hotair--2020-05-05--Airlines shocked to see people unwilling to fly

If you ’ ve happened to stop by an airport pretty much anywhere in the United States lately , you probably noticed something different .
Most of them look like ghost towns .
If you doubt it , go check out the webcams set up at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport .
If you ’ re looking at this in the middle of the morning on a Tuesday , you ’ d normally expect to see planes lined up awaiting permission to take off .
When I just checked the tarmac was basically empty .
It ’ s the same at most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And this has had a drastic impact on the major airlines ’ bottom line , as you might well imagine .
CBS Los Angeles interviewed aviation journalist Brian Sumers , who says that the airlines have reached a crisis point and it may be years before air travel returns to any semblance of the old normal .
Sumers , who is a Senior Aviation Business Editor for Skift , says airlines are flying 90-95 % less than they were expecting this time of year and with less than 10 % of seats filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of trouble here , ” he said .
“ This is the worst disaster for airlines since the history of aviation.
” In response , the airlines are trying to reassure travelers by showing new methods of cleaning like fogging cabins with disinfectant and constantly wiping down public areas , or informing people about how air circulates onboard .
“ I don ’ t feel safe flying right now , I need to wait at least two months to wait , see what ’ s going on , ” said Hugo Bañulos of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pressure to find ways to fill up those seats again .
So what are they doing in response ?
Hey , maybe they ’ ll finally start expanding the legroom a bit and improving service in a bid to tempt more people back into the skies !
Don ’ t make me laugh .
That ’ s not even on the table .
Instead , nearly all of the major airlines are going to make people wear masks on planes .
You ’ ll also need to wear one at the check-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The flight attendants will be wearing them as well .
While this is no doubt a sensible idea in terms of health and safety concerns , I don ’ t think it ’ going to be making people feel all that much better about going to the airport .
Do you know what they ’ re not suggesting ?
None of them are talking about limiting the number of passengers per flight to a level where there ’ s only one passenger per row on alternating sides .
That would at least accomplish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people start returning to the airports .
But they can ’ t do that of course .
It would cut into their profits too much .
And if they can ’ t cram everyone in like sardines , there ’ s no incentive for you to pay massively more to fly in first class , or even one of the “ economy plus ” rows with an extra two inches of legroom .
How long do you suppose it will be until air travel returns to what used to pass for normal ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in how often people travel ?
The virus may well be around for years before we ’ ve got it under control .
( Assuming we ever do . )
Being jammed into a packed plane breathing the same recirculated air as everyone else is about the least desirable experience imaginable if you ’ re worried about catching COVID-19 .
( Not that flying was all that enjoyable to begin with . )
And as long as people are avoiding flying , multiple industries are going to continue to suffer and cost us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just talking about the airline industry itself .
Most types of tourism are going to continue to take a major hit if they can only attract people who live within reasonable driving distance .
Most other businesses will be canceling big conventions and business meetings in favor of online collaboration and “ virtual happy hours.
” So the hotels and car rental companies will be taking it on the chin as well .
How about you ?
Do you plan to go back to flying on a regular basis as soon as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I ’ m operating on the assumption that I ’ m going to be sticking to ground travel from here on out unless flying absolutely can ’ t be avoided .

If you’ve happened to stop by an airport pretty much anywhere in the United States lately, you probably noticed something different. Most of them look like ghost towns. If you doubt it, go check out the webcams set up at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. If you’re looking at this in the middle of the morning on a Tuesday, you’d normally expect to see planes lined up awaiting permission to take off. When I just checked the tarmac was basically empty.
It’s the same at most of the other airports as well. And this has had a drastic impact on the major airlines’ bottom line, as you might well imagine. CBS Los Angeles interviewed aviation journalist Brian Sumers, who says that the airlines have reached a crisis point and it may be years before air travel returns to any semblance of the old normal.
Sumers, who is a Senior Aviation Business Editor for Skift, says airlines are flying 90-95% less than they were expecting this time of year and with less than 10% of seats filled. “Airlines are in a lot of trouble here,” he said. “This is the worst disaster for airlines since the history of aviation.” In response, the airlines are trying to reassure travelers by showing new methods of cleaning like fogging cabins with disinfectant and constantly wiping down public areas, or informing people about how air circulates onboard. “I don’t feel safe flying right now, I need to wait at least two months to wait, see what’s going on,” said Hugo Bañulos of Westchester.
The airlines are clearly feeling the pressure to find ways to fill up those seats again. So what are they doing in response? Hey, maybe they’ll finally start expanding the legroom a bit and improving service in a bid to tempt more people back into the skies!
Don’t make me laugh. That’s not even on the table. Instead, nearly all of the major airlines are going to make people wear masks on planes. You’ll also need to wear one at the check-in areas and the TSA screening lines. The flight attendants will be wearing them as well. While this is no doubt a sensible idea in terms of health and safety concerns, I don’t think it’ going to be making people feel all that much better about going to the airport.
Do you know what they’re not suggesting? None of them are talking about limiting the number of passengers per flight to a level where there’s only one passenger per row on alternating sides. That would at least accomplish the approved level of social distancing as people start returning to the airports. But they can’t do that of course. It would cut into their profits too much. And if they can’t cram everyone in like sardines, there’s no incentive for you to pay massively more to fly in first class, or even one of the “economy plus” rows with an extra two inches of legroom.
How long do you suppose it will be until air travel returns to what used to pass for normal? Or will this become a permanent change in how often people travel? The virus may well be around for years before we’ve got it under control. (Assuming we ever do.) Being jammed into a packed plane breathing the same recirculated air as everyone else is about the least desirable experience imaginable if you’re worried about catching COVID-19. (Not that flying was all that enjoyable to begin with.)
And as long as people are avoiding flying, multiple industries are going to continue to suffer and cost us plenty of jobs. I’m not just talking about the airline industry itself. Most types of tourism are going to continue to take a major hit if they can only attract people who live within reasonable driving distance. Most other businesses will be canceling big conventions and business meetings in favor of online collaboration and “virtual happy hours.” So the hotels and car rental companies will be taking it on the chin as well.
How about you? Do you plan to go back to flying on a regular basis as soon as the travel restrictions are lifted? Frankly, I’m operating on the assumption that I’m going to be sticking to ground travel from here on out unless flying absolutely can’t be avoided.


hotair--2020-05-05--Notice how no Democrats are talking about Biden picking an Asian VP?

The press is giving plenty of play to demands from various activist groups calling on Joe Biden to select a Black woman as his running mate this year .
It ’ s a subject he ’ s been pressed on repeatedly by many in his party .
Originally , James Clyburn had said this was a move Uncle Joe needed to make , though he ’ s since backed off and said that any woman would do .
Here ’ s one piece from the Associated Press that falls into this general category .
But as I ’ ll get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a glaring omission in this debate among progressives .
Biden launched a committee last week to begin vetting possible candidates for the vice presidency , a process he has said will likely last through July .
He has already committed to picking a woman .
But black voters and leaders say he needs to go further and pick a black woman .
They argue that Biden ’ s success — and that of the Democratic Party as a whole — depends on black people turning out to vote in November .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ loyalty , not just a thank you for showing up on Election Day .
“ Black people want an acknowledgement of the many years of support they have given the Democratic Party , ” said Niambi Carter , a Howard University political science professor .
The fact that this entire debate is centered on identity politics rather than simply hunting for the best possible candidate won ’ t come as a surprise to anyone who ’ s been paying the slightest bit of attention to Democratic politics for the past couple of decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mates based on a combination of gender and race is the calling card of the Democratic Party these days .
If that ’ s the case , so be it .
But everyone should be able to play this game now that the rules of engagement have been established .
Most of the Democrats clearly want to ensure that the veep is Black , though most of them have also said they ’ d be willing to “ settle for ” a Hispanic candidate .
But where , in all of this debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running mate ?
Don ’ t they qualify as minorities anymore ?
Sure , the media is happy to talk about racism as applied to Asians when it suits their purposes .
That ’ s particularly true if people are threatening Asians over the spread of the novel coronavirus .
But when it comes to determining who will be second in line for the most powerful position on the planet based on nothing more than the subjective view of the color of someone ’ s skin , you get nothing but the sound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If we use the Democrats ’ own criteria for establishing why this should be the predominant factor in the process , they ’ re failing their own test .
I ’ ll grant you that there ’ s reason for liberals to push for a woman .
The three major party , viable female candidates for either President or Vice President all failed to win the office .
But we ’ ve at least already had a Black president , which is obviously a bigger brass ring to grab than the vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garner once characterized as being “ not worth a bucket of warm piss.
” ) When , in the history of our country , have you ever seen an Asian-American face on the ticket for either party ?
Where is all of the concern for Asians as a minority community in need of more high-profile representation ?
This has become typical of Democrats for quite a while now .
You constantly hear them talking about the oppression of “ Black and brown ” people , but rarely is there any concern shown for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same fashion .
While Asian-Americans weren ’ t subjected to literal slavery in the same way as African-Americans , they certainly faced their share of violence , abuse , and intolerance .
Examples abound from the settling of the west in the 19th century to the internment camps of World War 2 .
We might be able to hazard a few guesses as to why they don ’ t receive the same amount of love from the Democrats .
One factor might be that Asians only make up 5 % of the population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot more votes ( 12 and 17 percent respectively ) .
Perhaps that just doesn ’ t represent enough votes to bother pandering to them in the same fashion .
And that ’ s got to be disappointing to Asian-American voters .
After all , Asian-Americans favor the Democrats over the Republicans by a thirty point margin .
Is this just another , more blatant example of the Democrats taking one demographic group for granted while leaving them out of the larger conversation ?
( The way they do with Black voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s an election going on . )
Or maybe it ’ s just because Asian-Americans have the highest average and median incomes in the United States , even scoring significantly higher than whites .
It ’ s hard to escape the feeling that the success so many Asian-Americans have achieved despite ( rather than because of ) the color of their skin is an unpleasant reminder to Democratic politicians that race might not be such a determinative factor in success in America as they ’ d like to claim .
Still , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview with Joe Biden , Tom Perez or James Clyburn one of these days .
What ’ s with the total radio silence on the subject of an Asian-American running mate ?
And before you start complaining to me that I ’ m “ focusing ” on race too much , Democrats , take a step back .
You made the rules .
I ’ m just playing by them .

