occupydemocrats--2020-03-23--Pelosi checkmates Republicans by including critical voting rights expansion in must pass virus bill

As Republicans try to blame Democrats for blocking the passage of a deeply flawed coronavirus response bill offering federal bailouts to big corporations — without ensuring that the money will be used to benefit their workers rather than merely their senior executives and shareholders and allowing the swamp dwellers of the Trump administration access to a half a billion-dollar slush fund with little accountability over how the funds will be spent — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) issued a statement attacking the GOP plans as inadequate to address the concerns of ordinary Americans and outlining the principles that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their next version of the legislation .
Pelosi then provides a list of five areas that the Democratic Party vow to concentrate their efforts on in taking responsibility for solving the pandemic-inspired crisis .
The primary and most important constituency of the Democratic push for economic protections in this turbulent time of sudden financial collapse is the legion of workers and small , family-owned businesses that risk failure and bankruptcy without federal aid .
The provisions Pelosi promises the Democratic proposal will include ensures that these people and local businesses will get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t simply take federal dollars to pad the paychecks of their senior executives and up their share values at the expense of those workers who enable their businesses to exist at all .
Ensuring that our healthcare system is reinforced and medical personnel are properly protected at a time when that system is threatened with being overwhelmed with an influx of new patients should be a no-brainer bi-partisan promise .
However , Donald Trump ’ s reluctance so far to invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate that U.S. manufacturers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country through this health emergency belies the president ’ s glee at naming himself a “ wartime ” president .
Speaker Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues want to ensure that Republican fantasies of trickle-down economics don ’ t become enshrined in the emergency legislation by guaranteeing that federal payments are made directly to the consumers whose requirements for money for basic necessities outweigh any need to restore the stock market losses suffered by wealthy investors who don ’ t live paycheck to paycheck like 78 % of Americans do .
The purchasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployed workers will lift the economy back much more swiftly than any corporate bailouts .
If the money that was given to financial institutions during the last Republican-induced economic meltdown in 2008 was instead used to pay off the mortgage obligations of individuals instead the nation would have seen a fraction of the housing foreclosures — a huge subsequent profit center for wealthy investors who snapped up the foreclosed homes at bargain prices — that it then experienced .
The Democratic coronavirus relief bill will address the damage that the extended shut down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has caused to both students and to educational institutions while helping to confront the student debt crisis and bolster efforts to fight hunger and nutritional deficiencies during the crisis .
It is the last of the areas addressed by Speaker Pelosi that in the end may be the most important in ensuring that the American way of life can eventually return to pre-coronavirus crisis normality .
The measures that Democrats have proposed to protect our November elections and ensure the ability of every qualified citizen to cast a ballot and chose leaders suitable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our way — if passed along with the other measures being proposed — can be the most important transformative aspect of the Democratic bill , if the electorate learns the lessons from the Trump administrations handling of the crisis to date and the GOP attempts to use the crisis to further line the pockets of their corporate benefactors .
Ignore the political propaganda from the right complaining that the Democrats are obstructing Republican efforts to get the nation back on track .
The mission statement that Speaker Pelosi has outlined here proves that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill that will help the Americans who need assistance the most while preventing another looting of the treasury by greedy oligarchs like during the last financial crisis .
You can read the entire press release about the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act from the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi right here .
What do you think ?

As Republicans try to blame Democrats for blocking the passage of a deeply flawed coronavirus response bill offering federal bailouts to big corporations — without ensuring that the money will be used to benefit their workers rather than merely their senior executives and shareholders and allowing the swamp dwellers of the Trump administration access to a half a billion-dollar slush fund with little accountability over how the funds will be spent — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) issued a statement attacking the GOP plans as inadequate to address the concerns of ordinary Americans and outlining the principles that her party will fight to see included in their next version of the legislation.
“The Senate Republicans’ bill, as presented, put corporations first, not workers and families. Today, House Democrats will unveil a bill that takes responsibility for the health, wages and well-being of America’s workers: the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act,” Speaker Pelosi begins her press release.
Pelosi then provides a list of five areas that the Democratic Party vow to concentrate their efforts on in taking responsibility for solving the pandemic-inspired crisis.
“For our workers and small businesses: our bill requires that any corporation that takes taxpayer dollars must protect their workers’ wages and benefits – not CEO pay, stock buybacks or layoffs. It gives our small businesses fast relief with grants and loans to tide them through this crisis. And it strengthens Unemployment Insurance so that it can replace the average wages of our workers who are losing their jobs and hours.”
The primary and most important constituency of the Democratic push for economic protections in this turbulent time of sudden financial collapse is the legion of workers and small, family-owned businesses that risk failure and bankruptcy without federal aid.
The provisions Pelosi promises the Democratic proposal will include ensures that these people and local businesses will get priority in the legislation and that corporations won’t simply take federal dollars to pad the paychecks of their senior executives and up their share values at the expense of those workers who enable their businesses to exist at all.
“For our doctors, nurses, health care workers and first responders: It gives hospitals and other health institutions the desperately needed funds to provide treatment and care to all those who are sick and to ensure they have the Personal Protective Equipment to protect health care workers and first responders. It protects our health care workers by requiring the Administration to enforce our stronger Occupational Safety and Health Administration protections. At the same time, it calls for the president to invoke the Defense Production Act immediately.”
Ensuring that our healthcare system is reinforced and medical personnel are properly protected at a time when that system is threatened with being overwhelmed with an influx of new patients should be a no-brainer bi-partisan promise.
However, Donald Trump’s reluctance so far to invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate that U.S. manufacturers are producing the essential supplies necessary to see the country through this health emergency belies the president’s glee at naming himself a “wartime” president.
“For our families: It gives direct payments to America’s families in a robust way and strengthens Child Tax Credits and the Earned Income Tax Credit. It gives more workers the security of guaranteed paid family and medical leave, including those caring for our seniors. And it makes coronavirus treatment free for the patient.”
Speaker Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues want to ensure that Republican fantasies of trickle-down economics don’t become enshrined in the emergency legislation by guaranteeing that federal payments are made directly to the consumers whose requirements for money for basic necessities outweigh any need to restore the stock market losses suffered by wealthy investors who don’t live paycheck to paycheck like 78% of Americans do.
The purchasing power of the money given to suddenly unemployed workers will lift the economy back much more swiftly than any corporate bailouts. If the money that was given to financial institutions during the last Republican-induced economic meltdown in 2008 was instead used to pay off the mortgage obligations of individuals instead the nation would have seen a fraction of the housing foreclosures — a huge subsequent profit center for wealthy investors who snapped up the foreclosed homes at bargain prices — that it then experienced.
“For our students: Pumps nearly $40 billion into schools and universities, with $30 billion directly provided to states to help them stabilize their funding for schools and nearly $10 billion to help alleviate the harm caused by coronavirus on higher education institutions, while providing them with added flexibility to continue operating during the crisis. The legislation also helps current borrowers with their student debt burden and GI bill benefits. We also bolster SNAP and other initiatives to address food insecurity.
The Democratic coronavirus relief bill will address the damage that the extended shut down of schools and universities across the country has caused to both students and to educational institutions while helping to confront the student debt crisis and bolster efforts to fight hunger and nutritional deficiencies during the crisis.
It is the last of the areas addressed by Speaker Pelosi that in the end may be the most important in ensuring that the American way of life can eventually return to pre-coronavirus crisis normality.
“For our Democracy: Ensures that states can carry out this year’s election with billions in grant funding for states through the Election Assistance Commission and a national requirement for both 15 days of early voting and no-excuse absentee vote-by-mail, including mailing a ballot to all registered voters in an emergency.”
The measures that Democrats have proposed to protect our November elections and ensure the ability of every qualified citizen to cast a ballot and chose leaders suitable for handling the next crisis that rolls our way — if passed along with the other measures being proposed — can be the most important transformative aspect of the Democratic bill, if the electorate learns the lessons from the Trump administrations handling of the crisis to date and the GOP attempts to use the crisis to further line the pockets of their corporate benefactors.
Ignore the political propaganda from the right complaining that the Democrats are obstructing Republican efforts to get the nation back on track.
The mission statement that Speaker Pelosi has outlined here proves that the Democrats are trying to craft a bill that will help the Americans who need assistance the most while preventing another looting of the treasury by greedy oligarchs like during the last financial crisis.
You can read the entire press release about the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act from the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi right here.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-23--Virus expert Dr. Fauci pleads with Trump team to not reopen economy early over the election

