The surgeon-general said so. The federal reserve chairman said so. Epidemiologists across the US said so. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the most credible member of Trump’s coronavirus task force, said so. Numerous other medical specialists said so, governors and mayors said so. But Donald Trump did not say so: “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF,” Trump tweeted March 22—just as US infections passed 42,000 and 100 deaths occurred for the first time in one day. (Total US coronavirus deaths passed 1000 on March 25.) He’s looking to Easter to urge people (he cannot order them) to return to work and, presumably, make America great again. Never mind that the World Health Organization predicts that the US will be the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, or that New York City residents and hospitals are in a dire situation, or that just about every expert outside the Fox News orbit understands that “back to business” will cause infections and deaths to skyrocket. But then, who cares about international organizations like WHO, or bastions of liberalism like NYC?
The Fed’s Jerome Powell said on the NBC “Today” show: “The first order of business will be to get the spread of the virus under control, and then to resume economic activity. The virus is going to dictate the timetable here.” Fauci said the same thing: “You don’t make the timeline. The virus makes the timeline.” Exactly. For Trump, however, Powell, Fauci, and everyone else has things backwards: First the economy, then the virus. Translated, Trump’s first priority is himself: Get reelected. The only obstacles are the Chinese, the Democrats, and the “LameStream Media,” which wants to “keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success.”
By “the economy” Trump & Co. mean big business, trade, and the market. They come before acceptable losses of life (no worse than the flu, or auto accidents, he says). Trump has steadfastly maintained that order of things from the beginning, when he waffled on a travel ban of travelers from China, rejected intelligence findings in January and February that pointed to a pandemic, and waited until March before finally declaring a national emergency. Trump’s dithering cost lives, not by accident but by deliberate choice of economic gain over public health needs.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Donald Trump is the number one threat to national security, and his mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis amounts to criminal neglect. He is the disease that most needs curing.
In the Human Interest - Mel Gurtov 
This is excellent, thank you. Would you mind if I shared this on Facebook? Thanks, – Mark
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And if we Democrats can’t come up with a better candidate than one of the hotheaded drooling bastards in the lead now, we WILL have Trump for four more years. I think we have finally gotten rid of Berni-who-claims-to -be- Social Democrat and knows nothing about it. Biden has been part of the “good ole boy” bullshit for so long I don’t trust him and he is NOT hitting on all eight these days. Not sure where that leaves us but it’s not pretty… May we be allowed to expect some level of intellectualism combined with a streak of empathy?? v
Hi Mel. I worry that his polls are going up. Can people be that stupid?
Sent from my iPhone
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In some part, I think the apparent rise in Trump’s polling can be attributed to the “rally round the flag” syndrome–i.e., Trump as “wartime” leader. But I’ve got to believe those numbers will fall again, though for reasons that, sadly, mean more pain for many more people.
Right, and polls are often enough fickle and/or inaccurate.
Unfortunately a CANCER upon our nation!!!
Well said, as usual. Just watching his news conferences make ME sick. Hope you and Jod stay well.
Mel,
This is 100% true & should be obvious to everyone, even those who drank the Trump Cool Aid.
Keep on blogging.
CB
Thank you once again for saying it all for us – for putting it together. Our situation is such a heartache. But as I worry and think – it remains terribly frightening as well as sad that so many of our fellows, so many Americans, voted for this ignorant, selfish monster – and still support him.