Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[PhaelixWW]

You're the one trying to claim it's a deadlier strain lol.

I'm preeeeeeeeetty sure I used the words "I think" in there, which means that it wasn't an outright declaration of fact.

But reports had delta as 3.35x as likely as the original virus to result in severe illness or death, while omicron was 0.4x as likely as delta to cause serious illness or death. That would put omicron at 1.34x as likely as the original virus to cause serious illness or death. Obviously these numbers vary depending on which study you read and which risk factor you're looking at.

But, I mean... I'm not wrong.

The original strain of covid was much deadlier

Except... it wasn't.

and follows the traditional evolutionary cycle of viruses. Viruses typically become less deadly and more contagious as they evolve, to reduce the likelihood of them losing hosts to reproduce in.

And yet... it didn't.

It got stronger and stronger as it progressed through variants. In fact, it's never gotten less deadly, precisely, because omicron is not a subclade of delta or even alpha; it actually mutated from the original virus.

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Delta was deadlier than Alpha, so that isn't entirely true.

And alpha was deadlier than the original strain.

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So today was another bad day. New cases were still down, but less so, finishing at 779k, which is only a 27k decrease from the total reported a week ago.

Unfortunately, deaths were massively up again at 2777, an increase of 637 over last Friday's report. As expected, the 7-day average for deaths went up to 2029 which is basically even with the 2030 registered at the height of the delta wave. The next milestone will be 2279, which was the peak 7-day average for deaths of the very first wave in early 2020. We could easily pass that next week if this increase doesn't reverse trend.

[Marcellus1986]

It got stronger and stronger as it progressed through variants. In fact, it's never gotten less deadly, precisely, because omicron is not a subclade of delta or even alpha; it actually mutated from the original virus.

Omicron is by far less deadly than any of the previous strains of covid, and as far as anyone knows, the most infectious. That isn't anecdotal evidence, just from the medical community at large.

[Shadowferal]

*shrugs* A cheap photo op that was symbolic. Just not the way Trump hoped for.

[Endus]

You're the one trying to claim it's a deadlier strain lol. The original strain of covid was much deadlier and follows the traditional evolutionary cycle of viruses. Viruses typically become less deadly and more contagious as they evolve, to reduce the likelihood of them losing hosts to reproduce in.

That's flatly not how evolution even works. There is no "goal" to evolution, no "path". It's random mutation and non-random selection.

The times viruses become more deadly and wipe out a population just don't carry forward over time. Since, y'know, they wiped out the population. That non-random selection process meant that the deadlier mutation, in that case, wasn't a positive long-term contributor to that virus variant's survival. That's how things work. It isn't that they're "more likely to get less deadly", it's that they're "more likely to survive and become endemic to an ongoing, surviving population if they randomly become less deadly".

[Mekh]

You're the one trying to claim it's a deadlier strain lol. The original strain of covid was much deadlier and follows the traditional evolutionary cycle of viruses. Viruses typically become less deadly and more contagious as they evolve, to reduce the likelihood of them losing hosts to reproduce in.

Yeah. Smallpox and measles famously turned into nasty colds after all.

[DarkTZeratul]

Yeah. Smallpox and measles famously turned into nasty colds after all.

Two diseases with considerably lower mutation rates than Covid, which is why vaccines were so much more effective against them.

That said, Endus's point is still spot-on.

[Kathranis]

You're the one trying to claim it's a deadlier strain lol. The original strain of covid was much deadlier and follows the traditional evolutionary cycle of viruses. Viruses typically become less deadly and more contagious as they evolve, to reduce the likelihood of them losing hosts to reproduce in.

You phrase that like viruses have an end goal. They don't do anything "to reduce the likelihood" of losing hosts. It's just that more virulent, less deadly strains are more likely to survive, reproduce and spread, and thus become more common and dominant.

However, in spreading and reproducing more they also continue to mutate into more variants. There's absolutely nothing ensuring that Omicron won't further mutate into an even more deadly variant, just a likelihood that a more immediately lethal variant would spread less efficiently.

Even now, with common seasonal viruses like the Flu, you get variants that are more or less deadly than previous variants.

[YUPPIE]

been meaning to ask for a while, but if Trump dies in the foreseeable future, which potential Republican could become the next Trump in personality and stature?

[PhaelixWW]

been meaning to ask for a while, but if Trump dies in the foreseeable future, which potential Republican could become the next Trump in personality and stature?

None. Of course, Trump's not really a Republican, so...

This talking point goes nowhere.

[Breccia]

None.

Agreed. Not even DeSantis could do it. Part of Trump's appeal to people who don't know what a strong leader is and think a strong glare qualifies (eyeroll), was that he was an outsider. He wasn't, but that was part of the draw. There's nobody left who could claim that, who wants the spotlight that badly.

Incidentally, it's actually been a quiet day for Trump -- all the "good" stuff happened during the work week, I guess.

The Jan 6th panel wants to hear more about the fake electors Team Trump intentionally used to make electio fraud, but so does everyone else.

One of the members of Team Trump provided his bank records for...some reason, I guess if there's a money trail we need to see that, too. Funny story: he's asking for them back. Naturally the judge said "Are you high?" and threw out the case. Once you've turned something over, it's going to take more to get them back than "uh, whoops, you weren't supposed to see that". And it's not like there's a Miranda problem, either.

