Two Doctors, One Pandemic
It's your Sunday show rundown!!
If you had 'pandemic' in your Trump-assisted apocalypse pool: Congratulations! For the rest of us, It's been a tough week as we've had the ever growing realization that the least qualified person is in charge at what could be the national health's most critical point. From Trump's failed initial response , contradicting experts , and ignoring the statistics on sick/dead to putting unqualified morons in charge ... this humble Puerto Rican writer couldn't help getting some deja vu . Matters didn't get better on the Sunday shows.
On CNN's "State Of The Union," US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams at first tried to be the reassuring and calm voice of reason:
ADAMS: The health and safety of the American people is of our utmost importance, our number one priority.
But as with ALL Trump appointees (even the not so obvious heat-seeking ass missiles ), those brief moments of competence don't last. Jake Tapper followed up by pointing out that in the previous 48 hours more than a dozen states and Washington DC reported their first cases of coronavirus. Dr. Adams conceded that the coronavirus was spreading while chucking up Trump officials like Larry Kudlow and Kellyanne Conway saying the virus was "contained" as just what happens with "novel virus. It's a new situation. And the messaging, quite frankly, is hard."
Tapper then asked about the growing concern from the CDC of the impacts of the coronavirus on the elderly and sick , while also pointing out Trump, Biden, and Bernie are all the age that would be at risk from traveling and interacting with large crowds. It was at this moment that Dr. Adams decided to tarnish any goodwill or trust he could have had:
ADAMS: If people are going to go out there, we want them to be extra cautious. We want them to wash their hands frequently. And I was with the president on Friday. And I just said: "Sir, when's the last time you have washed your hands?" And he said: "I washed my hands just a few minutes ago." We want to make sure, if folks are out there who are at risk, they're taking extra precautions. But speaking of being at risk, the president, he sleeps less than I do, and he's healthier than what I am.
Oh GTFO with that bullshit, Doc! (Not to be confused with Wonkette's DOK.)
You seriously gonna " Ronnie Jackson " this interview to fill the empty hole where Trump's lack of love from his father is by stroking his fragile ego? But if you think that was the end of Dr. Adams covering for the Trump administration, you forget who we have been stuck with for three-plus years now. Tapper asked a very simple question and Dr. Adams dodged answers like Neo in The Matrix :
TAPPER: Can you tell us how many people have been tested in the United States?
ADAMS: The numbers are tough, because they're changing minute by minute. But here's what people should know.
TAPPER: Give us a rough estimate?
ADAMS: Well, but here's what people should know about the testing. They should know that we have 75,000 tests available right now for folks.[…]
TAPPER: But you can't give me -- just a yes or no, you can't give me even a rough number of how many Americans have been tested? You don't know?
ADAMS: I would refer you to the CDC for that because, again, the numbers change so rapidly. I don't want to give you a number.
TAPPER: They took it off the Web site, how many people have been tested, they removed it from the Web site.
That should be an easy answer, and apolitical. But when you make a deal with the Devil (Trump), He always takes payment upfront and with interest. Here is the interview with Dr. Adams.
Now we go from a current surgeon giving away their dignity to a retired one who gave up theirs long ago. Over on ABC's "This Week," George Stephanopolous had Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. First, Carson showed his world-renowned "bedside manners":
STEPHANOPOULOS: There is so much evidence mounting that this virus is moving faster than measures to contain it here in the US. One expert told the American Hospital Association that close to 100 million Americans could eventually be infected with the virus. You have said you want to be transparent, that you don't want to sugarcoat the news. Should Americans be braced for these kinds of numbers?
CARSON: There's no question that we should be informed about how we should manage our own lives.
Yes, because when someone asks what OUR government is doing to stop or prevent a pandemic, what you want is someone to lecture you on "personal responsibility." Carson was then asked about the Grand Princess cruise ship that will be docking in California on Monday after 21 people aboard tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. When asked what the plan is for the affected passengers as well as the rest of the 3,500 people on board, Carson showed his great analytical skills:
CARSON: The cruise ship personnel and — as you know, the vice president met with the CEOs of the major cruise ship companies yesterday, and they are coming up with a plan within 72 hours of that meeting —
STEPHANOPOULOS: The ship's docking tomorrow.
CARSON: The plan will be in place by that time. But I don't — I don't want to preview the plan right now.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Shouldn't you be able to do that?
CARSON: I think — I think it needs to all come from a solitary source. We shouldn't have 16 people saying what the plan is.
STEPHANOPOULOS: OK —
CARSON: — particularly when it hasn't been fully formulated.
STEPHANOPOULOS: OK. Well you're the president's representative this morning [...]
Aren't you just filled with confidence? A sense of relief that Trump and Carson are ON THE CASE??! I'm always reminded of this clip when thinking of Carson's competence:
Jesus take the wheel...and join me in the sauna. youtu.be
Or this amazing moment that showed us EXACTLY how qualified Carson is to be the HUD Secretary:
After blaming people again a few more times for the spread of the virus, Stephanopolous called out Carson for it:
STEPHANOPOULOS: And sir I get that. And we all need to take responsibility for ourselves. What I'm asking you as a representative of the president, as a member of the Coronavirus Task Force, what should the community be doing? Is it time for more extensive measures?
Carson then gave more unhelpful non-answers. Here is the interview:
Maybe we can all move to accommodations Ben Carson thinks are "great" when we are ALL quarantined!
What could go wrong ? youtu.be
Republicans always run on the "government is broken" platform then proceed to prove it by breaking it to prove Ronald Reagan correct:
This time, it might be right. youtu.be
Let's leave on a happy note: Here is Elizabeth Warren being awesome!
𝗙𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵. https: //t.co/t8qHcGRUhY
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@Saturday Night Live - SNL) 1583645261.0
Have a week!
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And the "numbers."
He doesn't need a reason. He just says the magic words, "It's Obama's Fault."