hotair--2020-12-31--California's COVID death toll passes 25,000 and hospital staff are being overwhelmed

California set a new record for the number of daily deaths from COVID-19 this week .
That surge of deaths has pushed the state as a whole past 25,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic .
The disease has killed more Californians on each of the last two days than any other day throughout the course of the entire pandemic — a back-to-back battering that has propelled the state ’ s total death toll past 25,000 .
In the last three days , more than 1,100 people statewide have died from COVID-19 , including a record-high 442 Tuesday and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday… The situation has gotten so bleak that some mortuary and funeral home operators are saying they have to turn away bereaved families because they don ’ t have the capacity to handle more bodies .
The situation is worst in LA County .
At present someone in LA County dies from the virus , on average , every 10 minutes .
LA ’ s Public Health account on Twitter has been tweeting out warnings trying to personalize the threat every 10 minutes as a way to get people ’ s attention : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s a bit of theater but it does reflect something real .
Hospitals in southern California are struggling to keep up right now .
For Dr. Anita Sircar , an infectious disease specialist , there are no breaks and few days off… “ It ’ s relentless , ” Sircar said , speaking on the phone between patient rounds and doctor meetings at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance… For ICU nurse Lindsey Burrell , who works at Providence hospital with Sircar , trying to balance family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up her pain and anxiety after having watched patients die day in and day out… “ Patients are scared to death , ” she said .
“ They plead for their lives .
They know they ’ re going to die .
It tears us apart.
” … “ We can ’ t take much more , ” she said .
There ’ s also a new concern .
The state has identified its first case of the newer strain of the virus , the one that appears to be significantly more transmissible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person who has it has not traveled recently , meaning this is already spreading in San Diego County .
I ’ m a long way from the front lines of this but I can feel the difference .
During the initial wave of the pandemic in the spring , I was never personally worried .
I think we all judge situations like this not just by what we read in the papers but also by what we see around us .
I knew a lot of people were getting sick around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t see that up close .
No one I knew tested positive or was hospitalized in the spring .
It seemed the threat was in Italy or New York , always at a distance .
And relatively speaking , California seemed to be doing pretty well .
I was more worried about my extended family living in other states than about my immediate family .
That ’ s changed in the past month .
Now I know people , close friends , who have been exposed .
People I know or that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My daughter ’ s school just announced there would be no more in-person classes .
It ’ s no longer a far off threat .
And unfortunately , it ’ s probably going to get worse in January than it is now .

California set a new record for the number of daily deaths from COVID-19 this week. That surge of deaths has pushed the state as a whole past 25,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The disease has killed more Californians on each of the last two days than any other day throughout the course of the entire pandemic — a back-to-back battering that has propelled the state’s total death toll past 25,000. In the last three days, more than 1,100 people statewide have died from COVID-19, including a record-high 442 Tuesday and the next-highest total, 424, on Wednesday… The situation has gotten so bleak that some mortuary and funeral home operators are saying they have to turn away bereaved families because they don’t have the capacity to handle more bodies.
The situation is worst in LA County. At present someone in LA County dies from the virus, on average, every 10 minutes. LA’s Public Health account on Twitter has been tweeting out warnings trying to personalize the threat every 10 minutes as a way to get people’s attention:
A WWII Veteran. #Every10Minutes #LACounty Please physically distance. Slow the spread. Save a life. — LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 31, 2020
Someone who loved the rain. #Every10Minutes #LACounty Please wear a face covering when outside. Slow the spread. Save a life. — LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 31, 2020
The friend who danced, and danced, and danced. #Every10Minutes #LACounty Please physically distance. Slow the spread. Save a life. — LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 31, 2020
It goes on like that for hours. That’s a bit of theater but it does reflect something real. Hospitals in southern California are struggling to keep up right now.
For Dr. Anita Sircar, an infectious disease specialist, there are no breaks and few days off… “It’s relentless,” Sircar said, speaking on the phone between patient rounds and doctor meetings at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance… For ICU nurse Lindsey Burrell, who works at Providence hospital with Sircar, trying to balance family life with work life sometimes means bottling up her pain and anxiety after having watched patients die day in and day out… “Patients are scared to death,” she said. “They plead for their lives. They know they’re going to die. It tears us apart.”… “We can’t take much more,” she said.
There’s also a new concern. The state has identified its first case of the newer strain of the virus, the one that appears to be significantly more transmissible than the current strain. And the person who has it has not traveled recently, meaning this is already spreading in San Diego County.
NEW COVID INFORMATION:
A COVID patient with the UK variant of the virus has been diagnosed here in San Diego County. For details watch the video. #COVID #stayathome #maskup #UKvariant pic.twitter.com/Rv5eE4x4Z6 — Nathan Fletcher (@nathanfletcher) December 30, 2020
I’m a long way from the front lines of this but I can feel the difference. During the initial wave of the pandemic in the spring, I was never personally worried. I think we all judge situations like this not just by what we read in the papers but also by what we see around us. I knew a lot of people were getting sick around the world and in the U.S. but I didn’t see that up close. No one I knew tested positive or was hospitalized in the spring. It seemed the threat was in Italy or New York, always at a distance. And relatively speaking, California seemed to be doing pretty well. I was more worried about my extended family living in other states than about my immediate family.
That’s changed in the past month. Now I know people, close friends, who have been exposed. People I know or that my kids know have tested positive. My daughter’s school just announced there would be no more in-person classes. It’s no longer a far off threat. And unfortunately, it’s probably going to get worse in January than it is now.


hotair--2020-12-31--Axios co-founder: Some Republicans think Trump is sabotaging the Georgia runoff elections, but ...

