Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[zorkuus]

Not just that... he said he had important things to do on Friday

Aside from frantic tweeting and golfing? I'm not sure there are enough hours in a day for extra activities.

[Breccia]

Once again, it's time for Guess the Speaker!

I know there's a temptation to associate the new cases in the Sunbelt with reopening, but it's important to remember that states like Florida and like Texas actually began to open up in early May. For the better part of six weeks, we did not see any significant movement

"I mean, discounting science sounds like Trump, but that's way too coherent."

Pence, correct.

Just for fun, let's look at the virus' path through the USA for the first six weeks, then compare them to Florida for the last six weeks.



Those look pretty similar to me. Viruses spread, that's kind of their whole thing. "The bullet hasn't hit me yet, I guess I'm OH GOD" *thump*

Now, I suppose "better part of six weeks" could be the four (minimum to be "better part of six") weeks staring Florida's Phase One, May 6th. The graph looks flat in that span, doesn't it? It's not, the scale is off because of the "Fuck Florida"-sized jump at the end. In the few days surrounding May 6, the new cases were a few hundred. By "four weeks" later, Florida has a 1000+ day May 21, a 1000+ day May 29, and all days between but one were higher than all days near May 6. So Pence is lying, because the cases doubled.

Doubled. Yeah, that was the day, when the cases had only doubled to only one thousand cases. As you can see, by June 3/4 we hit that bump around 1,400 new cases -- yes, June 3 would be four weeks after May 6 -- and since that day, only one day on record (June 8) was below 1000 for...um...indefinitely.

I'd also like to point out that Pence offered no other alternative. And considering NY/NJ is beating the virus down, the parallel is pretty obvious.

Team Trump is desperate to deny making a mistake, under all circumstances, but especially this one. For all their claims about illegal lockdowns or "cure worse than the disease" if it were to turn out they were wrong, they need it so be this magical coincidence. "People started mingling without masks, and then unexpectedly people started transmitting the virus, how did that happen? That defies all economics and there is no other science. It's just one of those things that happens, medicine is more art than science. What? Fauci? Is that the new pizza place on M street?"

At this point, however, the message should be the least of their problems. Yes, they screwed up, they screwed up badly, but right now they have some consequences to deal with. Which they're not doing. As this FOX News article clearly states, Pence was asked about whether he or Americans should wear a mask, Pence refused to answer, and Pence said the White House would defer to governors. Speaking of which, it was mid-April when Trump personally and directly encouraged protests against stay-at-home orders. He even had Barr threaten these governors with legal action for their "illegal" lockdowns. That was then. Now that things are spiraling out of control, it's time to politically distance Trump from all those words and actions he did in public, blame someone else, admit they have no plan or strategy, and flee.

I wonder how many people in the South said "I'd rather die than vote for Clinton".

I wonder if they realize that's the choice they made.

[Verdugo]

All right, how much symbolism can we get from this image?

[SirBeef]

All right, how much symbolism can we get from this image?

Basically shows how stupid Trump supporters are.

[Benggaul]

All right, how much symbolism can we get from this image?

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak all the foul bullshit you can.

[Breccia]

So let's talk briefly about this thing:



You've seen it before, not just the past few days but years before. That's a Saharan dust cloud. Normally, no big deal. People with respiratory issues can find them increased, but normally, there's lots of medical resources to help with that.

Gosh. Kind of a lot's changed.

The dust pollution will likely cause degraded air quality, hazy skies and reduced visibility, according to an update from the National Weather Service. Florida will probably be hit the hardest as the first wave comes in over the Atlantic and follows the winds to the Gulf of Mexico.

Dust particles are expected to ease on Monday before another wave is likely to return to the Gulf later in the week, the National Weather Service said.

Experts told NBC News that people with respiratory illnesses could see their conditions aggravated by the dust particles, potentially putting a strain on hospitals already overrun with coronavirus cases.

Florida in particular faces a greater risk as the state experiences a record-breaking surge in new coronavirus cases and it’s adult intensive-care unit availability is at about 24 percent, according to state data Sunday. There are more than 141,000 coronavirus cases in Florida as thousands test positive each day.

There could potentially be a link between air pollution and COVID-19 symptoms, though the data is still very early, Gregory Wellenius, a professor of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health told NBC News Wednesday.

“Things like the wildfire season, hurricane season and extreme weather events, including this dust storm, may be magnified this year because resources are already stretched thin," Wellenius said. "Just because we're in a pandemic world doesn't mean that other hazards that we tend to worry about aren't happening."

The dust cloud is not projected to remain very long, and hopefully the effect is minor. Because I don't think a cloud of flying mineral sand visible from space cares about a Sharpie.

[s_bushido]

As far as I'm aware, the dust is/was preventing storms from forming in the Atlantic. So it's kind of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it may exacerbate health conditions...on the other, the last thing we need right now is hurricanes fucking up southern red states that were stupid enough to ignore the virus and try to open again too early.

