Cannot believe TPM has not posted this one. Love me some Pelosi BAMB and on Fox too
15 Likes
the federal government has “not been focused enough on testing”
Actually the federal government, aka Trump, has been laser focused on testing the efficacy of varied excuse and blame shifting techniques.
Which is precisely why he “passed the torch” to the governors. If they are successful he takes credit for directing them on how to reopen the economy, if they fail it was because they are inept. Win-win, GOP style.
@zenicetus like minds
13 Likes
Speaker Pelosi called him “a weak leader” on Fox? 
Hoo boy… I guess today’s presser will be more over the top than yesterday’s. If that’s possible.
10 Likes
He wants to blame WHO. He won’t like seeing this.
More than a dozen U.S. researchers, physicians and public health experts, many of them from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were working full time at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization as the novel coronavirus emerged late last year and transmitted real-time information about its discovery and spread in China to the Trump administration, according to U.S. and international officials.
A number of CDC staffers are regularly detailed to work at WHO in Geneva as part of a rotation that has operated for years. Senior Trump-appointed health officials also consulted regularly at the highest levels with the WHO as the crisis unfolded, the officials said.
What didn’t the Trump administration act immediately? Why was nothing done in January or February?!!
13 Likes
Side note: I almost didn’t recognize Senator Schumer’s photo up there with his glasses on, instead of sliding off his nose. Has he gone to bifocals now?
3 Likes
I’ve read about weak responses to a crisis, about misguided ones, history’s full of them. But I can’t think of many where a national government just sat back and said the provinces should deal with it on their own, not our problem really. Might as well tell Hawaii to fight the Kingdom of Japan on its own, shit, you’ve still got aircraft carriers and all that, and you wasted the battleships we gave you, we’re not a rent-a-cop service here.
21 Likes
So, doomed again are we?
9 Likes
New Yorkers paid more than $140 billion in federal taxes last year, but when it comes to federal help, they’re on their own.
9 Likes
Serological tests for SARS CoV-2 such as the one being conducted in California – e.g., https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-17/coronavirus-antibodies-study-santa-clara-county – are essential and suggest more people infected than we are seeing in the COVID-19 case count but in the absence of 100% antibody specificity I don’t know how much confidence to put in that. The absence of any coordination at the national level in the USA* and the fact we are so far behind the curve on this suggests the only statistic we can currently rely on for a real-world perspective is the ‘excess-excess death’ count; i.e., to what extent are this week’s excess deaths exceeding the five year rolling average of excess deaths for that same calendar week? Granted some variation, any number greater than zero suggests a death related directly or indirectly to COVID-19; e.g., https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-04-01/coronavirus-italy-shows-we-may-be-underestimating-death-toll
*the murderous incompetence of the Trump administration has become so intense that motive(s) are irrelevant: malice or stupidity makes no difference, the clear intent is national destruction w/ a large body count and we must act accordingly.
6 Likes
If Trump isn’t going to lead, then he should really just go golf and have some in-person rallies where he can hear the cheers as he disparages those who are trying to save lives. Make his campaign pay for the time he’s on TV. Rather he flail away on the fairway than behind a microphone at the White House.
He’s fucking worthless. And worse than that, he’s incredibly dangerous doing what he’s doing now.
8 Likes
Just a note for everyone to remember always beyond those 70 days of lying, denying, delaying and now passing the buck/scapegoating by Trump:
US Intel was NOT interested on a disease outbreak in China in November ‘19…
US intelligence informed the Trump administration, “which did not deem it of interest,”
Trump appointed himself Wartime Prez but will NOT use DPA to alleviate the PPE shortages…maybe because his cronies will profit?
Trump declared “Total Authority” but says it’s up to Governors to step up on testing…maybe he is setting the governors as scapegoats?
Trump declared he was doing a great job but says “I take no responsibility at all”…maybe because he wants Mainstreet to suffer/die for more Wallstreet Profits for himself/family and cronies?
Trump foments violence while contradicting his own “Covid-19 Guidelines”…maybe because his cronies/donors are screaming that their profits are fast disappearing down the drain?
All told, Trump just wants the “Profiting while in Office”, Rallies/Parades and Ability to Punch Down his imaginary enemies BUT not the work that goes with being the president!
Trump is a Fair-Weather-Self-Proclaimed-Corrupt-Backup IMPeetus!
9 Likes
I think he should also shake as many hands as he can, to prove that he is a “man of the people.”
6 Likes
Hugs are good, too.
3 Likes
Hasn’t it been more like 1180-something days? Or did you mean “just related to the coronavirus”?
1 Like
Agreed. I think he should also try to “kiss the cough away” from various hot babes. [Apologies in advance to said “hot babes,” because getting kissed by that pig would be a major sacrifice.]
4 Likes
Related to Covid BUT “Forever 1k Days and counting“ works too!
1 Like
If the US is doing 100,000 tests a day, that probably, given the Santa Clara data, should be several million tests a day. Even a million tests a day seems like a reasonable goal. One reason for “public-private” partnerships that characterize this failure is an inadequate national health structure. A national testing network, federally funded, is needed and cost effective. With the investments in place, testing is not that expensive. For example, the ELISA tests used to detect borreliosis (e.g. Lyme disease) run around 4 dollars per test. At scale, the cost of ELISA antibody tests for COVID-19 could likely be decreased. The cost of a PCR test, including a decently-paid lab technician (generally not the case) also is in the similar cost range north of 3 dollars a test. Medicare reimbursement is $51 per PCR test and the cost on the private market is still around $500. Part of the problem in the private sector is the poor integration with service delivery, a cause of the high cost even at scale.
8 Likes
As an aside, a Finnish company is rolling out a 20-minute POC test that avoids the drawbacks of both the PCR and ELISA tests, using a different technology.
5 Likes
No, this shipment was not headed for resale or the black market.
What, Jared’s worried about competition?
And does anyone happen to have a link for that MA hospital story?
3 Likes
I knew you were snarking. Didn’t mean to convey otherwise.
3 Likes