Was Rahm Emanuel right about Donald Trump ’ s post-election strategy , or is this just a sign of Republican frustration in Georgia ?
The former mayor posited that Trump would want Republicans to feel as though they had no choice but to stand by him or lose elections in the future , as Axios co-founder Mike Allen tells CNBC ’ s Becky Quick on Squawk Box .
Some Republicans in Georgia think Trump might be trying to set up his argument for renomination in 2024 , Allen reports , by tanking the two Senate runoffs next week .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allen says , “ Republicans get more worried , more pessimistic.
” And that is in large part due to Trump , Allen says : “ There ’ s a big strain of thought among Republicans that President Trump is sabotaging this race .
He ’ s done so much to be unhelpful to those candidates , ” Allen said on “ Squawk Box , ” referring to GOP Sens .
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue .
“ I talk to Republicans and they look at what ’ s happening , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be thinking , ‘ I want to send a message , If I ’ m not on the ballot , Republicans are in trouble , ’ ” added Allen , a longtime political reporter in Washington .
I guess one can make that argument , but it doesn ’ t quite fit the facts at hand .
Trump has already held a rally for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , and plans another on January 4th .
While he hasn ’ t entirely distanced himself from boycott organizers Sidney Powell and Lin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Wood ’ s latest insane rants ) , Trump has repeatedly urged his followers to vote n the runoffs , even while attacking the voting system and the Republicans running it .
Let ’ s game this strategic-planning idea out .
What happens if Republicans lose the two races in Georgia ?
Does that allow Trump to argue that they need him on the ticket in 2024 ?
That doesn ’ t make a whole lot of sense , although we can grant that this is more emotional than rational .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was on the ticket , and Perdue didn ’ t get to 50 % +1 with Trump atop him on the ballot .
Perhaps if the GOP pull out wins in the runoffs , one could make the argument that Trump ’ s absence actually helped and that ’ s why Trump doesn ’ t want them to win … but Republicans routinely win these runoffs anyway .
Besides , four years is an eternity in politics , and let ’ s not forget that we have a midterm in between , too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help would boost Trump a lot more than a loss would , especially if it ’ s perceived as a deliberate strategy .
Team Trump pushed back against this idea later in the morning : The sabotage idea is probably nonsense , but the damage Trump is doing is likely real enough even without that intent .
By clinging to conspiracy-theory explanations of his loss and by linking himself to Powell and now especially Wood , Trump is certainly doing the GOP no favors in Georgia and is handing Jon Ossoff and Raphael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final hours .
Maybe Wood ’ s rants about John Roberts and Jeffrey Epstein ( covered by Allahpundit earlier ) will finally push Trump to throw the pair under the bus , firmly and publicly .
If this doesn ’ t do it , nothing will : That ’ s the thinking that Trump has implicitly endorsed in Georgia .
Small wonder Republicans are wondering what in the name of all that ’ s holy Trump has to be thinking by keeping Wood in the loop .