A tiger can ’ t change its stripes , and Donald Trump can ’ t change his essential inability to chose the right decision no matter what situation he finds himself in .
Anyone hoping that the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic disaster would elicit some previously unfound depths of intelligence , rationality , and beneficence in the president was always certain to be disappointed when the same proudly uninformed , injudicious , and misanthropic Trump continued his self-absorbed obsessions with his own ego and managed the crisis more for his own benefit than in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the very beginnings of the coronavirus outbreak has been self-serving , starting with his initial downplaying of the dangers the pandemic posed and continuing through the supposed pivot to treating the crisis seriously wherein he has continued to spread false hope about untested cures while fretting more about how the economic catastrophe accompanying the medically required shutdown of most non-essential businesses in the country will affect his reelection chances ( with the possibility of post-presidential prosecution potentially lingering in the back of his mind . )
It should come as no surprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-caps cry of frustration at the extreme measures of social distancing and quarantine that have shut down much of the commerce in the nation and devastated both the stock market and Trump ’ s most important campaign marketing message , his claim of responsibility for the growing economy that he inherited from Barack Obama .
Trump fired America ’ s pandemic response team .
Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately !
Trump ’ s tweet elicited paroxysms of horror from health officials — including the director of the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Anthony Fauci — who fear that Trump will arbitrarily end the extreme policies keeping people indoors and isolated from each other that — while economically difficult — are the only method to stop the spread of the vicious virus and prevent an increase in both the infection rate and the subsequent death toll .
Even normally reliable Trump boot-licker Senator Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) has urged the president against ignoring the advice of medical experts and listening to his economic advisors instead .
Dr. Fauci has been doing his best to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential solutions disseminated by the president with actual facts but admitted in an interview with Science magazine on Sunday that he can only so so much .
Marc Lipsitch , professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health and director of Harvard ’ s Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics , told the newspaper that Trump was on the wrong course if he advocates an early end to social restrictions .
“ We haven ’ t yet even seen signs that the growth is slowing , much less reversing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions on contacts that could transmit the virus , not loosen them , ” Lipsitch said .
“ If we let up now we can be virtually certain that health care will be overwhelmed in many if not all parts of the country .
This is the view of every well-informed infectious epidemiologist I know of.
” While the president ’ s tweet brought plenty of blowback from medical professionals who pointed out that saving lives was a more important aim than salvaging his reelection bid , Trump doubled down on his outburst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure no one would miss his impatient deadline .
CNN ‘ s diligent fact-checker Daniel Dale proved that the direct pipeline between the Fox News airwaves and Trump ’ s brain was still fully operational by showing the likely origins of the president ’ s tweet in a Fox News broadcast last evening .
Perhaps if we had a president who would get his information and make crucial decisions after reading detailed intelligence briefings summarizing the opinions of experts instead of parroting Fox News ’ radical right-wing copywriters we wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus as we currently are and would actually have enough testing kits to determine the true extent of the contagion .
Alas , we don ’ t .
We have Trump , at least for the time being , and we are paying for that foolish decision by a small minority of voters in a handful of swing states with the lives of Americans all across the country as a result .
What do you think ?

A tiger can’t change its stripes, and Donald Trump can’t change his essential inability to chose the right decision no matter what situation he finds himself in.
Anyone hoping that the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic disaster would elicit some previously unfound depths of intelligence, rationality, and beneficence in the president was always certain to be disappointed when the same proudly uninformed, injudicious, and misanthropic Trump continued his self-absorbed obsessions with his own ego and managed the crisis more for his own benefit than in the public interest.
Trump’s behavior since the very beginnings of the coronavirus outbreak has been self-serving, starting with his initial downplaying of the dangers the pandemic posed and continuing through the supposed pivot to treating the crisis seriously wherein he has continued to spread false hope about untested cures while fretting more about how the economic catastrophe accompanying the medically required shutdown of most non-essential businesses in the country will affect his reelection chances (with the possibility of post-presidential prosecution potentially lingering in the back of his mind.)
It should come as no surprise then that the president tweeted out an all-caps cry of frustration at the extreme measures of social distancing and quarantine that have shut down much of the commerce in the nation and devastated both the stock market and Trump’s most important campaign marketing message, his claim of responsibility for the growing economy that he inherited from Barack Obama.
WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
Trump fired America’s pandemic response team. Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately!
Trump’s tweet elicited paroxysms of horror from health officials — including the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci — who fear that Trump will arbitrarily end the extreme policies keeping people indoors and isolated from each other that — while economically difficult — are the only method to stop the spread of the vicious virus and prevent an increase in both the infection rate and the subsequent death toll.
Even normally reliable Trump boot-licker Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has urged the president against ignoring the advice of medical experts and listening to his economic advisors instead.
“It would be a major mistake to suggest any change of course when it comes to containment,” Graham told The Washington Post in an interview. “I just spoke with Dr. Fauci — he believes that if anything we should be more aggressive and do more. … You can’t have a functioning economy if you have hospitals overflowing. People aren’t going to go to work like that.”
Dr. Fauci has been doing his best to counter the misinformation about the pandemic and potential solutions disseminated by the president with actual facts but admitted in an interview with Science magazine on Sunday that he can only so so much.
“I can’t jump in front of the microphone and push him down,” Fauci said, according to the interview . “OK, he said it. Let’s try and get it corrected for the next time,” he continued.
Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of Harvard’s Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, told the newspaper that Trump was on the wrong course if he advocates an early end to social restrictions.
“We haven’t yet even seen signs that the growth is slowing, much less reversing. Now is the time to tighten restrictions on contacts that could transmit the virus, not loosen them,” Lipsitch said. “If we let up now we can be virtually certain that health care will be overwhelmed in many if not all parts of the country. This is the view of every well-informed infectious epidemiologist I know of.”
While the president’s tweet brought plenty of blowback from medical professionals who pointed out that saving lives was a more important aim than salvaging his reelection bid, Trump doubled down on his outburst by retweeting it 12 hours later to make sure no one would miss his impatient deadline.
CNN‘s diligent fact-checker Daniel Dale proved that the direct pipeline between the Fox News airwaves and Trump’s brain was still fully operational by showing the likely origins of the president’s tweet in a Fox News broadcast last evening.
Fox News host Steve Hilton last night: “You know that famous phrase, ‘The cure is worse than the disease’? That’s exactly the territory we’re hurtling towards.” Trump later last night: “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF.” pic.twitter.com/yoNL2ca5ey — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 23, 2020
Perhaps if we had a president who would get his information and make crucial decisions after reading detailed intelligence briefings summarizing the opinions of experts instead of parroting Fox News’ radical right-wing copywriters we wouldn’t be as far into the exponential spread of the coronavirus as we currently are and would actually have enough testing kits to determine the true extent of the contagion.
Alas, we don’t. We have Trump, at least for the time being, and we are paying for that foolish decision by a small minority of voters in a handful of swing states with the lives of Americans all across the country as a result.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-23--Ocasio-Cortez hits Susan Collins for throwing a fit over Dems blocking corporate slush fund bill

Tensions are running high in the United States Senate as Republicans and Democrats clash over the provisions of the latest and largest coronavirus relief bill .
Republicans , terrified at the damage that the coronavirus crisis and mass quarantining are doing to the economy and their chances to re-elect Donald Trump , are desperately trying to rush through a stimulus package that they wrote without any consultation from the Democrats .
Within that bill is a plan to funnel $ 500 billion in corporate bailouts to a slush fund that would be controlled by the Trump White House with little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses get a piece of the pie , and no protections for workers .
Trump fired America ’ s pandemic response team .
Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately !
Recognizing the obvious opportunity for grift and thievery by the most outrageously corrupt administration in American history , Democrats have been blocking the procedural votes on the bill until they get their say — much to the fury of vulnerable Senators like Susan Collins ( R-MA ) , who threw a performative fit on the Senate floor today in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wellbeing of the American people .
“ This is disgraceful…We don ’ t have another day !
We don ’ t have another hour .
We don ’ t have another minute to delay acting ” complained Senator Collins , who reporters have described as “ fuming ” and “ furious.
” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) took to Twitter to tell her what she could do with her melodramatic , attention-seeking outbursts : Senator Collins and the mainstream media loves to portray her as a Republican “ moderate ” because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MAGA as most of the rest of her caucus , but despite occasional moments of ultimately meaningless displays of independence ( like her vote against Betsy DeVos ) , she has been as dutiful an enabler of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell ’ s extremist agenda as any other Republican .
On top of that , we can thank Senator Collins herself for stripping nearly a billion dollars in pandemic preparations out of the 2009 stimulus package — one of the many reasons we ’ re having such a hard time responding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can weep all the crocodile tears they want , but for the first time in forever , Democrats have the leverage in Washington and have backed Republicans into a corner .
We can only hope they have the stones to milk it for all it ’ s worth and force the GOP to do the right thing for the American people , not just their corporate donors .
You can ( and should ) donate to Susan Collins ’ Democratic challenger Sara Gideon here .
What do you think ?

