occupydemocrats--2020-03-28--Kushner refuses to give tenants rent relief during pandemic, asks own creditors for forgiveness

The admonition to “ do as I say , not as I do ” is the very definition of hypocrisy and to the surprise of absolutely no one , it may as well be the motto of Donald Trump and his extended family .
That is a logical conclusion one can draw from the news that The Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold told MSNBC ’ s Joy Reid this morning in an appearance on her AM Joy program .
According to Fahrenthold , Jared Kushner — the scion of another major New York real estate family and Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his lucrative real estate empire to a much different standard than what he is seeking for his own family business during the economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis .
The revelation came as Reid was asking Fahrenthold about how the outbreak of the disease and its concomitant financial repercussions have affected Trump ’ s family .
“ [ Trump ’ s ] adult children , they seem to derive most of their income and , you know , you ’ re the expert on this , from his businesses , things with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ host said .
“ So in terms of their income , without these hotels , without these resorts and the money coming in from them and the foreign emoluments coming in , where do they get their money ?
” “ Well , the main source of income , if the hotels and restaurants are closed , is a couple office buildings that don ’ t even have their name on them , one in New York , one in San Francisco , ” Fahrenthold replied .
“ Those produce a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it for a while just because it ’ s so hard to get out of leases , ” the reporter said about the Trump organization .
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Joy Reid wasn ’ t done , however , and pressed The Washington Post journalist about Ivanka Trump ’ s husband and his businesses .
“ And let ’ s talk about Jared for a moment , ” Reid continued .
“ Rather than relax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some of his tenants are in tough positions , in Maryland and other places , that they are enforcing to the maximum that they want their money .
What about his income ?
A lot of it does come from being not the best landlord.
” “ I ’ m not the world ’ s expert on Jared Kushner , but I have read that , ” said Fahrenthold .
“ At the same time , the Kushner Company is asking for leniency from its lenders — there ’ s a retail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve read they ’ re having trouble making the payments on .
So they ’ re forcing others to make payments while trying to get out of it themselves.
” Hypocrisy thy name is Kushner , as well as Trump .
Hypocrisy has many aliases in Republican circles these days with GOP senators dumping their stocks on insider information about the seriousness of the then-upcoming pandemic while simultaneously reassuring their constituents that the disease was merely a Democratic hoax meant to harm the president politically .
The sudden national emergency can bring out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go out of tier way to help others — even with the simple act of following medical professionals ’ advice to remain isolated from others until the threat of overwhelming our hospitals with infected patients is over .
It can also bring out the worst in people as hoarders , profiteers , and Republican politicians and their families all so amply demonstrate .
Jared Kushner ’ s crying mercy , but he don ’ t know the meaning of the word ( apologies to Mose Allison . )

The admonition to “do as I say, not as I do” is the very definition of hypocrisy and to the surprise of absolutely no one, it may as well be the motto of Donald Trump and his extended family.
That is a logical conclusion one can draw from the news that The Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold told MSNBC’s Joy Reid this morning in an appearance on her AM Joy program.
According to Fahrenthold, Jared Kushner — the scion of another major New York real estate family and Trump’s son-in-law — is holding the tenants of his lucrative real estate empire to a much different standard than what he is seeking for his own family business during the economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis.
The revelation came as Reid was asking Fahrenthold about how the outbreak of the disease and its concomitant financial repercussions have affected Trump’s family.
“[Trump’s] adult children, they seem to derive most of their income and, you know, you’re the expert on this, from his businesses, things with his surname on them,” the MSNBC host said. “So in terms of their income, without these hotels, without these resorts and the money coming in from them and the foreign emoluments coming in, where do they get their money?” “Well, the main source of income, if the hotels and restaurants are closed, is a couple office buildings that don’t even have their name on them, one in New York, one in San Francisco,” Fahrenthold replied. “Those produce a lot of cash. It will continue to produce it for a while just because it’s so hard to get out of leases,” the reporter said about the Trump organization.
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Joy Reid wasn’t done, however, and pressed The Washington Post journalist about Ivanka Trump’s husband and his businesses.
“And let’s talk about Jared for a moment,” Reid continued. “Rather than relax the rent requirements for his tenants, and some of his tenants are in tough positions, in Maryland and other places, that they are enforcing to the maximum that they want their money. What about his income? A lot of it does come from being not the best landlord.” “I’m not the world’s expert on Jared Kushner, but I have read that,” said Fahrenthold. “At the same time, the Kushner Company is asking for leniency from its lenders — there’s a retail space in Times Square that I’ve read they’re having trouble making the payments on. So they’re forcing others to make payments while trying to get out of it themselves.”
Hypocrisy thy name is Kushner, as well as Trump.
Hypocrisy has many aliases in Republican circles these days with GOP senators dumping their stocks on insider information about the seriousness of the then-upcoming pandemic while simultaneously reassuring their constituents that the disease was merely a Democratic hoax meant to harm the president politically.
The sudden national emergency can bring out the best in many Americans as they go out of tier way to help others — even with the simple act of following medical professionals’ advice to remain isolated from others until the threat of overwhelming our hospitals with infected patients is over.
It can also bring out the worst in people as hoarders, profiteers, and Republican politicians and their families all so amply demonstrate.
Jared Kushner’s crying mercy, but he don’t know the meaning of the word (apologies to Mose Allison.)
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Original reporting by Matthew Chapman at RawStory.
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--2020-03-30--Trump interrupts virus press conference to state that his hair is real: “And it’s mine.”

Donald Trump still insists on holding regular press conferences about the coronavirus despite the fact that his muddled , misinformed rants accomplish nothing beyond reminding the American people how fundamentally incompetent their federal leadership is during one of the worst crises in modern history .
Since he first dismissed the coronavirus as a “ Democratic hoax ” Trump has failed to treat this growing pandemic with the seriousness it deserves and seems far more interested in assigning blame to political rivals than tackling the growing health crisis .
The man is habitually incapable of empathy so it should come as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens mean little to him beyond whatever effect they might have on his reelection prospects .
During today ’ s press appearance , our orange buffoon of a president stood in front of the podium , struggling to focus on his written remarks as the wind whipped his hair about .
Ultimately , he proved unable to stay on task .
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“ My hair is blowing around , ” Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watching in the hopes of learning more about their government ’ s plans for fighting the virus .
“ And it ’ s mine .
The one thing you can not get away with .
It is a problem if you are president , ” he added before awkwardly segueing right back into his prepared remarks .
On the long list of Trump ’ s myriad mistakes and bizarre behavior , this little moment obviously ranks towards the bottom in terms of egregiousness .
That said , it is a reminder that at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s supposed to be dealing with , Donald Trump is focused on himself .
Americans are dying and he ’ s busy worrying about how bad his sorry head of hair appears on television .
It might be funny if the situation weren ’ t so grave .

Donald Trump still insists on holding regular press conferences about the coronavirus despite the fact that his muddled, misinformed rants accomplish nothing beyond reminding the American people how fundamentally incompetent their federal leadership is during one of the worst crises in modern history.
Since he first dismissed the coronavirus as a “Democratic hoax” Trump has failed to treat this growing pandemic with the seriousness it deserves and seems far more interested in assigning blame to political rivals than tackling the growing health crisis. The man is habitually incapable of empathy so it should come as little surprise that the deaths of American citizens mean little to him beyond whatever effect they might have on his reelection prospects.
During today’s press appearance, our orange buffoon of a president stood in front of the podium, struggling to focus on his written remarks as the wind whipped his hair about. Ultimately, he proved unable to stay on task.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
“My hair is blowing around,” Trump said to the millions of Americans who were watching in the hopes of learning more about their government’s plans for fighting the virus. “And it’s mine. The one thing you cannot get away with. It is a problem if you are president,” he added before awkwardly segueing right back into his prepared remarks.
On the long list of Trump’s myriad mistakes and bizarre behavior, this little moment obviously ranks towards the bottom in terms of egregiousness. That said, it is a reminder that at all times, no matter what responsibilities he’s supposed to be dealing with, Donald Trump is focused on himself. Americans are dying and he’s busy worrying about how bad his sorry head of hair appears on television. It might be funny if the situation weren’t so grave.
“My hair is blowing around. And it is mine. The one thing you cannot get away with. It is a problem if you are president” — Trump pic.twitter.com/ZifUxnquYQ — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 30, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-30--Disgruntled workers at Amazon, Whole Foods, and Instacart strike over coronavirus risks