Was Rahm Emanuel right about Donald Trump’s post-election strategy, or is this just a sign of Republican frustration in Georgia? The former mayor posited that Trump would want Republicans to feel as though they had no choice but to stand by him or lose elections in the future, as Axios co-founder Mike Allen tells CNBC’s Becky Quick on Squawk Box. Some Republicans in Georgia think Trump might be trying to set up his argument for renomination in 2024, Allen reports, by tanking the two Senate runoffs next week.
“Every hour that goes by,” Allen says, “Republicans get more worried, more pessimistic.” And that is in large part due to Trump, Allen says:
“There’s a big strain of thought among Republicans that President Trump is sabotaging this race. He’s done so much to be unhelpful to those candidates,” Allen said on “Squawk Box,” referring to GOP Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. “I talk to Republicans and they look at what’s happening, and they say, ’You know, he must be thinking, ‘I want to send a message, If I’m not on the ballot, Republicans are in trouble,’” added Allen, a longtime political reporter in Washington.
I guess one can make that argument, but it doesn’t quite fit the facts at hand. Trump has already held a rally for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, and plans another on January 4th. While he hasn’t entirely distanced himself from boycott organizers Sidney Powell and Lin Wood (although that might be coming after Wood’s latest insane rants), Trump has repeatedly urged his followers to vote in the runoffs, even while attacking the voting system and the Republicans running it.
Let’s game this strategic-planning idea out. What happens if Republicans lose the two races in Georgia? Does that allow Trump to argue that they need him on the ticket in 2024? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, although we can grant that this is more emotional than rational. After all, Trump lost Georgia when he was on the ticket, and Perdue didn’t get to 50%+1 with Trump atop him on the ballot. Perhaps if the GOP pull out wins in the runoffs, one could make the argument that Trump’s absence actually helped and that’s why Trump doesn’t want them to win … but Republicans routinely win these runoffs anyway. Besides, four years is an eternity in politics, and let’s not forget that we have a midterm in between, too. A win in Georgia with his help would boost Trump a lot more than a loss would, especially if it’s perceived as a deliberate strategy.
Team Trump pushed back against this idea later in the morning:
“Keeping a Republican majority in the Senate has been a priority for the President from the beginning,” Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement Thursday to CNBC. “He will be rallying voters to support Senators Perdue and Loeffler and warning that their opponents are leftist extremists who support higher taxes, the job-crushing Green New Deal, and amnesty for 11 million illegal aliens.”
The sabotage idea is probably nonsense, but the damage Trump is doing is likely real enough even without that intent. By clinging to conspiracy-theory explanations of his loss and by linking himself to Powell and now especially Wood, Trump is certainly doing the GOP no favors in Georgia and is handing Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock some pretty good arguments in the final hours. Maybe Wood’s rants about John Roberts and Jeffrey Epstein (covered by Allahpundit earlier) will finally push Trump to throw the pair under the bus, firmly and publicly. If this doesn’t do it, nothing will:
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1344451598131617792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1344451598131617792%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhotair.com%2Fwp%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Faction%3Deditpost%3D4317934
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1344652363861258243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1344652363861258243%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhotair.com%2Fwp%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Faction%3Deditpost%3D4317934
That’s the thinking that Trump has implicitly endorsed in Georgia. Small wonder Republicans are wondering what in the name of all that’s holy Trump has to be thinking by keeping Wood in the loop.


hotair--2020-12-31--Report: McConnell demands that Hawley explain his plans for January 6 -- only to find he's not on th

Report: McConnell demands that Hawley explain his plans for January 6 -- only to find he's not on the line

A perfect story with which to end the year , as it concisely captures the cleaving of the GOP into Trumpist and traditional factions and does so in a memorably absurd way .
Relentless turmoil and absurdity : That was 2020 .
That , and a lot of dead bodies .
It takes a certain bravado to ghost the Senate majority leader and your colleagues a day after you ’ ve declared your intention to grind their faces in a pile of sh*t , particularly when you ’ ve chosen to do so for the most self-serving , career-advancing reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the heart of this whole thing : this isn ’ t really a legal strategy – it ’ s a fundraising strategy , ” wrote Ben Sasse this morning of Team Trump ’ s efforts in court since November 3 , but he might as well have been writing about Hawley too .
Lo and behold : One way to look at Hawley ’ s gambit next Wednesday is as a simple acknowledgment that that there are now two GOPs and everyone will have to choose which one they belong to .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the traditional GOP so why should he take time out of his day to explain himself to McConnell ?
Relatedly , for all the hype about Trump losing his grip on the GOP , how confident are we that Cocaine Mitch still rules his caucus with an iron hand ?
At best , he ’ ll have a thin 52/48 advantage in the Senate for the next two years with at least three members of his caucus — Romney , Collins , and Murkowski — who are willing to go their own way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have an advantage at all .
By the time Congress convenes on the 6th to certify the votes of the electoral college , McConnell may have been relegated to minority leader .
( If you believe the polls lately , you ’ d say that outcome is more likely than not . )
It ’ s unclear at the moment how much of a grip McConnell will be able to maintain on populists like Hawley , Cotton , Cruz , Tuberville , and others next year with Trump barking orders at them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In fact , watch Lindsey Graham casually knife Cocaine Mitch during a Fox interview this morning .
McConnell ’ s trying to defeat Trump ’ s proposal for $ 2,000 stimulus checks by packaging that demand with two other Trump demands that ’ ll function as poison pills for Democrats , namely , repealing Section 230 and investigating voter fraud .
The last thing Mitch needs is members of his own caucus endorsing Chuck Schumer ’ s call to vote separately on the checks and to put the poison pills in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted down .
But here ’ s Graham doing exactly that : There ’ s no good outcome for McConnell ’ s caucus if they vote on a standalone bill for $ 2,000 checks .
If the bill passes , and it might , McConnell looks weak and the deficit soars another $ 500 billion .
If the bill fails due to GOP opposition , the party will be blamed by voters for killing an effort to boost financial aid that enjoys even the president ’ s support — which might be enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perdue in Georgia .
The only “ winning ” move is not to play by not voting on a “ clean ” bill at all .
But even establishment Republicans like Lindsey aren ’ t willing to help McConnell out in that effort when Trump is on the other side of the equation .
Although I wouldn ’ t read too much into that .
Graham isn ’ t throwing in with the Trumpist GOP against the traditional GOP like Hawley is .
True to form , he ’ s going to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama said , Lindsey ’ s the guy in the spy thriller who double-crosses everyone to save his own skin .
Today was just McConnell ’ s turn to be double-crossed .
I doubt we ’ re going to get a vote on a standalone bill even in the new session of Congress that begins on Sunday , but the Trump/Dem alliance is going to keep trying : As for Hawley , don ’ t assume that he ’ s won his chess match with McConnell just because he was willing to upend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that something important will happen on Sunday when Congress meets : The House and Senate will formally adopt the rules that will govern their session on January 6 , when the electoral votes from each state will be certified .
The Electoral Count Act of 1887 lays out the procedures for objecting that Hawley plans to use , but each chamber of Congress has plenty of leeway in how they run their shop .
McConnell might try to rein in Hawley and Trump ’ s House Republican supporters somehow via the rules that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take the extreme route of bypassing the Electoral Count Act altogether , constitutional scholars say lawmakers could use the opportunity to clarify and add to existing processes in order to stave off uncertainty stoked by Trump ’ s hard-line allies .
That could include restricting Pence ’ s power to make sweeping procedural rulings or setting criteria that prevent him from introducing alternate slates of presidential electors in states won by Biden , a gambit some Trump allies have urged him to attempt .
‘ What counts as a purported slate of electors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a vice president allowed to present a potential slate of electors to the joint session ?
What types of objections are and aren ’ t in order ?
” said Michael Morley , a Florida State University election and constitutional law expert .
These questions , he said , could all be clarified by Congress if lawmakers choose to supplement the Electoral Count Act rules with procedures that respond to the clear efforts of the president ’ s allies .
For McConnell , the question may be as simple as deciding what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump fans and deepen the party ’ s divisions .
Allowing the process to play out as planned , with Hawley and MAGA congressmen grandstanding for hours before Congress is forced to vote on whether to accept each swing state ’ s results ?
Or truncating the process via a new rules package and certifying Biden ’ s win on the 6th in a short , ho-hum session in which the caucus avoids taking those tough votes on the results from swing states ?
My guess is that the latter would cause more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big show next Wednesday on the House floor about how he “ really ” won the election .
McConnell may have no choice but to let Hawley proceed as scheduled .
Update : A precedent the GOP will come to regret :