Tensions are running high in the United States Senate as Republicans and Democrats clash over the provisions of the latest and largest coronavirus relief bill.
Republicans, terrified at the damage that the coronavirus crisis and mass quarantining are doing to the economy and their chances to re-elect Donald Trump, are desperately trying to rush through a stimulus package that they wrote without any consultation from the Democrats.
Within that bill is a plan to funnel $500 billion in corporate bailouts to a slush fund that would be controlled by the Trump White House with little oversight, no commitment to ensuring small businesses get a piece of the pie, and no protections for workers.
Trump fired America’s pandemic response team. Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately!
Recognizing the obvious opportunity for grift and thievery by the most outrageously corrupt administration in American history, Democrats have been blocking the procedural votes on the bill until they get their say — much to the fury of vulnerable Senators like Susan Collins (R-MA), who threw a performative fit on the Senate floor today in a desperate effort to appear concerned about the wellbeing of the American people.
“This is disgraceful…We don’t have another day! We don’t have another hour. We don’t have another minute to delay acting” complained Senator Collins, who reporters have described as “fuming” and “furious.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) took to Twitter to tell her what she could do with her melodramatic, attention-seeking outbursts:
.@SenatorCollins can keep her crocodile tears. She voted & fought HARD to strip pandemic prep funding. She helped drive the lack of preparation that we had leading up to this. What’s actually disgraceful is her “I’m a Moderate Lady” dance to cover up brutal policies and votes. https://t.co/sY2Iv4y3fT — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 23, 2020
Senator Collins and the mainstream media loves to portray her as a Republican “moderate” because she isn’t quite as rabidly MAGA as most of the rest of her caucus, but despite occasional moments of ultimately meaningless displays of independence (like her vote against Betsy DeVos), she has been as dutiful an enabler of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell’s extremist agenda as any other Republican.
On top of that, we can thank Senator Collins herself for stripping nearly a billion dollars in pandemic preparations out of the 2009 stimulus package — one of the many reasons we’re having such a hard time responding to the crisis today.
I had forgotten my own reporting that @SenatorCollins stripped $870M for pandemic preparations out of the 2009 stimulus. pic.twitter.com/VTriR6ZsCS — Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) March 12, 2020
Collins and McConnell can weep all the crocodile tears they want, but for the first time in forever, Democrats have the leverage in Washington and have backed Republicans into a corner. We can only hope they have the stones to milk it for all it’s worth and force the GOP to do the right thing for the American people, not just their corporate donors.
You can (and should) donate to Susan Collins’ Democratic challenger Sara Gideon here.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-23--Trump erupts in vicious Twitter tirade at “Fake & Corrupt” NY Times for updating their headlines

The coronavirus pandemic continues to spread and Donald Trump refuses to display even a trace of leadership .
This morning he decided the best use of his time was not addressing the American people about the outbreak ravaging the country , but rather attacking the media for the umpteenth time .
The president tweeted that The New York Times has “ changed headlines ” three times because the publication wants to “ satisfy the Radical left.
” He went on to claim that a “ good story ” was made “ worse and worse ” until the headline was corrupted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Fake & Corrupt news that is very dangerous for our Country !
” he ended .
As is so often case with this deeply unwell man , he failed to say what exactly he was referring to , either because his solipsism stops him from realizing that we don ’ t know what ’ s going on in his head at all times or because he just assumed his unstable fans would immediately know what he was talking about .
Trump fired America ’ s pandemic response team .
Demand he reassemble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
Luckily for those of us with a grip on our sanity , one of the president ’ s outspoken supporters shared photos of the headlines in question .
Apparently , Trump is angry because the Times covered the Democrats voting against his plutocratic bill masquerading as virus relief in a way that was flattering to him before adjusting it to something more accurate .
It started as “ Democrats Block Action on $ 1.8 Trillion Stimulus , ” a headline which heaped undue blame on Democrats when Republicans are the ones trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill that serves their interests more than the interests of the American people .
The Times updated it to be more accurate , but of course Trump was angry because he was no longer receiving free and unearned positive PR .
Once again we see the president more concerned with his own image than he is with navigating the deadly crisis he ’ s entrusted with seeing us through .
This man is an utter disgrace to his office .
The fact that Americans are dying and we are being forced to talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feuds tells you everything you need to know about this so-called leader .
What do you think ?

The coronavirus pandemic continues to spread and Donald Trump refuses to display even a trace of leadership. This morning he decided the best use of his time was not addressing the American people about the outbreak ravaging the country, but rather attacking the media for the umpteenth time.
The president tweeted that The New York Times has “changed headlines” three times because the publication wants to “satisfy the Radical left.” He went on to claim that a “good story” was made “worse and worse” until the headline was corrupted to the point of being unfair. “Fake & Corrupt news that is very dangerous for our Country!” he ended.
As is so often case with this deeply unwell man, he failed to say what exactly he was referring to, either because his solipsism stops him from realizing that we don’t know what’s going on in his head at all times or because he just assumed his unstable fans would immediately know what he was talking about.
Trump fired America’s pandemic response team. Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately!
Luckily for those of us with a grip on our sanity, one of the president’s outspoken supporters shared photos of the headlines in question. Apparently, Trump is angry because the Times covered the Democrats voting against his plutocratic bill masquerading as virus relief in a way that was flattering to him before adjusting it to something more accurate.
It started as “Democrats Block Action on $1.8 Trillion Stimulus,” a headline which heaped undue blame on Democrats when Republicans are the ones trying to force through a version of this bill that serves their interests more than the interests of the American people. The Times updated it to be more accurate, but of course Trump was angry because he was no longer receiving free and unearned positive PR.
Once again we see the president more concerned with his own image than he is with navigating the deadly crisis he’s entrusted with seeing us through. This man is an utter disgrace to his office. The fact that Americans are dying and we are being forced to talk about the president’s petty media feuds tells you everything you need to know about this so-called leader.
The New York Times changed headlines 3 times in order to satisfy the Radical Left. What should have been a good story got “worse & worse”, until the headline alone made it very unfair. Fake & Corrupt News that is very dangerous for our Country! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
Here are the 3 headlines in order of how @nytimes changed it to please the Democrats. More evidence of our corrupt media. They’re a PR mouthpiece for the Democrats! pic.twitter.com/gXBWOFST8i — Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) March 23, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-23--Trump issues disturbing all-caps outburst hinting at premature end to quarantines

A tiger can ’ t change its stripes , and Donald Trump can ’ t change his essential inability to chose the right decision no matter what situation he finds himself in .
Anyone hoping that the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic disaster would elicit some previously unfound depths of intelligence , rationality , and beneficence in the president was always certain to be disappointed when the same proudly uninformed , injudicious , and misanthropic Trump continued his self-absorbed obsessions with his own ego and managed the crisis more for his own benefit than in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the very beginnings of the coronavirus outbreak has been self-serving , starting with his initial downplaying of the dangers the pandemic posed and continuing through the supposed pivot to treating the crisis seriously wherein he has continued to spread false hope about untested cures while fretting more about how the economic catastrophe accompanying the medically required shutdown of most non-essential businesses in the country will affect his reelection chances ( with the possibility of post-presidential prosecution potentially lingering in the back of his mind . )
It should come as no surprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-caps cry of frustration at the extreme measures of social distancing and quarantine that have shut down much of the commerce in the nation and devastated both the stock market and Trump ’ s most important campaign marketing message , his claim of responsibility for the growing economy that he inherited from Barack Obama .
Trump fired America ’ s pandemic response team .
Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately !
Trump ’ s tweet elicited paroxysms of horror from health officials — including the director of the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Anthony Fauci — who fear that Trump will arbitrarily end the extreme policies keeping people indoors and isolated from each other that — while economically difficult — are the only method to stop the spread of the vicious virus and prevent an increase in both the infection rate and the subsequent death toll .
While the president ’ s tweet brought plenty of blowback from medical professionals who pointed out that saving lives was a more important aim than salvaging his reelection bid , Trump doubled down on his outburst by retweeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one would miss his impatient deadline .
CNN ‘ s diligent fact-checker Daniel Dale proved that the direct pipeline between the Fox News airwaves and Trump ’ s brain was still fully operational by showing the likely origins of the president ’ s tweet in a Fox News broadcast last evening .
Perhaps if we had a president who would get his information and make crucial decisions after reading detailed intelligence briefings summarizing the opinions of experts instead of parroting Fox News ’ radical right-wing copywriters we wouldn ’ t be as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus as we currently are and would actually have enough testing kits to determine the true extent of the contagion .
Alas , we don ’ t .
We have Trump , at least for the time being , and we are paying for that foolish decision by a small minority of voters in a handful of swing states with the lives of Americans all across the country as a result .
What do you think ?

