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Here's a thread documenting the epic incompetence of the Trump administration + the GOP in dealing with the pandemic. Some Democratic politicos deserve severe critiques also (Cuomo and DeBlasio being the poster children there) but a national problem requires a national response.

Remember, that for pandemics as well as for climate change, "Speed trumps perfection". Stop obsessing about "optimality". There is nothing optimal about responding to a pandemic or to climate change, just move as fast as you can.


Hey look, the GOP (not Trump) hamstrung the Obama Administration's effort to build up strategic reserves to fight pandemics going as far back as 2011:

Hey look, there was a pandemic response plan developed by national security officials in 2016, which Trump and the GOP ignored:


Hey look, Trump and the GOP disbanded the pandemic response unit in 2018:
The other bone Trump tickled for small business people and aspirants was his hostility to taxes and regulation, the two things that feel the most arbitrary and capricious to someone trying something very difficult which is to get a small business to profitability.


If you are trying to start a restaurant, and a black or latino, or god forbid, female AND black or latino city worker comes to inspect and finds a small problem, or the government is telling you what the minimum wage must be, or the ADA is requiring a ramp when you've (ct'd)

never had a customer even once come in in a wheelchair can feel like the government is solely in the business of making you fail. And then charging you for it in the form of your tax bill.

The most vitriolic pushback I get is when I speak out about preserving the estate tax, even though 99.8% of estates owe no tax at all. That is because the people swearing at me online are thinking that I am trying to take away the imaginary money they aspire to make.

I am pissing on the dream of them being my Uncle Walt going from rags to riches in the American Dream. Because the dream is so real to the people who hold it, but so unreal in practical life, the disconnect between how great it sounds and the likelihood of it ever happening ct'd
1) The danger and tragedy is that people have been told by Trump, McCarthy, Cruz and others in responsible positions that there is reason to doubt the validity of the election; then whipped up by social media promising Trump will eventually be declared the winner...


2) When, after all that, Biden is being inaugurated, many will go nuts: the cognitive discord is just too great and they will be convinced that Biden must be stopped. Yes, the fault lies with crazy conspiracy peddlers; but they were given support and legitimacy by the officials.

3) who enabled Trump and supported his lies about the election being stolen FOR MONTHS. What they should have done is spent the last two months defending the elections, telling people the only challenges should be in the courts, preparing people to ACCEPT that Trump fairly lost.

4) By keeping alive popular hopes that Trump could somehow win; by talking up empty court challenges, saying the courts didn't really hear the evidence; by refraining from criticizing Trump's broadcasting of even crazy conspiracy theories; GOP officials THEMSELVES gave reason and

5) motivation for people to riot against certifying Biden's becoming President, and even more to fight the inauguration of a "false" President. It will be very hard to undo months of lies to this effect coming from the top levels of the GOP and US Government. ALL GOP who did