[zorkuus]

All right, how much symbolism can we get from this image?

Thanks for that. It shouldn't be so funny but it is. I got a good laugh.

[Zan15]

As far as I'm aware, the dust is/was preventing storms from forming in the Atlantic. So it's kind of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it may exacerbate health conditions...on the other, the last thing we need right now is hurricanes fucking up southern red states that were stupid enough to ignore the virus and try to open again too early.

I always thought dust was the opposite...so I read this and I guess it has a great hidden bonus and has happened a whole bunch of times so they have data on it.



https://earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/sen...20disturbances.

[Benggaul]

I feel like not everything has been reported for the day, but things are bad enough for a "lull" day, so I'll just go with it.

Over 40k cases again. Arizona and Georgia hit new records--on an UNDERREPORTED day--and Florida at one point posted a new record at just over 10k...but then later rescinded it and posted 8.5k instead shortly before DeSantis was scheduled to go live on a COVID-19 news conference. *shrug* Fuck Florida.

The deaths were just over what they were the previous Sunday and the total stands at 128,437. Again, it's unlikely we'll be at 130k by the end of the month, but it'll be damned close and ahead of the August predictions for 130k.

The usual states still posted high daily totals, but they remain unreliable given that it's the weekend. Tomorrow will be much the same and we'll probably see the totals skyrocket again on Tuesday or Wednesday as the corrections come in unless they peaked before the weekend.

Stay safe, folks.

[Felya]

Trump musing to christian broadcast network, about Obama being a traitor and how 100 to 50 years ago, it would result in execution:

[Templar 331]

As far as I'm aware, the dust is/was preventing storms from forming in the Atlantic. So it's kind of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it may exacerbate health conditions...on the other, the last thing we need right now is hurricanes fucking up southern red states that were stupid enough to ignore the virus and try to open again too early.

Stuck at home because people are stupid with a hell of a sinus headache and asthma flaring up or stuck at home because global warming is a bitch........I'll take the hurricane to be honest.

[s_bushido]

Stuck at home because people are stupid with a hell of a sinus headache and asthma flaring up or stuck at home because global warming is a bitch........I'll take the hurricane to be honest.

eh...I'm sure you're aware that a hurricane could very well mean you don't have a home to be stuck at anymore.

[cubby]

Trump musing to christian broadcast network, about Obama being a traitor and how 100 to 50 years ago, it would result in execution:

Was that fucking recently? It seems like every moment of his Residency is a contest to see how much more of a dumpster-fire it can become.

[s_bushido]

Was that fucking recently? It seems like every moment of his Residency is a contest to see how much more of a dumpster-fire it can become.

Apparently it was about a week ago.

My favorite line: "It turns out I was right." Is there literally anything Trump has proved to be correct about? Motherfucker doesn't even know you shouldn't look at an eclipse.

[Templar 331]

eh...I'm sure you're aware that a hurricane could very well mean you don't have a home to be stuck at anymore.

Made it through the last 3(?) with no problem. Been lucky enough to not get hit directly.

[D Luniz]

Trump musing to christian broadcast network, about Obama being a traitor and how 100 to 50 years ago, it would result in execution:

something something "bearing false witness", but I doubt they mentioned that to Trump

[Themius]

Bolton makes no sense.

"Trump is an existential threat to our democracy"

"I won't vote for Biden"

"Republicans must hold the senate! The same republicans who have enabled Trump"

[Ripster42]

something something "bearing false witness", but I doubt they mentioned that to Trump

I've always like the 'lawyering' that surrounds this phrase, which was first brought to my attention by a heinlein book called "Book of Job." In it, a guy argues that only the literal meaning mattered. You couldn't lie in testimony about your neighbor, but other lies are fine.

Edit: Woops, not "Book of Job" but "Job: a Comedy of Justice."

[Breccia]

The SEC warns Mississippi that if they don't change their state flag, they won't host any events there.

Wal-Mart stops selling the Mississippi flag.

UPDATE: Mississippi lawmakers vote to remove Confederate symbol from state flag

I would say "I called it!" but I not only didn't say anything, but wouldn't have guessed "fold in a week" even if I had.

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn, who is white, has pushed for five years to change the flag, saying the Confederate symbol is offensive. The House passed the bill 91-23 Sunday afternoon. Within hours, the Senate followed suit, 37-14.

The AP article then lists a whole bunch of people who cheered the move, stingy on the names of those who oppose it, which makes sense with such overwhelmingly one-sided beat downs. My favorite?

Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, who is now 97, served on then-President Bill Clinton’s national advisory board on race in the 1990s and was chairman of the Mississippi flag commission in 2000. Winter said Sunday that removing the Confederate symbol from the banner is “long overdue.”

“The battle for a better Mississippi does not end with the removal of the flag, and we should work in concert to make other positive changes in the interest of all of our people,” said Winter, a Democrat who was governor from 1980 until 1984.

Apparently, Winter has a long history of being Mississippi's least racist white person. The Center for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi is also named in his honor..