The press is giving plenty of play to demands from various activist groups calling on Joe Biden to select a Black woman as his running mate this year. It’s a subject he’s been pressed on repeatedly by many in his party. Originally, James Clyburn had said this was a move Uncle Joe needed to make, though he’s since backed off and said that any woman would do. Here’s one piece from the Associated Press that falls into this general category. But as I’ll get to in a moment, there seems to be a glaring omission in this debate among progressives.
Biden launched a committee last week to begin vetting possible candidates for the vice presidency, a process he has said will likely last through July. He has already committed to picking a woman. But black voters and leaders say he needs to go further and pick a black woman. They argue that Biden’s success — and that of the Democratic Party as a whole — depends on black people turning out to vote in November. They want a tangible return for their loyalty, not just a thank you for showing up on Election Day. “Black people want an acknowledgement of the many years of support they have given the Democratic Party,” said Niambi Carter, a Howard University political science professor.
The fact that this entire debate is centered on identity politics rather than simply hunting for the best possible candidate won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been paying the slightest bit of attention to Democratic politics for the past couple of decades. Narrowing the field of potential running mates based on a combination of gender and race is the calling card of the Democratic Party these days.
If that’s the case, so be it. But everyone should be able to play this game now that the rules of engagement have been established. Most of the Democrats clearly want to ensure that the veep is Black, though most of them have also said they’d be willing to “settle for” a Hispanic candidate. But where, in all of this debate, are the calls for an Asian running mate? Don’t they qualify as minorities anymore?
Sure, the media is happy to talk about racism as applied to Asians when it suits their purposes. That’s particularly true if people are threatening Asians over the spread of the novel coronavirus. But when it comes to determining who will be second in line for the most powerful position on the planet based on nothing more than the subjective view of the color of someone’s skin, you get nothing but the sound of crickets when it comes to Asian-Americans.
If we use the Democrats’ own criteria for establishing why this should be the predominant factor in the process, they’re failing their own test. I’ll grant you that there’s reason for liberals to push for a woman. The three major party, viable female candidates for either President or Vice President all failed to win the office. But we’ve at least already had a Black president, which is obviously a bigger brass ring to grab than the vice presidency. (An office which John Garner once characterized as being “not worth a bucket of warm piss.”) When, in the history of our country, have you ever seen an Asian-American face on the ticket for either party?
Where is all of the concern for Asians as a minority community in need of more high-profile representation? This has become typical of Democrats for quite a while now. You constantly hear them talking about the oppression of “Black and brown” people, but rarely is there any concern shown for their Asian brothers and sisters in the same fashion. While Asian-Americans weren’t subjected to literal slavery in the same way as African-Americans, they certainly faced their share of violence, abuse, and intolerance. Examples abound from the settling of the west in the 19th century to the internment camps of World War 2.
We might be able to hazard a few guesses as to why they don’t receive the same amount of love from the Democrats. One factor might be that Asians only make up 5% of the population, while Blacks and Hispanics account for a lot more votes (12 and 17 percent respectively). Perhaps that just doesn’t represent enough votes to bother pandering to them in the same fashion.
And that’s got to be disappointing to Asian-American voters. After all, Asian-Americans favor the Democrats over the Republicans by a thirty point margin. Is this just another, more blatant example of the Democrats taking one demographic group for granted while leaving them out of the larger conversation? (The way they do with Black voters most of the time unless there’s an election going on.)
Or maybe it’s just because Asian-Americans have the highest average and median incomes in the United States, even scoring significantly higher than whites. It’s hard to escape the feeling that the success so many Asian-Americans have achieved despite (rather than because of) the color of their skin is an unpleasant reminder to Democratic politicians that race might not be such a determinative factor in success in America as they’d like to claim.
Still, this might be worth bringing up during an interview with Joe Biden, Tom Perez or James Clyburn one of these days. What’s with the total radio silence on the subject of an Asian-American running mate? And before you start complaining to me that I’m “focusing” on race too much, Democrats, take a step back. You made the rules. I’m just playing by them.


hotair--2020-05-05--China to Wuhan: Shut up about COVID-19 -- or else

Perhaps those who keep insisting on praising China ’ s handling of COVID-19 can explain why the residents of Wuhan haven ’ t joined the choir .
The New York Times offers an explanation for their silence today , which is that the government in Beijing has intimidated them into silence .
Attempts to initiate legal action have resulted in threats , and those who tried to keep records of the Communist Party ’ s actions have mysteriously disappeared — just as the doctors who tried the warn the world did back in December .
Wan na bet that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gates ?
The Chinese authorities are clamping down as grieving relatives , along with activists , press the ruling Communist Party for an accounting of what went wrong in Wuhan , the city where the coronavirus killed thousands before spreading to the rest of China and the world .
Lawyers have been warned not to file suit against the government .
The police have interrogated bereaved family members who connected with others like them online .
Volunteers who tried to thwart the state ’ s censorship apparatus by preserving reports about the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the party ’ s fear that any attempt to dwell on what happened in Wuhan , or to hold officials responsible , will undermine the state ’ s narrative that only China ’ s authoritarian system saved the country from a devastating health crisis .
To inspire patriotic fervor , state propaganda has portrayed the dead not as victims , but as martyrs .
Censors have deleted Chinese news reports that exposed officials ’ early efforts to hide the severity of the outbreak .
Just how many “ martyrs ” Wuhan produced in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Beijing says 4,000 people died of COVID-19 in its Wuhan epicenter , but that number does not make a lot of sense in a metropolis of nearly 12 million people .
It ’ s now clear the virus was running amok for two months before Beijing began locking down the city and then Hubei province ( 58 million ) in late January .
Whistleblowers began leaking out videos of overwhelmed hospitals in late December and Beijing had to build out temporary hospitals at a stunning rate to catch up .
A month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only kind China ’ s silence will allow — researchers estimated the death toll as closer to 50,000 .
One funeral home got an emergency supply of 5,000 urns , more than the overall death toll acknowledged by China .
Beijing is clearly lying about the death toll in Wuhan , and they ’ re covering up the lie by threatening the people of Wuhan to keep its secrets .
Those for whom intimidation doesn ’ t work get disappeared .
This is not much different than any other issue that Beijing sees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the difference is that this time the issue reaches beyond its borders and has a direct impact on every nation on Earth .
China ’ s lies matter , and its continuing cover-up threatens everyone , not just the people unfortunate enough to live in its totalitarian grip .
In other words , despite the oddball fantasies of Gates , Hollywood filmmakers , and media elites who really should know better , China ’ s government does not cooperate nor collaborate .
Xi Jinping and his regime exploit , they manipulate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all other considerations .
This makes any partnership with them on COVID-19 dangerous and counterproductive .
Pretending that their data and origin research is accurate and useful only distract from efforts based on data that didn ’ t get pulled out of some communist apparatchik ’ s nether regions .
If COVID-19 has any use at all , it ’ s to pull the blinders off of Western leaders and thought influencers about the true nature of communist regimes like Beijing .
The New York Times appears to have progressed along those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hear from those who stubbornly cling to those blinders ?

