When pathogens are making pathogens worse
Trump cut Covid-19 relief by a third and is defunding Social Security.
The unprecedented corruption of Trump the Impeached often makes it hard to find and hold clear narratives, and the media rarely fail to muddle it. Remember when Russia was caught putting bounties on the heads of American soldiers, and Trump's reaction was again to try to get Putin invited to the G-7, and then announced the withdrawal of American troops from Germany? Remember when the most corrupt Attorney General in American history, William Barr, replaced the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who was investigating people in Trump's circle, and possibly Trump himself? How many years ago was that, for the media to have simply moved on?
Trump cut Covid-19 relief by a third and is defunding Social Security.
Many in the media, typically, are Both Sidesing the Republicans' refusal to fund more help for people trying to survive the Trump Pandemic and the Trump Economic Crisis. Republicans don't understand why subsidies to their corporate donors should also include money for the Little People. Many in the media just report it as an impasse. Because if one side is trying to burn a nation down and the other is trying to put out the fire and help rebuild, that's an Impasse.
Trump cut Covid-19 relief by a third and is defunding Social Security.
But Trump stepped in, with executive actions for which he doesn't even have the authority, to provide some money and to add a break to the payroll tax. But the money is $400 a week, whereas the previous relief was $600 a week. It's been a long, long time since I've done the math, but 400 seems like less than 600. A third less. And a payroll tax cut doesn't help the unprecedented number of people who aren't on a payroll now, because the Trump Economic Crisis cost them their jobs. And oh, by the way, the payroll tax is how Social Security is funded. And Trump wants to eliminate it— both!— if he is able to steal another term in office.
Trump cut Covid-19 relief by a third and is defunding Social Security.
Trump wants credit because he Did Something. Never mind that what he did will hurt people, in the short term and the long term. And some in the media did obligatorily report that Trump Did Something, while Congress is at an Impasse. And Trump doesn't want to do anything more, because the Democrats are insisting that doing something more include the radical step of not killing the Post Office. Which is another simple narrative that many in the media can't manage to figure out.
Trump is trying to kill the Post Office.
And yet another very simply narrative that the media are struggling to locate is that Trump is trying to kill the Post Office because Trump is trying to stop people from voting, so he can steal the election. In other words, Trump is trying to destroy representative government.
That makes three very simple, very clear narratives, that everyone with integrity and functioning gray matter ought to be able to understand and explain. Which means many on the media won't manage it. And they all can be understood and explained with very simple words. But it's hard. So, let's repeat them. Often. Every time we hear muddled or counter narratives. Which are plentiful.
Trump is trying to kill the Post Office.
Trump is trying to destroy representative government.
Trump cut Covid-19 relief by a third and is defunding Social Security.
Those are really big stories. The define the cruelty and corruption and danger of the Impeached Trump's era in office. And everyone whose brain hasn't been erased by Fox, Facebook and their ilk ought to be able to understand them.
Trump is trying to kill the Post Office.
Trump is trying to destroy representative government.
Trump cut Covid-19 relief by a third and is defunding Social Security.