A tiger can’t change its stripes, and Donald Trump can’t change his essential inability to chose the right decision no matter what situation he finds himself in.
Anyone hoping that the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic disaster would elicit some previously unfound depths of intelligence, rationality, and beneficence in the president was always certain to be disappointed when the same proudly uninformed, injudicious, and misanthropic Trump continued his self-absorbed obsessions with his own ego and managed the crisis more for his own benefit than in the public interest.
Trump’s behavior since the very beginnings of the coronavirus outbreak has been self-serving, starting with his initial downplaying of the dangers the pandemic posed and continuing through the supposed pivot to treating the crisis seriously wherein he has continued to spread false hope about untested cures while fretting more about how the economic catastrophe accompanying the medically required shutdown of most non-essential businesses in the country will affect his reelection chances (with the possibility of post-presidential prosecution potentially lingering in the back of his mind.)
It should come as no surprise then that the president tweeted out an all-caps cry of frustration at the extreme measures of social distancing and quarantine that have shut down much of the commerce in the nation and devastated both the stock market and Trump’s most important campaign marketing message, his claim of responsibility for the growing economy that he inherited from Barack Obama.
WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
Trump fired America’s pandemic response team. Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately!
Trump’s tweet elicited paroxysms of horror from health officials — including the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci — who fear that Trump will arbitrarily end the extreme policies keeping people indoors and isolated from each other that — while economically difficult — are the only method to stop the spread of the vicious virus and prevent an increase in both the infection rate and the subsequent death toll.
While the president’s tweet brought plenty of blowback from medical professionals who pointed out that saving lives was a more important aim than salvaging his reelection bid, Trump doubled down on his outburst by retweeting it 12 hours later to make sure no one would miss his impatient deadline.
CNN‘s diligent fact-checker Daniel Dale proved that the direct pipeline between the Fox News airwaves and Trump’s brain was still fully operational by showing the likely origins of the president’s tweet in a Fox News broadcast last evening.
Fox News host Steve Hilton last night: “You know that famous phrase, ‘The cure is worse than the disease’? That’s exactly the territory we’re hurtling towards.” Trump later last night: “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF.” pic.twitter.com/yoNL2ca5ey — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 23, 2020
Perhaps if we had a president who would get his information and make crucial decisions after reading detailed intelligence briefings summarizing the opinions of experts instead of parroting Fox News’ radical right-wing copywriters we wouldn’t be as far into the exponential spread of the coronavirus as we currently are and would actually have enough testing kits to determine the true extent of the contagion.
Alas, we don’t. We have Trump, at least for the time being, and we are paying for that foolish decision by a small minority of voters in a handful of swing states with the lives of Americans all across the country as a result.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-24--Wife of man who died after taking chloroquine: we saw Trump on TV, he told us it was safe

Tragedy has struck as the President ’ s reckless promotion of untested and unproven drugs as potential miracle cures for the virus have proven to be not only dangerous but in at least one case downright deadly .
Trump ’ s constant harping about the potential of an anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the coronavirus infection — despite the fact that it has neither been tested for safety and efficacy by the Food and Drug Administration under a proper drug testing protocol — has led to the first confirmed U.S. fatality due to his ignorant spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases of chloroquine overdose poisoning after Trump first started mentioning it as a possible cure .
NBC News is reporting that “ an Arizona man died after ingesting chloroquine phosphate in an attempt to protect himself from becoming infected with the coronavirus .
The man ’ s wife also ingested the drug and is currently under critical care.
” Chloroquine phosphate is a commonly used ingredient used for cleaning fish tanks and , while chemically related to Hydroxychloroquine , the two chemicals are quite distinct .
The wife of the poisoned man told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words were directly responsible for their decision to take the chloroquine .
Not only did Trump force medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci , the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , to contradict his optimism about potential cures and vaccines in disclaimers to press after Trump yielded the microphone at the briefings , but Trump continued to push the drug as a miracle cure in subsequent Twitter postings even after he had been publicly corrected .
Trump fired America ’ s pandemic response team .
Demand he reassemble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
In response to the news , Dr. Daniel Brooks , the medical director for Banner Poison and Drug Information Center , said that “ given the uncertainty around COVID-19 , we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus , but self-medicating is not the way to do so.
” Even if properly administered by a doctor in a clinical setting , the false hopes that the president has set up for the non-approved use of the drug has caused a run on the medication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sufficient quantities of the substance to run legitimate trials of the chemical on COVID-10 patients to see if it can actually make a significant difference in treatment of the disease , as MSNBC ’ s Chris Hayes reported .
With Trump now appearing to be ready to prematurely end the quarantines that are keeping the virus from spreading more rapidly because the economic consequences of shuttered businesses look like they will soon shutter his reelection chances , the overdose death of the man who trusted the president ’ s hype about the potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death that Trump will bear responsibility for .
The price for believing this man is far too high to be worth trusting your — or the country ’ s — future to his veracity or his “ hunches ” and “ feelings.
” He will get us all killed if he ’ s not removed from power as soon as possible .
What do you think ?

Tragedy has struck as the President’s reckless promotion of untested and unproven drugs as potential miracle cures for the virus have proven to be not only dangerous but in at least one case downright deadly.
Trump’s constant harping about the potential of an anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the coronavirus infection — despite the fact that it has neither been tested for safety and efficacy by the Food and Drug Administration under a proper drug testing protocol — has led to the first confirmed U.S. fatality due to his ignorant spread of misinformation, even after Nigeria reported two cases of chloroquine overdose poisoning after Trump first started mentioning it as a possible cure.
NBC News is reporting that “an Arizona man died after ingesting chloroquine phosphate in an attempt to protect himself from becoming infected with the coronavirus. The man’s wife also ingested the drug and is currently under critical care.”
Chloroquine phosphate is a commonly used ingredient used for cleaning fish tanks and, while chemically related to Hydroxychloroquine, the two chemicals are quite distinct.
The wife of the poisoned man told NBC News that President Trump’s words were directly responsible for their decision to take the chloroquine.
https://twitter.com/HeidiNBC/status/1242238268277755905?s=20
"I was in the pantry stacking dog food and I just saw it sitting in the back shelf and thought, ‘Hey, isn’t that the stuff they’re talking about on TV?’ And it was." Hillyard interviewed her from her hospital bed over the phone: "This is the most horrible day of my life. And — Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) March 23, 2020
"Oh my God. Don't take anything. Don't believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the President says and his people because they don't know what they're talking about. And don't take anything–be so careful and call your doctor. This is a heart ache I'll never get over." — Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) March 24, 2020
Not only did Trump force medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to contradict his optimism about potential cures and vaccines in disclaimers to press after Trump yielded the microphone at the briefings, but Trump continued to push the drug as a miracle cure in subsequent Twitter postings even after he had been publicly corrected.
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains – Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)….. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2020
Trump fired America’s pandemic response team. Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately!
In response to the news, Dr. Daniel Brooks, the medical director for Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, said that “given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so.”
“Medical toxicologists and emergency physicians are warning the public against the use of inappropriate medications and household products to prevent or treat COVID-19. In particular, Banner Health experts emphasize that chloroquine, a malaria medication, should not be ingested to treat or prevent this virus,” the Banner Health system said in a statement.
Even if properly administered by a doctor in a clinical setting, the false hopes that the president has set up for the non-approved use of the drug has caused a run on the medication that is now preventing researchers from obtaining sufficient quantities of the substance to run legitimate trials of the chemical on COVID-10 patients to see if it can actually make a significant difference in treatment of the disease, as MSNBC’s Chris Hayes reported.
The president touting hydroxychloroquine has, predictably, triggered hoarding of the drug to the point that even one hospital I know attempting to administer it as part of a trial is having a hard time getting its hands on the drug. — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 23, 2020
With Trump now appearing to be ready to prematurely end the quarantines that are keeping the virus from spreading more rapidly because the economic consequences of shuttered businesses look like they will soon shutter his reelection chances, the overdose death of the man who trusted the president’s hype about the potential cure will likely not be the last death that Trump will bear responsibility for.
The price for believing this man is far too high to be worth trusting your — or the country’s — future to his veracity or his “hunches” and “feelings.” He will get us all killed if he’s not removed from power as soon as possible.
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Original reporting by Erika Edwards at NBC News.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-23--Trump demands we “protect” Asians after blaming China for virus, provoking racist attacks

President Trump and the right-wing media machine have spent the past two weeks attempting to rebrand COVID-19 as the “ Chinese Virus ” in an obvious attempt to stir up xenophobia against Asian-Americans and to cover up the outrageous mismanagement of the Trump administration by shunting blame on to China .
Predictably , this has provoked a surge of hateful attacks and harassment against Chinese-Americans from an American population seemingly chomping at the bit to get out there and do some racism .
The New York Times reports that interviews with nearly two dozen Chinese Americans revealed : “ they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to travel alone on subways or buses , to let their children go outside.
” Some recounted being spit upon ; CNN reporter Kyung Lah told fellow host Jake Tapper that someone shouted a racial slur at her as she prepared to do a live shot .
Trump fired America ’ s pandemic response team .
Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately !
“ So we were standing there preparing for live shots this morning , just hours ago and a man walked up and used a racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And I was so surprised and so taken aback that I asked him to repeat it because I couldn ’ t believe , ” said a shocked Lah .
Equally as predictable was the President ’ s inevitable and eye-rollingly insincere attempt to insist that actually , he loves Asian-Americans and would never incite hate against them or imply that the coronavirus crisis was their fault despite having spent the past two weeks doing so .
In typical Trump fashion , he is now is lazily attempting to wash his hands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dog-whistles .
Nobody on social media was buying it , however : What do you think ?

