Consider This!

As I was walking through my local Costco this morning I saw that everyone was wearing as mask. It was depressing.

My thoughts were the United States is the wealthiest country the world has ever known and yet with just a little over 4% of the world’s population we have accounted for 20% of COVID-19 illnesses and deaths. Instead he has been telling us the disease will “just go away” and “we’re turning the corner” for more than many months.

Despite that fact the president keeps telling us what a wonderful job this country has done in fighting the virus.

Trump agreed to an interview with 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl. The interview began with Stahl asking the President if he was “ready for tough questions.” Trump replied that he only wanted her to be “fair.” “But you’re OK with some tough questions?” Stahl asked. “No, I’m not,” Trump replied. The program will air this coming Sunday night and I am sure the viewing audience will be extra large.

The president’s 75-minute speech Monday at a rally in Prescott, Arizona is probably the best window into his mind. He didn’t talk about the things he would be doing in a second term in office. Instead he listed his grievances by reigniting his quarrel with Dr. Anthony Fauci and attacking tonight’s debate moderator, NBC’s Kristen Welker, calling her “angry” and a “radical Democrat.”

“People are tired of COVID. You turn on CNN, that’s all they talk about: COVID, COVID, pandemic, COVID, COVID, COVID,” Trump said at the Prescott rally. Trump is correct. We are tired of COVID. We want you to take charge and take action to reduce the spread and the deaths.

So go ahead and watch tonight’s debate but don’t expect to hear anything new from a man who is living in his own world.

We are the victims of his behavior and lack of leadership. Joe Biden is far from perfect but compared to Donald Trump he is the leader we need now.

This Election is not in the Bag for Joe Biden

In my neighborhood the same back bench Democrat has been sent back to congress for 12 terms. People tend to re-elect incumbents. That is the reason that Donald Trump is likely to win in the November 3 election.

There is little doubt among most of us that Donald Trump is a loose cannon. Given that his doctors refuse to provide the public with his medical condition it is reasonable to conclude that the news is not good.

Despite recent election polling we should not conclude that he will lose the election as a consequence of his recent behavior or his mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic or the economy.

Most RED states are still red. Look at the states that voted for Trump. How many of the voters in those states are likely to vote for Joe Biden? Most people have already made up their minds on who they support.

This article appearing in the Los Angeles Times gives you a birds eye view of the thought of working class people in midwestern states.

Donald Trump won the Electoral College with 306 votes. A win of 36 votes over the 270 to needed to win. Where can Joe Biden obtain enough of those needed votes to reach 270? Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania together would give Biden 278 votes.

Hillary Clinton was predicted by most polls to win in 2016. Two exceptions were LA Times USC Tracking and Gravis. Today Real Clear Politics data collection shows 226 Biden, 125 Trump. With 187 in the Toss Up category there are plenty of opportunities for Biden but don’t most people give the incumbent a break unless the nation is in serious trouble?

Is the United States in serious trouble? We have just over 4 percent of the world’s population but has nearly 20 percent of the virus outbreaks and deaths. If that isn’t a serious situation then what is it?

Biden needs to keep hammering these facts to election day.

Melt Down

The coronavirus is now pulsing through the capital: Three Senate Republicans — MIKE LEE of Utah, RON JOHNSON of Wisconsin and THOM TILLIS of North Carolina — all have tested positive. This reduces Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL’S majority to 50-47 for the time being. This situation will impact upcoming interviews of Amy Coney Barrett nominated for the Supreme Court. The Dems have one more arrow to shoot at this nomination. Can approval of her be stopped? Doubtful unless the virus brings the senate to a standstill.

Donald Trump’s words and behavior are impossible to understand. Some have suggested that the meds he received at Walter Reed Hospital may have effected his judgement.

First he arrives back at the White House from Walter Reed Hospital and he tears of his mask. Oh, wait a minute. I don’t like how that video came out, we have to do a re-do of my arrival.

Today Trump is reported to have said, “I Got the Coronavirus to Prove I Could Beat It Because That’s What Leaders Do!” Really? After all the effort you made to keep ill people away from you, you suddenly decided to get the infection. Is anyone going to believe this claim?

President Donald Trump has ordered his negotiators to halt talks over a new stimulus package, after the two sides have struggled for months to reach a deal, a stunning move that puts an end to last-ditch efforts for a major economic relief package as millions are reeling from the coronavirus crisis.

“I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major Stimulus Bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business,” Trump wrote in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon.

This would be a give away to Democrats who will say Trump doesn’t care about you.

Instructions to sycophant Mike Pence is no plexiglass shield at tomorrow’s debate. We need to show strength.

I cannot offer any reasonable explanation for Trump’s behavior. If this mad man is re-elected I fear what the next four years will do to this country.

White House History on Presidential Health

Sean Conley, the president’s physician:

“I release the following information with the permission of President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

“This evening I received confirmation that both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence.

“The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our our country’s greatest medical professionals and institutions. Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments.”