The balance of power between workers and their employers has consistently shifted to the large corporations ever since the Republican assault on labor unions began back in the Reagan era .
The result has been a predictable widening of the compensation gap between the lowest-paid staffers and senior management as fewer workers are represented by unions and collective bargaining power falls by the wayside .
The COVID-19 pandemic epidemic — despite leading to massive layoffs as businesses are forced to shutter amidst quarantine orders across the country — has actually shifted the balance of power towards those few workers still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they work in areas considered essential to the survival of everyone else sheltering in place , like medical personnel , first responders , delivery workers , gas station attendants , and supermarket stockers and cashiers .
Some of these workers now unexpectedly find themselves on the front lines of the nation ’ s response to the disease and are risking their own health — and that of the families that they return home to each night — to provide those essential services .
Many are growing highly uncomfortable with the perceived lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being exhibited by their employers on their behalf as their jobs become increasingly hazardous as the virus spreads rapidly through their communities .
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That discomfort exploded into job actions today as gig workers at Instacart walked off their jobs of shopping for and delivering groceries for homebound customers while non-unionized workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island , New York staged their own walkout both demanding more paid sick leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protective gear be provided to them by their companies .
Both companies are advertising to hire tens of thousands of new workers to meet the sudden rapid expansion of demand for goods to be delivered to customers who no longer are able to go to stores themselves as they isolate at home , but the protests by current workers show that the rule of supply and demand is a two-way street and that the wealthy corporations may find it difficult to find people willing to risk their lives for a pittance .
Workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly chanted the number of workers at their facility who had already been infected with the coronavirus as they left their stations at lunchtime .
“ How many cases we got ?
Ten !
” the fulfillment center employees shouted .
“ We are working long , crowded shifts in the epicenter of a global pandemic , and Amazon has failed to provide us with the most basic safeguards to protect us , our families , and the public ’ s health , ” according to Rina Cummings , an Amazon worker at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement released by Athena , described by USA Today as “ a coalition of groups that represent Amazon workers and others concerned about the company ’ s influence.
” “ We are walking out to protest the impossible choice of coming to work at a toxic workplace and possibly spreading the virus or going unpaid during an economic crisis , ” she said .
Whole Foods , another company owned by Amazon ’ s Jeff Bezos , the world ’ s richest man , is also facing a labor action scheduled for tomorrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack of protections being offered to employees during the pandemic .
The Whole Foods workers are reportedly planning a ‘ ” sick-out ” on Tuesday to demand paid leave , free coronavirus testing , and hazard pay that is twice their current wage after the company kept locations in New York , Chicago , Louisiana , and California open despite reported cases of coronavirus infections among employees in those stores .
While the companies all insist that they are doing everything they can to protect their employees , the employees themselves obviously don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done on their behalf by executives far from the frontlines .
Perhaps America will be able to look back at the coronavirus crisis one day and mark it as a turning point in the fight for workers ’ rights and for compensation commensurate with the value that they generate for their companies .
If that indeed happens , then at least the virus would have one positive result .
Original reporting by Julia Arciga at The Daily Beast , by Alina Selyukh and Shannon Bind at NPR , and by Mike Snyder at @ @ @

The balance of power between workers and their employers has consistently shifted to the large corporations ever since the Republican assault on labor unions began back in the Reagan era.
The result has been a predictable widening of the compensation gap between the lowest-paid staffers and senior management as fewer workers are represented by unions and collective bargaining power falls by the wayside.
The COVID-19 pandemic epidemic — despite leading to massive layoffs as businesses are forced to shutter amidst quarantine orders across the country — has actually shifted the balance of power towards those few workers still allowed to continue in their jobs because they work in areas considered essential to the survival of everyone else sheltering in place, like medical personnel, first responders, delivery workers, gas station attendants, and supermarket stockers and cashiers.
Some of these workers now unexpectedly find themselves on the front lines of the nation’s response to the disease and are risking their own health — and that of the families that they return home to each night — to provide those essential services.
Many are growing highly uncomfortable with the perceived lack of concern for their own health and safety being exhibited by their employers on their behalf as their jobs become increasingly hazardous as the virus spreads rapidly through their communities.
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors’ lives to save the stock market!
That discomfort exploded into job actions today as gig workers at Instacart walked off their jobs of shopping for and delivering groceries for homebound customers while non-unionized workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York staged their own walkout both demanding more paid sick leave, hazard pay, and that basic protective gear be provided to them by their companies.
Both companies are advertising to hire tens of thousands of new workers to meet the sudden rapid expansion of demand for goods to be delivered to customers who no longer are able to go to stores themselves as they isolate at home, but the protests by current workers show that the rule of supply and demand is a two-way street and that the wealthy corporations may find it difficult to find people willing to risk their lives for a pittance.
Workers at the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island reportedly chanted the number of workers at their facility who had already been infected with the coronavirus as they left their stations at lunchtime.
“How many cases we got? Ten!” the fulfillment center employees shouted. “We are working long, crowded shifts in the epicenter of a global pandemic, and Amazon has failed to provide us with the most basic safeguards to protect us, our families, and the public’s health,” according to Rina Cummings, an Amazon worker at the facility, as quoted in a statement released by Athena, described by USA Today as “a coalition of groups that represent Amazon workers and others concerned about the company’s influence.” “We are walking out to protest the impossible choice of coming to work at a toxic workplace and possibly spreading the virus or going unpaid during an economic crisis,” she said.
Whole Foods, another company owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, is also facing a labor action scheduled for tomorrow by its non-union workforce concerned over the lack of protections being offered to employees during the pandemic.
The Whole Foods workers are reportedly planning a ‘”sick-out” on Tuesday to demand paid leave, free coronavirus testing, and hazard pay that is twice their current wage after the company kept locations in New York, Chicago, Louisiana, and California open despite reported cases of coronavirus infections among employees in those stores.
“COVID-19 is a very real threat to the safety of our workforce and customers,” a statement from Whole Worker, the organizers of the strike, said. “We cannot wait for politicians, institutions, or our own management to step in to protect us.”
While the companies all insist that they are doing everything they can to protect their employees, the employees themselves obviously don’t believe that enough is being done on their behalf by executives far from the frontlines.
Perhaps America will be able to look back at the coronavirus crisis one day and mark it as a turning point in the fight for workers’ rights and for compensation commensurate with the value that they generate for their companies. If that indeed happens, then at least the virus would have one positive result.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Julia Arciga at The Daily Beast, by Alina Selyukh and Shannon Bind at NPR, and by Mike Snyder at USA Today.
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--2020-03-30--Ivanka hammered by social media for her patronizing videos about coronavirus

By failing to adequately prepare for the coronavirus pandemic and dismissing it as a “ Democratic hoax ” at first , President Trump has condemned an unknown number of Americans to death .
Precious time that should have been spent educating the public and expanding the nation ’ s healthcare infrastructure to handle the massive spike in patents was instead squandered by a White House fixated on petty partisan messaging and blame-shifting .
Frankly , the country would be far better off if Trump simply retreated from the cameras and allowed medical experts to address the country .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press conferences full of misinformation but his clueless children also apparently feel the need to weigh in with their inexpert opinions .
Buoyed to an inflated sense of self-importance by a lifetime of nepotistic privilege , Ivanka Trump took to Twitter last night to share videos of herself discussing the pandemic with her trademark glibness .
She reeled off a series of rote , disingenuous comments about American solidarity and strength during these trying times .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point , there is no reason to believe that this woman cares one whit for the American people or their struggles .
If she did , she would disavow her father , the man who—in addition to inflicting unimaginable damage on our democracy since his inauguration—is responsible for letting this health crisis spiral out of control .
While she pretends to care about the suffering of average Americans , her slumlord husband Jared Kusner has refused to give tenants rent relief even as unemployment skyrockets and people find themselves unable to pay for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always the case with Ivanka , these videos are nothing more than performative signaling designed to obscure the fact that she and her family are bleeding the American people dry and steering our Republic deeper into disaster .
Twitter quickly and brutally unloaded on Ivanka for her inane remarks .