A perfect story with which to end the year, as it concisely captures the cleaving of the GOP into Trumpist and traditional factions and does so in a memorably absurd way.
Relentless turmoil and absurdity: That was 2020.
That, and a lot of dead bodies.
McConnell has expressed concern that GOP senators up for re-election in ‘22 will be forced to take a vote on a seemingly pointless endeavor that will imperil them either in a general or primary election — Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) December 31, 2020
It takes a certain bravado to ghost the Senate majority leader and your colleagues a day after you’ve declared your intention to grind their faces in a pile of sh*t, particularly when you’ve chosen to do so for the most self-serving, career-advancing reasons. “[H]ere’s the heart of this whole thing: this isn’t really a legal strategy – it’s a fundraising strategy,” wrote Ben Sasse this morning of Team Trump’s efforts in court since November 3, but he might as well have been writing about Hawley too. Lo and behold:
Hawley fundraising off his upcoming stunt to join with the election conspiracy theorists pic.twitter.com/vBQ3zdRrLK — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 31, 2020
One way to look at Hawley’s gambit next Wednesday is as a simple acknowledgment that that there are now two GOPs and everyone will have to choose which one they belong to. Hawley’s no longer part of the traditional GOP so why should he take time out of his day to explain himself to McConnell?
Relatedly, for all the hype about Trump losing his grip on the GOP, how confident are we that Cocaine Mitch still rules his caucus with an iron hand? At best, he’ll have a thin 52/48 advantage in the Senate for the next two years with at least three members of his caucus — Romney, Collins, and Murkowski — who are willing to go their own way. At worst, he won’t have an advantage at all. By the time Congress convenes on the 6th to certify the votes of the electoral college, McConnell may have been relegated to minority leader. (If you believe the polls lately, you’d say that outcome is more likely than not.) It’s unclear at the moment how much of a grip McConnell will be able to maintain on populists like Hawley, Cotton, Cruz, Tuberville, and others next year with Trump barking orders at them from the sidelines via his Twitter feed.
In fact, watch Lindsey Graham casually knife Cocaine Mitch during a Fox interview this morning. McConnell’s trying to defeat Trump’s proposal for $2,000 stimulus checks by packaging that demand with two other Trump demands that’ll function as poison pills for Democrats, namely, repealing Section 230 and investigating voter fraud. The last thing Mitch needs is members of his own caucus endorsing Chuck Schumer’s call to vote separately on the checks and to put the poison pills in a different bill where they can be safely voted down. But here’s Graham doing exactly that:
Graham calls on McConnell to hold a stand-alone vote on $2,000 relief checks when the new Congress begins on January 3 pic.twitter.com/0yJtQAElru — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 31, 2020
There’s no good outcome for McConnell’s caucus if they vote on a standalone bill for $2,000 checks. If the bill passes, and it might, McConnell looks weak and the deficit soars another $500 billion. If the bill fails due to GOP opposition, the party will be blamed by voters for killing an effort to boost financial aid that enjoys even the president’s support — which might be enough to finish off Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in Georgia. The only “winning” move is not to play by not voting on a “clean” bill at all. But even establishment Republicans like Lindsey aren’t willing to help McConnell out in that effort when Trump is on the other side of the equation.
Although I wouldn’t read too much into that. Graham isn’t throwing in with the Trumpist GOP against the traditional GOP like Hawley is. True to form, he’s going to try to play both sides. As Barack Obama said, Lindsey’s the guy in the spy thriller who double-crosses everyone to save his own skin. Today was just McConnell’s turn to be double-crossed.
I doubt we’re going to get a vote on a standalone bill even in the new session of Congress that begins on Sunday, but the Trump/Dem alliance is going to keep trying:
Schumer makes McConnell an offer: Allow a vote on the House-passed CASH Act and he'll support a vote on Section 230, a voter fraud commission and "whatever right-wing conspiracy you'd like," even one that looks into whether Brad Raffensperger "has a brother named Ron." — Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 31, 2020
As for Hawley, don’t assume that he’s won his chess match with McConnell just because he was willing to upend the board. Politico pointed out yesterday that something important will happen on Sunday when Congress meets: The House and Senate will formally adopt the rules that will govern their session on January 6, when the electoral votes from each state will be certified. The Electoral Count Act of 1887 lays out the procedures for objecting that Hawley plans to use, but each chamber of Congress has plenty of leeway in how they run their shop. McConnell might try to rein in Hawley and Trump’s House Republican supporters somehow via the rules that are passed on Sunday:
Rather than take the extreme route of bypassing the Electoral Count Act altogether, constitutional scholars say lawmakers could use the opportunity to clarify and add to existing processes in order to stave off uncertainty stoked by Trump’s hard-line allies. That could include restricting Pence’s power to make sweeping procedural rulings or setting criteria that prevent him from introducing alternate slates of presidential electors in states won by Biden, a gambit some Trump allies have urged him to attempt. ‘What counts as a purported slate of electors from a state? Under what circumstances is a vice president allowed to present a potential slate of electors to the joint session? What types of objections are and aren’t in order?” said Michael Morley, a Florida State University election and constitutional law expert. These questions, he said, could all be clarified by Congress if lawmakers choose to supplement the Electoral Count Act rules with procedures that respond to the clear efforts of the president’s allies.
For McConnell, the question may be as simple as deciding what’s more likely to piss off Trump fans and deepen the party’s divisions. Allowing the process to play out as planned, with Hawley and MAGA congressmen grandstanding for hours before Congress is forced to vote on whether to accept each swing state’s results? Or truncating the process via a new rules package and certifying Biden’s win on the 6th in a short, ho-hum session in which the caucus avoids taking those tough votes on the results from swing states? My guess is that the latter would cause more trouble, especially with Trump expecting a big show next Wednesday on the House floor about how he “really” won the election. McConnell may have no choice but to let Hawley proceed as scheduled.
Update: A precedent the GOP will come to regret:


