Business Insider, April 8, 2020: Bernie Sanders drops out of the 2020 presidential race

It's over for him...

Washington Post, April 5, 2020: ...the last person some of these patients ever see

This article describes the life of an anesthesiologist -- the guy who puts the ventilator tubes down your throat when you are gasping for air. If you are squeamish, you might not want to read this. Many of his patients die without family there for support...only the anesthesiologist. His words:

"It’s a powerless feeling, watching someone die. The oxygen level drops, the heart rate drops, the blood pressure drops. These patients are dying on the ventilator, and sometimes when they take away the body, the tube is still in the airway."

Think about that.

There's no shortage of articles critical of Trump as you read the Washington Post, New York Times, the Atlantic and other noteworthy media sources. Maureen Dowd writing in the New York Times opinion column calls "Trump's most defining qualities...on display in this fight: mercurial, vindictive, deceptive, narcissistic, blame-shifting and nepotistic. She writes that as "commander in chief, Cadet Bone Spurs is bringing up the rear" and is "unprepared to lead". His administration is the "clown car".

Dowd, of course, is noted for her sharp criticisms of presidents and candidates and none have been spared, but Donald Trump is in a league of his own -- not even rising to the status of "bush league". Several publications over the past three years have dubbed Trump the "worst president ever".

There are various cognitive biases that could be applied to both the left and the right.

Very Well Mind: How Cognitive Biases Influence How You Think and Act

For Trump supporters it is confirmation bias, the halo effect, self-serving bias, misinformation effect and others. Oh and that often mentioned one: cognitive dissonance. Nevertheless, most of the population just votes their tribes without any compelling reason to change. There is an ever narrowing band of centrists in the middle, plus the traditional apathetic non-voter who can somehow be energized to vote, that will decide the election. Voter turnout of one's base is critical. Trump has done an outstanding job of keeping his base happy through rallies, tweets, and now daily briefings, plus out right propaganda funneled though Fox News. The Fox News propaganda network of misinformation is huge for Trump.

Biden is at a distinct disadvantage there as Trump is doing what he always does -- monopolize the media coverage. He doesn't care if the coverage is good or bad as long as the media is covering him and not Biden. MSNBC coverage seems like 99:1 in favor of Trump. Can he sustain that exposure all the way to the election? We'll see. What matter most to many voters is what touches their emotional buttons in the last month or weeks before the election. It will be, as always, an emotional decision largely absent of critical thinking.

Mother Jones: Trump’s Spiritual Adviser Paula White Is Using the Coronavirus Crisis to Bankroll Her Church

Maybe someone already covered this somewhere on this website, but it seems Paula Jones, Trump's spiritual advisor (She's on Trump's payroll) is using her White House position to fund raise off the coronavirus:

“Every single day we are a hospital to the sick, not necessarily the physically sick,” she said. “But we are a hospital for those who are soul sick, those who are spiritually sick.” White went on to suggest that contributors offer a $91 donation, citing Psalm 91, or “maybe $9 or whatever God tells you to do.”

So feeling sick? Send $91 to Paula Jones and she'll put in a good word for you...

Okay I'll add more fuel to the fire. From the Texas Tribune:

"The founding pastor of City on a Hill, Juan Bustamante, was in a particularly good mood. A day earlier, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined 30-plus other governors around the country in issuing a statewide stay-at-home order — though he declined to refer to it as such — that also designated religious services as essential. Under the order, Texans must stay home unless they work in certain business sectors or are grocery shopping, running must-do errands or exercising outdoors. Or going to church."

“I truly believe the churches are first responders,” [Pastor Bustamante] said Wednesday before the evening service. “I have a deep conviction to keep going and keep standing for what we believe in.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

As we've noted, Dr Fushi is being attacked and is now being protected. However, Asians in America are also being singled out for attack in the "blame game" driven by Trump and Fox News. I wonder how many of Pastor Bustamante's flock and his ilk are attacking and blaming Fushi and Asians. Hypocrites.

No one really knows how someone will perform until they are tested in difficult circumstances...that 3:00 am phone call that Hillary spoke of. It not only takes knowledge and intelligence, but also composure and authenticity to connect with the people...all the people. Trump has not only flunked the 3:00 am phone call, he has failed miserably to rally Americans behind him...all Americans. All he has on his side in these difficult times is his fukin' base, the lowest common denominator of the entire populace.

It remains to be seen if Biden can connect like a King or a Churchill, but he may get the chance if Covid-19 is still taking lives in a big way in 2021...perhaps as a second wave similar to the 1918 Spanish Flu. What worries me is that Trump the con artist will once again, perhaps with Russian help, dupe the American people into voting for him in a time of crisis. Trump's approval rating in the way he has handled the crisis is surprisingly high. He knows that. He controls the messaging, and half the population of Americans are ignorant and stupid.

I think Biden is ready to be tested like never before. I just hope he is given the chance.

Lonely -- Yes I agree. Apathy is a big part of our American electorate. When I was knocking on doors to register (beg) unregistered voters to vote, I found some of them clueless, and was thinking maybe it was better that they don't vote. Still they were a minority of those I encountered. Another thing I noted when I was seeking young people to vote going to their registered address, many had moved. I wonder if that non-voting population is somewhat inflated by people not removing their names from the registrations when they move. I know how difficult it is for some County Clerk and Recorders to get these people removed. In Colorado it takes a while and is politically unpopular.

Some 30 million people move each year. Many re-register in their new state but forget to unregister in their old state.

How about this from George Conway's Lincoln Project as another threat to America...

New Ad Goes After 'Fox And Fiends' For Covid Disinformation

Watch the ad. It's a good one.

I have to add this Snopes article to the discussion:

Snopes, April 1, 2020: Did Experts and Officials Warn in 2018 US Couldn’t Respond Effectively to a Pandemic?

The answer is yes. Read and weep.