By failing to adequately prepare for the coronavirus pandemic and dismissing it as a “Democratic hoax” at first, President Trump has condemned an unknown number of Americans to death. Precious time that should have been spent educating the public and expanding the nation’s healthcare infrastructure to handle the massive spike in patents was instead squandered by a White House fixated on petty partisan messaging and blame-shifting.
Frankly, the country would be far better off if Trump simply retreated from the cameras and allowed medical experts to address the country. Instead, not only is the president giving frequent press conferences full of misinformation but his clueless children also apparently feel the need to weigh in with their inexpert opinions.
Buoyed to an inflated sense of self-importance by a lifetime of nepotistic privilege, Ivanka Trump took to Twitter last night to share videos of herself discussing the pandemic with her trademark glibness. She reeled off a series of rote, disingenuous comments about American solidarity and strength during these trying times.
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At this point, there is no reason to believe that this woman cares one whit for the American people or their struggles. If she did, she would disavow her father, the man who—in addition to inflicting unimaginable damage on our democracy since his inauguration—is responsible for letting this health crisis spiral out of control.
While she pretends to care about the suffering of average Americans, her slumlord husband Jared Kusner has refused to give tenants rent relief even as unemployment skyrockets and people find themselves unable to pay for basic necessities and bills. As is always the case with Ivanka, these videos are nothing more than performative signaling designed to obscure the fact that she and her family are bleeding the American people dry and steering our Republic deeper into disaster.
https://twitter.com/IvankaTrump/status/1244432019251175426?s=20
https://twitter.com/IvankaTrump/status/1244432192215941121?s=20
Twitter quickly and brutally unloaded on Ivanka for her inane remarks.
Your dad is criminally abusing his office by handing out lifesaving equipment in exchange for political favors. He lies to Americans. His incompetency is killing people and he doesn’t care. Your husband is a money-grubbing crook.https://t.co/6xs5OW2Pcu — Jamie Schler (@lifesafeast) March 30, 2020
Oh look, Nepotism Barbie is telling people that all of this will be just fine… while daddy withholds medical supplies from states that he doesn’t like, and causes unnecessary deaths. pic.twitter.com/TeVjjkxHYx — ClearingTheFog (Isolation Style) (@clearing_fog) March 30, 2020
Convince your father thus is NO HOAX..he is way behind the 8 ball! Furious — Debbie Aronson (@aronson183) March 30, 2020
Question: Will the Kushners do their part and be willing to grant extensions on apartment rents? Exactly what are you doing? No Ivanka, you are not having the toughest of times. It appears a nice big corporate bailout is coming your way. — Questalynne (@questalynne1) March 30, 2020
By "this will end and we will emerge stronger than ever before" you mean your corrupt father's Presidency right? — Paul Lidicul (@PaulLidicul) March 30, 2020
You know nothing about tough times. — Phill McUpp (@_Cloaked) March 30, 2020
But what about the ratings?
I have heard those are very important even when the front lines are scrambling for PPE and your daddy is accusing them of stealing them.
Did he do that for ratings or does he really believe it? Perhaps he is trying to deflect from his dismal response. — Andrea R MD (@AndreaR9Md) March 30, 2020
Love and compassion? Like Jared is showing to his tenants? #COVID19 — TalkingPointsForDemocrats (@AngelaBlueWave) March 30, 2020
Ivanka sounding even more vapid than before. Is that possible? — ⭐ Merrill – sheltering at home ⭐ (@MerrillLynched) March 30, 2020
3+ months ago, Trump was told what was coming & refused to act. Had he acted, we’d have 10’s of thousands more ventilators. No shortage of medical supplies, including masks. We’d have been informed, actions taken, tests sooner, slowing the spread. MANY WILL DIE BECAUSE OF TRUMP! — Jodie Moss (@JodieMoss76) March 30, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-31--Trump lashes out after CNN’s Jim Acosta directly confronts him for “downplaying” the virus

He ’ s never wrong and will accept no criticism of his behavior or decision-making in true symptoms of the extreme narcissism that is the very foundation of his psyche , as Donald Trump once again tussled with reporters asking him perfectly legitimate questions during his now-daily coronavirus press conferences .
Today , veteran CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta — a man who is definitely not on Trump ’ s Christmas gift list because of his refusal to deliver the fawning softball questions that the reporters from OAN or Fox News like to pitch at the president like trained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s crosshairs .
Acosta had the temerity to ask Trump what he would say to those who are upset with his weeks of downplaying the potential threat that the coronavirus posed to our country , directly quoting the president ’ s most egregious statements that actively ignored the danger that the entire nation would be facing at a time when early action against the pandemic could have helped flatten the curve and save lives .
Trump ’ s response was essentially that everything he said was true , that he was doing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN were both nasty and snarky for asking such a question .
Take a look at the exchange in the excerpt below : Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
Trump also had a field day once again attacking a frequent recent target , NPR ’ s Yamiche Alcindor , insulting her perfectly reasonable question as also “ snarky ” and spouting off wildly erroneous numbers about the population of Seoul , South Korea .
With Trump still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection campaign opportunities and WWE grudge matches rather than the serious informative sessions that could actually be helpful to the American people , his failure as a leader during this crisis becomes so obvious that one must marvel at the lowered standards of acceptable presidential behavior that his followers seem to be willing to accept even in the toughest times the country has faced in decades .
Those who still rate the president ’ s performance during the COVID-19 outbreak positively are getting exactly the president they deserve .
Unfortunately , the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the population just as in the 2016 election results — are forced to suffer and even die because of Trump ’ s slug-like response to a crisis he was told about well in advance and failed to act upon , despite his denials to the contrary .
And those who dare to defy his revisionist history , his self-congratulatory performance reviews , and alternative facts by asking reality-based questions will continue to face his ridicule and his wrath .

He’s never wrong and will accept no criticism of his behavior or decision-making in true symptoms of the extreme narcissism that is the very foundation of his psyche, as Donald Trump once again tussled with reporters asking him perfectly legitimate questions during his now-daily coronavirus press conferences.
Today, veteran CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta — a man who is definitely not on Trump’s Christmas gift list because of his refusal to deliver the fawning softball questions that the reporters from OAN or Fox News like to pitch at the president like trained seals — was in the president’s crosshairs.
Acosta had the temerity to ask Trump what he would say to those who are upset with his weeks of downplaying the potential threat that the coronavirus posed to our country, directly quoting the president’s most egregious statements that actively ignored the danger that the entire nation would be facing at a time when early action against the pandemic could have helped flatten the curve and save lives.
Trump’s response was essentially that everything he said was true, that he was doing a fantastic job, and that Acosta and CNN were both nasty and snarky for asking such a question.
Take a look at the exchange in the excerpt below:
Trump explains that he accused nurses and New York officials of misappropriating masks because he was told that was happening by an unnamed "tremendous power in the business" pic.twitter.com/9ANcq2AfCz — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 30, 2020
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Trump also had a field day once again attacking a frequent recent target, NPR’s Yamiche Alcindor, insulting her perfectly reasonable question as also “snarky” and spouting off wildly erroneous numbers about the population of Seoul, South Korea.
Here's Trump lecturing Yamiche that "38 million people" live in Seoul, South Korea. The actual population of Seoul is 9.8 million. pic.twitter.com/Lu1jY3sJ9J — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 30, 2020
With Trump still treating his press conferences as crosses between reelection campaign opportunities and WWE grudge matches rather than the serious informative sessions that could actually be helpful to the American people, his failure as a leader during this crisis becomes so obvious that one must marvel at the lowered standards of acceptable presidential behavior that his followers seem to be willing to accept even in the toughest times the country has faced in decades.
Those who still rate the president’s performance during the COVID-19 outbreak positively are getting exactly the president they deserve. Unfortunately, the rest of us — who remain the majority of the population just as in the 2016 election results — are forced to suffer and even die because of Trump’s slug-like response to a crisis he was told about well in advance and failed to act upon, despite his denials to the contrary.
And those who dare to defy his revisionist history, his self-congratulatory performance reviews, and alternative facts by asking reality-based questions will continue to face his ridicule and his wrath.
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Original reporting by Aaron Rupar at Vox.
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--2020-03-31--Trump refuses to reopen Obamacare enrollment despite pandemic gripping the nation

If there could be any silver lining in the current coronavirus pandemic , it would have to be the ability of the crisis to change the minds of those Americans who fail to see the need for guaranteed universal healthcare for every American — the type of affordable care provided by every other major industrialized nation .
Yet , despite the flaws in a healthcare system that relies on employers to provide health insurance for a majority of Americans — at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs and economists are predicting unemployment may reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even during the Great Depression of the 1930s — the Trump administration not only continues to try to undermine Obamacare by fighting to remove coverage of pre-existing conditions in court battles but has now decided to not move forward with the previously proposed reopening of enrollment in the program — a move that could have provided an affordable backstop for those uninsured Americans .
Typically , enrollment in the insurance programs established by the Affordable Care Act is limited to a short period at the end of the year , but last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopening enrollment by relaunching Healthcare.gov for a special enrollment period .
According to Politico , however , a White House official said last night that the administration had decided against doing so and was now “ exploring other options.
” Exactly what those other options may be remains to be seen .
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In the meantime , while Trump and his Justice Department continue to try to further undermine the Affordable Care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to live in a state with a Democratic majority in their state government are likely to be able to enroll in Obamacare through state insurance markets that have been reopened due to the magnitude of the coronavirus crisis .
Also , those who have lost their health insurance along with their employment will be eligible for a special Affordable Care Act enrollment period for a limited period after their job loss due to protections built into the original legislation .
One can only hope that even those moderate Democrats — and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had reservations about Medicare-for-All in the past will now understand that union-negotiated healthcare plans don ’ t help anyone once their jobs disappear and that a national universal healthcare plan is absolutely necessary and needs to be implemented as soon as possible .