hotair--2020-12-31--Today's hot topics on #TEMS: What was the best and worst of 2020?

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show ( 4 pm ET ) , we have another great lineup for the news of the day !
The show will be streamed on Hot Air ’ s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook .
Join us as we welcome : • Duane “ Generalissimo ” Patterson brings us up to date on the week ’ s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow ’ s Hugh Hewitt show .
We ’ ll talk about current events this week , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the best of 2020 ?
[ Est time – 2 mins ] • What was the worst of 2020 ?
[ Est time – 2 weeks , but we ’ ll hold it down to 58 mins ] • And what were the top Hot Air posts in 2020 ?
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page .
Be sure to join us , and don ’ t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page , too !
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 ?
Find out in GOING RED , published in April from Crown Forum !

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day! The show will be streamed on Hot Air’s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook.
Join us as we welcome:
Duane “Generalissimo” Patterson brings us up to date on the week’s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow’s Hugh Hewitt show. We’ll talk about current events this week, but also answer these questions:
What was the best of 2020? [Est time – 2 mins]
What was the worst of 2020? [Est time – 2 weeks, but we’ll hold it down to 58 mins]
And what were the top Hot Air posts in 2020?
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page. Be sure to join us, and don’t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too!
How can Republicans and conservatives keep winning after 2016? Find out in GOING RED, published in April from Crown Forum!


hotair--2020-12-31--So how was the Nashville bomber's "mystery woman" involved in all of this?