Perhaps those who keep insisting on praising China’s handling of COVID-19 can explain why the residents of Wuhan haven’t joined the choir. The New York Times offers an explanation for their silence today, which is that the government in Beijing has intimidated them into silence. Attempts to initiate legal action have resulted in threats, and those who tried to keep records of the Communist Party’s actions have mysteriously disappeared — just as the doctors who tried the warn the world did back in December.
Wanna bet that they weren’t singing harmony with Bill Gates?
The Chinese authorities are clamping down as grieving relatives, along with activists, press the ruling Communist Party for an accounting of what went wrong in Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus killed thousands before spreading to the rest of China and the world. Lawyers have been warned not to file suit against the government. The police have interrogated bereaved family members who connected with others like them online. Volunteers who tried to thwart the state’s censorship apparatus by preserving reports about the outbreak have disappeared. … The crackdown underscores the party’s fear that any attempt to dwell on what happened in Wuhan, or to hold officials responsible, will undermine the state’s narrative that only China’s authoritarian system saved the country from a devastating health crisis. To inspire patriotic fervor, state propaganda has portrayed the dead not as victims, but as martyrs. Censors have deleted Chinese news reports that exposed officials’ early efforts to hide the severity of the outbreak.
Just how many “martyrs” Wuhan produced in this outbreak remains a mystery. Officially, Beijing says 4,000 people died of COVID-19 in its Wuhan epicenter, but that number does not make a lot of sense in a metropolis of nearly 12 million people. It’s now clear the virus was running amok for two months before Beijing began locking down the city and then Hubei province (58 million) in late January. Whistleblowers began leaking out videos of overwhelmed hospitals in late December and Beijing had to build out temporary hospitals at a stunning rate to catch up.
A month ago, using indirect analysis — the only kind China’s silence will allow — researchers estimated the death toll as closer to 50,000. One funeral home got an emergency supply of 5,000 urns, more than the overall death toll acknowledged by China.
Beijing is clearly lying about the death toll in Wuhan, and they’re covering up the lie by threatening the people of Wuhan to keep its secrets. Those for whom intimidation doesn’t work get disappeared. This is not much different than any other issue that Beijing sees as a threat to its rule, but the difference is that this time the issue reaches beyond its borders and has a direct impact on every nation on Earth. China’s lies matter, and its continuing cover-up threatens everyone, not just the people unfortunate enough to live in its totalitarian grip.
In other words, despite the oddball fantasies of Gates, Hollywood filmmakers, and media elites who really should know better, China’s government does not cooperate nor collaborate. Xi Jinping and his regime exploit, they manipulate, and they put their own power ahead of all other considerations. This makes any partnership with them on COVID-19 dangerous and counterproductive. Pretending that their data and origin research is accurate and useful only distract from efforts based on data that didn’t get pulled out of some communist apparatchik’s nether regions.
If COVID-19 has any use at all, it’s to pull the blinders off of Western leaders and thought influencers about the true nature of communist regimes like Beijing. The New York Times appears to have progressed along those lines. How long do we need to hear from those who stubbornly cling to those blinders?


hotair--2020-05-05--Hoo boy: 26% of Dems say party should replace Biden as nominee after Tara Reade allegations

Twenty-six percent isn ’ t enough to make the DNC think about pulling the trapdoor .
But it ’ s certainly enough to make Biden very , very nervous about whether he ’ ll have the turnout he needs in battleground states to get over the finish line this fall .
It ’ s not that Berniebros are going to decide to cross the aisle and vote for the guy with two dozen sexual misconduct allegations against him instead of the guy with one .
They ’ re just not going to show up .
You can imagine the soundbites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Given a choice between two rapists , I vote present.
” Joe needs to convince them to take a more traditional partisan approach to the issue .
“ He may be a rapist but he ’ s our rapist.
” My main takeaway from this Morning Consult data is that there ’ s no moment in modern American politics more nakedly and cynically partisan than when a prominent pol is credibly accused of — but not conclusively proven to have committed — sexual assault .
With the possible exception of whether to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no question of “ principle ” is more transparently informed by party interests than this one .
You might look at that and say , “ Well , 26 percent of Dems isn ’ t nothing !
” Right , but we all understand that that number would jump 50 points if Biden were a Republican .
You might also say , “ How about those younger Democrats , though ?
At least they ’ re taking the subject seriously.
” Maybe , but Biden ’ s support among young Democrats was famously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data show us young liberals taking a bold stand to # BelieveAllWomen ?
Or does it show us a bunch of Berniebros lunging at a last-gasp pretext to replace Biden with their favorite politician ?
That ’ s just partisanship of a different sort .
They want to nominate a socialist , not a Democrat , so suddenly Tara Reade is credible and Joe must go .
Jonathan Chait , a Democrat and a liberal but very much not a Bernie fan , thinks the Sanders contingent is nutty for wanting to replace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no doubt .
What about the other two-thirds of the party , including Biden ’ s African-American base ?
All the writers now urging [ replacing Biden ] were fervent Biden opponents during the primary .
None of them seem to have considered that the overwhelming majority of Democrats who voted for him might be upset over denying the nominee they picked over something he may or may not have done in 1993 .
Indeed , none of them seem even remotely troubled at the prospect of the party elite functionally disenfranchising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressives who want to force Biden off the ticket have given almost no thought to what would happen next , and what few ideas they have floated are in contradiction with each other .
The replacement should either be a former candidate , or somebody who didn ’ t run , and they should either be picked by the remaining voters or by the party .
Oh , and remember , there ’ s also an ongoing pandemic , which means there can ’ t be more campaigning and might not be an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are some meaningful differences in the Morning Consult numbers .
Democratic men were 12 points more likely to say they viewed Biden ’ s denial as credible than Democratic women were , although majorities of both groups said so .
Democrats aged 45 or older were also more likely to say so than Dems under 45 — 67 percent to 53 percent .
Personal perspective , not just raw power politics , is shaping different people ’ s views to some degree .
But power politics is shaping them a lot .
Dems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say the sexual assault allegation against their guy is a major issue , and they ’ re quite a bit more likely than Republicans to say the sexual assault allegation against the other guy is a major issue .
Maybe that proves # MeToo is more of a priority for liberals than conservatives .
Or maybe it ’ s a function of there being many more allegations against Trump than Biden , which means more pressure on Republicans to be skeptical of all # MeToo claims for the sake of protecting their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only questions where partisanship looms large , though .
When asked how they view Tara Reade ’ s accusation , 26 percent of Dems say it ’ s at least “ somewhat ” credible — versus 58 percent of Republicans who say so .
( In 2018 , Morning Consult notes , fully 65 percent of Dems believed that Christine Blasey Ford ’ s accusation against Brett Kavanaugh was somewhat credible at first blush . )
When asked how they view Joe Biden ’ s denial , the partisan trends shift .
Sixty-one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least somewhat credible versus 24 percent of Republicans .
Note that this isn ’ t strictly an either/or question of whether to believe Reade or Biden .
One can find both the accusation and the denial credible amid uncertainty about whom to believe .
But that ’ s not how partisanship works .
For Dems , Biden is credible and Reade isn ’ t .
For Republicans , the opposite .
Power politics , as hardnosed as it gets .
Here ’ s the “ View ” crew earlier today , sounding unsurprisingly @ @ @ @ @ @