So instead, I'll link this summary piece which lists all the shitty things that happened to Trump and his few remaining allies this week. Oh, and it's his anniversary. Considering how much time they intentionally spend apart, which Trump cannot blame on the rigors of his job or (snicker) his blog, I can't imagine it's going to be a big special occasion. To be fair, if anyone could gift-wrap a $130,000 whore, it'd be Melania.

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EDIT: Whoops forgot to mention:

This talking point goes nowhere.

It's a deflection attempt that Trump's rabid fanbase feel is necessary after the disembowling he received this week.

[Zan15]

been meaning to ask for a while, but if Trump dies in the foreseeable future, which potential Republican could become the next Trump in personality and stature?

they will all try just like every personality all the way to joe rogan is trying to be rush Limbaugh and fail.

you'll just have a fragmented population of minitrumps

[Mekh]

been meaning to ask for a while, but if Trump dies in the foreseeable future, which potential Republican could become the next Trump in personality and stature?

Some of them are as loud, but I believe none of them is as fat.

[Breccia]

Trump gave an interview with the Washington Examiner, also known as "less shitty than FOX News but who isn't", in which he seemed upset that the Jan 6th panel would ask his daughter to testify about all that stuff she witnessed.

It's a disgrace, what's going on. They're using these things to try and get people's minds off how incompetently our country is being run. And they don't care. They'll go after children

-- No really, he said that

Well. Let's count 'em down.

1) At what point does "the country is not doing what I think the country should be doing" become an excuse not to testify?

2) Is the country doing better, or worse, than in 2020? Specifically, after, oh I don't know, this happened?

3) Does Trump sound worried to you? Does Trump sound desperate to you? I wasn't thinking Ivanka was going to testify, but maybe Trump thinks she will.
3a) Follow-up: if Ivanka does testify, will Trump still jerk off thinking about her?

4) And the big one: um...how old is Ivanka Trump?

(checks news)

Oh, right. Forty. Literally forty years old. She has three children, one of whom is ten. Ivanka Trump is not a child.

"But Breccia! Surely he meant that Ivanka Trump was someone's child."

That's literally everyone. And therefore a completely useless argument.

Bottom line, if you don't want your children to have to testify against you, don't commit crimes in front of them. My level of sympathy for the loud fat orange fuck for his position is zero.

[DingDongKing]

Trump gave an interview with the Washington Examiner, also known as "less shitty than FOX News but who isn't", in which he seemed upset that the Jan 6th panel would ask his daughter to testify about all that stuff she witnessed.


-- No really, he said that

Well. Let's count 'em down.

1) At what point does "the country is not doing what I think the country should be doing" become an excuse not to testify?

2) Is the country doing better, or worse, than in 2020? Specifically, after, oh I don't know, this happened?

3) Does Trump sound worried to you? Does Trump sound desperate to you? I wasn't thinking Ivanka was going to testify, but maybe Trump thinks she will.
3a) Follow-up: if Ivanka does testify, will Trump still jerk off thinking about her?

4) And the big one: um...how old is Ivanka Trump?

(checks news)

Oh, right. Forty. Literally forty years old. She has three children, one of whom is ten. Ivanka Trump is not a child.

"But Breccia! Surely he meant that Ivanka Trump was someone's child."

That's literally everyone. And therefore a completely useless argument.

Bottom line, if you don't want your children to have to testify against you, don't commit crimes in front of them. My level of sympathy for the loud fat orange fuck for his position is zero.

Hunter Biden. That is all.

[postman1782]

Hunter Biden. That is all.

Nothing to do with the Biden administration, and as far as we know, hasn't done anything illegal, at least not since getting clean. Not like the Trump children.

Also I understand you are probably being sarcastic.

[DingDongKing]

Nothing to do with the Biden administration, and as far as we know, hasn't done anything illegal, at least not since getting clean. Not like the Trump children.

Also I understand you are probably being sarcastic.

Oh, my point was that Trump is crying about 'but the children!'

Yet, he's the same douchebag who mercilessly went after Hunter Biden.

[Draco-Onis]

Oh, my point was that Trump is crying about 'but the children!'

Yet, he's the same douchebag who mercilessly went after Hunter Biden.

Hunter Biden is still somehow hot news in conservative circles, I wouldn't be shocked if there is a Hunter Biden committee once the GOP takes the house.

[DingDongKing]

Hunter Biden is still somehow hot news in conservative circles, I wouldn't be shocked if there is a Hunter Biden committee once the GOP takes the house.

It's pathetic.

[Odinfrost]

Hunter Biden is still somehow hot news in conservative circles, I wouldn't be shocked if there is a Hunter Biden committee once the GOP takes the house.

What could they possibly be talking about regarding Hunter Biden? I haven't heard anything since this strange mysterious super secret laptop... Don't tell me they're STILL on the laptop or the fact that he had a high paying job.

[Rommon64]

Hunter Biden is still somehow hot news in conservative circles, I wouldn't be shocked if there is a Hunter Biden committee once the GOP takes the house.

correction, there will be 10+ committees, because the previous 9 didn't f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ get to the TRUE bottom of things!