While most of us prepare to welcome in the New Year , the FBI and local law enforcement agents in Nashville , Tennessee are still trying to piece together the story of Anthony Warner and how he wound up blowing himself up , along with most of a city block , on Christmas morning .
One of the potentially key individuals who has been mentioned repeatedly in the early days of the investigation is a “ mystery woman ” from California to whom Warner transferred the deeds for two properties in the past couple of years .
Her name is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive in the music industry in Los Angeles , but up until now we didn ’ t know much about her .
She claims she didn ’ t even know about the most recent house transfer and refused to comment on the nature of her relationship ( if any ) to Warner , referring all other questions to the FBI .
Now the press has dug up at least a couple of details about Swing , though I ’ m not sure if this really moves the investigation forward in any significant way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just the daughter of a friend of Warner ’ s , or so his former attorney claims .
( NY Post ) The woman who was given two homes by Nashville RV bomber Anthony Quinn Warner was the daughter of one of his friends , the attacker ’ s former lawyer said .
Los Angeles-based music exec Michelle Swing , 29 , became the heart of numerous conspiracies after she was gifted the double deeds — including Warner ’ s own home exactly a month before his Christmas morning blast .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ray Throckmorton III , told The Tennessean that the crazed , hate-filled paranoid loner told him Swing was just “ the child of a friend of his.
” If we take this story at face value , then Swing isn ’ t involved in the attack in any way .
And for the record , nobody has suggested that she was , at least to my knowledge .
But this explanation only adds another layer of weirdness to a story that ’ s already straining the boundaries of credulity .
Keep in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she wasn ’ t aware of the deed transfer to her of Warner ’ s primary residence in November , she most certainly was aware that he gave her another house in January of 2019 .
We know that because the gift caused a rift in Warner ’ s family and she wound up signing that house back over to Warner ’ s mother later last year .
Then there are the optics of these gifts .
We have friends with children and we occasionally do nice things for them like buying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school fundraisers .
But never once have I considered signing my house over to one of them .
If Swing is the “ daughter of a friend ” who was that important to Warner , why not give the property to the friend ?
Or how about some member of his own family ?
It certainly sounds as if his mother could use some financial help .
This doesn ’ t make any sense , much like the rest of the story of the final years of Anthony Warner ’ s life .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nature of their relationship ( if any ) probably isn ’ t all that unusual .
It would be fairly standard for the FBI to ask her to remain mum while an investigation is ongoing .
But it doesn ’ t seem as though the investigation would be compromised if she simply stated that she and Warner were friends , lovers , business partners or whatever .
Provided she didn ’ t say anything about the attack ( if she even knows anything ) , the FBI should have been able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll tell us more later , but her silence at this point raises some red flags , at least in my opinion .
Besides , Warner supposedly had a girlfriend who probably would have liked to get a free house .
You remember her , right ?
She ’ s the one who tried to tell the police that her boyfriend was building bombs more than a year ago .
Warner ’ s ex-attorney had a few more things to say , by the way .
He describes Warner as a guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything and everybody.
” He also said that the bomber was “ extremely reserved and suspicious and paranoid and distrustful.
” That definitely paints the picture of someone who might go off the deep end and pull off a massive public attack .
But if so , then why did Warner go out of this way to make sure the blast went off when there was almost nobody around to be killed ?
None of this adds up and we ’ re still left in search of a motive .
Hopefully , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory if we ever learn what it was .

While most of us prepare to welcome in the New Year, the FBI and local law enforcement agents in Nashville, Tennessee are still trying to piece together the story of Anthony Warner and how he wound up blowing himself up, along with most of a city block, on Christmas morning. One of the potentially key individuals who has been mentioned repeatedly in the early days of the investigation is a “mystery woman” from California to whom Warner transferred the deeds for two properties in the past couple of years. Her name is Michelle Swing and she’s an executive in the music industry in Los Angeles, but up until now we didn’t know much about her. She claims she didn’t even know about the most recent house transfer and refused to comment on the nature of her relationship (if any) to Warner, referring all other questions to the FBI.
Now the press has dug up at least a couple of details about Swing, though I’m not sure if this really moves the investigation forward in any significant way. It turns out that Michelle Swing is just the daughter of a friend of Warner’s, or so his former attorney claims. (NY Post)
The woman who was given two homes by Nashville RV bomber Anthony Quinn Warner was the daughter of one of his friends, the attacker’s former lawyer said. Los Angeles-based music exec Michelle Swing, 29, became the heart of numerous conspiracies after she was gifted the double deeds — including Warner’s own home exactly a month before his Christmas morning blast. A lawyer who represented him at the time, Ray Throckmorton III, told The Tennessean that the crazed, hate-filled paranoid loner told him Swing was just “the child of a friend of his.”
If we take this story at face value, then Swing isn’t involved in the attack in any way. And for the record, nobody has suggested that she was, at least to my knowledge. But this explanation only adds another layer of weirdness to a story that’s already straining the boundaries of credulity.
Keep in mind that while Ms. Swing claims that she wasn’t aware of the deed transfer to her of Warner’s primary residence in November, she most certainly was aware that he gave her another house in January of 2019. We know that because the gift caused a rift in Warner’s family and she wound up signing that house back over to Warner’s mother later last year.
Then there are the optics of these gifts. We have friends with children and we occasionally do nice things for them like buying their Girl Scout cookies or helping out school fundraisers. But never once have I considered signing my house over to one of them. If Swing is the “daughter of a friend” who was that important to Warner, why not give the property to the friend? Or how about some member of his own family? It certainly sounds as if his mother could use some financial help. This doesn’t make any sense, much like the rest of the story of the final years of Anthony Warner’s life.
Michelle Swing keeping her lips sealed about the nature of their relationship (if any) probably isn’t all that unusual. It would be fairly standard for the FBI to ask her to remain mum while an investigation is ongoing. But it doesn’t seem as though the investigation would be compromised if she simply stated that she and Warner were friends, lovers, business partners or whatever. Provided she didn’t say anything about the attack (if she even knows anything), the FBI should have been able to continue their work undisturbed. Perpahs she’ll tell us more later, but her silence at this point raises some red flags, at least in my opinion.
Besides, Warner supposedly had a girlfriend who probably would have liked to get a free house. You remember her, right? She’s the one who tried to tell the police that her boyfriend was building bombs more than a year ago.
Warner’s ex-attorney had a few more things to say, by the way. He describes Warner as a guy who “hated life and he hated everything and everybody.” He also said that the bomber was “extremely reserved and suspicious and paranoid and distrustful.” That definitely paints the picture of someone who might go off the deep end and pull off a massive public attack. But if so, then why did Warner go out of this way to make sure the blast went off when there was almost nobody around to be killed? None of this adds up and we’re still left in search of a motive. Hopefully, it will be better than the 5G conspiracy theory if we ever learn what it was.


