
Carolyn Johnson & William Wan of the Washington Post: "After disastrous communications during the 2001 anthrax attacks ... the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created a 450-page manual outlining how U.S. leaders should talk to the public during crises.... They compiled a list of pitfalls to avoid -- a list that has begun to look a lot like the administration's playbook.... The Trump administration's zigzagging, defensive, inconsistent messages about the novel coronavirus continued Friday, breaking almost every rule in the book and eroding the most powerful weapon officials possess: Public trust.... The fundamental principles behind good public health communication are almost stunningly simple: Be consistent. Be accurate. Don't withhold vital information, the CDC manual says. And above all, don't let anyone onto the podium without the preparation, knowledge and discipline to deliver vital health messages.... Trump in particular checks off many of attributes the manual specifically warns against. The spokesperson must be 'familiar with the subject matter' and have the 'ability to talk about it clearly and with confidence.'"
Spitballing a National Crisis. Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "The administration's struggle to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak has been marked by infighting and blame-shifting, misinformation and missteps, and a slow recognition of the danger. Warring factions have wrestled for control internally and for approval from a president who has been preoccupied with the beating his image is taking.... Jared Kushner ... -- who has zero expertise in infectious diseases and little experience marshaling the full bureaucracy behind a cause -- saw the administration floundering and inserted himself at the helm, believing he could break the logjam of internal dysfunction.... 'People just show up in the Oval and spout off ideas,' said a former senior administration official briefed on the coronavirus discussions. 'He'll either shoot down ideas or embrace ideas quickly. It's an ad hoc free-for-all with different advisers just spitballing.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Maureen Dowd: Trump “can't cover up his lack of empathy, his instinct to mislead, his refusal to do his homework and his blame-shifting.... Even when the president stopped being so blithe about the virus, even after his error-ridden national address and his press conference Friday declaring a national emergency -- 'two very big words' -- his attempt at maturity was crystallized in one sound bite. 'No, I don't take responsibility at all,' Trump said, when asked about the egregious lag in testing. It was far from his tweet in 2013, when he loved trolling Obama: 'Leadership: Whatever happens, you're responsible. If it doesn't happen, you're responsible.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
AP: "The U.S. Defense Department is planning to halt all domestic travel for military members after ... Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. The Pentagon says Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist has approved new travel restrictions on service members and Defense Department civilians assigned to military installations and surrounding areas within the United States and its territories." Mrs. McC: Could be partly because "a financial document obtained by The Daily Beast found massive shortfalls for detecting, treating, and preventing COVID-19 from spreading throughout 1.2 million soldiers and Army employees, as well as roughly 3 million dependent family members." (Daily Beast story linked yesterday.) (Also linked yesterday.)
Linda Qiu of the New York Times lists the major false claims Trump made during his news conference Friday & summarizes the actual facts: "I don't take responsibility at all because we were given a set of circumstances and we were given rules, regulations, and specifications from a different time." "If you go back to the swine flu, it was nothing like this. They didn't do testing like this, and actually they lost approximately 14,000 people, and they didn't do the testing. They started thinking about testing when it was far too late." This is blatantly wrong. Diagnostic tests for the swine flu were approved and shipped out less than two weeks after the H1N1 virus was identified and a day before the first death in the United States. "... Google is helping to develop a website, it's going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past, to determine whether a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location." "As you know, Europe was just designated as the hot spot right now and we closed that border a while ago." "This includes the following critical authorities -- the ability to waive laws to enable telehealth, a fairly new and incredible thing that has happened in the not-so-distant past." It's been used for decades. "When you say me, I didn't do it [disband the White House's pandemic team]. We have a group of people I could ask -- perhaps my administration -- but I could perhaps ask Tony about that because I don't know anything about it." "To help our students and their families, I have waived interest that all student loans held by federal government agencies, and that will be until further notice." This needs context. Mrs. McC: Quite a list. (Also linked yesterday.)
Grace Panetta & Lauren Frias of Business Insider: "A third person who visited Mar-a-Lago ... has tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday. 'Brazil's Chargé d'Affaires Ambassador Nestor Forster has learned tonight that he has tested positive for Covid-19,' the Brazilian embassy in the US announced Friday. 'Following medical advice, Amb. Forster will extend his self-quarantine, which he had already placed himself into as a precautionary measure, for another two weeks.' The Washington Post reported that the second infected person was present at a Sunday fundraising lunch 'hosted by Trump Victory, a committee that raises money for the Trump campaign and the Republican Party.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "... Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, is being tested for coronavirus after reporting she is feeling unwell. McDaniel's illness comes after she visited ... Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club." As Anonymous points out, that's Ronna Don't-Call-Me-Romney McDaniel.
