We Need More Texans Who Are Prepared to Die for the Economy

“No one reached out to me and said, ‘As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?’ And if that’s the exchange, I’m all in. … I want to, you know, live smart and see through this, but I don’t want to see the whole country to be sacrificed, and that’s what I see.”

— Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), chiming in to support President Trump’s new focus on the economy over fierce warnings from public health officials, suggested that he would rather die from the rapid spread of coronavirus than see instability in the American economic system, theTexas Tribune reports.

Trump’s Taxes Represent Something Deeper

The problem with Trump’s tax history is that it’s emblematic of something larger, a missing plank at the foundation of his campaign. I suspect he knows this too, which is why he so doggedly refused to release his returns, technically defensible as they are. … Simply put, there doesn’t seem to be any record anywhere of Trump having considered the public interest above his own. This isn’t me ripping into the guy for being rich or bombastic; it’s a genuine assessment of his record as a citizen and a celebrity. If there’s some evidence of Trump having served anyone but himself, ever, for more than one night at some red carpet benefit, I’d like to see it. … This is new in presidential politics. Going back to George Washington, American presidents have more or less fulfilled the ideal of citizen soldiers.”

Matt Bai