hotair--2020-12-31--Teacher of the Year tweets McConnell's neighbors should give him the Rand Paul treatment

Last night I noticed a post on our sister site Twitchy about the 2019 Teacher of the Year tweeting what appeared to be a call for violence against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell .
Needless to say , there were plenty of responses to that tweet , especially given that this person influences the lives of young people .
Adults , certainly teachers , are supposed to lead by example .
Rodney Robinson must not have been pleased with how Mitch McConnell is handling legislation that provides Americans with some relief from the financial devastation brought on by the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ugly thought that can easily be construed as a call for violence against the Senate Majority Leader .
I would post it but he has deleted it .
He called out for McConnell ’ s neighbors to violently attack him as Senator Rand Paul ’ s neighbor did to him .
Does that look like a joke to you ?
Robinson deleted the tweet when people , rightly , responded with disgust to such a post .
He blamed those responding in a negative way for not understanding that hey , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all amused was Rand Paul ’ s wife , Kelley .
She reminded people of the physical damage done to her husband and tagged the CEO of Twitter .
Did @ jack suspend Robinson ’ s Twitter account , as he surely would have done to a conservative ?
Nope .
Robinson ’ s account is now a private one and his tweets are not available to be viewed by the general public .
Before he locked his Twitter account , Robinson lamely blamed the angry responses to his fever dream of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wait for it – yes , racism .
You have got to be kidding .
There was no mention of “ black medical awareness ” in this fiasco .
This is what social justice warriors do , though , in 2020 .
When they have to go into clean-up mode , the easiest thing to do is to blame any objections to ugly speech or actions on conservatives and particularly on racism .
The claim of racism shuts down discussions , it doesn ’ t allow discussions to continue in any meaningful way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet , especially since he references explicitly the criminal assault against the junior senator from Kentucky as an example of what he ’ d like to see play out on McConnell .
The only reference to anything medical around the tweet was posted a couple of hours after the McConnell tweet .
It referenced an oral surgery appointment and his search for a black oral surgeon to do it .
Robinson has been teaching for about 20 years , so he ’ s not some rookie teacher who is unaware of the full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He currently teaches at a juvenile detention center in Richmond , Virginia .
In April 2019 he explained his job during an interview with NPR .
I work in a juvenile jail .
My students range in age from 12 to 19 — from , on average , sixth grade up to 12th grade .
They ’ re on varying levels .
My facility has a capacity of 60 students .
I ’ d say about a third have been sentenced , and the other two-thirds are being tried or awaiting sentencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s only there for two days sitting next to a student who ’ s been waiting two years for trial .
It ’ s my job to fit the needs of each and every student no matter what they bring to the table and make them feel loved and appreciated and inspire them to do whatever they want to be .
He teaches troubled teens .
Robinson calls what he does “ culturally relevant teaching ” .
He teaches them about the prison system and how to advocate for themselves , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggests Robinson has racial issues as seen in a tweet from Tuesday .
It quotes Robinson ’ s Wikipedia page which shows he debated about meeting with President Trump after he received the award .
Traditionally presidents present the award to the Teacher of the Year in a ceremony at the White House .
Robinson , who was Virginia Teacher of the Year in 2018 , decided to go to the White House .
He met with Trump in the Oval Office , but no formal presentation was delivered .
Robinson has racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the 78-year-old McConnell , as seen by this tweet from Tuesday , “ I would say the government is broken but it ’ s doing exactly what it was designed to do which is maintain power and privilege for old white men.
” …After teaching for over a decade in middle and high schools in Richmond , Virginia , he became a social studies and history teacher for grades 6 through 12 at the Virgie Binford Education Center , located inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center .
He was named Virginia Teacher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Teacher of the Year in 2019… …Robinson received the R.E.B .
Award for Teaching Excellence in 2012 .
[ 7 ] In 2018 , he was named Virginia Teacher of the Year [ 8 ] and in 2019 he was recognized as National Teacher of the Year .
[ 6 ] He described his reaction to winning the national award as humbling and noted : “ as a black male educator , we ’ re put in this box where we ’ re told to only coach , only deal with difficult kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight to try to escape that box , and now here I was being chosen to represent all teachers and students in America .
It was validating ” .
[ 3 ] There was some controversy over whether Robinson would decide to visit the White House to be honored , but eventually he decided to go .
He met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office after Trump broke with tradition by not personally presenting the award to Robinson .
[ 9 ] Robinson planned to use his platform as National Teacher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even funding of schools between rich and poor and to increase the number of minority men who become teachers .
[ 3 ] This is the latest example of how teachers , and specifically teacher unions , have lowered the bar for public education .
Today it is more important to preach social justice and activism than it is the basics of education .
Look no further than their own Teacher of the Year .

