Is it simply Trump’s desire to get the economy going again, his feud with coastal governors (really) or is it his and his allies’ desire to cause more deaths in coastal more liberal cities in the US prior to the 2020 election in order to defeat liberalism and continue to stack the court? Are right wingers willing to die or just say they are, but think others are pre-ordained to die? Is this all crazy talk or could Trump’s lack of empathy be something more nefarious?
Via BuzzFeed:
It’s worth noting, though, that this sort of survival-of-the-fittest response is similar to how some members of the pro-Trump QAnon movement are reacting to the outbreak. Q followers, who believe that Trump is waging a secret war against the deep state, have been largely divided about how COVID-19 fits into their sprawling, nonsensical conspiracy theory. At first, they theorized the virus was a bioweapon created by Bill Gates. Then, following some remarks from Rush Limbaugh, a sizable contingent of them began to suggest that the virus was actually a deep state hoax meant to discredit Trump.
But in the past week, a new consensus has emerged. QAnon followers have created “the list,” a document that tracks celebrities who have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. They theorize that famous actors like Idris Elba and Tom Hanks testing positive for the coronavirus is proof that the virus specifically targets members of the supposed global criminal conspiracy against Trump.
In a text post that is circulating in huge numbers across Facebook groups, and based on a Twitter thread posted two weeks ago by Q follower Maryam Henein, the coronavirus outbreak and its aftermath will allow Trump and his allies to arrest all the members of a massive liberal elite pedophile cabal made up of CEOs, celebrities, and liberal politicians.
QAnon efforts to track those who are infected in some ways mirror the paranoia felt across the country right now about who gets sick and why. You can see it in Nextdoor posts theorizing that the coronavirus has spread because people aren’t vegan or aren’t sanitizing their hands with tea tree oil. There’s a desire to make sense of this chaotic pandemic, and social media helps to satisfy it.
Now granted, as several media outlets have pointed out, Trump has ceded the power to open the country back up by not declaring a national lockdown and leaving the decisions to individual governors. There is not an existing method where he can override the decisions of these governors who have chosen to shutdown their states in this Coronavirus crisis. Though in Florida, the Sarasota Attorney says the local government have no authority to lockdown and the Governor has refused to shut his state down even with Kinsa temperature data suggesting that Florida will be the next coronavirus emergency that is developing.
We know that coronavirus spreads more rapidly in communities where urban populations are rising quickly, have growing immigrant communities or are more dense, whether it be in nursing homes, cruise ships, crowded entertainment venues or even intimate houseparties. (And also in areas where people are healthier?) These lockdowns seek to reduce spread of the virus by isolating or socially distancing people. Abandoning social distancing and other isolation approaches too soon will have the predictable effect of causing another spike of the viral illness weeks later, particularly when Trump describes filling up churches for Easter. Yes, pass the collection basket and some Coronavirus, while you are at it.
Does Trump imagine Evangelical megachurches when he thinks of Easter Sunday? Or is he envisioning Black churches and Catholic churches with high Hispanic populations? Or is he just thinking of bringing the economy back is his only way to win reelection. I really don’t know. Getting inside the mind of Trump is a scary place. (Sidenote: Did Fauci trick Trump into thinking there is no Easter? LOL.)
But ending socially distancing and bringing crowds back together in just over 2 weeks is a recipe for disaster in this time of pandemic. Gathering such as Mardi Gras, Spring Break, and Chinese New Year are examples of massive spread events in this pandemic. Even Scientific and Political Conferences have been sources of spread in this pandemic. Clearly Trump is not thinking in terms of public health. There is no doubt about that.
Is it just the economic strain on Trump’s hotels and golf courses that is causing Trump to seek restarting the economy to benefit himself and his properties? Or is it that he seeks spread of the virus in urban areas — areas that tend to trend more liberal and more diverse? This election will be a close one. Is Trump trying to tilt the playing field in his favor by killing liberals, people of color, and anyone who may not vote for him, such as those whose taxes went up (NY, NJ, etc.)? Or is it simply the economy, stupid?
Because we all know Trump only does things that benefit him.
Or maybe I am trying to make too much sense out of something that makes no sense….
BTW….Check out this video with Rep. Katie Porter’s sister Emily Porter. She provides the clearest explanation of why it is so important to Flatten the Curve. Spread the word!
(First dKos posting in probably over 10 years… please be kind. Luckily, I still remember how to do this, I think. LOL.)