Twenty-six percent isn’t enough to make the DNC think about pulling the trapdoor.
But it’s certainly enough to make Biden very, very nervous about whether he’ll have the turnout he needs in battleground states to get over the finish line this fall.
It’s not that Berniebros are going to decide to cross the aisle and vote for the guy with two dozen sexual misconduct allegations against him instead of the guy with one. They’re just not going to show up. You can imagine the soundbites from progressive man-on-the-street interviews this fall: “Given a choice between two rapists, I vote present.”
Joe needs to convince them to take a more traditional partisan approach to the issue. “He may be a rapist but he’s our rapist.”
My main takeaway from this Morning Consult data is that there’s no moment in modern American politics more nakedly and cynically partisan than when a prominent pol is credibly accused of — but not conclusively proven to have committed — sexual assault. With the possible exception of whether to keep or eliminate the Senate filibuster, no question of “principle” is more transparently informed by party interests than this one.
You might look at that and say, “Well, 26 percent of Dems isn’t nothing!” Right, but we all understand that that number would jump 50 points if Biden were a Republican. You might also say, “How about those younger Democrats, though? At least they’re taking the subject seriously.” Maybe, but Biden’s support among young Democrats was famously weak throughout the primaries. Does this data show us young liberals taking a bold stand to #BelieveAllWomen? Or does it show us a bunch of Berniebros lunging at a last-gasp pretext to replace Biden with their favorite politician?
That’s just partisanship of a different sort. They want to nominate a socialist, not a Democrat, so suddenly Tara Reade is credible and Joe must go.
Jonathan Chait, a Democrat and a liberal but very much not a Bernie fan, thinks the Sanders contingent is nutty for wanting to replace him. The left would love it, no doubt. What about the other two-thirds of the party, including Biden’s African-American base?
All the writers now urging [replacing Biden] were fervent Biden opponents during the primary. None of them seem to have considered that the overwhelming majority of Democrats who voted for him might be upset over denying the nominee they picked over something he may or may not have done in 1993. Indeed, none of them seem even remotely troubled at the prospect of the party elite functionally disenfranchising its own electorate… [T]he progressives who want to force Biden off the ticket have given almost no thought to what would happen next, and what few ideas they have floated are in contradiction with each other. The replacement should either be a former candidate, or somebody who didn’t run, and they should either be picked by the remaining voters or by the party. Oh, and remember, there’s also an ongoing pandemic, which means there can’t be more campaigning and might not be an in-person convention. Good luck!
There are some meaningful differences in the Morning Consult numbers. Democratic men were 12 points more likely to say they viewed Biden’s denial as credible than Democratic women were, although majorities of both groups said so. Democrats aged 45 or older were also more likely to say so than Dems under 45 — 67 percent to 53 percent. Personal perspective, not just raw power politics, is shaping different people’s views to some degree.
But power politics is shaping them a lot.
https://twitter.com/MattBruenig/status/1257642483485413384
Dems are a little more likely than Republicans to say the sexual assault allegation against their guy is a major issue, and they’re quite a bit more likely than Republicans to say the sexual assault allegation against the other guy is a major issue. Maybe that proves #MeToo is more of a priority for liberals than conservatives. Or maybe it’s a function of there being many more allegations against Trump than Biden, which means more pressure on Republicans to be skeptical of all #MeToo claims for the sake of protecting their candidate.
Those aren’t the only questions where partisanship looms large, though. When asked how they view Tara Reade’s accusation, 26 percent of Dems say it’s at least “somewhat” credible — versus 58 percent of Republicans who say so. (In 2018, Morning Consult notes, fully 65 percent of Dems believed that Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation against Brett Kavanaugh was somewhat credible at first blush.) When asked how they view Joe Biden’s denial, the partisan trends shift. Sixty-one percent of Dems say Biden was at least somewhat credible versus 24 percent of Republicans. Note that this isn’t strictly an either/or question of whether to believe Reade or Biden. One can find both the accusation and the denial credible amid uncertainty about whom to believe. But that’s not how partisanship works. For Dems, Biden is credible and Reade isn’t. For Republicans, the opposite. Power politics, as hardnosed as it gets.
Here’s the “View” crew earlier today, sounding unsurprisingly pro-Joe in the Reade matter.


hotair--2020-05-05--Michelle Obama blames these voters for the election of Trump

There is a well-known book about the five stages of the grieving process that often comes to mind when I read about Democrats truly unable to accept the results of the 2016 presidential election .
It ’ s been almost four years now , yet the denial and anger remain .
As you probably know by now , Michelle Obama is releasing a behind the scenes look at her book tour .
The best-seller , “ Becoming ” is Obama ’ s autobiography and the documentary , which premieres tomorrow on Netflix , is produced by the Obamas ’ production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has complete control over both the story and the documentary .
The Daily Beast has a piece about it and notes that Michelle Obama doesn ’ t blame who you might think she does for Hillary Clinton ’ s loss of the 2016 election .
No , she doesn ’ t blame the gun-toting , Bible reading , American flag waving Deplorables from Hillary ’ s basket .
Michelle Obama blames “ our folks ” as she addresses her audience .
She blames black voters for not turning out the vote for Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black folks didn ’ t get out and vote during the mid-term elections when Barack Obama was president .
They didn ’ t give him the Congress that he needed , you know .
I assume this is a reference to the first term of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House when Obama enjoyed Democrat majorities in both the House and Senate .
That ’ s when Obamacare was rammed through , after all , with only Democrat support .
“ It takes some energy to go high , and we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the first black anything… ” she said , referencing anecdotes from her Becoming book .
“ So the day I left the White House and I write about how painful it was to sit on that [ inauguration ] stage .
A lot of our folks didn ’ t vote .
It was almost like a slap in the face.
” “ I understand the people who voted for Trump , ” she continued .
“ The people who didn ’ t vote at all , the young people , the women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , man , people think this is a game .
It wasn ’ t just in this election .
Every midterm .
Every time Barack didn ’ t get the Congress he needed , that was because our folks didn ’ t show up .
After all that work , they just couldn ’ t be bothered to vote at all .
That ’ s my trauma.
” No doubt that Trump ’ s inauguration was painful for her and for Hillary , too .
His victory was largely in part a populist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama ’ s “ I ’ ve got a pen and a phone ” attitude to governing .
What is interesting is the brutal honesty of Michelle Obama ’ s remark not said out loud but implied – she expected complete loyalty from black voters for Democrat candidates , even for Hillary who wasn ’ t particularly liked by any voter demographic except for aging feminists and hippies .
Voter turnout among African-Americans soared to new levels in 2008 and a little less so in 2010 only because black voters wanted to vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Period .
It was a historic accomplishment , a marker in American history .
What has the Democrat Party done for black voters in the last couple of decades ?
Not much .
Politicians promise them everything in return for their votes , they comply and yet nothing very much changes for them .
You know who did get into office and begin improving their lives ?
Donald Trump .
With the heights of success reached during his first three years in office , all levels of the economic ladder benefited .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ minorities , young workers , women , and African-Americans .
Remember the quote from George W. Bush that he often used in speaking about school choice and the African-American community ?
He referred to “ the soft bigotry of low expectations ” , a line written by speechwriter Michael Gerson , still applicable today within the Democrat Party .
With over 90 % of African-Americans voting for Democrats election after election , those low expectations are not a high bar to clear .
Joe Biden expects African Americans to turn out for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s efforts to turn out the African-American vote in South Carolina , though , for Biden to begin to win over black voters .
There is a real enthusiasm problem for the Biden campaign and that is among all Democrat voters , not just black voters .
Will they turn out in record levels again just because he ’ ll throw around the name of his best friend , Barack on the campaign trail ?
I doubt it .
Maybe if Obama does enough videos or town halls with Biden but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sweat to get Biden elected .
He finally endorsed him but nothing since then .
Obama ’ s playing golf and raking in the big Netflix bucks now .
Biden has released his “ Lift Every Voice ” proposal , a six-point plan for black Americans .
The title is a little too on-the-nose but even this attempt at heavily pandering to black voters fails to announce anything new , as far as I can tell .
That ’ s a big problem for Biden – he has no new ideas after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps reminiscing about the past , as 70+ year people do , and lacks inspiration for the future .
For example , what has he suggested to combat the coronavirus pandemic in America that the Trump administration hasn ’ t done or is doing ?
Nothing .
The six points from Biden ’ s plan are not new ideas .
He starts out with standard Democrat talking points about education , health care , and economics .
He ends with words he uses to satisfy the progressive wing of the party , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders ’ s wing of the Democrat Party .
There is the use of words like ‘ justice ’ and ‘ voter suppression ’ .
Also , ironically , gerrymandering .
Gerrymandering is fine if they are doing it , just not so much when Republicans do it .
Advance the economic mobility of African Americans and close the racial wealth and income gap by investing in African American workers , businesses , and communities , and expanding African American homeownership and wealth building .
Expand access to high-quality education and tackle racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in universal preschool , closing funding gaps by race , making college affordable , and tackling the student debt crisis .
End health disparities by making far-reaching investments , expanding access to affordable health care , improving the quality of care African Americans receive , and making health equity a reality for African Americans .
Strengthen America ’ s commitment to justice by ending incarceration for drug use alone , reducing the number of people incarcerated , reinvesting those savings in communities affected by mass incarceration , and addressing systemic misconduct in police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right to vote and the right to equal protection real for African Americans by dramatically expanding the Department of Justice ’ s ability to fight voter suppression and gerrymandering , bringing the full force of the federal government ’ s authority to confront voter disinformation efforts targeting African Americans , and appointing a federal judiciary that looks like America .
Address environmental justice by making historic investments , enforcing environmental justice legislation , and ensuring that African Americans are dealt in on the country ’ s clean energy future .
Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past , and acceptance of the status quo , not an inspiring call for voters to get out and vote for him .
Has Michelle Obama decided to endorse Biden and campaign for the black vote for him ?
So far no word on that .
She didn ’ t endorse Biden when her husband did .
Maybe she ’ s waiting for her own big moment to make a splash .