The White House says President Donald Trump is being treated for COVID-19 with an experimental drug cocktail. The president’s physician, Sean P. Conley, released a memo Friday afternoon saying the president has received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail, “as a precautionary measure.”

Trump has now been given a “cocktail” experimental drug for the virus. Does this sound like a mild case of the flu? The fact that Trump had to be taken by helicopter for a five minute flight rather than a twenty minute car trip speaks emergency to me.

The White House has lied about the health of the presidents all the way back to 1881 and possibly earlier.

President James A. Garfield in Washington was shot on July 2, 1881. He died Sept. 19. During those intervening weeks Garfield’s doctors fed the public ‘fraudulently optimistic’ reports.

The Washington Post provides a lengthy detailed report on the positive reports that were all lies.

“The president has passed an excellent night, sleeping sweetly the greater part of the time without the aid of morphia” or other painkillers, according to the official morning bulletin from White House physicians published in the New York Tribune on Aug. 7, 1881. Garfield’s improvement over the last three days was notable, according to the Tribune. “His eyes have regained their old-time sparkle; his voice and complexion are more nearly what they were in health, and he is stronger.” Recovery seemed likely — and the worried public could relax, the newspaper assured readers.

FDR had polio. He contracted the disease in 1921 while on a vacation trip. He kept his partial paralysis a secret from the public – even when he was on the campaign trail.

John F. Kennedy had Addison’s disease. It was diagnosed when he was 30 years old. Patients with this condition have adrenal glands that fail to produce cortisol and aldosterone and can experience fatigue, dizziness, muscle weakness, weight loss, difficulty standing up, nausea and sweating as well as changes in mood and personality. How many people knew he had that illness?

Donald Trump has CORONA-19. He has now been transferred to Walter Reed Hospital. Does this sound like a mild case? Neither his wife nor others in the White House with the virus have been moved to the hospital.

Trump has had a fever since Friday morning, a person familiar with the matter said, though the fever remains consistent with the White House’s description of “mild symptoms.”

Earlier in the afternoon, Trump’s physician wrote in a memo he “remains fatigued but in good spirits.”

“He’s being evaluated by a team of experts, and together we’ll be making recommendations to the President and First Lady in regards to next best steps,” Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley wrote.

Trump’s age, sex and weight status increase his risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19. According to a report in June from Trump’s physician, the president is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 244 pounds. That means his body mass index, or BMI, is 30.5, just over the threshold for obesity.

Why Did Trump Suddenly Visit Walter Reed Medical Center Last November? Pence was readied to assume the powers of the presidency, but we still don’t know what was ailing Trump.

Of course the doctors are not going to give an honest report.

CNN Poll: Biden’s lead persists post-conventions

After two political conventions unlike any the United States had seen before (conducted with little live participation), Joe Biden maintains an advantage over Donald Trump in the race for the presidency, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.

Among registered voters, 51% back Biden, 43% Trump. The difference in each candidate’s support when compared with a CNN poll conducted pre-conventions is within the poll’s margin of sampling error.

Both candidates boosted the share of their supporters who say they are voting more for their chosen candidate than against his opponent, though that figure is still higher for Trump than it is for Biden. For Biden, it’s up to 45%, from 38% pre-conventions, and for Trump, it’s now at 77%, up from 67% before the conventions.

Other polling organizations have shown similar results. The Economist/YouGov Poll also completed September 1 shows a 51% to 40% Biden lead. The IBD/TIPP also completed September 1 indicated a Biden lead 49% to Trump’s 41%.

Of course things can change between now and November 3. An October announcement of a COVID-19 vaccine could be a game changer. Even higher numbers of COVID-19 deaths could also be a game changer. Or perhaps something else that is not on anyone’s radar.

Incapable of Leadership

Donald Trump, “I alone can fix it.” There are two ways of reading this slightly ambiguous sentence. First, in the way that Trump presumably meant it, that he is the one uniquely capable of fixing what is broken in Washington and politics. Second, that he could fix it alone, that is, without allies and alliances.

It was so damn is easy for Donald Trump to take on the war against the coronavirus. “I view it as — in a sense — of wartime president,” Trump said in March. He followed that up saying, “I mean, that’s what we’re fighting. I mean, it’s a very tough situation here.”

However, instead of telling Americans they had to sacrifice to win the war on the virus by asking everyone to do his part by just wearing a mask and doing social distancing, he retreated and left every city and state to fend for itself.

When the public was peacefully demonstrating in Lafayette Square, Trump had the area cleared so he could stand in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church. But without words written by speechwriter Steven Miller he stood there holding up a bible and he said nothing.

Trump was reportedly briefed on the alleged bounties offered by Russia to kill American soldiers in his daily presidential intelligence document but failed to act on the info given. He did nothing about the Russian program and denied he had been briefed.

Roger Jason Stone is an American conservative political consultant, lobbyist, and convicted felon was given a pardon by Trump. That was a signal to all of his political friends. The message is stick with me and I will protect you no matter what you may have done.

Will Trump be re-elected? His faithful followers could easily make that happen. Trump is an outstanding communicator when he has a script. Joe Biden has no passionate followers.