President Barack Obama warned us to prepare for a global pandemic back in 2014. He is now stepping up to the plate to join the global effort to unite and fight in the midst of the COVID-19 disaster we face today.
Despite the efforts of the Orange Resident to, as usual, blame Obama for everything negative that has happened in human history, we know better.
With a deep sigh of relief, I was uplifted Thursday to see our President once again stepping into the fray.
Thousands of other people seem to feel that way too; his tweet is being shared widely.
Here’s the press release from the event: President Barack Obama Joins Mike Bloomberg to Address More Than 300 Cities at Fourth Virtual Convening to Support Local Coronavirus Response
President Obama Shared Advice for Mayors on the Power of Truth, Building Strong Teams, and Supporting Essential Workers in Moments of Crisis
NEW YORK, NY – Participants from more than 300 cities around the world, including mayors, local leaders, and members of response teams joined Bloomberg Philanthropies’ fourth virtual COVID-19 Local Response Initiative convening today, where President Barack Obama and Michael Bloomberg addressed the mayors on the challenges associated with the pandemic. Joined by Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, the Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement for the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, and Dr. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former director of the Center for Disease Control, and Dr. Kimberlyn Leary, Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School and in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Mr. Bloomberg and President Obama highlighted the critical role mayors have in responding to the crisis and supporting vulnerable residents.
“It is wonderful to be [here] with mayors, because as the former mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, once said, nobody knows how to find a president or a governor, but they know how to find a mayor,” said President Barack Obama at the beginning of the convening. “I’ve had a chance to work with you in the past, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work that so many of you are doing. And Mike, thank you for helping put this together. Because I know it’s making a difference at a time when I know a lot of folks feel isolated. To be able to share information and best practices makes all the difference.”
“Speak the truth. Speak it clearly. Speak it with compassion. Speak it with empathy for what folks are going through. The biggest mistake any us can make in these situations is to misinform, particularly when we’re requiring people to make sacrifices and take actions that might not be their natural inclination,” said President Obama as he shared his perspective on the power of honesty and evidence during this time.
President Obama also urged the mayors to build strong, reliable teams of experts. He said, “The more smart people you have around you, and the less embarrassed you are to ask questions, the better your response is going to be.”
Finally, President Obama encouraged city leaders to support their most vulnerable residents. “We’re seeing disparities in how people are affected in cities and towns and communities across the country. Look out for the vulnerable. When you start looking at issues of domestic abuse and you start looking at racial disparities that are popping up in your cities, paying attention to that is the kind of leadership I know all of you aspire to. You have to be intentional about it, and dedicate folks to thinking about those issues.”
Here is Barack Obama’s warning in 2014.
Thank you, President Obama. Thank you, Mike Bloomberg.