I’ve really struggled to understand the news cycle since the Pandemic started. Could the president be so stupid as to ignore the warnings of, well, everyone? Could Republican voters be so obstinate in their intent to be the personification of jackasses that they would yell, scream, and pout about such simple public health rules as wearing a mask in public? While the answer to both is, “yes,” I was still left with a lack of understanding as to why. Then I realized the shortcomings of my logic — I was assuming that Republicans didn’t want Americans to die. “What if their policy goal is to kill Americans?” That was when it all made sense.
While this might seem outrageous, it really is the only central theme to Republican policy choices that makes sense.
Let’s start with the pandemic response. Republicans have done everything they could to re-open the economy against the warnings of health professionals. Various metrics that the states were supposed to meet before reopening were never achieved. As a result, COIVD is raging through Republican states like there is no tomorrow. It seems like every day the US and states are reporting record highs of cases. But Republicans still don’t care. In my home state of Texas, Harris County, local officials would love to issue a new stay-home order but Governor Abbott won’t let them. The mayor of Atlanta issued an order only to have the Republican governor says it was only a suggestion. Cases are raging in Florida and Arizona, yet the Republican leaders are doing nothing. There is only one conclusion to draw from the Republican response: they want to kill Americans.
Then there’s the response of individual Republicans. If we’re going to reopen the economy, we all need to wear masks and still engage in social distancing. The former isn’t that big a deal. Unless you’re a Republican. Then it’s an affront to freedom or your rights or whatever. We’ve all seen the videos of Republicans behaving like children, screaming that they won’t wear a mask. The only reason this makes sesne is if they want to kill their fellow Americans.
But that’s not all. Let’s look at health care in general. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to invalidate the entire ACA. Do they — or any Republicans — have a replacement plan — the one they’ve been promising since they started the “repeal and replace” campaign? Nope. Does it even matter that the ACA incorporated two key components (the individual mandate and health insurance markets) of the then existing Republican plans on health care to attract Republican votes? Nope. Should the Supreme Court eliminate the ACA, millions of Americans could lose their health care. This means — again — that the Republican plan is to kill Americans.
I realize this might seem extreme. But it’s the only answer that makes logical sense.