President Trump and the right-wing media machine have spent the past two weeks attempting to rebrand COVID-19 as the “Chinese Virus” in an obvious attempt to stir up xenophobia against Asian-Americans and to cover up the outrageous mismanagement of the Trump administration by shunting blame on to China.
Predictably, this has provoked a surge of hateful attacks and harassment against Chinese-Americans from an American population seemingly chomping at the bit to get out there and do some racism.
The New York Times reports that interviews with nearly two dozen Chinese Americans revealed: “they were afraid — to go grocery shopping, to travel alone on subways or buses, to let their children go outside.” Some recounted being spit upon; CNN reporter Kyung Lah told fellow host Jake Tapper that someone shouted a racial slur at her as she prepared to do a live shot.
Trump fired America’s pandemic response team. Demand he reassemble it to confront the coronavirus pandemic immediately!
“So we were standing there preparing for live shots this morning, just hours ago and a man walked up and used a racial slur. Flung it right at me. And I was so surprised and so taken aback that I asked him to repeat it because I couldn’t believe,” said a shocked Lah.
Equally as predictable was the President’s inevitable and eye-rollingly insincere attempt to insist that actually, he loves Asian-Americans and would never incite hate against them or imply that the coronavirus crisis was their fault despite having spent the past two weeks doing so.
….is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
In typical Trump fashion, he is now is lazily attempting to wash his hands of the consequences of his flagrant race-baiting and dog-whistles.
Nobody on social media was buying it, however:
You were calling it the new coronavirus or Covid-19 like the rest of the world until you decided it would benefit you to rile up your fans by calling it the Chinese virus. Big surprise they are now attacking random Asian-Americans. pic.twitter.com/Wxhd8pEMOL — Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) March 23, 2020
More proof if you needed it that Trump is less humane than Bush. Bush right after 9/11 was in DC Mosque telling the American people the equivalent of the message below. Trump took more than a month and kept aggravating the anti-Asian backlash by calling it the Chinese Virus. #GOP https://t.co/7ZDnOZUPjG — Mohamed Elibiary (@MohamedElibiary) March 23, 2020
Then, stop being racist by blaming the #TrumpVirus on them. — David Rothschild (@DavMicRot) March 23, 2020
I can’t speak for Asian American communities. I can only speak for myself, recalling all the times he’s said the same kind of stuff about black folks after he’s done something to put us in danger from harassment or worse. So, fuck this. The damage is done. https://t.co/SqatSEmMlP — Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) March 23, 2020
You didn’t write this. You have never said “Asian American” in your fucking life. — Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) March 23, 2020
Experts say your use of “Chinese virus” is the problem. — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 23, 2020
https://twitter.com/NorskLadyWolf/status/1242220408427945984?s=20
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-24--Trump tells America’s governors to get their own medical equipment and stop asking him

To use a sports metaphor to describe how the President of the United States is treating America ’ s state governors in the midst of the greatest crisis to hit the country in recent memory , Donald Trump has changed the rules of the game in the middle of the fourth quarter .
The federal government — until the Trump era — has always been seen as a reliable source of emergency assistance when disaster struck , with FEMA , the Federal Emergency Management Agency , at the ready to help communities when floods , hurricanes , or other natural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to handle emergency response in overwhelming situations .
Under Donald “ I don ’ t take responsibility at all ” Trump , however , that assistance from FEMA began to first be drizzled out reluctantly , particularly if , like in the case of Puerto Rico , the population was primarily brown-skinned people who didn ’ t speak English as their first language despite their status as full U.S. citizens .
Now those early signs of Trump ’ s reluctance to take action to help Americans in need are reaching their logical conclusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his responsibilities toward the entire country during the coronavirus pandemic , not just a commonwealth that he doesn ’ t seem to truly believe is a real part of our nation .
Trump didn ’ t formally announce the change in policy as to what states can expect from the federal government in any executive order or any piece of signed legislation .
Rather , he made his attitude clear in an interview this morning with Fox News as he desperately attempted to breathe life into the dying corpse of his 2020 campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims of the COVID-19 outbreak and his foot-dragging response to it .
Add your name to tell the Senate : Say NO to Trump ’ s $ 500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill !
It ’ s not surprising that the Republican ethos of limited government — a mantra for the party since the days of President Ronald Reagan — has devolved so quickly to the “ every man for himself and screw saving seats on the lifeboat for women and children ” philosophy that Trump is taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the global health crisis .
With Republicans now becoming the very government “ death panels ” that they had warned would be the consequence of universal health care and asking the elderly to be willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of corporate profits in the guise of helping their grandkids , it ’ s no wonder that state governors are livid with Trump at his gross abdication of his responsibilities as president and his unilateral abandonment of the social construct that bound the states to federal institutions in such difficult times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to continue to destroy the norms of governing our nation before enough people realize that his malicious and malevolent behavior will leed to countless needless deaths ?
How much longer before grieving relatives of those prematurely lost to the pandemic due to the Trump administration ’ s inadequate preparation and planning and leaden response time begin to turn their ire on the man in the White House exacerbating the problems rather than attempting to solve them ?
How much longer before people start inundating the White House lawn with plague blankets and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tar and feathers ?
Perhaps if Trump contemplates that last scenario , he won ’ t be quite so anxious to end the quarantine quite so quickly just to restart an economy that primarily benefited the wealthy oligarchs anyway .
Until Trump ’ s poll numbers go down , and he realizes that resignation is the only honorable end to a presidency that he is so obviously unfit to hold , the only answer to the questions above is “ not soon enough.
” What do you think ?

To use a sports metaphor to describe how the President of the United States is treating America’s state governors in the midst of the greatest crisis to hit the country in recent memory, Donald Trump has changed the rules of the game in the middle of the fourth quarter.
The federal government — until the Trump era — has always been seen as a reliable source of emergency assistance when disaster struck, with FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, at the ready to help communities when floods, hurricanes, or other natural disasters devastated the ability of local officials to handle emergency response in overwhelming situations.
Under Donald “I don’t take responsibility at all” Trump, however, that assistance from FEMA began to first be drizzled out reluctantly, particularly if, like in the case of Puerto Rico, the population was primarily brown-skinned people who didn’t speak English as their first language despite their status as full U.S. citizens.
Now those early signs of Trump’s reluctance to take action to help Americans in need are reaching their logical conclusion as the feckless and uncaring president shirks his responsibilities toward the entire country during the coronavirus pandemic, not just a commonwealth that he doesn’t seem to truly believe is a real part of our nation.
Trump didn’t formally announce the change in policy as to what states can expect from the federal government in any executive order or any piece of signed legislation. Rather, he made his attitude clear in an interview this morning with Fox News as he desperately attempted to breathe life into the dying corpse of his 2020 campaign for reelection, one of the early victims of the COVID-19 outbreak and his foot-dragging response to it.
Trump to Bill Hemmer on Democratic governors criticizing the federal government for not supplying enough needed medical gear: "They have to get that gear themselves … they shouldn't be hitting us." pic.twitter.com/rKLyX4KdKG — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 24, 2020
Add your name to tell the Senate: Say NO to Trump’s $500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill!
It’s not surprising that the Republican ethos of limited government — a mantra for the party since the days of President Ronald Reagan — has devolved so quickly to the “every man for himself and screw saving seats on the lifeboat for women and children” philosophy that Trump is taking as he mismanages the federal response to the global health crisis.
With Republicans now becoming the very government “death panels” that they had warned would be the consequence of universal health care and asking the elderly to be willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of corporate profits in the guise of helping their grandkids, it’s no wonder that state governors are livid with Trump at his gross abdication of his responsibilities as president and his unilateral abandonment of the social construct that bound the states to federal institutions in such difficult times.
How much longer will Trump be able to continue to destroy the norms of governing our nation before enough people realize that his malicious and malevolent behavior will lead to countless needless deaths?
How much longer before grieving relatives of those prematurely lost to the pandemic due to the Trump administration’s inadequate preparation and planning and leaden response time begin to turn their ire on the man in the White House exacerbating the problems rather than attempting to solve them?
How much longer before people start inundating the White House lawn with plague blankets and marching towards the Capitol with pitchforks and tar and feathers?
Perhaps if Trump contemplates that last scenario, he won’t be quite so anxious to end the quarantine quite so quickly just to restart an economy that primarily benefited the wealthy oligarchs anyway.
Until Trump’s poll numbers go down, and he realizes that resignation is the only honorable end to a presidency that he is so obviously unfit to hold, the only answer to the questions above is “not soon enough.”
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-24--Pro-Trump writer gets ruthlessly mocked after bragging he would “happily die” for the economy

