Originally Posted by
Iwritecode
Originally Posted by
St. Troy
Originally Posted by
firemonkey66
...And if you don’t know at this point what a competent president could have done differently to help mitigate the impact that covid has had on the United States, then unfortunately you’re a lost cause.
Which theoretical "competent President" might
you have in mind? I wouldn't consider them competent, but we know what the likes of Biden and Pelosi (not that she would've been President) would've done: less than Trump did (they criticized his early moves as too aggressive, with Biden screeching "xenophobia!" and Pelosi hanging out in Chinatown and telling others to do the same).
So, which prominent Democrat (or non-Trump Republican, for that matter) suggested actions
at that time (not
now - rearview mirror comments mean nothing) that would've made an appreciable difference?
Fucking none of them. He's done at least as well as any of them would've done, and probably a bit better, given his absolute apathy toward hurting feelings (conventional politicians would've felt wrong for shutting off travel as early).
As I've said many times: it's possible to make valid criticisms Trump, as it is of any elected official, but
every single criticism I see of him is complete bullshit based on a worldview informed solely by the rage-fueled blindness unique to Trump Derangement Syndrome sufferers.
You guys really make it too easy.
Go ahead, negative rep, yadda yadda yadda.
I'm guessing step one would've been to NOT throw out the pandemic playbook that Obama/Biden came up with in 2016 and maybe actually follow some of the guidelines written in it.
Step two might have been something like not turning wearing a mask into a political statement or denying specific states PPE based on which "side" they were on.
Just spit-balling here...
Good points, Iwritecode. As for what theoretical person could have done better? Because you noticed I said 'competent' president, not 'democratic' president. The beauty of the position of President of the United States in this specific situation is that it's
almost idiot proof. You have some of the greatest scientific minds and experts in infectious disease and public health on your payroll and part of their job is to tell you what you need to do to minimize American casualties, so you listen to them. Then you disseminate that information while at the same time setting a good example to encourage people to cooperate. The only way you fuck that up is by caring about something more than you care about the lives of the American people, in which case you fail at being President of the United States, IMHO. So again, any competent president could have done it, you choose a name. How about Mitch McConnell? At least he was smart enough to steer clear of the White House.
And the reason you see 'rage-fueled blindness' everywhere you see Trump criticism is because your mind is employing a simple defense mechanism to protect your ego. That's why you have to point out that no other prominent democrat or non-trump republican could have done any better, which is just an opinion,
instead of pointing to a real world example of a country and leader that we're doing better than, which would be an actual argument. Unfortunately, we're literally number one in deaths and COVID cases. And when that's pointed out, rather than question your beliefs and/or Trump in general, which would hurt your ego, you see conspiracy and intrigue. Other countries are
faking their numbers to make Trump and the US look stupid. Doctors in the United States are
inflating COVID statistics for
profit. The scientists at the CDC are trying to make Trump look bad because they're part of the
deep state. You do that because it's easier on your mind to believe the nonsense that is dished to you by the media you choose to watch than it is to believe that you might be wrong. And conspiracy theories taste a lot better than the bitter pill of reality because they make life more interesting. Why think that Trump is just an incompetent blowhard charlatan when you can believe that life is really like your favorite movie or television show or book, where the hero overcomes the mysterious evil cabal that's plotting his demise? It's really a no brainer, pun intended.