Healthcare Video of the Day: Wash your hands for 20 seconds, or as long as it takes to sing the chorus of "I Will Survive." Thank you, Gloria Gaynor:
Joanne Kenen of Politico: "Local officials from around the country are worried about the readiness of the U.S. public health system, citing a sharply limited number of ventilators to help some of the sickest coronavirus patients and an inadequate supply of critical care beds in a hospital industry that has gone through years of cutbacks in inpatient beds. As they prepare for an expected influx of patients, local public health officials painted a picture of a system with only a limited 'surge' capacity, and stressed the importance of social distancing as a crucial way to keep the numbers of patients at a level the system can handle." (Also linked yesterday.)
The Twitter Monster was busy Saturday morning touting yesterday's market surge (hmm, nothing about the previous day's plunge), and promising a "full report latter" on his meetings today. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Jamie Gangel of CNN: "... Donald Trump on Friday sent a note to supporters that included a chart showing the Dow Jones Industrial Average dramatically rising roughly at the time he began a news conference declaring a national emergency over coronavirus. The President signed the chart. The note, which was also sent to some members of Congress, included screenshots of television coverage of the stock market closing much higher than Thursday. 'The President would like to share the attached image with you, and passes along the following message: "From opening of press conference, biggest day in stock market history!"' read the note.... The message did not mention the overall coronavirus crisis, the number of people who have died or are sick, nor the fact that he had just declared a national emergency.... In boasting about the stock market, the President was cherry-picking a single day's rally amid a period of major selloffs and a 20% decline that was the fastest in history.... The day's rally ... came the day after the worst day for stocks since the 1987 crash." Thanks to Bobby Lee for the lead. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: There is some good news in this: President* Me-Me-Me now has evidence that when he indicates he's facing the coronavirus crisis, the markets rise, whereas his attempts to disregard & downplay the pandemic were at least partially responsible for the markets' big drops. ~~~
~~~ Update. Never Mind. President Dummkopf Didn't Learn Anything. Jeanne Smialek of the New York Times: "President Trump said on Saturday that he had the power to remove or demote Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, renewing a long-running threat against the central bank's leader at a time when it could further roil volatile markets. Mr. Trump said in a news conference at the White House that ousting Mr. Powell was not his current plan but that he was 'not happy with the Fed' because it was 'following' and 'we should be leading.' He said he had the right to remove Mr. Powell as chair 'and put him in a regular position and put somebody else in charge,' but added, 'I haven't made any decisions on that.'"
Ginia Bellafante of the New York Times: "By Thursday afternoon, texts and emails circulating among New York's professional class warned that ... the city was going into lockdown.... The rumor was false but that didn't slow it down.... These rumors did inspire those who were not in a position to flee the city to instead panic shop. Broad-scale emergencies never fail to reveal the fault lines in the American class system, and it was suddenly clear that well-off New Yorkers were going to go about the business of combating the coronavirus ... with ... secondary real estate. As the messages flew around, the people with weekend homes ... made plans to flee to them, indefinitely. Outside a prewar co-op on lower Fifth Avenue on Friday morning, well-dressed people were loading cats and canvas bags into their hatchbacks. 'The building is empty,' one woman entering with her dog explained. 'Everyone's gone to the Hamptons.'"
Presidential Race
Ben Nadler of the AP: "Georgia's March 24 presidential primaries have been postponed until May because of fears over the new coronavirus, state election officials announced Saturday, a day after Louisiana also pushed back its primaries. In-person early voting, which began statewide March 2, will be halted and the election will be moved to May 19, when Georgia's other 2020 primary elections are being held, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement. In addition to public safety, one of the biggest considerations was the risk the virus posed to poll workers, who are often older, election officials said."
Share Article
Comments for this entry have been disabled. Additional comments may not be added to this entry at this time.
Reader Comments (19)
Noticing that tomorrow is Sunday, the Pretender has declared it a National Day of Prayer.
Take that!, virus.
Imagine it will be at least as effective as the thoughts and prayers with which those of the GOP congregation are given to treat mass shootings.
Causes me to wonder why all those Righties (including the Pretender in his prayerful mode) who place such faith in the efficacy of prayer don't depend on it instead of building a wall to keep those brown people out of their country.
When it comes to walls, I would have gone with that.
@Ken Winkes: I don't doubt that we'll be hearing from some of the churchiest people that the coronavirus is a plague on sinful urbanites & West Coast liberals. And the next thing you know is that the sinful urbanites & West Coast liberals passed on their plague to the god-fearing good people in the heartland. It is not for nothing that, at least as of Saturday night, the only state not to have reported a case of Covid-19 is Almost Heaven West Virginia.
“When we talk about lying, and especially about lying among acting men, let us remember that the lie did not creep into politics by some accident of human sinfulness; moral outrage, for this reason alone, is not likely to make it disappear.” Hannah Arendt.
NO BUCK STOPS HERE
Man who was elected to take responsibility for running this country refuses to acknowledge that fact. So the question to be asked is what exactly IS his job? Would the answer be the same as it was before he became president?
"I play with people's fantasies ––I give them what they want to hear and they believe me."