Republicans are quickly rallying around the idea that businesses should open back up sooner than medically advisable in order to “ save ” the economy even if it means skyrocketing infection rates and mass deaths .
It ’ s the natural , despicable intellectual terminus of a party that has for decades placed the interests of the rich over the health and safety of most Americans .
The plutocrats don ’ t like seeing their stocks tank and are willing to let people die to protect their finances .
Yes , the economic downturn is going to hurt everyone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but prematurely sending people back to work is even more dangerous .
With a global mortality rate of 3.4 % , the coronavirus could kill millions of Americans if safety procedures are abandoned .
Not only would those avoidable deaths be a tragedy of historic proportions , they would almost certainly cause an economic depression anyway , nullifying any economic boon that an early return to normalcy might bring .
Add your name to tell the Senate : Say NO to Trump ’ s $ 500 billion slush fund for corporations in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is pushing to reopen the economy , presumably in no small part because his own family businesses are suffering from the shutdown .
Trump is willing to sacrifice an untold number of Americans to the coronavirus rather than shoulder the costs , political and monetary , that the proper approach ( that is , maintaining quarantines ) will require .
The usual Trump surrogates are following suit .
Right-wing pundit and contributor to The Federalist Jesse Kelly took to Twitter to ludicrously claim that he would be willing to “ happily die ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Great Depression .
Ignoring the pathetic grandstanding , Kelly is also proffering a false premise .
Sending Americans back to work provides no guarantee that we will avoid a recession or even depression .
All it guarantees is that more Americans will die .
Painting a decision to endanger people for the sake of the economy as heroic is incredibly irresponsible and a reminder that we should not take the opinions of men like this seriously .
What do you think ?

Republicans are quickly rallying around the idea that businesses should open back up sooner than medically advisable in order to “save” the economy even if it means skyrocketing infection rates and mass deaths.
It’s the natural, despicable intellectual terminus of a party that has for decades placed the interests of the rich over the health and safety of most Americans. The plutocrats don’t like seeing their stocks tank and are willing to let people die to protect their finances.
Yes, the economic downturn is going to hurt everyone and it’s a serious problem, but prematurely sending people back to work is even more dangerous. With a global mortality rate of 3.4%, the coronavirus could kill millions of Americans if safety procedures are abandoned. Not only would those avoidable deaths be a tragedy of historic proportions, they would almost certainly cause an economic depression anyway, nullifying any economic boon that an early return to normalcy might bring.
Add your name to tell the Senate: Say NO to Trump’s $500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill!
The president himself is pushing to reopen the economy, presumably in no small part because his own family businesses are suffering from the shutdown. Trump is willing to sacrifice an untold number of Americans to the coronavirus rather than shoulder the costs, political and monetary, that the proper approach (that is, maintaining quarantines) will require.
The usual Trump surrogates are following suit. Right-wing pundit and contributor to The Federalist Jesse Kelly took to Twitter to ludicrously claim that he would be willing to “happily die” for his country in order to prevent a Great Depression.
Ignoring the pathetic grandstanding, Kelly is also proffering a false premise. Sending Americans back to work provides no guarantee that we will avoid a recession or even depression. All it guarantees is that more Americans will die. Painting a decision to endanger people for the sake of the economy as heroic is incredibly irresponsible and a reminder that we should not take the opinions of men like this seriously.
Twitter’s response was swift and brutal.
The gene pool will thank you. — Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) March 24, 2020
go for it dawg — salaryman (@bobby) March 24, 2020
Well, this is a false choice, so you're off the hook. — Mangy Jay (@magi_jay) March 24, 2020
No, you wouldn't. You're only taking this stance because you know you're not in the most at risk category, you have the money to afford whatever healthcare you need, and would still have the ability and funds to mostly isolate yourself if quarantining ended. — muirab (@muirab5) March 24, 2020
Blood for stocks. — Eyes on the Right (@EyesOnTheRight) March 24, 2020
becoming a suicide bomber for stonks — mayo soup for the centrist soul (@l0stndamned) March 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/dantoujours/status/1242452410620162049?s=20
I really think this misses the point. Because it's not a choice. We can't actually save the economy by letting a million Americans die. A million Americans dying will also crash the economy. — Matthew Prorok (@MJtheProphet) March 24, 2020
put your money where your mouth is — victim of capitalism (@joshieecs) March 24, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-24--Trump quotes fake news headline to accuse Cuomo of “death panels” during virus townhall

With the coronavirus pandemic worsening by the day , President Trump is demonstrating that not only does he have no ability to lead the country through this crisis , he has no genuine desire to do so .
Rather than rising above the partisan fray to focus on saving American lives , Trump is thrashing about for someone else to blame .
It now appears that he ’ s landed on a scapegoat .
During an appearance on Fox News today , Trump took aim at Governor Andrew Cuomo ( D-NY ) , a man who by any honest assessment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a great job of serving his state during this impossible time .
Trump slammed him for “ complaining ” that New York needs more ventilators and smeared the governor personally by saying he “ should ’ ve ordered the ventilators.
” New York has become the epicenter for COVID-19 in the United States , and the state is struggling to provide hospitals with the necessary medical supplies and devices as the number of cases rapidly climbs .
The federal government has a responsibility to step in here and help , but under Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been sluggish at best .
Incredibly , Trump also accused Cuomo of setting up “ death panels , ” a thoroughly debunked fever dream right-wing conspiracy that was popular during the Obama years .
Under normal circumstances , such a vile lie would be inexcusable but under the current state of affairs , it ’ s actively dangerous .
Now more than ever we need our government officials relaying the truth to our citizenry , not spreading misinformation .
As some on Twitter were quick to point out , Trump seemed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headline “ NY .
Gov .
Cuomo Rejected Buying Recommended 16,000 ventilators in 2015 for Pandemic , Established Death Panels and Lottery Instead .
Add your name to tell the Senate : Say NO to Trump ’ s $ 500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill !
The president ’ s remarks are shameful for a few crucial reasons .
The first is that our leader obviously shouldn ’ t be focused on dishing out blame while the pandemic is still escalating .
Doing so distracts from the critical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials to stem the spread and save lives .
The fact that Trump literally brought a printout of an article from the right-wing hack publication The Gateway Pundit on air to support his case against Cuomo only makes things all the more embarrassing .
The second major problem with Trump ’ s narrative pinning the onus of responsibility on Cuomo is that the president himself has terribly mismanaged this outbreak since the beginning .
He ’ s the one who fired the government ’ s emergency pandemic response team and he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ Democratic hoax.
” His efforts to downplay the risk allowed the virus to spread uncombatted and likely led directly to the infection and deaths of countless Americans .
Trump ’ s fanatical supporters might be willing to overlook those facts , but most people see how poorly Trump has handled this pandemic and realize the blame for the federal government ’ s disastrous response belongs squarely at his feet .
Leaders like Cuomo deserve our support during this outbreak .
Leaders like Trump deserve our condemnation until they start taking their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?