If there could be any silver lining in the current coronavirus pandemic, it would have to be the ability of the crisis to change the minds of those Americans who fail to see the need for guaranteed universal healthcare for every American — the type of affordable care provided by every other major industrialized nation.
Yet, despite the flaws in a healthcare system that relies on employers to provide health insurance for a majority of Americans — at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs and economists are predicting unemployment may reach 32.1% — a level higher than even during the Great Depression of the 1930s — the Trump administration not only continues to try to undermine Obamacare by fighting to remove coverage of pre-existing conditions in court battles but has now decided to not move forward with the previously proposed reopening of enrollment in the program — a move that could have provided an affordable backstop for those uninsured Americans.
Typically, enrollment in the insurance programs established by the Affordable Care Act is limited to a short period at the end of the year, but last week the Trump administration floated the idea of reopening enrollment by relaunching Healthcare.gov for a special enrollment period.
According to Politico, however, a White House official said last night that the administration had decided against doing so and was now “exploring other options.”
Exactly what those other options may be remains to be seen.
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In the meantime, while Trump and his Justice Department continue to try to further undermine the Affordable Care Act in the courts, those fortunate enough to live in a state with a Democratic majority in their state government are likely to be able to enroll in Obamacare through state insurance markets that have been reopened due to the magnitude of the coronavirus crisis.
Also, those who have lost their health insurance along with their employment will be eligible for a special Affordable Care Act enrollment period for a limited period after their job loss due to protections built into the original legislation.
One can only hope that even those moderate Democrats — and even some open-minded Independents and Republicans — who had reservations about Medicare-for-All in the past will now understand that union-negotiated healthcare plans don’t help anyone once their jobs disappear and that a national universal healthcare plan is absolutely necessary and needs to be implemented as soon as possible.
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Original reporting by Susannah Luthi at Politico.
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--2020-03-31--Trump launches bizarre Twitter attack on “politically correct Automobile Companies”

Amidst all of the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the White House ’ s subsequent botching of the federal health response , it can be easy to lose sight of all the unrelated ways in which the Trump administration is actively hurting this country .
There is a long road ahead to get through this deadly outbreak , and once we emerge on the other side there will be a slew of serious issues to tackle immediately , from fixing our healthcare system to combatting climate change .
Thanks to Trump , the latter challenge is getting harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House has officially finished repealing regulations from the Obama years that were designed to lower automobile emissions .
While the current government argues it will make cars cheaper for consumers , the move will make our air dirtier , contribute to global warming , and according to the EPA ’ s advisory board may not even save Americans money in the long run as they end up paying more for gasoline .
Add your name to reject Trump & Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a classic Republican move : prioritize profits over everything else , including the health of Americans and the fate of the planet itself .
The president himself , desperate for a win as more and more of the country realizes how incapable he is of handling the COVID-19 crisis , is trying to tout this regressive repeal as a victory .
Trump took to Twitter to brag about the weakened emission standards , incorrectly claiming that it will actually make cars more “ environmentally friendly ” when in fact it does the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with another tweet slamming the “ failed Obama Emissions Rule , ” without articulating what about the rule he thinks was a failure .
As is so often the case , Trump ’ s bird-brained ideology boils down to Obama=Bad .
The president finished up with a tweet slamming the “ politically correct Automobile Companies , ” because apparently adhering to rules that prevent toxic substances from polluting our lungs and warming our planet is now “ political correctness.
” The absurdity of the tweet shows once again that so many conservative talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up their true kleptocratic motives .
This has nothing to do with fighting “ political correctness , ” it has to do with the GOP dismantling necessary regulations for the sake of profits .
Donald Trump is making the world a worse place in near incalculable ways and if we don ’ t vote him out in November it may never recover .

Amidst all of the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the White House’s subsequent botching of the federal health response, it can be easy to lose sight of all the unrelated ways in which the Trump administration is actively hurting this country.
There is a long road ahead to get through this deadly outbreak, and once we emerge on the other side there will be a slew of serious issues to tackle immediately, from fixing our healthcare system to combatting climate change. Thanks to Trump, the latter challenge is getting harder by the day.
The Trump White House has officially finished repealing regulations from the Obama years that were designed to lower automobile emissions. While the current government argues it will make cars cheaper for consumers, the move will make our air dirtier, contribute to global warming, and according to the EPA’s advisory board may not even save Americans money in the long run as they end up paying more for gasoline.
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Quite simply put, it’s a classic Republican move: prioritize profits over everything else, including the health of Americans and the fate of the planet itself. The president himself, desperate for a win as more and more of the country realizes how incapable he is of handling the COVID-19 crisis, is trying to tout this regressive repeal as a victory.
Trump took to Twitter to brag about the weakened emission standards, incorrectly claiming that it will actually make cars more “environmentally friendly” when in fact it does the exact opposite. He followed it up with another tweet slamming the “failed Obama Emissions Rule,” without articulating what about the rule he thinks was a failure. As is so often the case, Trump’s bird-brained ideology boils down to Obama=Bad.
The president finished up with a tweet slamming the “politically correct Automobile Companies,” because apparently adhering to rules that prevent toxic substances from polluting our lungs and warming our planet is now “political correctness.”
The absurdity of the tweet shows once again that so many conservative talking points are merely smokescreens used to cover up their true kleptocratic motives. This has nothing to do with fighting “political correctness,” it has to do with the GOP dismantling necessary regulations for the sake of profits. Donald Trump is making the world a worse place in near incalculable ways and if we don’t vote him out in November it may never recover.
Great news! American families will now be able to buy safer, more affordable, and environmentally friendly cars with our new SAFE VEHICLES RULE. Get rid of those old, unsafe clunkers. Build better and safer American cars and create American jobs. Buy American! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2020
My Administration is helping U.S. auto workers by replacing the failed Obama Emissions Rule. Impossible to satisfy its Green New Deal Standard; Lots of unnecessary and expensive penalties to car buyers! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2020
My proposal to the politically correct Automobile Companies would lower the average price of a car to consumers by more than $3500, while at the same time making the cars substantially safer. Engines would run smoother. Positive impact on the environment! Foolish executives! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-31--McConnell blames impeachment for Trump’s failure to properly deal with virus crisis

Saying that politics is a dirty business is as obvious as saying water is wet or that fire is hot .
Still , it ’ s difficult to watch as Republicans try to make excuses for Donald Trump ’ s obvious massive failure to recognize the enormity of the threat that the coronavirus pandemic would pose to just about every facet of American life and to prepare and respond to it properly .
Even worse than the excuses for — and denials of — the president ’ s incompetence are the perverse attempts by top Republicans to try to blame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own failures , as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) tried to do today .
In an interview with right-wing radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt , McConnell attempted to excuse Trump ’ s ignorance and inaction at the very start of the global outbreak on Democrats because he believes that the president and his administration were distracted by the opposition party ’ s impeachment efforts .
Apparently , walking and chewing gum at the same time is no longer considered an essential requirement in the job description of the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counting on the listeners of Hewitt ’ s program not being savvy enough to check their calendars to verify the timeline of events of both the warnings about the coronavirus , then just beginning to become a major problem in China , and the horribly truncated , witnessless Senate impeachment “ trial.
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Luckily , countless social media political observers have access to both calendars and newsfeeds and can create memes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of the impeachment trial on February 5th fits into the coronavirus timeline .
Hmmm , seems like more than a month transpired between the end of the impeachment trial and the point where the president actually began to take the COVID-19 epidemic seriously — a month in which Trump continued to deny facts , spread misinformation and false assurances , and failed to do anything whatsoever to prepare the federal government for a crisis he was specifically warned of at the beginning of the year and simply ignored .
The viral meme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple political rallies that Trump managed to fit into his busy golf schedule during the first months of the year .
McConnell ’ s perpetration of putrid political talking points to try to shift blame away from Trump and onto the Democrats ignores one glaring fact : if he himself hadn ’ t fixed the trial to prevent the testimony of first-person fact witnesses to the president ’ s impeachable behavior and suppressed the document requests made by Democrats , America might have had a leader in charge now who wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crooked to help see his through this crisis .
Rather than blame the Democrats , McConnell has no one but himself to hold responsible for the sorry situation we now find ourselves enduring .
Original reporting by Felicia Sonmez at The Washington Post .