There is a well-known book about the five stages of the grieving process that often comes to mind when I read about Democrats truly unable to accept the results of the 2016 presidential election. It’s been almost four years now, yet the denial and anger remain.
As you probably know by now, Michelle Obama is releasing a behind the scenes look at her book tour. The best-seller, “Becoming” is Obama’s autobiography and the documentary, which premieres tomorrow on Netflix, is produced by the Obamas’ production company. In other words, she has complete control over both the story and the documentary.
The Daily Beast has a piece about it and notes that Michelle Obama doesn’t blame who you might think she does for Hillary Clinton’s loss of the 2016 election. No, she doesn’t blame the gun-toting, Bible reading, American flag waving Deplorables from Hillary’s basket. Michelle Obama blames “our folks” as she addresses her audience. She blames black voters for not turning out the vote for Hillary. And, Michelle is angry that black folks didn’t get out and vote during the mid-term elections when Barack Obama was president. They didn’t give him the Congress that he needed, you know. I assume this is a reference to the first term of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House when Obama enjoyed Democrat majorities in both the House and Senate. That’s when Obamacare was rammed through, after all, with only Democrat support.
“It takes some energy to go high, and we were exhausted from it. Because when you are the first black anything…” she said, referencing anecdotes from her Becoming book. “So the day I left the White House and I write about how painful it was to sit on that [inauguration] stage. A lot of our folks didn’t vote. It was almost like a slap in the face.” “I understand the people who voted for Trump,” she continued. “The people who didn’t vote at all, the young people, the women, that’s when you think, man, people think this is a game. It wasn’t just in this election. Every midterm. Every time Barack didn’t get the Congress he needed, that was because our folks didn’t show up. After all that work, they just couldn’t be bothered to vote at all. That’s my trauma.”
No doubt that Trump’s inauguration was painful for her and for Hillary, too. His victory was largely in part a populist response to the two terms of President Obama’s “I’ve got a pen and a phone” attitude to governing. What is interesting is the brutal honesty of Michelle Obama’s remark not said out loud but implied – she expected complete loyalty from black voters for Democrat candidates, even for Hillary who wasn’t particularly liked by any voter demographic except for aging feminists and hippies. Voter turnout among African-Americans soared to new levels in 2008 and a little less so in 2010 only because black voters wanted to vote for a black man to be president. Period. It was a historic accomplishment, a marker in American history.
What has the Democrat Party done for black voters in the last couple of decades? Not much. Politicians promise them everything in return for their votes, they comply and yet nothing very much changes for them. You know who did get into office and begin improving their lives? Donald Trump. With the heights of success reached during his first three years in office, all levels of the economic ladder benefited. Unemployment was at historically low levels for minorities, young workers, women, and African-Americans. Remember the quote from George W. Bush that he often used in speaking about school choice and the African-American community? He referred to “the soft bigotry of low expectations”, a line written by speechwriter Michael Gerson, still applicable today within the Democrat Party. With over 90% of African-Americans voting for Democrats election after election, those low expectations are not a high bar to clear.
Joe Biden expects African Americans to turn out for him in November. It took Rep. Clyburn’s efforts to turn out the African-American vote in South Carolina, though, for Biden to begin to win over black voters. There is a real enthusiasm problem for the Biden campaign and that is among all Democrat voters, not just black voters. Will they turn out in record levels again just because he’ll throw around the name of his best friend, Barack on the campaign trail? I doubt it. Maybe if Obama does enough videos or town halls with Biden but I don’t see Barack Obama breaking a sweat to get Biden elected. He finally endorsed him but nothing since then. Obama’s playing golf and raking in the big Netflix bucks now.
Biden has released his “Lift Every Voice” proposal, a six-point plan for black Americans. The title is a little too on-the-nose but even this attempt at heavily pandering to black voters fails to announce anything new, as far as I can tell. That’s a big problem for Biden – he has no new ideas after over forty years in office. He keeps reminiscing about the past, as 70+ year people do, and lacks inspiration for the future. For example, what has he suggested to combat the coronavirus pandemic in America that the Trump administration hasn’t done or is doing? Nothing.
The six points from Biden’s plan are not new ideas. He starts out with standard Democrat talking points about education, health care, and economics. He ends with words he uses to satisfy the progressive wing of the party, the demands of The Squad, and Bernie Sanders’s wing of the Democrat Party. There is the use of words like ‘justice’ and ‘voter suppression’. Also, ironically, gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is fine if they are doing it, just not so much when Republicans do it.
Advance the economic mobility of African Americans and close the racial wealth and income gap by investing in African American workers, businesses, and communities, and expanding African American homeownership and wealth building. Expand access to high-quality education and tackle racial inequity in our education system by investing in universal preschool, closing funding gaps by race, making college affordable, and tackling the student debt crisis. End health disparities by making far-reaching investments, expanding access to affordable health care, improving the quality of care African Americans receive, and making health equity a reality for African Americans. Strengthen America’s commitment to justice by ending incarceration for drug use alone, reducing the number of people incarcerated, reinvesting those savings in communities affected by mass incarceration, and addressing systemic misconduct in police departments and prosecutors’ offices. Make the right to vote and the right to equal protection real for African Americans by dramatically expanding the Department of Justice’s ability to fight voter suppression and gerrymandering, bringing the full force of the federal government’s authority to confront voter disinformation efforts targeting African Americans, and appointing a federal judiciary that looks like America. Address environmental justice by making historic investments, enforcing environmental justice legislation, and ensuring that African Americans are dealt in on the country’s clean energy future.
Joe Biden’s candidacy is a nod to the past, and acceptance of the status quo, not an inspiring call for voters to get out and vote for him. Has Michelle Obama decided to endorse Biden and campaign for the black vote for him? So far no word on that. She didn’t endorse Biden when her husband did. Maybe she’s waiting for her own big moment to make a splash.


hotair--2020-05-05--Police in Canada arrested a stormtrooper on Star Wars Day because she was carrying a plastic blaster

Justin Trudeau just announced the banning of “ assault-style fireams ” in Canada a few days ago .
Who knew that included Imperial blasters .
As some of you may be aware , yesterday was Star Wars Day .
It ’ s not an official holiday but it ’ s an annual day for fans of the movies to deploy a well known play on words , “ May the 4th be with you.
” That phrase has been around for at least 41 years .
So long before people were saying “ it ’ s a thing , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anyway , yesterday a little restaurant in Alberta , Canada called the Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina decided to do a little Star Wars-style promotion on Star Wars Day by having one of the employees walk around the parking lot dressed as a stormtrooper .
This was basically just a nerdy version of those sign-flippers you see on the sidewalk sometimes .
At least that ’ s all it should have been , but it all went horribly wrong .
Someone who saw the fully decked out stormtrooper marching in the parking lot apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a plastic blaster .
Actually , according to the police , two people who saw the stormtrooper called 911 : “ We had music playing in the parking lot , we had one of our staff dress up as a stormtrooper kind of waving to people walking up and down the road , we had people stopping by and getting pictures with the stormtrooper , we put a couple of promotions on in the restaurant to entice people to come.
” The female employee arrived for work at 10:00 am on Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full costume around 20 minutes later .
He believes that some members of the public must have seen her brandishing a plastic toy blaster believing it was a real gun and phoned police .
Lethbridge Police Service ( LPS ) Inspector Jason Walper says they got two 911 calls regarding a firearms complaint near the business on 13 Street North .
At approximately 11:20 am , three police cruisers arrived and a truck followed shortly after .
So it only took an hour before the locals called the police twice .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been the end of the story .
Once police arrived , you would think they ’ d see what was going on and just relax a bit .
But instead , three police cars showed up .
Officers pulled their guns and pointed them at the employee .
There ordered her to drop her plastic weapon , which she did .
Then the police ordered her to get down on the ground and she tried to explain to them that she couldn ’ t really do that very well in the costume @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter of her not wanting to cooperate , ” the store owner said later .
Maybe the police couldn ’ t hear her because of the mask but they just kept shouting at her to get down even though it should have been obvious at this point that a ) the gun was a plastic toy and b ) this was a Star Wars costume not a threat to anyone .
By this point , the owner of the store heard the police yelling and came outside .
He shouted to the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were intent on making sure the neighborhood was safe from cosplayers and warned the owner to stay back .
Eventually the girl got down on her knees and police then demanded she get down on her belly .
There ’ s a video ( see below ) of most of this but you can ’ t see the exact moment when she actually goes down on her face .
According to the store owner , the police pushed her down , causing her to hit her nose on the inside of the plastic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bloody nose .
There ’ s a photo at this link showing several drops of blood left on the parking lot .
With their suspect down , the police proceeded to handcuff the woman as she cried out in pain .
When the guy with the camera approached , one of the officers warned him to stay back or he ’ d be arrested as well .
After the video below was released , the local police chief said there would be an investigation of the officers ’ behavior : “ Upon reviewing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video circulating on social media , Chief Scott Woods has directed a service investigation under the Alberta Police Act that will look into whether the officers ’ acted appropriately within the scope of their training and LPS policies and procedures , ” reads a statement from LPS .
The police service reiterated the claims from Inspector Jason Walper that “ the subject dropped the weapon but did not initially comply with further police directions to get on the ground.
” The “ weapon ” was eventually determined to not be legitimate and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how the police chief refers to the plastic gun carried by a girl in a Star Wars costume as “ the weapon.
” Look , I realize police can ’ t always assume a gun that might be a toy is a toy but in this case , the costume was a pretty big hint .
The same goes for the dopes who saw this girl and immediately called 911 .
In any case , once “ the weapon ” was down they could have toned it way down .
Here ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll see , the person filming this first rolls up on the stormtrooper and wants her to dance or march or something .
When she won ’ t do that , he drives away .
But when he returns a while later , there are three police cars with flashing lights .

