Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[Kraken]

Fortunately he's easy to buy. Give him and his immunity and let everyone keep their ill-gotten gains and he'll probably l gallop off into the sunset happily. Best case scenario, and he'll still be leaving behind a nation in chaos.

I won't be remotely surprised if Putin is keeping a dacha open for trump.

If Trump loses and becomes a media crank, he can keep damaging America by inflaming conspiracy theories and claiming to know secret presidential knowledge that undermines everything Biden attempts to do.

In that case, he's the gift to Putin that keeps on giving, and Trump Tower Moscow is a pretty sure thing.

He's going to "win" in his own mind and those of his followers, regardless of the actual election results. If he can't continue to occupy the WH there's no question he'll run a "shadow government," and it could be a government-in-exile. There is no way he'll ever pay for his crimes. Although given his skill at evading the law, he can probably just run out the clock. His dementia is already progressing visibly...it's not like he has to evade justice for a lot of years.

[Holman]

Climate Knower-in-Chief is in the house.

[malchior]

It's nice that the GOP has packaged his bottomless ignorance as "optimism".

[YellowKing]

I've grown used to the nervous chuckle when Trump says something so completely stupid that it has to be a joke. Right? RIGHT?

[Skinypupy]

I swear, my state is just full-on, concentrated stupid sometimes.

[Trent Steel]

I swear, my state is just full-on, concentrated stupid sometimes.

"I'll tell you another reason I hate masks, most child molesters love 'em!"

Really pinned in the red on this one. Good lord.

[Unagi]

and surgeons!

[Paingod]

Firefighters are actually satanists in disguise. They even play with fire when they wear those masks!

In added COVID news, Bob Woodward plays for us a little ditty of Trump talking April 13th to him - laughing that when someone in a meeting in the Oval Office sneezed, the room cleared out... including Trump himself. So great was the internal concern over infection.

[Jaymann]

and surgeons!

And unwittingly validating Darwin's survival of the fittest.

[Kasey Chang]

Covidiot claims another victim, or was is "zero tolerance policy"?

Rite-Aid manager, near store closing, asked the unmasked guy who entered the store to mask up, and offered him one, as per state mandate. The covidiot attacked her. She called cops. He got even crazier and attacked her again. She produced a pocket knife and pepper spray to scare him off. He left and threw rocks through two of the store windows before police arrived.

She got fired for zero-tolerance weapons policy. Apparently, corporate drones consider having the weapons on her "escalated" the situation.

[LawBeefaroni]

Covidiot claims another victim, or was is "zero tolerance policy"?

Rite-Aid manager, near store closing, asked the unmasked guy who entered the store to mask up, and offered him one, as per state mandate. The covidiot attacked her. She called cops. He got even crazier and attacked her again. She produced a pocket knife and pepper spray to scare him off. He left and threw rocks through two of the store windows before police arrived.

She got fired for zero-tolerance weapons policy. Apparently, corporate drones consider having the weapons on her "escalated" the situation.

If it saved her from getting beaten up or killed, it's probably worth losing the job. That's the decision you've made when you're armed against company policy.

And this isn't zero tolerance like she brought nail file to work. She brought prohibited items. A knife and pepper spray (tangent: does CVS sell either?). I don't have an issue with what she did to protect herself but I don't have an issue with CVS letting her go per their policy, either. Not a fan of the policy though.

[Kasey Chang]

I find it more ironic that they tried to "explain" the policy, instead of just stating "zero weapons policy was violated". In trying to "explain" the zero-weapons policy as "escalating the situation", when it did precisely the opposite, proving them even more of a PR idiot.

[LordMortis]

If it saved her from getting beaten up or killed, it's probably worth losing the job. That's the decision you've made when you're armed against company policy.

And this isn't zero tolerance like she brought nail file to work. She brought prohibited items. A knife and pepper spray (tangent: does CVS sell either?). I don't have an issue with what she did to protect herself but I don't have an issue with CVS letting her go per their policy, either. Not a fan of the policy though.

Rite Aid but aside from that, all of this. Depending on the knife, I'd not think of it or pepper spray as a weapon and if I felt cornered I would not hesitate to brandish them and if I got fired for doing so, well the fuck Rite Aid for not protecting me.

[Isgrimnur]

Politico

The health department's top spokesperson Michael Caputo called an emergency staff meeting on Tuesday to apologize for drawing negative attention to the Trump administration's health care strategy and signaled that he might be soon departing his role, according to five people with knowledge of the meeting.
...
Caputo told staffers that his series of false accusations on Facebook Live this weekend — which included unfounded allegations that the Centers for Disease Control was harboring a “resistance unit” — reflected poorly on HHS’ communications office. He blamed his recent behavior on a combination of physical health issues and the toll of fielding death threats against his family. Caputo also acknowledged that he had never read one of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, despite his team's ongoing efforts to try to edit those documents.