For more than three years, President Trump’s congressional enablers have been defending the indefensible, often with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leading the charge. Now it seems, in the midst of Republicans’ disastrous response to coronavirus, likely to cost tens of thousand of Americans their lives, McConnell has run out of defenses and has moved on to excuses — albeit pathetic ones.
In an interview Tuesday with right-wing radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, McConnell declined to deny Trump’s ignorance and inaction in response to the global outbreak, instead trying to pin the president’s failure on — you guessed it — Democrats.
“It came up while we were, you know, tied down in the impeachment trial,” McConnell told Hewitt. “And I think it diverted the attention of the government, because everything, every day was all about impeachment.”
In other words, the president could not focus on a deadly threat to millions of Americans because his attention was “diverted” to managing the PR strategy surrounding McConnell’s sham impeachment trial.
Nevertheless, it remains an astonishing turning point for McConnell to refuse to stand by the president’s actions no matter how ridiculous his excuse. One can presume that had Bill Clinton gotten 100,000 Americans killed during his impeachment, McConnell would not have taken the blame.
McConnell is counting on the listeners of Hewitt’s program not being savvy enough to check their calendars to verify the timeline of events of both the warnings about the coronavirus, then just beginning to become a major problem in China, and the horribly truncated, witnessless Senate impeachment “trial.”
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Luckily, countless social media political observers have access to both calendars and newsfeeds and can create memes like this one to show where the end of the impeachment trial on February 5th fits into the coronavirus timeline.
Hmmm, seems like more than a month transpired between the end of the impeachment trial and the point where the president actually began to take the COVID-19 epidemic seriously — a month in which Trump continued to deny facts, spread misinformation and false assurances, and failed to do anything whatsoever to prepare the federal government for a crisis he was specifically warned of at the beginning of the year and simply ignored.
The viral meme above doesn’t even list the multiple political rallies that Trump managed to fit into his busy golf schedule during the first months of the year.
Perhaps House Budget Chair John Yarmuth (D-KY), both McConnell’s representative and constituent, said it best when he pointed out that the Senator is at least acknowledging Trump’s failure:
But I guess finally admitting that the Trump administration blew the response is something. — Rep. John Yarmuth (@RepJohnYarmuth) April 1, 2020
McConnell’s perpetration of putrid political talking points to try to shift blame away from Trump and onto the Democrats ignores one glaring fact: if he himself hadn’t fixed the trial to prevent the testimony of first-person fact witnesses to the president’s impeachable behavior and suppressed the document requests made by Democrats, America might have had a leader in charge now who wasn’t dangerously unstable, dishonest, and self-interestedly crooked to help see his through this crisis.
Rather than blame the Democrats, McConnell has no one but himself to hold responsible for the sorry situation we now find ourselves enduring. And let’s not beat around the bush on what that means: both Trump and McConnell have the blood of thousands of Americans on their hands, and we can’t let anyone forget it this November.
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Original reporting by Felicia Sonmez at The Washington Post.
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--2020-03-31--Republican Governor publicly shoots down Trump’s virus testing claims: “just not true”

Coronavirus cases in the United States are skyrocketing and President Trump still refuses to be honest about the challenges facing the country .
Instead , he ’ s downplaying the risks posed by COVID-19 , lying about his administration ’ s early , incompetent handling of the pandemic , and wasting time heaping blame on everyone but himself .
On Monday , he spoke to several governors about the virus .
Governor Steve Bullock ( D-MT ) brought up issues his state has been having in acquiring the adequate testing equipment they need to even get a sense of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response , Trump acted as if there is no shortage and claimed that he hadn ’ t heard reports about testing being a problem .
CBS released the audio of the interaction .
The reality ( which Trump is almost certainly aware of and choosing to deny ) is that the United States has been lagging behind on testing since the outbreak began .
The botched rollout and scaling up of the testing operations were hampered in no small part by the president ’ s constant desire to spread misinformation and insist that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary , presumably because he wants to project an inaccurate , rosy version of events to help his reelection prospects .
Trump ’ s handling of the situation has been so egregious that even Republican officials are starting to refute him .
Governor Larry Hogan ( R-MD ) bluntly contracted the president ’ s claim that testing hasn ’ t been a problem .
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“ Yeah , that ’ s just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s aforementioned Monday phone call remarks .
“ I mean , I know that they ’ ve taken some steps to create new tests , but they ’ re not actually produced and distributed out to the states , ” Hogan went on in his new interview with NPR .
“ So it ’ s an aspirational thing and they ’ ve got some new things in the works , but they ’ re not actually out on the streets and no state has enough testing , ” Hogan added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials find themselves in a dire predicament .
They don ’ t want to alienate Trump ’ s base which now runs the GOP , but at the same time the president is actively endangering the people they were elected to serve and protect .
These officials now find themselves walking a tightrope between effectively fighting the virus by pushing back again Trump ’ s constant stream of misinformation and conducting themselves in such a way that he doesn ’ t turn his full frothing ire on them .
Lost in all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unified leadership .
Trump is failing us all .
A Republican Governor on Trump 's claim yesterday that coronavirus testing is no longer a problem : `` That 's just not true … no state has enough testing '' https : //t.co/Mj4iAMcALJ Join millions calling for AG Barr to resign after he defied his constitutional obligations in order to protect Trump !

Coronavirus cases in the United States are skyrocketing and President Trump still refuses to be honest about the challenges facing the country. Instead, he’s downplaying the risks posed by COVID-19, lying about his administration’s early, incompetent handling of the pandemic, and wasting time heaping blame on everyone but himself.
On Monday, he spoke to several governors about the virus. Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT) brought up issues his state has been having in acquiring the adequate testing equipment they need to even get a sense of how bad the crisis has become. In response, Trump acted as if there is no shortage and claimed that he hadn’t heard reports about testing being a problem. CBS released the audio of the interaction.
CBS News obtained audio of a call Monday between Pres. Trump and rural state governors about coronavirus. After Montana Gov. Steve Bullock discusses difficulty getting testing equipment, Trump says, "I haven't heard anything about testing being a problem" https://t.co/ScO2YbKZAq pic.twitter.com/YhFPpw7Gni — CBS News (@CBSNews) March 30, 2020
The reality (which Trump is almost certainly aware of and choosing to deny) is that the United States has been lagging behind on testing since the outbreak began. The botched rollout and scaling up of the testing operations were hampered in no small part by the president’s constant desire to spread misinformation and insist that fewer tests are needed than is actually necessary, presumably because he wants to project an inaccurate, rosy version of events to help his reelection prospects.
Trump’s handling of the situation has been so egregious that even Republican officials are starting to refute him. Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) bluntly contracted the president’s claim that testing hasn’t been a problem.
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“Yeah, that’s just not true,” Hogan said of Trump’s aforementioned Monday phone call remarks. “I mean, I know that they’ve taken some steps to create new tests, but they’re not actually produced and distributed out to the states,” Hogan went on in his new interview with NPR.
“So it’s an aspirational thing and they’ve got some new things in the works, but they’re not actually out on the streets and no state has enough testing,” Hogan added. It’s apparent now that Republican officials find themselves in a dire predicament. They don’t want to alienate Trump’s base which now runs the GOP, but at the same time the president is actively endangering the people they were elected to serve and protect. These officials now find themselves walking a tightrope between effectively fighting the virus by pushing back again Trump’s constant stream of misinformation and conducting themselves in such a way that he doesn’t turn his full frothing ire on them. Lost in all of this are the Americans who need competent, unified leadership. Trump is failing us all. A Republican Governor on Trump's claim yesterday that coronavirus testing is no longer a problem: "That's just not true … no state has enough testing"https://t.co/Mj4iAMcALJ — Michael Gwin (@MichaelJGwin) March 31, 2020
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-03-31--Trump mocks Pelosi’s praying and trashes “psycho” Morning Joe in bizarre tweet

