Former Vice President Joe Biden is still firm in his position that the Democratic National Committee’s convention needs to happen, but said the event may need to be held virtually, during an interview on ABC News Sunday morning.
“Follow the science?”
“Listen to the experts?”
Pffffffft. Just pour a combination of Coca-Cola and household ammonia in a glass and toss it over your left shoulder, Joe. That’s what a candidate who wants to appeal to the much-feared Republican base would be suggesting. Get with the program, fella…
With Trump warning “There will be lots of death”, I’d really like to know if Biden has given a hard look at a universal healthcare single payer or M4A. It is high time for him to go beyond ACA expansion with what Covid is exposing as a huge problem with the US healthcare system…it really needs big, bold and sound structural change. Otherwise, if we don’t do it soon, then it will be rinse and repeat on a daily basis for millions of uninsured Americans and another disaster in-waiting for another pandemic or heaven forbid, a bioweapon attack!
Addendum:
I agree with woland66
(And yes, regardless of the healthcare system we would have done better if we had qualified administration.)
If this was prior to more than 8500 Americans’ Covid death toll (way more than 9/11) I would agree with triletter
To campaign on it now seems to be political suicide.
But what if (I’m not a MAGA) the Trump campaign will promise a similar healthcare option to M4A or a semblance of universal healthcare system (hold your horses) - just promise for the sake of winning the election then reneg later as their SOP - then that robs Biden with his ACA expansion edge. Just saying…
Covid Pandemic is just one aspect that US healthcare system is NOT prepared to handle regardless of the Trump Maladministration response. High premiums, high non-generic drug costs, mountainous red tape, insurers waiting out for cancer patients to die before treatment approval, in-network vs out of network nightmare, surprise crippling medical bills…on and on - so while we should NOT tie our healthcare reform solely to a Covid Pandemic, it should be a consideration because of the scale it can kill uninsured and insured Americans in addition to alleviating daily healthcare system problems for the millions of uninsured.
They don’t need a convention this year. Delegates can have their say-so’s by mail. Or set up a big virtual convention and let the Russians give it a hack. Their candidate is already selected. Platform issues need to be set early to see how voters react.
Do you think we would have done better if we adopted, say, Italian universal healthcare system? Do you think we would have done better if we were, say, in year 3 of the Sanders’ transition plan to M4A?
(And yes, regardless of the healthcare system we would have done better if we had qualified administration.)
Oh, so the Democrat Establishment is trying to silence my youth vote? What will they not stoop to???
I really don’t care whether it’s physical or virtual: I want goddamn ads running nonstop about this evil, cursed, brimming-with-scumbags Republican administration raked over the coals between now, the convention and up to the election.
Now, during the early phase of this pandemic, is probably not the time to make that push/change. The likelihood of tipping the election to the current office occupier would go up exponentially. Nothing can be done in the near term (prior to the election) even if we wanted to. After the election, (if things are good and the Senate is flipped) then it would be a much better time. It would be fresh in the nation’s mind and people might listen to it from the aspect of the next pandemic. To campaign on it now seems to be political suicide.
And, while there’s talk of floating a convention, I’d like to bring up the idea of tying tRump into a leaky canoe and floating him down the Potomac, out into the Chesapeake then the Atlantic to never be seen again.
First we have to get our messaging straight from the ground up no matter what the conversation.Case in point listening to Congressman Adam Smith of Washington state they were having a conversation on leadership,and Jared Kushner name was brought up. Congressman Smith said I like Jared Kushner he’s not a bad guy. What ?
Follow the science? Absolutely. Work up a contingency virtual convention, but hold the traditional convention if at all possible. Conventions are about excitement, appealing to the public’s imagination. The spectacle is the point. Americans like spectacle–it’s in our DNA.
This is April 5 - I don’t see why Biden needs to make that decision now. We don’t know what the world will look like in August.