Tag: GOP proud to be anti-science

Pelosi asks House committees to require masks, setting up clash with GOP holdouts

Washington Post logoMasks have become the norm inside the House of Representatives, where some politicians now embrace the novel coronavirus precaution with colorful odes to their home districts. But there are holdouts: A small group of Republican representatives who have consistently declined to wear face coverings in Congress.

Now, as nine states hit record highs for infections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is tightening the rules. Late Tuesday, she asked committee chairs to require masks at all hearings — and authorized the sergeant at arms to bar anyone who refuses to cover their face, according to a senior aide familiar with the request.

“This requirement will be enforced by the Sergeant at Arms and non-compliant Members will be denied entry,” the senior aide said in an email to The Washington Post. “Ultimately, Chairs will have the option of not recognizing Members in committee proceedings that fail to comply with the mask requirement.” Continue reading.

As states reopen, tensions flare between the rule followers and rule breakers

Since Republicans, on average, are five times more likely than Democrats to believe it’s safe now to resume normal business activity, reopening the economy has often been framed as a partisan issue.

But within households, many families are having their own arguments about how lax or strict they should be about the threat of the virus. Is it OK to have friends over? Can we invite Aunt Sally to our birthday party? Can dad slip away to the golf course? Can mom get a haircut?

These conflicts reflect two very different mindsets: Some are uneasy about opening up and going against official guidance like wearing masks. Better be safe than sorry, the thinking goes. Others balk at being told what to do, and feel anxious or even angry about the constrictions being put in place. Continue reading.

The Memo: Gulf grows between Trump and scientists

The Hill logoThe distance between President Trump and the nation’s top scientists is growing wider by the day.

On Thursday, Rick Bright, the whistleblower who says he was unjustly ousted from his position leading a biodefense unit within the Department of Health and Human Services, told Congress that “lives were lost” because of the administration’s failures.

Bright also lamented what he sees as the lack of a comprehensive strategy to meet the once-in-a-lifetime threat.  Continue reading.

‘Not an acceptable answer’: Trump rebukes Fauci’s concern over reopening schools

Washington Post logoJust one day after Anthony S. Fauci sparked frustration among prominent conservatives for urging a cautious approach to lifting restrictions and reopening schools amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, his critics found support from President Trump.

In a public rebuke of his top coronavirus task force adviser, Trump criticized Fauci’s stance and wholeheartedly championed bringing students back to school on at least two separate occasions Wednesday — during an afternoon White House meeting and in an interview with Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.

“I was surprised by his answer, actually,” Trump told reportersat the White House. “To me, it’s not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools.” Continue reading.

In Senate Showdown, Dr. Fauci Rebuts Rand Paul On Reopening

Dr. Anthony Fauci turned the tables on Senator Rand Paul Tuesday, after the Kentucky Republican suggested the immunologist and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) should be more humble and even point-blank told him he was not the “end all” when it comes to knowing about the coronavirus.

Senator Paul, who recovered after contracting COVID-19, was pushing for schools to re-open, suggesting the coronavirus doesn’t kill many children.

“Shouldn’t we at least be discussing what the mortality of children is?” Paul asked Fauci, saying for those 18 and younger it “approaches zero.” Continue reading.

Yale epidemiologist calls Trump’s coronavirus response a potential war crime: ‘Genocide by default’

AlterNet logoWith President Donald Trump signaling that he’s ready to wind down his own administration’s COVID-19 task force even as the disease continues killing thousands of Americans every day, a Yale epidemiologist believes the president is ready to accept mass death as long as he gets re-elected.

Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist who works as an assistant professor at Yale School of Public Health, wrote a scathing tweet about the president’s latest efforts to send Americans back to work even though more than 70,000 people have died so far with no end in sight.

“How many people will die this summer, before Election Day?” he asked. “What proportion of the deaths will be among African-Americans, Latinos, other people of color? This is getting awfully close to genocide by default. What else do you call mass death by public policy?” Continue reading.