With the coronavirus pandemic worsening by the day, President Trump is demonstrating that not only does he have no ability to lead the country through this crisis, he has no genuine desire to do so. Rather than rising above the partisan fray to focus on saving American lives, Trump is thrashing about for someone else to blame. It now appears that he’s landed on a scapegoat.
During an appearance on Fox News today, Trump took aim at Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), a man who by any honest assessment is working around the clock and doing a great job of serving his state during this impossible time. Trump slammed him for “complaining” that New York needs more ventilators and smeared the governor personally by saying he “should’ve ordered the ventilators.”
New York has become the epicenter for COVID-19 in the United States, and the state is struggling to provide hospitals with the necessary medical supplies and devices as the number of cases rapidly climbs. The federal government has a responsibility to step in here and help, but under Trump’s guidance, the response has been sluggish at best.
Incredibly, Trump also accused Cuomo of setting up “death panels,” a thoroughly debunked fever dream right-wing conspiracy that was popular during the Obama years. Under normal circumstances, such a vile lie would be inexcusable but under the current state of affairs, it’s actively dangerous. Now more than ever we need our government officials relaying the truth to our citizenry, not spreading misinformation.
As some on Twitter were quick to point out, Trump seemed to be quoting a fake news article with the headline “NY. Gov. Cuomo Rejected Buying Recommended 16,000 ventilators in 2015 for Pandemic, Established Death Panels and Lottery Instead.
I'm pretty sure Trump just quoted this Gateway Pundit tweet verbatim in his Fox News Town Hall, which is absofuckinglutely terrifying. pic.twitter.com/RHLP6bqqPj — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) March 24, 2020
Add your name to tell the Senate: Say NO to Trump’s $500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill!
The president’s remarks are shameful for a few crucial reasons. The first is that our leader obviously shouldn’t be focused on dishing out blame while the pandemic is still escalating. Doing so distracts from the critical task of cooperating with state and local officials to stem the spread and save lives.
The fact that Trump literally brought a printout of an article from the right-wing hack publication The Gateway Pundit on air to support his case against Cuomo only makes things all the more embarrassing.
The second major problem with Trump’s narrative pinning the onus of responsibility on Cuomo is that the president himself has terribly mismanaged this outbreak since the beginning. He’s the one who fired the government’s emergency pandemic response team and he’s the one who described the coronavirus as a “Democratic hoax.” His efforts to downplay the risk allowed the virus to spread uncombatted and likely led directly to the infection and deaths of countless Americans.
It has been a month since this tweet. https://t.co/19C5oY2YSg — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 24, 2020
Trump’s fanatical supporters might be willing to overlook those facts, but most people see how poorly Trump has handled this pandemic and realize the blame for the federal government’s disastrous response belongs squarely at his feet. Leaders like Cuomo deserve our support during this outbreak. Leaders like Trump deserve our condemnation until they start taking their duties seriously.
Trump says Cuomo was "complaining" about "the ventilators." He says, "He should've ordered the ventilators." (Cuomo says New York has a critical shortage of ventilators, needs thousands more.) — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 24, 2020
Trump just read out a headline from the very bad website Gateway Pundit claiming Cuomo established "death panels" instead of buying ventilators. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 24, 2020
Holy shit. Trump just accused Cuomo of establishing "death panels" – an insane, debunked, bullshit Fox News conspiracy theory – AT THE SAME TIME HE'S LITERALLY TRYING TO GET PEOPLE BACK ONTO THE STREETS AMID A PANDEMIC WHICH WILL COST THOUSANDS OF LIVES.pic.twitter.com/VDJme5hZFP — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 24, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-24--Top Republican Liz Cheney breaks with Trump: can’t fix economy if hospitals are overflowing

Some Republicans are like a broken clock .
They manage to give the right answer in extremely limited circumstances , not often mind you , but at least enough that they should be acknowledged when they do so .
Congresswoman Liz Cheney ( R-WY ) — the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and the third highest-ranking GOP member in the House of Representatives — found her hands in rare alignment with the truth today as she rejected Donald Trump ’ s premature calls to end strict quarantines against the threat of the coronavirus and get people back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy .
Representative Cheney explained her position in comments on a Twitter thread she forwarded from Dr. Scott Gottlieb — the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under Trump — who advocated a more sensible , long-term response to the COVID-19 pandemic that was in direct contradiction to the president ’ s eagerness to get people out of their homes and back on the streets .
The ability of a leading Republican to understand the idiocy of Trump ’ s single-minded focus on restarting an economy damaged by the business shutdowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his reelection campaign from swirling down the toilet like the defecatory product that his continued candidacy after his disastrous missteps in the early phases of the pandemic has made it — allows us some hope that the president won ’ t find his normally complacent Republican enablers supporting his insane and deadly agenda .
Cheney ’ s ability to think beyond the latest poll numbers and focus on the primacy of human lives rather than the bonuses of Wall Street executives led to her receiving praise on Twitter from people who wouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say about the congresswoman and her policies .
Add your name to tell the Senate : Say NO to Trump ’ s $ 500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill !
Kudos to Representative Cheney for her ability to buck the president when it really counts .
Perhaps the praise she is receiving will lead her to remain steadfast in her opposition to Trump ’ s suicidal plans for the health of Americans to help save his own riches and those of his wealthy supporters .
What do you @ @

Some Republicans are like a broken clock. They manage to give the right answer in extremely limited circumstances, not often mind you, but at least enough that they should be acknowledged when they do so.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) — the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and the third highest-ranking GOP member in the House of Representatives — found her hands in rare alignment with the truth today as she rejected Donald Trump’s premature calls to end strict quarantines against the threat of the coronavirus and get people back to work to save the rapidly contracting American economy.
Representative Cheney explained her position in comments on a Twitter thread she forwarded from Dr. Scott Gottlieb — the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under Trump — who advocated a more sensible, long-term response to the COVID-19 pandemic that was in direct contradiction to the president’s eagerness to get people out of their homes and back on the streets.
There will be no normally functioning economy if our hospitals are overwhelmed and thousands of Americans of all ages, including our doctors and nurses, lay dying because we have failed to do what’s necessary to stop the virus. https://t.co/AchwfXtuLi — Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) March 24, 2020
The ability of a leading Republican to understand the idiocy of Trump’s single-minded focus on restarting an economy damaged by the business shutdowns — all in an effort to prevent his reelection campaign from swirling down the toilet like the defecatory product that his continued candidacy after his disastrous missteps in the early phases of the pandemic has made it — allows us some hope that the president won’t find his normally complacent Republican enablers supporting his insane and deadly agenda.
Cheney’s ability to think beyond the latest poll numbers and focus on the primacy of human lives rather than the bonuses of Wall Street executives led to her receiving praise on Twitter from people who wouldn’t normally have a good thing to say about the congresswoman and her policies.
Add your name to tell the Senate: Say NO to Trump’s $500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill!
It’s like twice a year. She stood up for Vindman when he was under attack and I was so conflicted. pic.twitter.com/0srWbysyG5 — Mini (@Minimadden) March 24, 2020
Yes, but remember it's just a microsecond. She will return to her true form as a garbage human being any time now. #WaitForIt — Elizaaaa (@Elizzzzzaaaaa) March 24, 2020
My God. I retweeted Liz Cheney. Or the pod that replaced her. — Hmm….What? FLATTEN THE CURVE!! (@thedealwhat) March 24, 2020
They all talk tough about reopening the economy until they show up with a sick family member and can’t get into the hospital for the piles of bodies. — BobGoblin (@MmmBoblahblah) March 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/TerriKincaid/status/1242494080426393600?s=20
That was my reaction too. — Bert & Ernie (@Bert__n__ernie) March 24, 2020
Kudos to Representative Cheney for her ability to buck the president when it really counts. Perhaps the praise she is receiving will lead her to remain steadfast in her opposition to Trump’s suicidal plans for the health of Americans to help save his own riches and those of his wealthy supporters.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-24--Trump dismisses concerns for the health of America’s seniors by promising to treat them “lovingly”

Consensus is quickly coagulating on the right that the United States should reopen businesses sooner than is medically advisable in order to preserve the economy .
The result would a massive uptick in the number of deaths in this country , but Republicans are already saying that the could be an acceptable tradeoff in order for companies to continue turning profits .
It ’ s a shocking proposal , literally choosing for people to die so that people can make money , but it ’ s in perfect fitting with the motivating animus of the modern Republican Party , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plutocratic class can shape laws and courts to more effectively line their pockets .
This class was willing to accept a short-term economic shutdown but as their financial losses worsen their faux concern for the lives of others is rapidly evaporating .
Trump is leading this GOP charge and has already begun floating the idea of opening the country back up prematurely .
This morning , he took to Twitter to press the message saying that people “ want to return to work.
” Of course , many people do want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them are far more concerned about losing loved ones or becoming ill themselves .
Add your name to tell the Senate : Say NO to Trump ’ s $ 500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill !
“ They will practice Social Distancing and all else , and Seniors will be watched over protectively & lovingly , ” Trump absurdly claimed .
There is nothing “ loving ” about endangering the lives of the elderly for solely economic reasons and to suggest as much is an insult to everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The president also repeated his new favorite talking point that “ THE CURE CAN NOT BE WORSE ( by far ) THAN THE PROBLEM !
” Trump wants us to believe that the economic downturn—which to be clear is a serious problem that will hurt lots of Americans—is more dangerous than mass deaths .
The World Health Organization revealed just recently that the global mortality rate for COVID-19 is 3.4 % which means that unless Americans heed health warnings and avoid unneeded contact we could see millions of dead Americans .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infinitely worse when one remembers that this is the same guy who fired the government ’ s pandemic response team and referred to the coronavirus as a “ Democratic hoax ” during the early days of the outbreak .
Trump has botched this crisis from the start and now his incompetence very well might get people killed .
What do you think ?