[Holman]

about.

Trump goes anti-masker. But the example he gives (a waiter touching the mask and then touching the plate) supports the need for protection rather than the opposite.

It’s not just that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying.

Also, whole lotta sniffing going on here.

[Smoove_B]

People online speculating his performance at town hall was so bad he's going to somehow wiggle out of debate with Joe Biden.

He's clearly not doing well (and hasn't been well for a long time). I wonder if something happened at the rallies over the weekend and he's suddenly worried he was exposed to freedom. Based on the Woodward commentary/tapes he's clearly afraid. So they either are juicing him up with convalescent plasma or he's the luckiest septuagenarian around.

Also, remember back in March?

March 31 (UPI) -- White House experts on Tuesday shared projections that up to 200,000 Americans may die as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

During a briefing by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Deborah Birx shared figures projecting that the virus had the potential to kill between 1.5 million and 2.2 million Americans without mitigation and could still lead to 100,000 to 200,000 deaths even if mitigation efforts including "stay-at-home" orders issued in many states continue.

The official tally is ~197K right now, but unofficially we're likely quite beyond 200K at this point. Dark days ahead.

[Kraken]

People online speculating his performance at town hall was so bad he's going to somehow wiggle out of debate with Joe Biden.

And yet, more Americans think trump will win the debates.

Spoiler:

[Paingod]

And yet, more Americans think trump will win the debates.

When you measure success in volumes of antagonizing and upsetting, victory is remarkably easy to achieve.

[El Guapo]

People online speculating his performance at town hall was so bad he's going to somehow wiggle out of debate with Joe Biden.

And yet, more Americans think trump will win the debates.

Spoiler:

Honestly, that's good news. Trump is objectively terrible at debating (and at putting complete sentences together when not reading from prepared remarks). His only potential edge is low expectations. If people go into the debate expecting Trump to do better than Biden, then Trump loses that expectations edge and will get annihilated in the debate and in subsequent media coverage.

[LawBeefaroni]

People online speculating his performance at town hall was so bad he's going to somehow wiggle out of debate with Joe Biden.

And yet, more Americans think trump will win the debates.

Spoiler:

Honestly, that's good news. Trump is objectively terrible at debating (and at putting complete sentences together when not reading from prepared remarks). His only potential edge is low expectations. If people go into the debate expecting Trump to do better than Biden, then Trump loses that expectations edge and will get annihilated in the debate and in subsequent media coverage.

He won't get annihilated. He will derail and make a mockery of the event but he won't lose in the traditional sense.

[El Guapo]

People online speculating his performance at town hall was so bad he's going to somehow wiggle out of debate with Joe Biden.

And yet, more Americans think trump will win the debates.

Spoiler:

Honestly, that's good news. Trump is objectively terrible at debating (and at putting complete sentences together when not reading from prepared remarks). His only potential edge is low expectations. If people go into the debate expecting Trump to do better than Biden, then Trump loses that expectations edge and will get annihilated in the debate and in subsequent media coverage.

He won't get annihilated. He will derail and make a mockery of the event but he won't lose in the traditional sense.

He might lose in the nontraditional sense, I suppose.

I feel like people are forgetting how bad he was in the 2016 debates. And in the coronavirus press conferences. Or any time that he has to get up in front of people outside of scripted rallies and whatnot.

[malchior]

People online speculating his performance at town hall was so bad he's going to somehow wiggle out of debate with Joe Biden.

And yet, more Americans think trump will win the debates.

Spoiler:

Honestly, that's good news. Trump is objectively terrible at debating (and at putting complete sentences together when not reading from prepared remarks). His only potential edge is low expectations. If people go into the debate expecting Trump to do better than Biden, then Trump loses that expectations edge and will get annihilated in the debate and in subsequent media coverage.

He won't get annihilated. He will derail and make a mockery of the event but he won't lose in the traditional sense.

It's easy when you have an entire cult behind you.

[Zaxxon]

I feel like people are forgetting how bad he was in the 2016 debates. And in the coronavirus press conferences. Or any time that he has to get up in front of people outside of scripted rallies and whatnot.

Oh, I remember. I also remember how it didn't and doesn't seem to matter.

[Octavious]

He's bad to normal people. His followers think he's killing it no matter what he does. I'd say the debates are 100% pointless and won't have any impact on the outcome of the election. Their f'n insane and I'm 100% percent expecting people in the streets with guns if he loses.

And I'm sure as hell not taking whatever magical vaccine he's saying is going to get approved soon. I'm sure it will be "approved" right near the election and then will take another year to actually show up.

[LawBeefaroni]

People online speculating his performance at town hall was so bad he's going to somehow wiggle out of debate with Joe Biden.