Donald Trump mentioned her in a tweet this morning and almost wound up complimenting her .
Of course , what passes for near-praise in the president ’ s hands was surrounded by heinous insults towards both top Democrat and the co-host of the MSNBC program that Pelosi was appearing on , Joe Scarborough .
The president — who seems more concerned with television ratings than the potential deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans from the coronavirus — started with an attack on Morning Joe himself , denigrating the ratings of his show and replacing Scarborough ’ s first name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own personality , “ Psycho.
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Again betraying his predilection for spending his time watching cable news coverage of his administration rather than attending to the myriad of crucial issues facing our nation during this pandemic that he is bungling , Trump also admits that his motivation for changing the channel from his usual diet of Fox and Friends was to confirm his own biases against the Democratic Speaker of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would propose would be harmful to America .
It was a typical form of psychological projection from a president who is unable himself to take a single action that doesn ’ t “ further hurt our Country ” in one way or another , either intentionally — such as his order today to roll back emission standards for automakers and thus eliminate policies designed to fight climate change — or unintentionally — as his inaction and failure to quickly respond to the COVID-19 virus resulted in a more rapid spread and more deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mitigated .
Even when Trump tries to say something less than absolutely vile about Speaker Pelosi , he has to frame it with a preface noting her accurate assessment of his own sociopathic behavior before offering up a grudging “ not bad ” judgment of her overall appearance on Morning Joe .
Still , finding it impossible to end his tweet with even a half-positive statement , Trump goes on to mock Speaker Pelosi ’ s religiosity by mocking her comments that she prays for the president .
The American people deserve a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and tweet snarky comments about his political opponents instead of one who indulges in self-fulfilling prophesy about the uselessness of a federal government that his mismanagement has rendered unable to properly react to the largest crisis our society has faced in most of our lifetimes .
Then again , until we get another chance to boot him from office , perhaps we ’ re better off if he just sits in front of the TV and tweets rather than do anything else that would actively screw the country further .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should be worried.
Donald Trump mentioned her in a tweet this morning and almost wound up complimenting her.
Of course, what passes for near-praise in the president’s hands was surrounded by heinous insults towards both the top Democrat and the co-host of the MSNBC program that Pelosi was appearing on, Joe Scarborough.
The president — who seems more concerned with television ratings than the potential deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans from the coronavirus — started with an attack on Morning Joe himself, denigrating the ratings of his show and replacing Scarborough’s first name with an adjective more aptly descriptive of his own personality, “Psycho.”
I watched a portion of low rated (very) Morning Psycho (Joe) this Morning in order to see what Nancy Pelosi had to say, & what moves she was planning to further hurt our Country. Actually, other than her usual complaining that I’m a terrible person, she wasn’t bad. Still praying! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 31, 2020
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Again betraying his predilection for spending his time watching cable news coverage of his administration rather than attending to the myriad of crucial issues facing our nation during this pandemic that he is bungling, Trump also admits that his motivation for changing the channel from his usual diet of Fox and Friends was to confirm his own biases against the Democratic Speaker of the House, implying that anything she would propose would be harmful to America.
It was a typical form of psychological projection from a president who is unable himself to take a single action that doesn’t “further hurt our Country” in one way or another, either intentionally — such as his order today to roll back emission standards for automakers and thus eliminate policies designed to fight climate change — or unintentionally — as his inaction and failure to quickly respond to the COVID-19 virus resulted in a more rapid spread and more deaths than could have been at least partially mitigated.
Even when Trump tries to say something less than absolutely vile about Speaker Pelosi, he has to frame it with a preface noting her accurate assessment of his own sociopathic behavior before offering up a grudging “not bad” judgment of her overall appearance on Morning Joe.
Still, finding it impossible to end his tweet with even a half-positive statement, Trump goes on to mock Speaker Pelosi’s religiosity by mocking her comments that she prays for the president.
The American people deserve a president who does more than watch TV and tweet snarky comments about his political opponents instead of one who indulges in self-fulfilling prophesy about the uselessness of a federal government that his mismanagement has rendered unable to properly react to the largest crisis our society has faced in most of our lifetimes.
Then again, until we get another chance to boot him from office, perhaps we’re better off if he just sits in front of the TV and tweets rather than do anything else that would actively screw the country further.
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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--2020-04-01--AOC goes all in against Trump for neglecting millions without income: “the real April Fool’s joke”

While Donald Trump is busy patting himself on the back for his “ 10 out of 10 ” response to the coronavirus pandemic that is ravaging its way across the country , one might wistfully wish that all of the sudden pandemic-inspired disruptions of what used to pass for everyday life was a big April Fool ’ s joke being played out on a massive scale .
The harsh reality of the effects of the still-spreading coronavirus on the lives of millions of Americans who have lost their jobs — in a society where they are normally living from paycheck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who are sheltering in place with no idea of how they will be able to pay for rent or mortgages , food , and other basic necessities of life .
As for Donald Trump , he reportedly only came to the realization of the seriousness of the pandemic ’ s impact when a personal friend of his — who happens to be another New York real estate mogul in his 70s — lapsed into a coma due to infection with COVID-19 .
It took the president envisioning someone much like himself being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital to stop the talk of reopening the country for business by Easter and start treating the pandemic with the urgency that it deserved two to three months ago .
As a former bartender , Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) is likely much more in tune with her middle- and working-class constituents than with any wealthy real estate developers , so her own response to the economic catastrophe that has accompanied the medical toll of the coronavirus outbreak had her envisioning the plight of the recently jobless who are now struggling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a living as only businesses deemed essential remain open .
The progressive representative took note of today ’ s date when she tweeted out a demand to her fellow legislators to immediately start working on a relief plan that would bail out America ’ s citizens first , instead of focusing on the bailout of foreign-flagged cruise lines and other corporate interests — bailouts that primarily benefit the billionaire owners of the corporations with no guarantee that those benefits would trickle down to restore the livelihoods of laid-off workers .
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Ocasio-Cortez ’ s tweet hammered home her implicit criticism of the scant attention paid to the plight of the majority of Americans at the bottom of the pecking order by Trump and his Republican cronies .
These are the people who bristled at giving $ 1200 checks as a one-time payment to people who hadn ’ t worked for it , despite the fact that such a small sum — $ 17 per day for the 10 weeks that Treasury Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — wouldn ’ t even cover a single months rent in many of the nation ’ s largest and most hard-hit cities , much less food and healthcare .
When Trump and the GOP say “ Wait and see ” what will happen before they even think about dreaming up solutions to the economic plight of millions of Americans , it essentially demonstrates their lack of understanding of — or lack of caring about— the urgency of the situations of those laid-off workers and their families .
Ocasio-Cortez ’ s demand that Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and requires the strong and fervent support of all of her Democratic colleagues in the House .
Someone has to fight for the average American , and you can be sure that it won ’ t be the Republicans .

While Donald Trump is busy patting himself on the back for his “10 out of 10” response to the coronavirus pandemic that is ravaging its way across the country, one might wistfully wish that all of the sudden pandemic-inspired disruptions of what used to pass for everyday life was a big April Fool’s joke being played out on a massive scale.
If only.
The harsh reality of the effects of the still-spreading coronavirus on the lives of millions of Americans who have lost their jobs — in a society where they are normally living from paycheck to paycheck — is quite evident to those who are sheltering in place with no idea of how they will be able to pay for rent or mortgages, food, and other basic necessities of life.
As for Donald Trump, he reportedly only came to the realization of the seriousness of the pandemic’s impact when a personal friend of his — who happens to be another New York real estate mogul in his 70s — lapsed into a coma due to infection with COVID-19.
It took the president envisioning someone much like himself being intubated in a major New York City hospital to stop the talk of reopening the country for business by Easter and start treating the pandemic with the urgency that it deserved two to three months ago.
As a former bartender, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is likely much more in tune with her middle- and working-class constituents than with any wealthy real estate developers, so her own response to the economic catastrophe that has accompanied the medical toll of the coronavirus outbreak had her envisioning the plight of the recently jobless who are now struggling to survive with no safe way to earn a living as only businesses deemed essential remain open.
The progressive representative took note of today’s date when she tweeted out a demand to her fellow legislators to immediately start working on a relief plan that would bail out America’s citizens first, instead of focusing on the bailout of foreign-flagged cruise lines and other corporate interests — bailouts that primarily benefit the billionaire owners of the corporations with no guarantee that those benefits would trickle down to restore the livelihoods of laid-off workers.
The real April Fool’s joke is on everyone expecting the millions of people who just lost their incomes to pay full rent, mortgages,& major bills *TODAY* w/ few actual policies in place to help them do so. “Wait and see” is not a plan. We need payment & housing relief policies. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 1, 2020
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Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet hammered home her implicit criticism of the scant attention paid to the plight of the majority of Americans at the bottom of the pecking order by Trump and his Republican cronies.
These are the people who bristled at giving $1200 checks as a one-time payment to people who hadn’t worked for it, despite the fact that such a small sum — $17 per day for the 10 weeks that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin expects that sum to last — wouldn’t even cover a single months rent in many of the nation’s largest and most hard-hit cities, much less food and healthcare.
When Trump and the GOP say “Wait and see” what will happen before they even think about dreaming up solutions to the economic plight of millions of Americans, it essentially demonstrates their lack of understanding of — or lack of caring about— the urgency of the situations of those laid-off workers and their families.
Ocasio-Cortez’s demand that Congress immediately address these issues is spot on and requires the strong and fervent support of all of her Democratic colleagues in the House. Someone has to fight for the average American, and you can be sure that it won’t be the Republicans.
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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--2020-04-01--New report shows Pentagon warned Trump we were unprepared for pandemic in 2017

