Pandemic Is Different for Democrats, Republicans

“There’s a stark partisan difference in who has been affected by the coronavirus: Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to live in communities hit hard by Covid-19. … This has contributed to a partisan divide in attitudes about the pandemic, one in which Republican governors, lawmakers, and voters have remained broadly supportive of Trump — and have pushed for policies like the rapid reopening of businesses — while Democrats have not.”

Philip Klinkner

Pence Finds Self Between a Trump and a Pandemic

“In the most consequential mission of his career, Mr. Pence has tried to navigate the complexities of a mysterious disease and the vagaries of a mercurial president at the same time, steering the response to the most deadly pandemic in generations without getting caught up in the melodrama of the moment. Yet questions have lingered about how seriously he himself took the threat at first and what advice he gave the president in the days when it really mattered”

New York Times

Trump’s ‘Atavistic Scramble for Power’ Will Lead to More COVID-19 Deaths

“The fear is that Trump will be content with allowing the race to develop and distribute the vaccine to devolve into a global contest — and that poorer countries will be left behind in the rush to procure doses. In essence: that the president’s ‘America First’ view of world affairs as an atavistic scramble for power will lead to unnecessary suffering and death.”

Politico

White House Merch Now Includes Trump and Pence Pandemic Commemorative Coins

Source: White House Gift Shop

Trump and his team never miss a chance to rewrite the history of their slow start and pathetic flailing as the pandemic swept into the nation from both coasts earlier this year.

During his ill-fated daily news conferences, which ran from March 6 to April 23, Trump praised his response to the crisis over 600 times, according to a New York Times analysis. And just this week Jared Kushner told Fox viewers that the administration’s failure to mitigate the disaster was a “great success story.” (In other words, a “heckuva job.”)
Meanwhile, at least 60,000 Americans died from covid-19 and the infection rate surpassed 1 million people. The economy is crashing, businesses are closing and more than 17 million are unemployed.

Even as these bad metrics continue to get worse, Trump declared on Tuesday that “the worst days” of the pandemic are behind us. (In other words, “Mission Accomplished.”)

Now, in a goulish new low, the Trump White House gift shop is selling a souvenir coin that commemorates the administrations’ pathetic pandemic response.

The coin shows names of both Trump and Pence as well as other members of their pandemic response team. It depicts a presidential podium on one side, and a graphic of the virus hovering over a map of the globe on the other.

People who are interested in buying this beyond-tacky token of Trump cult propaganda can order it from the White House gift shop. No rush, however. TMZ reports that the price has already been slashed from $125 to $100.

Trump Reverses Course on Early Reopening, Hangs Ga. Gov Out to Dry

In a dramatic reversal, Trump announced yesterday that he opposed Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s order to open businesses in his state, even though the state has not met Trump administration criteria for bringing commercial activity back online.

Trump’s advocacy for early reopening helped spur protests by armed tea party-type groups targeting Democratic governors across the country. Trump’s reversal comes at the same time a new AP-NORC poll found that just 12 percent of Americans favor early reopening, while 87 percent disapprove, among whom 26 percent say restrictions don’t go far enough and 61 percent say the lockdown rules are about right.

[…]

So This is What Living In a Failed State is Like

Marc Maron

I know most of you realize, I don’t need to tell you, that obviously we are living in a failed state.

And that our government’s reaction to this was too late, and that it was not enough. and a lot of what the federal government is supposed to do they’re not doing.

Because over the last few years — but certainly over the last 20 — whenever possible, Republicans tried to dismantle the government, everything they see as non-essential. And some of that being what was needed to respond to this properly.

So this is the goal: the failed state. This is the Republican vision. Let private enterprise take care of it. Great. So now we have people who need ventilators and masks and there’s a bidding war going on over who is going to make a profit on those items and which states they’re going to sell to. It’s all working out.

— Marc Maron, speaking on his WTF podcast about the COVID-19 pandemic, the death of Adam Schlesinger from the disease, the consequences and reality of running government like a business, and the catastrophe that is the Trump administration.