Political Theatre category archive
Selfishness Unmasked 0
Will Bunch is depressed at what the coronavirus has revealed about (far too many) Americans’ loss of the concept of a common good. Here’s a bit, in which he explores the some of the forces behind of our epidemic of ignorant intransigence:
No other nation has botched its coronavirus response so badly because no other nation holds science in such low esteem. “Who made you perpetrators over my life?” the self-proclaimed Trump Girl demanded of the experts at the Palm Beach County meeting. In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Stanford psychiatry prof Keith Humphreys noted that the United States simply can’t impose a coronavirus testing regimen like South Korea or Singapore because we don’t trust the government on public health. “Clusters of gun-toting protesters opposing public health measures are a real — and uniquely American — problem,” he wrote, “but it’s the much more prevalent distrust in government’s role in public health that would curtail the success of any test, trace and isolate program.”
I commend the entire article to your attention. It is a long and depressing read, but an important one.
Precedented 0
Hal Crowther believes he has found a precedent for our President.
Follow the link and decide whether you think he’s onto something.
Unmasking the Stupid 0
Brian Greenspun, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun, marvels at Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s determined effort to ignore reality. A snippet:
Oh yeah. I do have an idea. The person who is supposed to lead this nation refuses to wear a mask. He refuses to believe the virus is real. And he refuses to even mention the fact that he has completely blown the country’s response to the pandemic. And he’s blown it not only in the first instance but in every instance thereafter.
And DeSantis, for one, doesn’t dare do what he knows is best for Floridians and all those with whom they come into contact. Because he doesn’t dare cross President Donald Trump publicly, out of a cultish devotion or fear of reprisal, or both. Even Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas is waking to the fact that COVID-19 kills and is moving his state to a more enlightened status.
But DeSantis chooses to do stupid. And, by Gump’s definition, that makes him stupid.
Elsewhere, Paul Krugman points out that “Americans didn’t fail the COVID-19 test; Republicans did.”
A Grave Discussion 0
While we’re on this topic, I suggest that you read Vinita Mehta’s post at Psychology Today Blogs exploring why right-wingers don’t take the threat of COVID-19 as seriously as persons elsewhere on the political spectrum.
Image via Job’s Anger.
Blown Smoke 0
David deconstructs a strawman argument.
This, by the way, is a frequent tactic of persons who do not have the facts on their side. It’s not always a right-wing tactic, but often is because the facts lean left.
Groundwork? 0
I hope that Jason330 is wrong, but I think his point is worthy of consideration.
Them’s the Brakes 0
In a related vein, Jamelle Bouie comments on Donald Trump’s isolationism–from news, that is.
Image via The Bob Cesca Show Blog.
A Tune for the Times 0
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The Trump Kool-Aid 0
Thom and Dr. Justin A. Frank discuss the similarities between Donald Trump and cult leaders and the source of Trump’s appeal to the Trumpettes.
The Reframing 0
I’m sure you’ve gotten them: fund-raising appeals from candidates or political parties masquerading as surveys and characterized by slanted questions, such as
- Do you believe in truth, justice, and the American way, or are you going to vote for the party that worships Satan and sacrifices tween virgins on the altar of Moloch?
At The Roanoke Times, Dan Casey tells of one such survey he recently received, then attempts to recast the questions so that they reflect reality.
I commend his piece to your attention.
Sacrificial Lambs 0
Solomon Jones wonders, in view of the Dullsa in Tulsa, what lengths Donald Trump will go to in order to get what he wants. (Hint: The answer is “any.”)
A nugget:
In my view, that’s a frightening reflection of Trump’s actual persona. If he could risk the very lives of his most loyal followers by using them as extras in his attempt to mount a political comeback, what would he do to the rest of us for his own personal gain?
(Misplet wrod correxted.)
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
The voter fraudsters aren’t who Republicans want you to think they are.
The report goes on to explain that, through some strange Alice-through-the-Looking-Glass reasoning, this is apparently legal in Indiana because that was their last residence of record in the state. Or something.
Aside:
Many years ago, in my road warrior days, I was sitting in the bar of my favorite hotel in Chicago. At a table close to me, three young whippersnappers in three-piece suits from what was then called the Sears Tower, which was about two blocks away, were discussing impending layoffs at their outfit.
Finally, one of them, as he took a sip (or maybe it was a gulp) of his whiskey, said, “Well, I know one thing. I’m never going back to Indiana.”
I think I now understand why.
