US Politics, March 2020 — There’s a very good chance you’re not going to die.

I just think the calculus in a vote is more often quite a bit more complex than "donor X gave me money to vote Y, therefore I vote Y". I'm not saying that doesn't happen (it definitely does, especially when you get into the specific details of legislation) but it's not always an accurate explanation - there are often competing priorities, pressure coming from different directions, constituent service concerns, polling numbers, pressures from within (and outside) the caucus and leadership, relationships with other legislators, favors owed or being incurred, etc. It's a lot of factors.

Too bad Cornyn wasn't hanging with Rand today.

it's also too bad he didn't fall into a wood chipper

The eulogy for john cornyn

John Cornyn was the senior senator from Texas, holding many key positions in GOP leadership including...eh. Bla bla bla. He’s dead now.

Man I'm so glad I don't use Twitter anymore. What an unpleasant arena

w/ that said

The UK is paying everyone 80% of their wages through this crisis. Denmark is paying 75%. Remember that when you get your $1200 check.

— Hamilton Nolan (@hamiltonnolan) March 22, 2020

Freelancers aren't currently getting 80% of their wages yet.

Freelancers don't get jack shit in the UK scheme as far as I can tell?

Everyone who's already been laid off in the UK, and everyone who will get laid off, is at the mercy of the benefits system

I’d like that to be the amount taken in before we offset against expenses, thanks - plus a minimum income floor to protect those of us waiting to be paid for the work we’ve done this year. And for it to have nothing whatsoever to do with Universal Credit.

That tweet otm. Netherlands paying 90%, plus a topping up to minimum wage for all freelancers and sole entrepeneurs, if needed. Doling out checks seems like such a dumb idea if it's not backed by a more rigorous safety net.

xp

it could be worse. it will be worse.
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-economy-recession-donald-trump-0b5ab109-1a5e-4397-b54b-5f17d802c029.html

Yeah, I'll get nothing from the Danish state, I would love getting 1200$

ah shit someone showed him Medium https://t.co/RnlHoSaOLI

— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) March 23, 2020

My 76 year old not particularly radical mom right now: "Bernie should just declare himself interim president and tell us where to show up to overthrow the government - we can take my car."

— 🌹 Goody Weaver Cavorting With The Devil 🌹 (@goodyweaver) March 22, 2020

so Trump's gonna order people back to work in a week isn't he

He can 'order' all he likes. Pretty sure the states are in control now.

if the white house is telling people to resume normal operations, that could do a tremendous amount of harm even if states like new york don't abide it

Yeah I mean most he could do is end the national emergency which...yeah, see how well that goes over.

Idiot seriously thinks this was just a two week thing.

As much as I would love resuming everyday life....nah bruh.

Xpost of course it could but then States can go into lockdown/shelter in place and legally enforce.

Got to imagine Fauci is losing his mind.

we're gonna be locked down until September thanks to this moron

Won't someone please cough persistently into his face and hasten the end of this national nightmare

I don't want to downplay how alarming that tweet is in terms of signalling his bottomless stupidity and greed / obvious desperation to not go out like a loser, but the substance of it amounts to "in the future, I will make a decision"

It's getting better: https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-economy-recession-donald-trump-0b5ab109-1a5e-4397-b54b-5f17d802c029.html

The thing is, in two weeks this will all be much worse, so it's pretty unthinkable either practically, medically or politically that restrictions would be lifted in any sense

There's just no way.

The CDC is rumored to be suggesting that known infected workers can return to work with a mask.

Like wtf....you want to reopen businesses and throw a bunch of people whose infection status isn't known together?

Redfield is the worst

Asshole should just "hereby declare" the pandemic over. And then he'll really get to see how little power being a shitty leader gets him.

How long until he starts holding rallies again?

cool that Jack Dorsey's refusal to boot Trump off Twitter despite repeatedly violating the TOS is going to result in thousands of people getting killed

"People getting killed" is probably in Twitter's TOS.

we're gonna be locked down until September

of 2021?

Wouldn't be surprised if that Fauci interview someone posted yesterday (on CNN's front page right now) gets him exiled stage left soon. He's visible and popular and trusted enough that I don't think he'd be let go, but you may stop seeing him at briefings. Which would be terrible, of course.

Among many other reasons, why the fuck does Trump exist on briefings with five or six people huddled together unless he wants to kill them all? I wouldn't doubt it.

I'm fuckin' moving

its serious malpractice for the networks to even air them. MSNBC at least seems to fact check them after they're over but seriously if you're going to do that just don't put them on at all. especially if the one dude who actually knows what he's talking about isn't there.

Someone (here?) noted that the press briefings are like his substitute for rallies.

We gotta send Secret Service a 77 invite

Maybe we turn them, ILX has sleeper agents

What’s next: At the end of the 15-day period, there will likely be a serious clash between the public health experts — who will almost certainly favor a longer period of nationwide social distancing and quarantining — versus the president and his economic and political aides, who are anxious to restart the economy.

also what's next: a serious clash between millions of people who listen to public health experts and people who attend donald trump rallies

We should trick them into entering an arena for a rally and then lock the doors.

Oh good, a real life wall of death.

Xpost I know we miss concerts but c'mon

who, I ask, is the Richard Thompson of our times?

This may induce tremors but so be it:

Social distancing Miami MAGA-style: At least 10 Trump flags flying from boats yesterday at the packed #WhatCorona Haulover Sandbar gathering #BecauseMiami (video: @DavidVergel97) https://t.co/A5ZW8kDoaW pic.twitter.com/HHS4LlymUQ

— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) March 22, 2020

So has anyone done the calculations on how long we need to hole up in our homes until the MAGAs have managed to wipe themselves out completely? Because I'm in it for the long haul, however long it takes.

who, I ask, is the Richard Thompson of our times?

Different wall of death:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LtUIl42aPk

I wonder if Trump keeps calling himself a 'wartime president' because he plans to sacrifice a bunch of lives in service of the all mighty stock market number

WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020

"the problem itself" is that half the country gets this and 2% of them die, which would be about 3,000,000

CAN YOU REPEAT THAT FROGBS I'M HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE THE LETTERS AREN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR ME

WAS WORRIED I HAD MISSED DAILY YELLING TIME

I SAAAAAAAAAID, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT FROGBS I'M HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE THE LETTERS AREN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR ME

Sen. Amy Klobuchar's husband in the hospital, diagnosed with coronavirus

Damn