Thus he continued ––his lies so staggering that he has to admire them, and now some say he might be looked at as a murderer.
And perhaps there are those that have newly discovered this and all we can say to them is––"Did you not know?
I remember vividly the stunning address by LBJ when he dropped out of the race for "re-election." He had his flaws, of course, but he was politically savvy enough to know when to fold 'em. This occupant of the Oval Office might take note. Because of the ineptitude, incompetence, and general nonsense in his response to the crisis, he could avoid the embarrassment of losing in November by ending his campaign. He won't, more's the pity--
NO BUCK STOPS HERE
I'm reminded of that other business man/president who said "The
buck stops here."
Our current business man/president* has changed that saying to
"The buck goes in my pocket."
Good one, Forrest. Thanks.
Maybe "Your buck....?
He is, after all, the Fleecer in Chief.
I notice on the teevee that various pundits are wondering if Donald Trump really did have a coronavirus test and if the test really did come up negative.
@ Bea - he does have a teensy bit of a credibility problem, doesn’t he?
If true, not surprising but very creepy:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/15/trump-offers-large-sums-for-exclusive-access-to-coronavirus-vaccine
Probably plans to sell it out of the White House.
@Ken, I hear people saying that Google is having a crack team of coders working day and night to set up a sales portal for it at javanka.com.
I have always thought Trump had been tested early on and numerous times since. It makes no sense, regardless of how many Dr. Tongue Fluffers' memos, alerts and statements bouncing from "no need to test as he's Superman" to declaring all clear that the leader of the free world has only been tested once. I suspect that he probably tested negative on at least one occasion. However, I think the report of the recent negative test may omit the current results. The overriding problem is that most of us who still retain a few working braincells are 99.9% sure there's a lie in there somewhere.
Sunday distraction from his latest monumental F-up is "I'm seriously thinking of pardoning Flynn." Followed closely by "Am not, Fake news."
I do my weekly grocery run early on Sunday morning because I'm way too cranky to tolerate crowds. I arrived at my 1st stop, a large grocery store; a hybrid between normal grocery store and box store. Normally, its me, a few other shoppers and the restocking clerks. I arrived at 6:55 a.m., store opens at 5 a.m. They were just opening and there was a line 75-100 people being let in a few at a time, with security guards. I got out of my car, mostly to stare in amazement. A couple, who decided to give it a miss and I stood talking for a moment. The woman showed me a phone pix of the shelves the day before at 5 p.m. - empty. They had closed early the day before and opened late today. The man told me people were getting to the shouting and fighting stage while standing in line. Since I hung up my boxing belt a few years ago, I took my happy butt on out of there. My other grocery stores (3) were out of TP (expected), good tortillas and low on meat and bread. Otherwise, they were busier than usual, but then I'm usually happily lonely during my shopping run. I joined about 20 people waiting a few minutes for the 8 a.m. opening at Trader Joes and we all filed in with no punches thrown. I now have a theory, more Trump voters like big box and big box style stores. Trader Joes has more Democratic shoppers. Completely scientific, of course.
Two days ago it was business as usual. I'm in a suburb of Sacramento CA. Newsome is handling the coronavirus as well as he can with limited supplies and giving lots of briefings. I sure as hell don't want the virus, but fact is I'm more concerned about giving it to people who are vulnerable, so I'm being careful. The general hysteria is understandable given the abomination that is Trump and Pence shitbabbling, flailing about and spreading hypocritical "Christian" sentiments in solemn tones. The smug capon consulting a group of medical grifter friends of his father's on FB for guidance calms no waters. But I don't get the hysteria over TP?
Re. NationalPrayerDay:
https://www.ifapray.org/blog/coronavirus-and-end-times/
Now we're safe
Let's just go ahead and reduce the two words "not responsible" to one and say "irresponsible".
I remember a book published back in mid 80s that studied the body language of politicians (don't have a reference, sorry). They found that when the politician (in this case Nixon and Agnew) touched their face during a speech they were lying. Personally, I don't put much stock in interpreting personal gestures. For example: von Clownstick never touches his bronzed face, and there isn't an utterance that comes out of his McNugget hole that isn't a lie or exaggeration.
Sent to me with virtual hugs:
“Flatten The Curve!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hks6Nq7g6P4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0OstFtLEpOL9mZqHKRklhTMxCA3Y403VISj1EbbCmSXlpcvqwT6Lq0KD8
Improved Spacial Formatting vs Above?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hks6Nq7g6P4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0OstFtLEpOL9mZqHKRklhTMxCA3Y403VISj1EbbCmSXlpcvqwT6Lq0KD8
Okay - My Final Attempt For “Dumb Fuckery”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hks6Nq7g6P4
And what would be wrong with a Flynn pardon, I must ask?
The Pretender has already pardoned convicted murders and racists.
What's wrong with an admitted liar and Putin asset?
The GOP senators have already pardoned the Pretender for the same things.
A Flynn pardon would be almost like pardoning yourself.