Justin Trudeau just announced the banning of “assault-style fireams” in Canada a few days ago. Who knew that included Imperial blasters.
As some of you may be aware, yesterday was Star Wars Day. It’s not an official holiday but it’s an annual day for fans of the movies to deploy a well known play on words, “May the 4th be with you.” That phrase has been around for at least 41 years. So long before people were saying “it’s a thing,” Star Wars Day was a thing.
Anyway, yesterday a little restaurant in Alberta, Canada called the Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina decided to do a little Star Wars-style promotion on Star Wars Day by having one of the employees walk around the parking lot dressed as a stormtrooper. This was basically just a nerdy version of those sign-flippers you see on the sidewalk sometimes. At least that’s all it should have been, but it all went horribly wrong.
Someone who saw the fully decked out stormtrooper marching in the parking lot apparently called the police because she was holding a plastic blaster. Actually, according to the police, two people who saw the stormtrooper called 911:
“We had music playing in the parking lot, we had one of our staff dress up as a stormtrooper kind of waving to people walking up and down the road, we had people stopping by and getting pictures with the stormtrooper, we put a couple of promotions on in the restaurant to entice people to come.” The female employee arrived for work at 10:00 am on Monday, May 4, and went out in full costume around 20 minutes later. He believes that some members of the public must have seen her brandishing a plastic toy blaster believing it was a real gun and phoned police. Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) Inspector Jason Walper says they got two 911 calls regarding a firearms complaint near the business on 13 Street North. At approximately 11:20 am, three police cruisers arrived and a truck followed shortly after.
So it only took an hour before the locals called the police twice. That’s bad enough but it still should have been the end of the story. Once police arrived, you would think they’d see what was going on and just relax a bit. But instead, three police cars showed up. Officers pulled their guns and pointed them at the employee. There ordered her to drop her plastic weapon, which she did. Then the police ordered her to get down on the ground and she tried to explain to them that she couldn’t really do that very well in the costume. “It wasn’t a matter of her not wanting to cooperate,” the store owner said later.
Maybe the police couldn’t hear her because of the mask but they just kept shouting at her to get down even though it should have been obvious at this point that a) the gun was a plastic toy and b) this was a Star Wars costume not a threat to anyone. By this point, the owner of the store heard the police yelling and came outside. He shouted to the police that the gun was plastic but they were intent on making sure the neighborhood was safe from cosplayers and warned the owner to stay back.
Eventually the girl got down on her knees and police then demanded she get down on her belly. There’s a video (see below) of most of this but you can’t see the exact moment when she actually goes down on her face. According to the store owner, the police pushed her down, causing her to hit her nose on the inside of the plastic helmet. That left her with a bloody nose. There’s a photo at this link showing several drops of blood left on the parking lot.
With their suspect down, the police proceeded to handcuff the woman as she cried out in pain. When the guy with the camera approached, one of the officers warned him to stay back or he’d be arrested as well.
After the video below was released, the local police chief said there would be an investigation of the officers’ behavior:
“Upon reviewing the file and additional information, including video circulating on social media, Chief Scott Woods has directed a service investigation under the Alberta Police Act that will look into whether the officers’ acted appropriately within the scope of their training and LPS policies and procedures,” reads a statement from LPS. The police service reiterated the claims from Inspector Jason Walper that “the subject dropped the weapon but did not initially comply with further police directions to get on the ground.” The “weapon” was eventually determined to not be legitimate and the employee was not charged.
I like how the police chief refers to the plastic gun carried by a girl in a Star Wars costume as “the weapon.” Look, I realize police can’t always assume a gun that might be a toy is a toy but in this case, the costume was a pretty big hint. The same goes for the dopes who saw this girl and immediately called 911. In any case, once “the weapon” was down they could have toned it way down.
Here’s the complete clip. As you’ll see, the person filming this first rolls up on the stormtrooper and wants her to dance or march or something. When she won’t do that, he drives away. But when he returns a while later, there are three police cars with flashing lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyLqSCLhGKs
Update: Captain Kirk is ready to throw these cops in the brig.


hotair--2020-05-06--Are you a "Grandma killer" if you want to reopen now?

Bethany Mandel of Ricochet is getting some attention online for this Twitter rant today .
I wrote about this last night .
I ’ m fine with ending lockdowns sooner rather than later because I ’ ve been persuaded by the data I ’ ve seen in reading over the last few weeks that lockdowns don ’ t matter much to people ’ s behavior .
Americans were self-isolating in March before most stay-at-home orders were issued .
As long as people are being given honest , accurate daily information about the state of the epidemic I ’ m okay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and having the public act in accordance with its own level of collective risk tolerance .
Fling open the doors , then invite national and local public health experts on for TV interviews to give their takes on whether it ’ s safe yet .
Mandel ’ s tweets seem to assume a degree of pent-up demand so enormous that most semi-essential retail businesses , not to mention “ museums , zoos , restaurants , ” will be able to stay afloat .
In some places they will , no doubt .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this week in Texas after Greg Abbott ’ s lockdown order was finally lifted .
If anyone ’ s going to cowboy up and show that virus who ’ s boss , it ’ s Texans , right ?
Maybe — but not yet .
“ I ’ ve seen one customer today – they didn ’ t buy anything , ” said Taylor Jund , who was keeping watch over an empty Chaser clothing store [ at the Domain mall in Austin ] .
“ There ’ s absolutely no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases of coronavirus aren ’ t really going down , so I suspect people aren ’ t comfortable going to malls or getting back to normal life , ” David Tamayo said while sitting on a shaded bench with his girlfriend at The Domain , where he said they came to relax outdoors… Christy Armstrong , who works for a food distribution company , made the rounds with her restaurant clients across the Houston area on Monday .
During a stop at Arnaldo Richards ’ Picos Mexican restaurant in central Houston , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bar , separated from one another by Plexiglas barriers .
“ It ’ s sad to know that this is the first Monday we ’ ve reopened , and a lot of the places are still very empty , ” Armstrong said .
“ I ’ m a little shocked it ’ s so dead out.
” More people will turn out as time passes .
But what ’ s the plan if daily revenue normalizes at , say , 70 percent of what it was pre-corona and that 70 percent isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afloat ?
Many companies avoided having to pay rent during lockdown .
Once lockdown is lifted and the lights are back on , that ends .
Maybe some will get a break on rent .
Some won ’ t .
And for some who do get one , it won ’ t be enough .
The lockdowns aren ’ t ultimately the problem .
Public behavior post-lockdown is .
And the surest way to encourage more risk-taking by a reluctant public is to give them confidence that the threat of contagion is receding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s federal guidelines ( and why Mandel ’ s complaint about “ indefinite lockdowns ” is a straw man ) .
Trump ’ s own administration set benchmarks for reopening local economies measured by meaningful declines in case counts ; states that met those benchmarks before reopening would have been able to truthfully claim that the environment was safe enough according to the White House ’ s best scientific experts to resume commercial activity .
That would have released more of that pent-up demand .
Maybe businesses would have seen 90 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been enough to sustain them .
To put that another way , the best economic plan might be a good epidemiological plan .
The latter might be the only thing capable of restoring enough consumer confidence to support the former .
But the guidelines aren ’ t being closely followed .
The impression I get from the “ Grandma killer ” contingent , as Mandel describes it , is that they ’ ve concluded the lockdown era has gone on long enough .
Why now ?
As far as I can see , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calendar flipped from April 30 to May 1 .
That was that .
Deaths and hospitalizations in New York have also declined a lot lately since their peak , but normally the “ reopen now ” crowd is eager to remind skeptics that most of the country doesn ’ t look like New York on COVID and shouldn ’ t operate on NYC ’ s schedule .
That ’ s true , and the guidelines account for it .
So why would New York ’ s improvement affect the reopening schedule for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to know is what happens if the great reopening experiment fails .
Let ’ s say we reopen widely and a second wave starts to crash down .
Hospitalizations soar , threatening again to overwhelm capacity .
What ’ s the plan ?
Maybe we don ’ t need one .
If I ’ m right that information is driving public behavior then consumers will respond by going to ground , crashing the economy — which would defeat the whole purpose of having reopened early .
But what would the “ Grandma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that situation ?
My sense , as I said last night , is that they ’ d want consumers to keep shopping no matter the toll .
Just stay out there .
That ’ s what Trump ’ s “ warrior ” rhetoric is about , right ?
It ’ s easy to be a warrior when no one ’ s shooting at you .
Where the men are separated from the boys is when the enemy is unloading and you insist on advancing anyway .
Deaths up 20 percent in your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March into that Buffalo Wild Wings , pack into a crowded part of the restaurant , order a plate of wings and a pitcher , and engage in good ol ’ American commerce .
Don ’ t even wear a mask .
Masks are for pussies .
Another way to look at this : If we ’ re going to reopen arbitrarily , just because April has turned into May , why did we lock down in the first place ?
We flattened the curve , right — and now we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to un-flatten it going forward .
Why flatten it to begin with , then ?
I thought we were going to use the flattening phase to increase testing and develop contact tracing so that the post-lockdown epidemic could be mitigated more effectively , but the “ reopen now ” group doesn ’ t seem to care about that .
We could always reopen and choose to isolate just the elderly and vulnerable .
But … how ?
Philip Klein wants to know : The most obvious way to “ isolate ” older and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put them in specialized living quarters along the lines of nursing homes .
Yet , these homes have been proven to be absolute death traps .
Nursing homes have been the hardest-hit places , with tens of thousands dying as the virus has spread like wildfire among the vulnerable populations there .
Nearly 5,000 have died in New York City nursing homes alone .
These numbers understate the problem , as they do not account for residents who die in hospitals or who are taken home to die with relatives .
Removing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counter to the strategy of isolation .
If they came home to live with grown children , for instance , they ’ d be exposed to individuals who would be , under the reopening strategies , participating in society .
Also , those who end up in nursing homes are there because they require assistance with daily activities , and they don ’ t have any family members who can take on the burden of around-the-clock care .
Right now , the sandwich generation is grappling with the unprecedented challenge of trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed and all activities canceled .
Adding the burden of caring for vulnerable parents will be backbreaking for many families .
All exit and entry at nursing homes could be banned , I suppose , provided we figure out how to build Westworld robots to serve as orderlies to tend to the residents .
Failing that , we ’ d have to ask the younger people who staff nursing homes to live on the premises and never leave .
We only get one shot at a durable reopening , realistically .
If we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afraid to shop , or if they come out to shop and then a second wave strikes , the ensuing retreat is going to wreck businesses and make people doubly skeptical of the next reopening attempt .
The smart way to do this is to follow the guidelines , focus on building out the testing and contact tracing that literally every public health specialist says we need to proceed safely , and then do it .
No one wants or needs “ indefinite lockdowns , ” and we ’ re all way past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” in Mandel ’ s Trumpishly cavalier words .
The “ proceed cautiously ” crowd , which is a majority of the public per every poll taken over the last several weeks , wants to follow the guidelines .
What does the “ reopen now ” crowd want to do once we have in fact reopened ?

Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Yes, but.
Bethany Mandel of Ricochet is getting some attention online for this Twitter rant today.
This isn’t about greed. It’s survival. People can’t buy food or pay rent or mortgages. Small businesses are closing. Dentists and doctors are going into the red. Schools are going to start closing. This is the destruction of society we’re talking about. — Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) May 6, 2020
We never had ventilator shortages. My local pediatric ER converted to a COVID ward and now sits empty. What are we waiting on here? I’d genuinely like an answer. A vaccine? Because if that’s it, our society will be absolutely wrecked in the meantime. — Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) May 6, 2020
Doesn’t mean it won’t be done responsibly but I am just. I am done. I feel lied to about the terms of this lockdown and I regret ever trusting that it would be done responsibly. — Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) May 6, 2020
I wrote about this last night. I’m fine with ending lockdowns sooner rather than later because I’ve been persuaded by the data I’ve seen in reading over the last few weeks that lockdowns don’t matter much to people’s behavior. Americans were self-isolating in March before most stay-at-home orders were issued. As long as people are being given honest, accurate daily information about the state of the epidemic I’m okay with experimenting by opening businesses back up and having the public act in accordance with its own level of collective risk tolerance. Fling open the doors, then invite national and local public health experts on for TV interviews to give their takes on whether it’s safe yet.
Mandel’s tweets seem to assume a degree of pent-up demand so enormous that most semi-essential retail businesses, not to mention “museums, zoos, restaurants,” will be able to stay afloat. In some places they will, no doubt. But here’s how things went down earlier this week in Texas after Greg Abbott’s lockdown order was finally lifted. If anyone’s going to cowboy up and show that virus who’s boss, it’s Texans, right? Maybe — but not yet.
“I’ve seen one customer today – they didn’t buy anything,” said Taylor Jund, who was keeping watch over an empty Chaser clothing store [at the Domain mall in Austin]. “There’s absolutely no one coming around here.”… “The cases of coronavirus aren’t really going down, so I suspect people aren’t comfortable going to malls or getting back to normal life,” David Tamayo said while sitting on a shaded bench with his girlfriend at The Domain, where he said they came to relax outdoors… Christy Armstrong, who works for a food distribution company, made the rounds with her restaurant clients across the Houston area on Monday. During a stop at Arnaldo Richards’ Picos Mexican restaurant in central Houston, she saw a handful of customers sitting at a bar, separated from one another by Plexiglas barriers. “It’s sad to know that this is the first Monday we’ve reopened, and a lot of the places are still very empty,” Armstrong said. “I’m a little shocked it’s so dead out.”
More people will turn out as time passes. But what’s the plan if daily revenue normalizes at, say, 70 percent of what it was pre-corona and that 70 percent isn’t enough to keep most businesses afloat? Many companies avoided having to pay rent during lockdown. Once lockdown is lifted and the lights are back on, that ends. Maybe some will get a break on rent. Some won’t. And for some who do get one, it won’t be enough.
The lockdowns aren’t ultimately the problem. Public behavior post-lockdown is. And the surest way to encourage more risk-taking by a reluctant public is to give them confidence that the threat of contagion is receding. That was the point of Trump’s federal guidelines (and why Mandel’s complaint about “indefinite lockdowns” is a straw man). Trump’s own administration set benchmarks for reopening local economies measured by meaningful declines in case counts; states that met those benchmarks before reopening would have been able to truthfully claim that the environment was safe enough according to the White House’s best scientific experts to resume commercial activity. That would have released more of that pent-up demand. Maybe businesses would have seen 90 percent of pre-corona revenue, which would have been enough to sustain them.
To put that another way, the best economic plan might be a good epidemiological plan. The latter might be the only thing capable of restoring enough consumer confidence to support the former.
But the guidelines aren’t being closely followed. The impression I get from the “Grandma killer” contingent, as Mandel describes it, is that they’ve concluded the lockdown era has gone on long enough. Why now? As far as I can see, for no better reason than that the calendar flipped from April 30 to May 1. That was that. Deaths and hospitalizations in New York have also declined a lot lately since their peak, but normally the “reopen now” crowd is eager to remind skeptics that most of the country doesn’t look like New York on COVID and shouldn’t operate on NYC’s schedule. That’s true, and the guidelines account for it.
So why would New York’s improvement affect the reopening schedule for the rest of the country?
What I want to know is what happens if the great reopening experiment fails. Let’s say we reopen widely and a second wave starts to crash down. Hospitalizations soar, threatening again to overwhelm capacity. What’s the plan? Maybe we don’t need one. If I’m right that information is driving public behavior then consumers will respond by going to ground, crashing the economy — which would defeat the whole purpose of having reopened early. But what would the “Grandma killer” group *advise* consumers to do in that situation? My sense, as I said last night, is that they’d want consumers to keep shopping no matter the toll. Just stay out there. That’s what Trump’s “warrior” rhetoric is about, right? It’s easy to be a warrior when no one’s shooting at you. Where the men are separated from the boys is when the enemy is unloading and you insist on advancing anyway.
Deaths up 20 percent in your city lately? Be a warrior. March into that Buffalo Wild Wings, pack into a crowded part of the restaurant, order a plate of wings and a pitcher, and engage in good ol’ American commerce. Don’t even wear a mask. Masks are for pussies.
Another way to look at this: If we’re going to reopen arbitrarily, just because April has turned into May, why did we lock down in the first place? We flattened the curve, right — and now we’re being told that it’s time to un-flatten it going forward. Why flatten it to begin with, then? I thought we were going to use the flattening phase to increase testing and develop contact tracing so that the post-lockdown epidemic could be mitigated more effectively, but the “reopen now” group doesn’t seem to care about that.
We could always reopen and choose to isolate just the elderly and vulnerable. But … how? Philip Klein wants to know:
The most obvious way to “isolate” older and more vulnerable people would seem to be to put them in specialized living quarters along the lines of nursing homes. Yet, these homes have been proven to be absolute death traps. Nursing homes have been the hardest-hit places, with tens of thousands dying as the virus has spread like wildfire among the vulnerable populations there. Nearly 5,000 have died in New York City nursing homes alone. These numbers understate the problem, as they do not account for residents who die in hospitals or who are taken home to die with relatives. Removing the elderly from these facilities would run counter to the strategy of isolation. If they came home to live with grown children, for instance, they’d be exposed to individuals who would be, under the reopening strategies, participating in society. Also, those who end up in nursing homes are there because they require assistance with daily activities, and they don’t have any family members who can take on the burden of around-the-clock care. Right now, the sandwich generation is grappling with the unprecedented challenge of trying to maintain full-time jobs with schools and childcare closed and all activities canceled. Adding the burden of caring for vulnerable parents will be backbreaking for many families.
All exit and entry at nursing homes could be banned, I suppose, provided we figure out how to build Westworld robots to serve as orderlies to tend to the residents. Failing that, we’d have to ask the younger people who staff nursing homes to live on the premises and never leave.
We only get one shot at a durable reopening, realistically. If we do it too soon and consumers are afraid to shop, or if they come out to shop and then a second wave strikes, the ensuing retreat is going to wreck businesses and make people doubly skeptical of the next reopening attempt. The smart way to do this is to follow the guidelines, focus on building out the testing and contact tracing that literally every public health specialist says we need to proceed safely, and then do it. No one wants or needs “indefinite lockdowns,” and we’re all way past the point of being made “comfortable,” in Mandel’s Trumpishly cavalier words. The “proceed cautiously” crowd, which is a majority of the public per every poll taken over the last several weeks, wants to follow the guidelines. What does the “reopen now” crowd want to do once we have in fact reopened?


hotair--2020-05-06--China to Pompeo: You're bluffing on evidence of a lab leak for COVID-19

Is he ?
Mike Pompeo insists that while the US does not have conclusive evidence that the COVID-19 virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan , it does have “ significant evidence ” pointing in that direction .
China ’ s Foreign Ministry tried going on offense by accusing Pompeo of passing off a “ lie for [ his ] own domestic political ends , ” apparently lacking any sense of irony .
Their spokesperson also stopped short of denying it altogether , just claiming that Pompeo has no evidence in hand : China lashed out again Wednesday at claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diplomat that the U.S. has strong evidence suggesting the coronavirus slipped out of an infectious disease research facility in the city of Wuhan and then into the human population .
… “ Mr .
Pompeo repeatedly spoke up but he can not present any evidence .
How can he ?
Because he doesn ’ t have any , ” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday .
“ I think this matter should be handed to scientists and medical professionals , and not politicians who lie for their own domestic political ends.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ silence doctors in Wuhan who raised the alarm about cases of a new virus appearing in hospitals there late last year , along with allegations the central government in Beijing sought to cover up or at least downplay the severity of the disease , have fueled the allegations and conspiracy theories about its true origins .
Bear in mind that another Foreign Ministry spokesperson , Zhao Lijian , spent much of March spreading the rumor that the US Army planted COVID-19 in Wuhan , both from the podium and on Twitter .
China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue an indirect public rebuke to Zhao to get him to stop passing that lie around .
No one knows lying “ for their own domestic political ends ” like the Xi Jinping regime .
The Wall Street Journal also reported on the pushback from China , whose regime is clearly getting worried that their cover-up leaves this a very attractive theory : China challenged U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to present evidence that would back his recent claim that the new coronavirus came from a Chinese laboratory .
The comment by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first official Chinese government reaction to Mr. Pompeo ’ s statement .
It was the latest effort by Beijing to counter the Trump administration ’ s moves to blame China for the virus outbreak that has infected more than 3.6 million people world-wide .
Having tried to call Pompeo ’ s bid , Pompeo simply upped the ante later in the morning .
Not only has China not cooperated or come clean about the origin of COVID-19 , Pompeo said , their secrecy and cover-up cost the world “ hundreds of thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we do have evidence of a lab leak , even if it ’ s not definitive : “ They knew .
China could have prevented the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide .
China could have spared the world descent into global economic malaise , ” Pompeo told a State Department news conference .
“ China is still refusing to share the information we need to keep people safe.
” … On Wednesday , he said the United State did not have certainty , but there was significant evidence it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of those statements is entirely consistent , ” he said .
“ We are all trying to figure out the right answer .
We are all trying to get the clarity .
There are different levels of certainty assessed at different places , Pompeo said .
Well , there ’ s one way to settle this .
China could open its books , release all of those it has detained who tried to speak up about the viral outbreak , and allow international inspectors to conduct a thorough investigation .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pompeo told the media today : “ They continue to be opaque , they continue to deny access for this important information that our research or epidemiologists need , ” he said .
“ People say , well America ’ s bullying the Chinese .
We are demanding of them only what we demand of every nation : be transparent , be open , be a reliable partner , the very things that they say .
The Chinese say they want to cooperate .
Great .
Cooperation is about action.
” So far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their words .
The extent and ferocity of Beijing ’ s actions to keep quiet about the outbreak certainly suggests that this isn ’ t just another case of crossover , as was the case with SARS .
Their continuing propaganda , and especially their risible official attempts to pin the blame on the US Army , set the tone for the US-China relationship .
If China keeps asking for the evidence , sooner or later Pompeo will start sharing it with Beijing ’ s other trading partners .
What will they say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little too late ?

Is he? Mike Pompeo insists that while the US does not have conclusive evidence that the COVID-19 virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, it does have “significant evidence” pointing in that direction. China’s Foreign Ministry tried going on offense by accusing Pompeo of passing off a “lie for [his] own domestic political ends,” apparently lacking any sense of irony. Their spokesperson also stopped short of denying it altogether, just claiming that Pompeo has no evidence in hand:
China lashed out again Wednesday at claims by President Donald Trump and his top diplomat that the U.S. has strong evidence suggesting the coronavirus slipped out of an infectious disease research facility in the city of Wuhan and then into the human population. … “Mr. Pompeo repeatedly spoke up but he cannot present any evidence. How can he? Because he doesn’t have any,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday. “I think this matter should be handed to scientists and medical professionals, and not politicians who lie for their own domestic political ends.” China’s initial efforts to silence doctors in Wuhan who raised the alarm about cases of a new virus appearing in hospitals there late last year, along with allegations the central government in Beijing sought to cover up or at least downplay the severity of the disease, have fueled the allegations and conspiracy theories about its true origins.
Bear in mind that another Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, spent much of March spreading the rumor that the US Army planted COVID-19 in Wuhan, both from the podium and on Twitter. China’s US ambassador finally had to issue an indirect public rebuke to Zhao to get him to stop passing that lie around. No one knows lying “for their own domestic political ends” like the Xi Jinping regime.
The Wall Street Journal also reported on the pushback from China, whose regime is clearly getting worried that their cover-up leaves this a very attractive theory:
China challenged U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to present evidence that would back his recent claim that the new coronavirus came from a Chinese laboratory. The comment by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying was the first official Chinese government reaction to Mr. Pompeo’s statement. It was the latest effort by Beijing to counter the Trump administration’s moves to blame China for the virus outbreak that has infected more than 3.6 million people world-wide.
Having tried to call Pompeo’s bid, Pompeo simply upped the ante later in the morning. Not only has China not cooperated or come clean about the origin of COVID-19, Pompeo said, their secrecy and cover-up cost the world “hundreds of thousands of lives.” Plus, Pompeo added, we do have evidence of a lab leak, even if it’s not definitive:
There is no "certainty" but "significant evidence" coronavirus originated in Wuhan lab, Sec of State Pompeo says. "We're all trying to get to clarity" https://t.co/RrINqZ3Htw pic.twitter.com/yjlOrw5V7e — CBS News (@CBSNews) May 6, 2020
“They knew. China could have prevented the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. China could have spared the world descent into global economic malaise,” Pompeo told a State Department news conference. “China is still refusing to share the information we need to keep people safe.” … On Wednesday, he said the United State did not have certainty, but there was significant evidence it came from the lab. “Every one of those statements is entirely consistent,” he said. “We are all trying to figure out the right answer. We are all trying to get the clarity. There are different levels of certainty assessed at different places, Pompeo said.
Well, there’s one way to settle this. China could open its books, release all of those it has detained who tried to speak up about the viral outbreak, and allow international inspectors to conduct a thorough investigation. That’s all the US really wants, Pompeo told the media today:
“They continue to be opaque, they continue to deny access for this important information that our research or epidemiologists need,” he said. “People say, well America’s bullying the Chinese. We are demanding of them only what we demand of every nation: be transparent, be open, be a reliable partner, the very things that they say. The Chinese say they want to cooperate. Great. Cooperation is about action.”
So far, their actions speak much louder than their words. The extent and ferocity of Beijing’s actions to keep quiet about the outbreak certainly suggests that this isn’t just another case of crossover, as was the case with SARS. Their continuing propaganda, and especially their risible official attempts to pin the blame on the US Army, set the tone for the US-China relationship. If China keeps asking for the evidence, sooner or later Pompeo will start sharing it with Beijing’s other trading partners. What will they say then — when it’s a little too late?