Republicans pretend that all criticism of Donald Trump is motivated by partisanship: Thus, the only reason anyone would object to Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic is that we’re looking for Democratic advantage.
So to be clear, here’s what I’m saying: Put Pence in charge. As in, really in charge, not fake in charge like right now. And as long as Trump is president, he will never allow anyone else to have real authority or, for that matter, any chance of success.
The case for Trump’s resignation is easy enough, even once you get past the unforgivable decision to disband the White House’s pandemic response team. Not only is the nation stumbling without test kits, unable to even get a handle on the extent of our problem, but Trump has—from day one—been more worried about the PR aspect of the pandemic than about the human toll it is sure to take.
He and his team of racist incompetents can’t even put together a 10-minute address to the nation without making an utter mess of it—from declaring that “the tremendous amount of trade and cargo” to Europe would be halted (walked back immediately afterward as the futures market tanked, presaging today’s market crash) to claiming all travel between the U.S. and Europe would be halted (turns out just travel by non-Americans, thus doing little to stem the spread of the disease) to declaring that private insurance would waive copayments for the treatment of COVID-19 when they had only promised to do so for test kits (if they ever arrive).
Beyond that, the ridiculous and repeated claims by Trump and his inner circle that all is good, nothing to see here, simply telegraphs that they are not serious about taking this disease seriously.
Even today, as the markets suffer their biggest loss since the 80s, erasing every single penny they gained in the entirety of Trump’s three years in office, Trump’s reaction was typically ridiculous: “The markets are going to be just fine.” Baghdad Bob would be proud.
Meanwhile, the members of Trump’s disaster relief team have been chosen less for their expertise and competence, and more for their ability to gaze lovingly at Dear Leader—after the appropriate genuflections, of course. Insufficient obsequiousness is immediate grounds for termination.
And so, whether because his terrified staff is lying to him, or whether he makes up his own lies, he walks around saying shit like this:
And Trump said that after Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, a reliable Trump ally, begged him (diplomatically) to please stop.
Trump doesn’t care, because either he has lost all touch with reality, or he just simply doesn’t care. Either way, those are firing offenses when dealing with a catastrophe of this proportion.
A conservative 1% mortality rate for 70 million cases would be 700,000 dead Americans. Can we really afford to continue on our current trajectory? Do Republicans really want to test what this would mean politically? Not only are older Americans more likely to vote Republican, but you have to think that surviving family members might be more than a little upset at the preventable death of grandma, all because Trump needed to protect market indices. (And even that that, he failed.)
So it’s time for more competent leadership. And though we’ll have to wait for January for that, anything would be an improvement over Trump.
Vice President Mike Pence isn’t currently behaving much better, happy to spread his boss’ misinformation around (as you can see in that tweet above). As governor of Indiana, his policies exacerbated an AIDS outbreak. But could he be any worse? If nothing else, he wouldn’t be too afraid to sit in a room and negotiate with Nancy Pelosi, like supposed master negotiator Donald Trump.
I’m scared about that 700,000 number. I’m scared that it could be much worse—if the disease spreads wider, faster, and if the mortality rate is higher. (Overwhelmed Italy’s is around 5%, and we are certainly on a similar trajectory.)
It’s hard to look at those numbers and be partisan. We need a course correction stat, right now. It would be the smart political play for the GOP to insert more competent leadership, one that doesn’t threaten to bring down the entire party.
Of course, Trump will never quit on his own. We don’t even know if he’ll willingly leave the White House after losing an election! Congressional and Cabinet Republicans won’t do anything about it either, of course, despite having the 25th Amendment as an option to oust him. They’re too afraid of Trump’s core base, and whatever pain it might (temporarily) inflict on apostate elected Republicans. Too many of them actually approve of Trump-style “governance” because of its inherent racism and commitment to endless tax cuts.
It’s unsavory and gross, and we don’t want it, but Democrats stand to benefit politically from the coming wanton death and economic ruin our lack of preparedness and leadership will wreak. Captains who sail their ship into icebergs don’t often get rewarded.
But I’d rather we not. I’d rather people not die. I’d rather our economy not be devastated. I’d rather Republicans get their shit together and save our country from greater death and ruin. There are places to score partisan points, but a national disaster isn’t one of them.
But that’s because I’m an American first, one who cares about people’s lives and livelihoods, and a partisan second. So it’s for that reason that I wish Donald Trump would be gone today, even though that would ultimately help Republicans in the short and the long term.