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

Doesn't matter.

i guess, i don't know what matters

Keeping yourself and your family safe.

i'm trying to do that. holed up in this weird apartment away from my books.

not weird -- just not mine. not a fan of this.

I think a lot of people can sympathise with somebody who kinda hoped and thought something was gonna be nbd and then realised it was disastrous and started taking it seriously. It’s relatable!

stop telling people what matters to them

xp kind of guy you'd like to have a virtual, nonalcoholic beer with

xps

i know, the thing you're tired of hearing is white men complaining about potential bad things, since most people are already dealing with the actual things and it's not helpful to add whining to the mix. instead, get out there and actually do something, you sad whiny fucks. we've been through this. but in this case, it's the white sad man's dream - we CAN'T go out there and do something. so for once, let people care about what they actually care about

I understand Οὖτις's contention that ignoring these press briefings is the sanest thing to do. I really do. But--not wanting to argue about it at the moment--I think there's an equally valid argument for keeping tabs on what the person making decisions is saying each day (and also to really understand the scope of his incompetence--which, I know, everyone understands already).

Thinking about the way he's been hyping this malaria-related drug the past couple of days, it's clear that the big thing for him is that side effects are minimal/not a danger, and that it's a drug that has already been approved. He could just as well be up there sharing his excitement about Flintstones vitamins as a potential savior.

Yeah. He really wants to move past this in the hopes the stock market recovers; it's what he cares about.

we saw this happen in real time w/ Giuliani, people get desperate for even the illusion of comfort, even from a monster, all you need is broad shouders or a bullhorn

I mean he’s clearly trying to cast himself as a savior, he already credits himself for saving thousands of lives by cutting off travel from China

This clip is worth watching in full, even though it's Rachel Maddow monologuing and even though it's almost six minutes long.

Here's the clip where @Maddow says if were up to her, there would be no live carriage of his briefings because he keeps lying about what is being done. pic.twitter.com/z7bf7rITN1

— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) March 21, 2020

i'll put what I care about on the fears thread

12. We have to support industry in a moment of crisis. But the key here is the conditions, and what is likely to happen by allowing Mnuchin to set the terms of all aid is a consolidation of power in the hands of a few. No more small business. America will be unrecognizable.

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) March 21, 2020

whole thread worth 20 seconds of your time obv

welllllll

https://www.newsweek.com/inside-us-militarys-plans-stop-civil-disturbances-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-something-they-1493485

https://i.ibb.co/55RkBQC/90455148-10157397529202981-1375211222093266944-n.jpg

Mute, like pictures of people with their mouth agape?

summing up

Mitch McConnell is right now negotiating with Trump to restructure the entire economy, and Schumer and Pelosi are passively letting him do it.

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) March 21, 2020

oh right the democratically controlled senate

sometimes you gotta take hostages

every single thing has to be about democrats letting the people who are holding all of the cards hold the cards. letting letting letting letting

it's too boring to point out that the scorpion is a scorpion, so we need more threads about how the frog is a feckless imbecile

they did next door to nothing in 2009-10 when they "held all the cards"

ahistorical lying suits you

oh great we're back to this mode

I wish you well but youre a brainwashed spook to the core

and we're all gonna die and deserve to THE END

BUT AT LEAST GRANCY KEPT HER COCKSUCKING CUNTY CAUCUS TOGETHER

great alliteration.

Garu G got dark

in 2009-10 when they "held all the cards"

ahistorical lying

lads. it's true that both chambers of Congress and the WH were controlled by people with a "D" attached to them in 2009-10. you could say "they" held all those particular cards and not be lying. but an oversimplification can be as misleading as an untruth, so ET has a point, too. power in the US government is diffuse by design and the blue dog members of the COCKSUCKING CUNTY CAUCUSES in both the House and Senate knew the power of threatening to defect and they used it. over and over again.

damn sounds like a raucous caucus!

REPORTER: I want to read what doctors on the front line are saying

TRUMP: You mean the ones saying good things, or bad things?

R: The ones talking about shortages of supplies

TRUMP: I will tell you the way I look at it. Many administrations preceded me. They did very little. pic.twitter.com/OAgegA3gv8

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 21, 2020

^^^ everything is bad, yes. But at the same time, I like that there are so many of these memorialized moments of Trump to be like "This, this is what I am talking about. This guy is everywhere, they may have different levesl of power or money but this guy has been so pervasive everywhere. welcome to our world."

and ugh, tracer. I don't even know what the solution is. so many bad bad companies. bad bad ceos. set it all on fire. that's the only thing they care about. this is going to be worse than after 2008.

I guess Dr. Ben Carson is now front and center. (In actual fact--he was really respected in his field, no?--you would think he would have something to offer in this situation, even if it's not exactly his area. More than Mike Pence, anyway.)

I know how popular David Gergen is here, so I'll relate something he said on CNN today. One thing--literally the only thing, although he didn't say that, I did--Trump is uniquely qualified to do in this situation is to go on Fox and, with as much urgency as he can muster, tell his 35% that is serious. I'm sure that would save at least a few lives.

"that this is serious"

lads. it's true that both chambers of Congress and the WH were controlled by people with a "D" attached to them in 2009-10. you could say "they" held all those particular cards and not be lying. but an oversimplification can be as misleading as an untruth, so ET has a point, too. power in the US government is diffuse by design and the blue dog members of the COCKSUCKING CUNTY CAUCUSES in both the House and Senate knew the power of threatening to defect and they used it. over and over again.

Why does this almost never happen when Republicans control Congress?

lol neanderthal

The stimulus package and the affordable care act never happened

The GOP could barely even pass a budget and a tax cut during 2016-2018

they were good at passing things they knew Obama would veto as empty pandering to their base, though.

Why does this almost never happen when Republicans control Congress?

So, you must have missed all the fun Boehner had with the Freedom Caucus.

Lol, the Freedom Caucus won.

The GOP could barely even pass a budget and a tax cut during 2016-2018

Barely? I'm sure the rich fucks are crying over their barely passed tax cuts.

Dude

And the millions who were added to Medicaid under the ACA are enjoying their barely passed medical insurance.

Nobody's enjoying very much atm