And yet, more Americans think trump will win the debates.

Spoiler:

Honestly, that's good news. Trump is objectively terrible at debating (and at putting complete sentences together when not reading from prepared remarks). His only potential edge is low expectations. If people go into the debate expecting Trump to do better than Biden, then Trump loses that expectations edge and will get annihilated in the debate and in subsequent media coverage.

He won't get annihilated. He will derail and make a mockery of the event but he won't lose in the traditional sense.

He might lose in the nontraditional sense, I suppose.

I feel like people are forgetting how bad he was in the 2016 debates. And in the coronavirus press conferences. Or any time that he has to get up in front of people outside of scripted rallies and whatnot.

I doubt his team is forgetting. His strategy: bully the moderators, insult Biden (and other Democrats), ignore the questions, and spew a ton of bullshit.

To the base: straight shooter, tells it like it is, [charicture of a] powerful businessman, alpha male.

To everyone else: roughly we expected, but in new and shocking ways.

[El Guapo]

I feel like people are forgetting how bad he was in the 2016 debates. And in the coronavirus press conferences. Or any time that he has to get up in front of people outside of scripted rallies and whatnot.

Oh, I remember. I also remember how it didn't and doesn't seem to matter.

People also tend to forget that Clinton got massive surges out of the debates. The events that hugely moved the polls in 2016 were the debates, the Comey press conference, and the Comey letter (and as a side note, fuck James Comey).

[Smoove_B]

I guess I'm glad to see that the story being circulated about how the virus was definitely (no really) engineered in a lab was crafted by a non-profit funded by Steven Bannon and not being (broadly) taken seriously. So...progress?

Also: Florida

Anti-maskers in Florida invade a Target

[Skinypupy]

Anti-maskers in Florida invade a Target

Imagine being this proud of your utter stupidity.

[Paingod]

Anti-maskers in Florida invade a Target

Imagine being this proud of your utter stupidity.

The dumber you are, the more it shields you from feeling like an idiot.

This is the year when we get to see why the average IQ (factual or not, I like to say it) isn't higher than 100 and everyone who brings it down is on display.

[Scraper]

Anti-maskers in Florida invade a Target

Imagine being this proud of your utter stupidity.

I think about this almost every time I pass a house with more than one Trump sign. Normally they have multiple Trump flags.

[El Guapo]

Anti-maskers in Florida invade a Target

Imagine being this proud of your utter stupidity.

I think about this almost every time I pass a house with more than one Trump sign. Normally they have multiple Trump flags.

There's a house that I regularly pass on my way home whenever we head west (as it's not far from the highway) that in 2016 had an enormous "Hillary for Prison" sign in their frontyard. There's nothing there as of now (no Trump 2020 signs or anything). I wonder how they feel about that now. I assume that they're still unreformed idiots, but who knows.

[Smoove_B]

So, how are vaccine projections going?

WOAH: Redfield just told senators that wearing a face mask might be more protection against COVID than a vaccine.

[Smoove_B]

Also:

NEW: Multiple White House staff have tested positive for COVID-19 today. The White House press pool was just informed, but Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is not releasing any further information.

This comes less than 24 hours after international leaders met with President Trump.

When I saw the photos and video clips of the meetings, I was wondering why on earth international leaders would agree to meet face-to-face with Trump right now, given America is imploding. I can't even begin to imagine what they must have been doing with their own staff to try and protect everyone from an administration that brags about non-compliance with basic protective methods.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I wonder how many of those staff were at Trump's recent campaign rally?

[Skinypupy]

Good news everyone, a vaccine will be ready in just couple weeks!

#BREAKING: WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says vaccine could be ready "potentially by the end of September": "We have a real hope of getting something that actually works."

[Smoove_B]

Who do we believe?

CDC Director Says COVID Vaccine Likely Won't Be Widely Available Until Next Year

[malchior]

Who do we believe?

CDC Director Says COVID Vaccine Likely Won't Be Widely Available Until Next Year

That aligns with Fauci's timeline so not surprising. I couldn't believe the Pfizer CEO was saying they'd know by end of October. Talk about putting a target on your own back with the market.

[Smoove_B]

Anti-maskers in Florida invade a Target

Imagine being this proud of your utter stupidity.

Dee isn't having it!

Late Tuesday night (September 15), Snider retweeted the video and included the following message: "No...these selfish assholes do not have my permission or blessing to use my song for their moronic cause. #cuttheshit"

[LordMortis]

Target shouldn't be having any of it either

https://corporate.target.com/about/purp ... avirus-hub

Masks available & required

Go shop somewhere else, you MAGAts.

[Daehawk]

Trump - Downplays virus truth
MAGAs - He wouldn't lie to us

Trump - I lied
MAGAs - He did it to help us.