The federal mismanaging of the coronavirus response is destined to define Donald Trump ’ s ignominious legacy .
The potent mix of cruelty , dishonesty , and idiocy that the president has brought to this crisis distills the worst of what we ’ ve seen from him over the past few years into something tragic on a truly historic scale .
It is now clear beyond any reasonable doubt that electing Donald Trump to the presidency in 2016 ultimately resulted in , at the very least , thousands of unnecessary American deaths .
Had we elected Hillary Clinton this pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country , but we would have been adequately prepared and we wouldn ’ t have had to listen to the president dismiss the outbreak as a “ hoax ” fabricated by her political rivals .
The more we learn about this administration ’ s handling of the virus , the worse it looks .
A new report from The Nation reveals that the Department of Defense told the White House in 2017 that the country needed to acquire more ventilators and medical personal protective equipment in case of a viral outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the information .
The rejected plan was eventually passed along to The Nation by an anonymous Pentagon official .
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The Pentagon documents outlining the 2017 concerns provides an eerily prescient assessment : “ The most likely and significant threat [ enemy ] is a novel respiratory disease , particularly a novel influenza disease.
” They go on to mention “ coronavirus infections ” as a specific area of concern .
Obviously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediate action should have been taken in response to their well-founded and researched findings .
Perhaps most damningly , the DOD plan also predicted that there would be shortages of necessary supplies .
“ Competition for , and scarcity of resources will include…non-pharmaceutical MCM [ Medical Countermeasures ] ( e.g.
, ventilators , devices , personal protective equipment such as face masks and gloves ) , medical equipment , and logistical support .
This will have a significant impact on the availability of the global workforce , ” it states .
As we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the lack of these much-needed supplies has rapidly escalated the severity of this outbreak .
People are dying because medical professionals lack the resources to properly help them .
Had President Trump taken this issue seriously three years ago we would have found ourselves in a much better position to provide healthcare to those in need .
Once again , we see this president ’ s staggering incompetence directly affecting the lives of the American people in the worst ways imaginable .

The federal mismanaging of the coronavirus response is destined to define Donald Trump’s ignominious legacy. The potent mix of cruelty, dishonesty, and idiocy that the president has brought to this crisis distills the worst of what we’ve seen from him over the past few years into something tragic on a truly historic scale.
It is now clear beyond any reasonable doubt that electing Donald Trump to the presidency in 2016 ultimately resulted in, at the very least, thousands of unnecessary American deaths. Had we elected Hillary Clinton this pandemic would still be a herculean challenge for this country, but we would have been adequately prepared and we wouldn’t have had to listen to the president dismiss the outbreak as a “hoax” fabricated by her political rivals.
The more we learn about this administration’s handling of the virus, the worse it looks. A new report from The Nation reveals that the Department of Defense told the White House in 2017 that the country needed to acquire more ventilators and medical personal protective equipment in case of a viral outbreak. The administration declined to take action on the information. The rejected plan was eventually passed along to The Nation by an anonymous Pentagon official.
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The Pentagon documents outlining the 2017 concerns provides an eerily prescient assessment: “The most likely and significant threat [enemy] is a novel respiratory disease, particularly a novel influenza disease.”
They go on to mention “coronavirus infections” as a specific area of concern. Obviously, these Pentagon officials were correct and immediate action should have been taken in response to their well-founded and researched findings.
Perhaps most damningly, the DOD plan also predicted that there would be shortages of necessary supplies.
“Competition for, and scarcity of resources will include…non-pharmaceutical MCM [Medical Countermeasures] (e.g., ventilators, devices, personal protective equipment such as face masks and gloves), medical equipment, and logistical support. This will have a significant impact on the availability of the global workforce,” it states.
As we have seen over the past few weeks, the lack of these much-needed supplies has rapidly escalated the severity of this outbreak. People are dying because medical professionals lack the resources to properly help them.
Had President Trump taken this issue seriously three years ago we would have found ourselves in a much better position to provide healthcare to those in need. Once again, we see this president’s staggering incompetence directly affecting the lives of the American people in the worst ways imaginable.
In 2017 the military identified a novel influenza disease as "the most likely and significant threat" which it anticipated would lead to a shortage of ventilators, face masks and hospital beds, per Pentagon document leaked to me. They knew.https://t.co/4L6lTDvsLg pic.twitter.com/jW5jmYumMY — Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) April 1, 2020
Original reporting by Ken Klippenstein.
Staff Report This is a staff report from former Occupy Democrats Editor in Chief Colin Taylor or contributor Rob Haffney. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-04-01--Reporter says Kushner told Trump that New York didn’t need so many ventilators: “I’ve gotten smarter

Reporter says Kushner told Trump that New York didn’t need so many ventilators: “I’ve gotten smarter about this”

A constant subplot to any of the Trump administration ’ s constant ( and usually self-inflicted ) crises are the vicious personal feuds with other prominent members of the American political landscape that the President insists on waging , no matter how inappropriate or one-sided they might be .
The catastrophic damage done to the island of Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria , for instance , saw the president launch a weeks-long smear Twitter smear campaign against the Mayor of San Juan for daring to hold him accountable for his administration ’ s appallingly inadequate efforts to provide relief to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the coronavirus ravages the nation and infected cases skyrocket to above 200,000 , it appears that New York ’ s governor Andrew Cuomo is the latest target of the president ’ s wrath — and he ’ s being quietly egged on by his slender , stupid Rasputin with a monstrous disregard for the lives that will be lost because of it .
Vanity Fair reporter Gabriel Sherman ’ s astonishing and unparalleled access into the Trump ’ s closest circles has revealed that it was none other than the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who told Trump to “ push back ” against Governor Cuomo and said he was being “ alarmist ” after the governor ’ s statement that the state needed 30,000 more ventilators .
“ I have all this data about ICU capacity .
I ’ m doing my own projections , and I ’ ve gotten a lot smarter about this .
New York doesn ’ t need all the ventilators , ” bragged the notoriously uninformed and incompetent Kushner , whose past White House failures include an immediately rejected Israel-Palestinian peace plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FOX News host Hannity ’ s program and said that he didn ’ t believe that New York needed 30,000 or 40,000 ventilators .
As of Wednesday , the virus has infected 83,712 New Yorkers .
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Since then , Governor Cuomo has been very vocal about the difficulties that his state is facing in acquiring the medical equipment that they desperately need , while the President has continued to dismiss Cuomo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and accusing him of being ungrateful for what he ’ s been given so far .
Thousands of people ’ s lives are on the line while the president and his son-in-law continue to wage a selfish blame game with the governor of their home state over whose fault it is .
Sherman ’ s previous reporting has accused Kushner of whispering coronavirus conspiracy theories into the ear of a gullible president desperate for anything that will absolve him of responsibility for enabling a pandemic and wash his hands of the blood that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the kind of person the President is relying on for advice in a time of crisis , it ’ s no wonder the crisis has grown so drastic so quickly .

A constant subplot to any of the Trump administration’s constant (and usually self-inflicted) crises are the vicious personal feuds with other prominent members of the American political landscape that the President insists on waging, no matter how inappropriate or one-sided they might be.
The catastrophic damage done to the island of Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria, for instance, saw the president launch a weeks-long smear Twitter smear campaign against the Mayor of San Juan for daring to hold him accountable for his administration’s appallingly inadequate efforts to provide relief to our island colony and its U.S. citizens.
As the coronavirus ravages the nation and infected cases skyrocket to above 200,000, it appears that New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo is the latest target of the president’s wrath — and he’s being quietly egged on by his slender, stupid Rasputin with a monstrous disregard for the lives that will be lost because of it.
Vanity Fair reporter Gabriel Sherman’s astonishing and unparalleled access into the Trump’s closest circles has revealed that it was none other than the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who told Trump to “push back” against Governor Cuomo and said he was being “alarmist” after the governor’s statement that the state needed 30,000 more ventilators.
“I have all this data about ICU capacity. I’m doing my own projections, and I’ve gotten a lot smarter about this. New York doesn’t need all the ventilators,” bragged the notoriously uninformed and incompetent Kushner, whose past White House failures include an immediately rejected Israel-Palestinian peace plan.
President Trump then dutifully appeared on FOX News host Hannity’s program and said that he didn’t believe that New York needed 30,000 or 40,000 ventilators. As of Wednesday, the virus has infected 83,712 New Yorkers.
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Since then, Governor Cuomo has been very vocal about the difficulties that his state is facing in acquiring the medical equipment that they desperately need, while the President has continued to dismiss Cuomo’s requests as “complaining” and accusing him of being ungrateful for what he’s been given so far.
Reporter says Cuomo's criticism of ventilator-acquisition process, which Cuomo said involves states fighting other states. Trump: "He was complaining?" He adds, "He shouldn't be complaining because we gave him a lot of ventilators." "No matter what you give, it's never enough." — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 31, 2020
Thousands of people’s lives are on the line while the president and his son-in-law continue to wage a selfish blame game with the governor of their home state over whose fault it is. Sherman’s previous reporting has accused Kushner of whispering coronavirus conspiracy theories into the ear of a gullible president desperate for anything that will absolve him of responsibility for enabling a pandemic and wash his hands of the blood that already stains them.
If this is the kind of person the President is relying on for advice in a time of crisis, it’s no wonder the crisis has grown so drastic so quickly.
Original reporting by Gabriel Sherman at Vanity Fair.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-04-01--Pelosi: the GOP’s impeachment excuse is proof Trump can’t hack it, bungled virus response

Donald Trump has continued to politicize the coronavirus pandemic on a daily basis at his attention-grabbing press conferences — both by denying personal responsibility for his inaction and minimalization of the dangers of COVID-19 early in the course of the spread of the disease and by attacking any Democratic politician , from congressional legislators to state governors , who dare criticize his handling of the federal government ’ s response to the national health emergency .
Now , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has struck back at the president and his proxy in the GOP leadership — Senate Majority Leader Mitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview with CNN ‘ s Anderson Cooper .
Pelosi was responding to McConnell ’ s intelligence-insulting claims yesterday that the reason that Trump didn ’ t act more quickly to respond to the pandemic threat was on account of the president being distracted by the Democrats ’ impeachment efforts — efforts that McConnell himself torpedoed by refusing to allow the proffered testimony from former National Security Advisor John Bolton and others .
Speaker Pelosi told CNN that McConnell ’ s finger-pointing was not just an unjustified excuse for Trump ’ s failures , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those failures .
“ I think that ’ s an admission that perhaps the President and the majority leader can not handle the job , ” Pelosi told Cooper in the interview .
“ We have a life and death situation in our country and they should not try to hide behind an excuse for why they did not take action , but it does admit that they did not take action , ” Pelosi said , adding , “ Right now we have to work together to get the job done.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans ’ vile idea of sacrificing seniors ’ lives to save the stock market !
As the death toll from the pandemic mounts in this country after devastating China , Italy , Spain , and so many other countries around the world , Trump has desperately tried to back peddle on his early statements that minimized the risk of a virus that he erroneously compared to the ordinary flu .
As the president has finally recognized the danger to which the televised scenes of healthcare workers pleading for desperately need protective gear and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there are enough tests available for everyone who needs one may subject his reelection campaign , his tone and demeanor have changed markedly in the past few days .
He abandoned his calls to set Easter as the target date for reopening the country for business and for rescinding the advisory for people to stay in their homes and instead began pointing to the numbers — projections that that had been widely available for weeks — that predicted up to two million deaths in the U.S. if no mitigation efforts like social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was to be able to use them as a source of comparison to the actual death toll — now predicted to be between 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities — when the crisis winds down and he can then claim to have saved hundreds of thousands of lives with what he is already mischaracterizing as his quick action to prevent the spread of the disease .
Trump has also tentatively endorsed Senator McConnell ’ s idea that he was too distracted by his impeachment woes to pay attention to the looming crisis , all while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything wrong at all in a seemingly paradoxical position .
More than a little , if the record of his tweets during that period is any indication .
Still , any potential distractions didn ’ t lower Trump ’ s own estimate of his performance during the crisis .
In fact , that last statement is a powerful indictment in and of itself as to why Trump should immediately resign and hand the presidency to anyone else who can manage the crisis in a way that puts the health and safety of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even his sycophantic Vice President Mike Pence who can at least better pretend to have a bit of competence and empathy from time to time .
Speaker Pelosi ’ s statement puts the president ’ s and the senate majority leader ’ s excuses in the proper perspective as politically-motivated exercises in gaslighting the American public to divert blame for the federal government ’ s failures away from where it squarely belongs — at Trump ’ s leaden feet — and away from the people who would have removed the incompetent fool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have potentially avoided many of Trump ’ s multiple missteps during this unprecedented crisis .
You can watch a clip of Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi ’ s interview on CNN in the video below .

Donald Trump has continued to politicize the coronavirus pandemic on a daily basis at his attention-grabbing press conferences — both by denying personal responsibility for his inaction and minimalization of the dangers of COVID-19 early in the course of the spread of the disease and by attacking any Democratic politician, from congressional legislators to state governors, who dare criticize his handling of the federal government’s response to the national health emergency.
Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has struck back at the president and his proxy in the GOP leadership — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — during an interview with CNN‘s Anderson Cooper.
Pelosi was responding to McConnell’s intelligence-insulting claims yesterday that the reason that Trump didn’t act more quickly to respond to the pandemic threat was on account of the president being distracted by the Democrats’ impeachment efforts — efforts that McConnell himself torpedoed by refusing to allow the proffered testimony from former National Security Advisor John Bolton and others.
Speaker Pelosi told CNN that McConnell’s finger-pointing was not just an unjustified excuse for Trump’s failures, but was also a powerful admission of those failures.
“I think that’s an admission that perhaps the President and the majority leader cannot handle the job,” Pelosi told Cooper in the interview. “We have a life and death situation in our country and they should not try to hide behind an excuse for why they did not take action, but it does admit that they did not take action,” Pelosi said, adding, “Right now we have to work together to get the job done.”
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As the death toll from the pandemic mounts in this country after devastating China, Italy, Spain, and so many other countries around the world, Trump has desperately tried to back peddle on his early statements that minimized the risk of a virus that he erroneously compared to the ordinary flu.
As the president has finally recognized the danger to which the televised scenes of healthcare workers pleading for desperately needed protective gear and of even Republican governors contradicting his claims that there are enough tests available for everyone who needs one may subject his reelection campaign, his tone and demeanor have changed markedly in the past few days.
He abandoned his calls to set Easter as the target date for reopening the country for business and for rescinding the advisory for people to stay in their homes and instead began pointing to the numbers — projections that that had been widely available for weeks — that predicted up to two million deaths in the U.S. if no mitigation efforts like social distancing had been implemented.
Likely this was to be able to use them as a source of comparison to the actual death toll — now predicted to be between 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities — when the crisis winds down and he can then claim to have saved hundreds of thousands of lives with what he is already mischaracterizing as his quick action to prevent the spread of the disease.
Trump has also tentatively endorsed Senator McConnell’s idea that he was too distracted by his impeachment woes to pay attention to the looming crisis, all while refusing to actually admit that he did anything wrong at all in a seemingly paradoxical position.
“I think I handled it very well, but I guess it probably did (distract me),” Trump said at yesterday’s coronavirus press conference. “I mean, I got impeached. I think, you know, I certainly devoted a little time to thinking about it.”
More than a little, if the record of his tweets during that period is any indication.
Still, any potential distractions didn’t lower Trump’s own estimate of his performance during the crisis.
“Did it divert my attention? I think I’m getting A+’s for the way I handled myself during a phony impeachment, OK? … But certainly, I guess, I thought of it and I think I probably acted — I don’t think I would have done any better had I not been impeached, OK?”
Not OK.
In fact, that last statement is a powerful indictment in and of itself as to why Trump should immediately resign and hand the presidency to anyone else who can manage the crisis in a way that puts the health and safety of the American people above their own political interests, even his sycophantic Vice President Mike Pence who can at least better pretend to have a bit of competence and empathy from time to time.
Speaker Pelosi’s statement puts the president’s and the senate majority leader’s excuses in the proper perspective as politically-motivated exercises in gaslighting the American public to divert blame for the federal government’s failures away from where it squarely belongs — at Trump’s leaden feet — and away from the people who would have removed the incompetent fool from the White House in time to have potentially avoided many of Trump’s multiple missteps during this unprecedented crisis.
You can watch a clip of Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s interview on CNN in the video below.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Clare Foran at CNN.
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