Consensus is quickly coagulating on the right that the United States should reopen businesses sooner than is medically advisable in order to preserve the economy. The result would a massive uptick in the number of deaths in this country, but Republicans are already saying that the could be an acceptable tradeoff in order for companies to continue turning profits.
It’s a shocking proposal, literally choosing for people to die so that people can make money, but it’s in perfect fitting with the motivating animus of the modern Republican Party, which exists solely as an apparatus through which the plutocratic class can shape laws and courts to more effectively line their pockets. This class was willing to accept a short-term economic shutdown but as their financial losses worsen their faux concern for the lives of others is rapidly evaporating.
Trump is leading this GOP charge and has already begun floating the idea of opening the country back up prematurely. This morning, he took to Twitter to press the message saying that people “want to return to work.” Of course, many people do want to return to work, but most of them are far more concerned about losing loved ones or becoming ill themselves.
Add your name to tell the Senate: Say NO to Trump’s $500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill!
“They will practice Social Distancing and all else, and Seniors will be watched over protectively & lovingly,” Trump absurdly claimed. There is nothing “loving” about endangering the lives of the elderly for solely economic reasons and to suggest as much is an insult to everyone who could lose someone to this virus.
The president also repeated his new favorite talking point that “THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM!”
Trump wants us to believe that the economic downturn—which to be clear is a serious problem that will hurt lots of Americans—is more dangerous than mass deaths. The World Health Organization revealed just recently that the global mortality rate for COVID-19 is 3.4% which means that unless Americans heed health warnings and avoid unneeded contact we could see millions of dead Americans.
This entire sordid strategy of his is made infinitely worse when one remembers that this is the same guy who fired the government’s pandemic response team and referred to the coronavirus as a “Democratic hoax” during the early days of the outbreak. Trump has botched this crisis from the start and now his incompetence very well might get people killed.
Our people want to return to work. They will practice Social Distancing and all else, and Seniors will be watched over protectively & lovingly. We can do two things together. THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM! Congress MUST ACT NOW. We will come back strong! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-25--Trump defies doctors’ advice, says he wants everyone crowded into churches on Easter Sunday

Trump is counting on the Resurrection to give new life to the American economy and , by extension , to his now dwindling chances at remaining in the White House past Inauguration Day 2021 at a point when many people are wondering whether they will live long enough to see that auspicious day .
With Trump ’ s attention span shorter than the life of a particle generated by the Hadron supercollider , his patience with the nearly unanimous recommendations by healthcare experts — to keep everyone in the country not in an essential job on lockdown and away from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catastrophic rise in the number of infected Americans that would overwhelm the capacity of our healthcare systems — has worn thin .
Now the president is vowing to end quarantine restrictions and get people back to work — and in contagion range — by Easter Sunday .
He explained why in an interview with the one network that isn ’ t now cutting away from his uninformed coronavirus press briefings the minute that he starts spouting dangerous misinformation , Fox News .
Add your name to tell the Senate : Say NO to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill !
Trump ’ s insane idea to pack people crowded together into churches as the perfect coda to the social distancing that may have saved their lives to that point is akin to the plottings of an evil supervillain with a dastardly plan to cull the herd of gullible humans willing to pledge their fealty to a false messiah on a religious holiday that he twists for his own purposes .
It ’ s difficult to determine whether the stupidity of the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-interest , but with all of these factors in play , suffice it to say that the American people need to simply ignore whatever Trump , their employers , or anyone else who urges them to prematurely end their period of social isolation may tell them and keep themselves and the rest of the population safe by staying away from other people until assured by bonafide medical experts that it is safe to do so .
Still , Trump ’ s apparent belief that he can order people to end their state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy in time for Easter Sunday requires a level of faith in both his intelligence and his competence that he has not earned in any way , either during this health crisis or in the rest of his presidency preceding it .
And if Trump himself winds up catching the coronavirus that is already spreading through the nation ’ s capitol and infecting prominent politicians like Senator Rand Paul , you had better believe that not only will Trump be swearing that he was referring to Easter of 2021 , but that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plaintive .
What do you think ?

Trump is counting on the Resurrection to give new life to the American economy and, by extension, to his now dwindling chances at remaining in the White House past Inauguration Day 2021 at a point when many people are wondering whether they will live long enough to see that auspicious day.
With Trump’s attention span shorter than the life of a particle generated by the Hadron supercollider, his patience with the nearly unanimous recommendations by healthcare experts — to keep everyone in the country not in an essential job on lockdown and away from their workplaces and schools to avoid the catastrophic rise in the number of infected Americans that would overwhelm the capacity of our healthcare systems — has worn thin.
Now the president is vowing to end quarantine restrictions and get people back to work — and in contagion range — by Easter Sunday.
He explained why in an interview with the one network that isn’t now cutting away from his uninformed coronavirus press briefings the minute that he starts spouting dangerous misinformation, Fox News.
(The clip is the second in the Twitter thread below.)
Trump on why he picked Easter as the day he wants to end strict social distancing and reopen American businesses: "Easter is a very special day for me … Easter Sunday, and you'll have packed churches all over our country." pic.twitter.com/6cXEtW8LmR — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 24, 2020
Add your name to tell the Senate: Say NO to Trump’s $500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill!
Trump’s insane idea to pack people crowded together into churches as the perfect coda to the social distancing that may have saved their lives to that point is akin to the plottings of an evil supervillain with a dastardly plan to cull the herd of gullible humans willing to pledge their fealty to a false messiah on a religious holiday that he twists for his own purposes.
It’s difficult to determine whether the stupidity of the president’s idea is outweighed by its malevolence and self-interest, but with all of these factors in play, suffice it to say that the American people need to simply ignore whatever Trump, their employers, or anyone else who urges them to prematurely end their period of social isolation may tell them and keep themselves and the rest of the population safe by staying away from other people until assured by bonafide medical experts that it is safe to do so.
Still, Trump’s apparent belief that he can order people to end their state and city imposed quarantines to magically resurrect the economy in time for Easter Sunday requires a level of faith in both his intelligence and his competence that he has not earned in any way, either during this health crisis or in the rest of his presidency preceding it.
And if Trump himself winds up catching the coronavirus that is already spreading through the nation’s capitol and infecting prominent politicians like Senator Rand Paul, you had better believe that not only will Trump be swearing that he was referring to Easter of 2021, but that his prayers for resurrection will be loud and plaintive.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-25--Sen. Cornyn tries to blame impeachment for Trump losing “precious weeks” of virus prep

As the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold at breakneck pace across the United States , the Republican efforts to exonerate the president of any wrongdoing hasn ’ t lost a step .
The president ’ s deliberate slow-walking of coronavirus testing and the administration ’ s criminal mismanagement of the coronavirus relief efforts have almost certainly contributed to the terrifying spread of the virus and speculation that the United States may become the epicenter of the global pandemic before long .
But Republicans are in firm denial of reality and entirely unwilling to take any responsibility , lest it hurt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this fall .
That much was made infuriatingly obvious this afternoon when Senator John Cornyn ( R-TX ) had the nerve to blame the President ’ s impeachment trial for the slow response to the coronavirus crisis .
Add your name to tell the Senate : Say NO to Trump ’ s $ 500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill !
If one recalls correctly , the president spent most of his impeachment trial watching television , tweeting angrily , and going to Mar-a-Lago for golf .
There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be listening to intelligence reports from China and making preparations for the pandemic — and even if he was busy penning his own legal defense or the next great American novel he would still be obligated to find some time to prepare for a deadly disease because he ’ s the goddamn president of the United States .
It ’ s beyond reprehensible to see members of the United States Senate stooping so low to excuse the negligence of President Trump , especially since literally thousands of people could die because of it @ @ @ @ @ @

As the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold at breakneck pace across the United States, the Republican efforts to exonerate the president of any wrongdoing hasn’t lost a step.
The president’s deliberate slow-walking of coronavirus testing and the administration’s criminal mismanagement of the coronavirus relief efforts have almost certainly contributed to the terrifying spread of the virus and speculation that the United States may become the epicenter of the global pandemic before long.
But Republicans are in firm denial of reality and entirely unwilling to take any responsibility, lest it hurt the president’s chances of re-election this fall. That much was made infuriatingly obvious this afternoon when Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) had the nerve to blame the President’s impeachment trial for the slow response to the coronavirus crisis.
He did lose "precious weeks" forced to defend himself against bogus impeachment charges. https://t.co/aG9r4iNgP8 — Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 24, 2020
Add your name to tell the Senate: Say NO to Trump’s $500 billion slush fund for corporations in the emergency relief bill!
If one recalls correctly, the president spent most of his impeachment trial watching television, tweeting angrily, and going to Mar-a-Lago for golf. There was plenty of time for the President to be listening to intelligence reports from China and making preparations for the pandemic — and even if he was busy penning his own legal defense or the next great American novel he would still be obligated to find some time to prepare for a deadly disease because he’s the goddamn president of the United States.
It’s beyond reprehensible to see members of the United States Senate stooping so low to excuse the negligence of President Trump, especially since literally thousands of people could die because of it.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts