All things political. Coronavirus Edition. (5 Viewers)

[Maxp]

I fear we are really going to be in a bad place due to the obvious cuts to the federal agencies that deal with infectious disease, but also the negative effect the Affordable Care act has had on non urban hospitals. Our front line defenses are ineffectual and our ability to treat the populous is probably at an all time low. Factor in the cost of healthcare and I can see our system crashing. What do you think about the politics of this virus?

 

[Optimus Prime]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political operatives are recruiting “extremely pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

The plan was discussed in a May 11 conference call with a senior staffer for the Trump reelection campaign organized by CNP Action, an affiliate of the GOP-aligned Council for National Policy.

A leaked recording of the hourlong call was provided to The Associated Press by the Center for Media and Democracy, a progressive watchdog group.............

El-Sadr said having doctors relay contradictory information on behalf of the president is “quite alarming.”

“I find it totally irresponsible to have physicians who are touting some information that’s not anchored in evidence and not anchored in science,” El-Sadr said. “What often creates confusion is the many voices that are out there, and many of those voices do have a political interest, which is the hugely dangerous situation we are at now.”

Murtaugh said the campaign is not concerned about contradicting government experts.

“Our job at the campaign is to reflect President Trump’s point of view,” Murtaugh said. “We are his campaign. There is no difference between us and him.”............

GOP fronts 'pro-Trump' doctors to prescribe rapid reopening

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political operatives are recruiting “extremely pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U...

apnews.com

 

[Dragon]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political operatives are recruiting “extremely pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

The plan was discussed in a May 11 conference call with a senior staffer for the Trump reelection campaign organized by CNP Action, an affiliate of the GOP-aligned Council for National Policy.

A leaked recording of the hourlong call was provided to The Associated Press by the Center for Media and Democracy, a progressive watchdog group.............

El-Sadr said having doctors relay contradictory information on behalf of the president is “quite alarming.”

“I find it totally irresponsible to have physicians who are touting some information that’s not anchored in evidence and not anchored in science,” El-Sadr said. “What often creates confusion is the many voices that are out there, and many of those voices do have a political interest, which is the hugely dangerous situation we are at now.”

Murtaugh said the campaign is not concerned about contradicting government experts.

“Our job at the campaign is to reflect President Trump’s point of view,” Murtaugh said. “We are his campaign. There is no difference between us and him.”............

GOP fronts 'pro-Trump' doctors to prescribe rapid reopening

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political operatives are recruiting “extremely pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U...

apnews.com

Where did those people park their conscience?

They openly talk about misinformating the American people on a life and death matter by order from the one person who took an oath to protect that same people

Just to win an election!!!

 

[Heathen]

So if you ever want to see why I think corporations are ruining our country and don't just say this over and over to be 'hip', see the example of workers striking for protections during a pandemic and McDonald's calling it a 'publicity stunt':

Hundreds of McDonald's workers plan Wednesday strike over COVID-19 protections

Workers accuse McDonald's of not doing enough to protect them from coronavirus, leading to infections. Corporate officials deny the allegations.

www.usatoday.com

Unreal the nerve these megacorps have..But that's what you get when your politicians cant and won't divest from them.

 

[insidejob]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political operatives are recruiting “extremely pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

The plan was discussed in a May 11 conference call with a senior staffer for the Trump reelection campaign organized by CNP Action, an affiliate of the GOP-aligned Council for National Policy.

A leaked recording of the hourlong call was provided to The Associated Press by the Center for Media and Democracy, a progressive watchdog group.............

El-Sadr said having doctors relay contradictory information on behalf of the president is “quite alarming.”

“I find it totally irresponsible to have physicians who are touting some information that’s not anchored in evidence and not anchored in science,” El-Sadr said. “What often creates confusion is the many voices that are out there, and many of those voices do have a political interest, which is the hugely dangerous situation we are at now.”

Murtaugh said the campaign is not concerned about contradicting government experts.

“Our job at the campaign is to reflect President Trump’s point of view,” Murtaugh said. “We are his campaign. There is no difference between us and him.”............

GOP fronts 'pro-Trump' doctors to prescribe rapid reopening

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political operatives are recruiting “extremely pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U...

apnews.com

The fact that I'm not surprised by this is somewhat alarming.

Is there anything this man won't do to avoid telling the truth? How can someone be so soulless that they'd put millions at risk by having doctors lie to the public on television so their precious poll numbers will increase?

 

[The moose]

Where did those people park their conscience?

They openly talk about misinformating the American people on a life and death matter by order from the one person who took an oath to protect that same people

Just to win an election!!!

That my friend are people that worship the almighty dollar over all.

 

[coldseat]

Even if it was helpful against Covid- and it looks like it isn’t- what would taking when you’re negative do?
=====================================
(CNN)President Donald Trump claimed Monday he is taking hydroxychloroquine after asking the White House doctor if he could take it -- despite the fact that he's said he is negative for Covid-19 and several recent studies show the drug is ineffective against the coronavirus and may even be harmful.

"A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it," Trump said. He later said he'd been taking it every day for a week and a half.

Asked if the White House doctor recommended that, Trump responded, "no."

"I asked him what do you think, he said, 'Well if you'd like it,' " the President told reporters........

Trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine though health experts question its effectiveness

President Donald Trump claimed Monday he is taking daily doses of hydroxychloroquine, a drug he's long touted as a potential coronavirus cure even as medical experts and the US Food and Drug Administration question its efficacy and warn of potentially harmful side effects.

www.cnn.com

His purpose is only to make his sycophant followers give fist bumps and high fives about how much of a Steve Austin bad arse he is. It's very effective for his reelection campaign.

I highly doubt he's even taking it. He's just saying he's doing it to engage his base with false bravdo, something they're very susceptible to. If some of them get their hands on it and die as a result, oh well, that's the price of freedom.

 

[insidejob]

So, my boss needed me to help him with an app on his phone and to book his condo for vacation. When I walked into his office he tells me, "This COVID apparently doesn't live on any surfaces at all."

Anyone know where he could have gotten this information or have you heard this claim from anyone else? I know he's an avid far-right talk radio listener so he probably got it from Limbaugh's show. Were the scientists wrong this entire time about the sustainability of COVID on surfaces and this is actually true?

 

[Dragon]

No it is not wrong. In fact they can even survive even longer than the scientist says under the right conditions. What is correct however is that you dont get it by walking into a room where there are virus on a surface. You need to get it into your airways. But if you touch surfaces which contains live virus and then scratch you nose, you may be infected.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-long-will-coronavirus-survive-on-surfaces/

 

[Beach Friends]

His purpose is only to make his sycophant followers give fist bumps and high fives about how much of a Steve Austin bad arse he is. It's very effective for his reelection campaign.

I highly doubt he's even talking it. He's just saying he's doing it to engage his base with false bravdo, something they're very susceptible to. If some of them get their hands on it and die as a result, oh well, that's the price of freedom.

Is CNN just ignoring the letter that the WH doc put out explaining that he and Trump reached the decision for him to go on the drug after weighing the risks and benefits?

I think any reasonable person knows that any drug has side effects and not all people can take all drugs. If they don't, I expect their doctors do.

 

[JimEverett]

So, my boss needed me to help him with an app on his phone and to book his condo for vacation. When I walked into his office he tells me, "This COVID apparently doesn't live on any surfaces at all."

Anyone know where he could have gotten this information or have you heard this claim from anyone else? I know he's an avid far-right talk radio listener so he probably got it from Limbaugh's show. Were the scientists wrong this entire time about the sustainability of COVID on surfaces and this is actually true?

Possibly from this: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html


The virus does not spread easily in other ways
COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning about how it spreads. It may be possible for COVID-19 to spread in other ways, but these are not thought to be the main ways the virus spreads.

• From touching surfaces or objects. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus.

 

[TaylorB]

Is CNN just ignoring the letter that the WH doc put out explaining that he and Trump reached the decision for him to go on the drug after weighing the risks and benefits?

I think any reasonable person knows that any drug has side effects and not all people can take all drugs. If they don't, I expect their doctors do.

That letter is discussed in the linked article, which also correctly observes that the letter doesn't say he's taking the drug (or that he's been prescribed it). I found that to be an odd omission.

It's harmful for the president of a country at the epicenter of the pandemic to insist on pushing an unproven drug instead of promoting realistic solutions, for a number of reasons. But the realistic solutions are more complex, more restrictive, and more boring to promote than a miracle drug.

 

[wardorican]

And another thing.

With all of the power we have freely given to these Tyrannical governors and politicians, and all of the right's we have freely given up, do you really think they are going to relinquish it so easily?

Now that they have tasted the sweet bliss of absolute power to dictate how their subjects can live their lives, do you really think they're just going to say, "OK. We've done enough. The curve has been flattened. You guys go back to living in complete freedom and we'll go back to only ruling according to the powers granted to us by the Constitution."

Why the hell are you all so willing to just relenquish your freedom like this? Why do you put so much faith in a gov't that has not proven itself worthy of such trust?

I think they'd prefer to have tax revenue and have that overall power to shape the state.

You think these people wanted to shut their states down? That's like a Governor wishing for a Hurricane to feel important, ignoring how much the whole process sucks.

Nah, these folks would rather everything go along easy, with their states making a ton of money, so they can control capital projects, budgeting, getting unions, business, etc on their side.

There is no such thing as complete freedom in our Country. Every single freedom you have has some level of responsibility tied to it.

 

[J-DONK]

Poll: Two-Thirds Expect Return To Normal Will Take 6 Months Or More

Three-quarters are concerned that a second wave of the coronavirus will emerge as states reopen, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds. But Americans' outlooks vary by political party.

www.npr.org

Two-thirds of Americans do not expect their daily lives to return to normal for at least six months, and as states reopen, three-quarters are concerned that a second wave of coronavirus cases will emerge.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

That letter is discussed in the linked article, which also correctly observes that the letter doesn't say he's taking the drug (or that he's been prescribed it). I found that to be an odd omission.

It's harmful for the president of a country at the epicenter of the pandemic to insist on pushing an unproven drug instead of promoting realistic solutions, for a number of reasons. But the realistic solutions are more complex, more restrictive, and more boring to promote than a miracle drug.

They also interviewed a doctor that night who was Cheney's heart doctor while he was vice president and regularly worked in the White House. He said as bad as a decision it is and that he would never do it, he also said he could see the White House Physician's Office doing it for two main reasons:

• The healthcare Trump receives in the White House is the best anywhere with constant monitoring going on and access quicker than anywhere in the public sector. They could be at Trump's side in a flash if something happens.
• They agreed to do it, because there is an actual concern about Trump's health. He has multiple high risk factors making him more susceptible to catching the virus and because he's been so non-nonchalant and cavalier with how he goes about his day, even after multiple staff members have tested positive or been in close contact with those who tested positive, they might feel doing this would be better than doing nothing.

Seems to me they agreed to it because they're afraid the fool is going to get himself killed.

 

[Beach Friends]

That letter is discussed in the linked article, which also correctly observes that the letter doesn't say he's taking the drug (or that he's been prescribed it). I found that to be an odd omission.

It's harmful for the president of a country at the epicenter of the pandemic to insist on pushing an unproven drug instead of promoting realistic solutions, for a number of reasons. But the realistic solutions are more complex, more restrictive, and more boring to promote than a miracle drug.

I find it odd that there is such a visceral reaction to this drug.

People seem to act as though the scientific community has unanimously agreed that there is no benefit to the drug. That's not the case.

There are physicians who are prescribing the drug and reporting that the outcomes they are seeing give them reason to believe that, at least for certain patients, there is a benefit.

It's certainly true that there is a shortage of the sort of scientific data that we normally like to see, but there seems to be an eagerness to claim that it is snake oil.

There was a virtual round of applause when the VA limited observations indicated that not only was it not effective, but it was dangerous. The fallacy in relying on that observation seemed obvious as soon as it was announced.

There is enough reason to believe this pharmaceutical cocktail may be used prophylactically that there is an ongoing study with 3,000 participants.

We will see how that turns out.
But, I think we should stop gleefully pretending the POTUS is encouraging people to raid their kids' fish tank supplies.

 

[The moose]

Ready to get back to work?

Not really at two Ford plants. They both had to shut down.

Ford forced to halt production at two plants after employees test positive for Covid-19

Just days after reopening its American assembly plants, Ford temporarily shut down two separate factories because employees tested positive for Covid-19. One plant in Chicago that builds the Ford Explorer, the Lincoln Aviator and the Ford Interceptor police car stopped operations Tuesday...

news.google.com

 

[FullMonte]

Is CNN just ignoring the letter that the WH doc put out explaining that he and Trump reached the decision for him to go on the drug after weighing the risks and benefits?

I think any reasonable person knows that any drug has side effects and not all people can take all drugs. If they don't, I expect their doctors do.

My two questions are fairly simple....The doctor said "we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks."

1) Am I the only one who finds it interesting that the sentence says "from treatment" and not "from taking this medication"? (Is the doctor playing with words, while the president isn't actually taking the drug? I ask because as far as I am aware, the FDA has not approved it for this use, and has only issued an EUA for use on patients who are hospitalized.)
2) What is the potential benefit he talks about? There has been no study that I'm aware of that shows this drug works to prevent someone from being infected, and there are plenty of people who have taken it for years for autoimmune disorders who have tested positive.

 

[TaylorB]

I find it odd that there is such a visceral reaction to this drug.

People seem to act as though the scientific community has unanimously agreed that there is no benefit to the drug. That's not the case.

There are physicians who are prescribing the drug and reporting that the outcomes they are seeing give them reason to believe that, at least for certain patients, there is a benefit.

It's certainly true that there is a shortage of the sort of scientific data that we normally like to see, but there seems to be an eagerness to claim that it is snake oil.

There was a virtual round of applause when the VA limited observations indicated that not only was it not effective, but it was dangerous. The fallacy in relying on that observation seemed obvious as soon as it was announced.

There is enough reason to believe this pharmaceutical cocktail may be used prophylactically that there is an ongoing study with 3,000 participants.

We will see how that turns out.
But, I think we should stop gleefully pretending the POTUS is encouraging people to raid their kids' fish tank supplies.

Yeah, my comments didn’t rise to the level of overreaction you’re suggesting. It'd be wonderful if some studies began to show efficacy in treatment or prevention, but until then, it’s a better use of the president’s time to focus on implementing the solutions we know will save lives instead of promoting something that’s unproven.