Prudent not reckless

Polls so far suggest the most people are for a prudent, not reckless approach to opening up the economy and country. Thus, we shouldn’t give the handful of protest actions demanding an end to social distancing last week undue significance. Let’s see if they continue and, more to the point, grow in size and scope.

The best way to cut the grown from underneath this thoroughly reactionary movement is to press Congress to pass a series of stimulus packages that forcefully address the financial needs of states, cities, and tens of millions of Americans who are social distancing, not to mention provide the necessary resources to combat the virus.

Austerity

Beware when GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell says, as he did yesterday, “We ought … to begin to think about the implications to the country’s future with this level of national debt.” In effect, he is saying that the growth of the national debt is about to become the rationale, or should I say cudgel, used by Senate Republicans to block future appropriations to address the deepening crisis conditions across the country as a result of the pandemic and a collapsing economy. Austerity is once again on the Republican agenda!

Badlands

“Talk about a dream
Try to make it real
You wake up in the night
With a fear so real
You spend your life waiting
For a moment that just don’t come
Well, don’t waste your time waiting

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you’ve gotta pay
Keep pushin’ ’til it’s understood
And these badlands start treating us good”

From Badlands, Springsteen

Sounds right

This sound about right. According to the NYT Maggie Haberman, the so called “protest rallies” against the stay at home orders of a handful of governors “have been relatively small and scattershot, organized by conservative-leaning groups with some organic attendance. It remains to be seen if they will be durable.”

Goes nasty

Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is a favorite target of Trump. She’s “that women” and worse in Trump’s words. Consistent with past form, he goes nasty when he is challenged by a women. The only good thing that comes out of this Trump’s routine misogynist behavior is the sight of Michigan women wearing shirts, inscribe with “That Woman'” across the front.

 

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