‘Very difficult and emotional’: Pandemic expert leaves Trump administration

Timothy Ziemer’s departure robs the Trump administration of another expert as it tries to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

A disaster response official who previously led a global health directorate disbanded by the Trump administration is leaving the government.

Timothy Ziemer’s departure robs the Trump administration of another expert as it tries to battle the coronavirus pandemic. The former Navy rear admiral is highly regarded and has decades of government service, although he has been somewhat sidelined during the ongoing crisis.

Ziemer landed at the U.S. Agency for International Development after his directorate at the National Security Council was dismantled by then-national security adviser John Bolton in 2018. He informed colleagues Tuesday of his decision to leave, which he said will take effect June 5. Continue reading.

Coronavirus protests take aim at scientists, elites

The Hill logoStark warnings from the nation’s most trusted scientists led governors across the nation to lock down their economies in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus that has already infected more than a million people in the United States.

But after weeks of stay-at-home orders, millions of lost jobs and trillions in emergency government spending, conservative agitators have begun to turn their ire on the scientists themselves, blaming them for overhyping a health crisis and in the process creating an economic one from which it will take years to recover.

The bubbling anger aimed at those who are perceived as elites is reminiscent of the Tea Party movement that protested the Obama administration and fueled Republican gains in the 2010 elections. It’s an anger that President Trump rode successfully to his election in 2016. Continue reading.

GOP Gov. Brian Kemp’s elevation of pseudostupidity is a Trump characteristic that endangers us all: clinical psychiatrist

AlterNet logoGov. Brian Kemp (R) dumbfounded and dismayed many recently with his decision to allow nonessential businesses to reopen in Georgia when even Trump said this move is too soon. It followed Kemp’s astonishing announcement earlier this month that he had not known asymptomatic people could transmit the highly contagious coronavirus, although every governor in the country had previously been briefed on this. His behavior left many wondering if Kemp really could be that clueless or whether something else is going on.

As a clinical psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, I am often faced with untangling questions like these: Are people genuinely unable to grasp a concept, or are they hiding knowledge from themselves for some reason unknown even to them, or are they aware they know better but are simply pretending not to know? Bluntly, are they just plain stupid (genuinely of low intelligence) or more insidiously pseudostupid—feigning a lack of understanding that can serve various motives and purposes? As a concerned Georgia resident, Kemp’s handling of this pandemic has resurfaced this question for me front and center.

Kemp ran as a gun toting conservative and may truly believe no invisible enemy is going to get the better of him or his constituents. This would be an example of a kind of everyday denial—”I can smoke all I want, cancer’s never going to get me.” That’s just plain stupid. Or he may understand fully the risks of his decision but realize his political survival depends on the success of his gamble. His preposterous disclaimer in early April followed now by his decision to throw caution to the wind then would exemplify pseudostupidity. Continue reading.

Minnesota DFL Party Responds to Pence’s Refusal to Wear a Mask to Mayo Clinic

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Yesterday, Vice President Mike Pence refused to wear a cloth face mask during his tour of the Mayo Clinic, despite the CDC’s recommendations that every American wear a cloth mask in public and despite the Mayo Clinic’s own policy requiring all those on campus wear masks.

Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party released the following statement:

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend wearing a cloth mask to protect others, not oneself. Though extremely ill-advised, if Vice President Pence wants to gamble with his own health, he’s welcome to do that. However, Mike Pence’s failure to wear a mask during his tour of the Mayo Clinic jeopardizes the health and well-being of those around him and encourages others to engage in the same selfish and irresponsible behavior.

“The least we can do to thank the essential workers who risk infection to keep us fed, healthy, and safe during this crisis is to take the proper precautions to keep them safe as well. By refusing to lead by example and help protect essential workers, Vice President Pence is telling the American people that his public image matters more than the lives of those on the frontlines of this pandemic.”