Last night I noticed a post on our sister site Twitchy about the 2019 Teacher of the Year tweeting what appeared to be a call for violence against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Needless to say, there were plenty of responses to that tweet, especially given that this person influences the lives of young people. Adults, certainly teachers, are supposed to lead by example.
Rodney Robinson must not have been pleased with how Mitch McConnell is handling legislation that provides Americans with some relief from the financial devastation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Wednesday afternoon Robinson tweeted out an ugly thought that can easily be construed as a call for violence against the Senate Majority Leader. I would post it but he has deleted it. He called out for McConnell’s neighbors to violently attack him as Senator Rand Paul’s neighbor did to him.
“Who are Mitch McConnell’s neighbors? I’m just saying Rand Paul’s neighbor did what a true Kentucky hero should do. It’s your turn to step up.”
Does that look like a joke to you? Robinson deleted the tweet when people, rightly, responded with disgust to such a post. He blamed those responding in a negative way for not understanding that hey, he’s just joking. Someone not at all amused was Rand Paul’s wife, Kelley. She reminded people of the physical damage done to her husband and tagged the CEO of Twitter.
I am so disgusted by this I have no words. The 2019 “National Teacher Of The Year” is celebrating the violent assault on my husband that resulted in 6 broken ribs and part of his lung being removed. This hateful thug is calling for more violence on Sen McConnell. @jack https://t.co/JLraxwLaZD — Kelley Paul (@KelleyAshbyPaul) December 31, 2020
Did @jack suspend Robinson’s Twitter account, as he surely would have done to a conservative? Nope. Robinson’s account is now a private one and his tweets are not available to be viewed by the general public. Before he locked his Twitter account, Robinson lamely blamed the angry responses to his fever dream of physical injury toward Senator McConnell on – wait for it – yes, racism. You have got to be kidding.
I made a Mitch McConnell joke today and the conservative bots are real angry. It’s funny because the joke was made early today and no one said a thing until I promoted black medical awareness. — Rodney Robinson (@RodRobinsonRVA) December 31, 2020
There was no mention of “black medical awareness” in this fiasco. This is what social justice warriors do, though, in 2020. When they have to go into clean-up mode, the easiest thing to do is to blame any objections to ugly speech or actions on conservatives and particularly on racism. The claim of racism shuts down discussions, it doesn’t allow discussions to continue in any meaningful way. There was nothing funny about his tweet, especially since he references explicitly the criminal assault against the junior senator from Kentucky as an example of what he’d like to see play out on McConnell. The only reference to anything medical around the tweet was posted a couple of hours after the McConnell tweet. It referenced an oral surgery appointment and his search for a black oral surgeon to do it.
“Went to a new dentist yesterday and he referred me to oral surgeon network. I asked the black dental assistant in front of the others in the office to circle the black surgeons in the network. She said I already did. Others looked confused but if you don’t know you don’t know.”
Robinson has been teaching for about 20 years, so he’s not some rookie teacher who is unaware of the full scope of his influence on young people. He currently teaches at a juvenile detention center in Richmond, Virginia. In April 2019 he explained his job during an interview with NPR.
I work in a juvenile jail. My students range in age from 12 to 19 — from, on average, sixth grade up to 12th grade. They’re on varying levels. My facility has a capacity of 60 students. I’d say about a third have been sentenced, and the other two-thirds are being tried or awaiting sentencing. I could have a student who’s only there for two days sitting next to a student who’s been waiting two years for trial. It’s my job to fit the needs of each and every student no matter what they bring to the table and make them feel loved and appreciated and inspire them to do whatever they want to be.
He teaches troubled teens. Robinson calls what he does “culturally relevant teaching”. He teaches them about the prison system and how to advocate for themselves, he said. A piece in The Spectator suggests Robinson has racial issues as seen in a tweet from Tuesday. It quotes Robinson’s Wikipedia page which shows he debated about meeting with President Trump after he received the award. Traditionally presidents present the award to the Teacher of the Year in a ceremony at the White House. Robinson, who was Virginia Teacher of the Year in 2018, decided to go to the White House. He met with Trump in the Oval Office, but no formal presentation was delivered.
Robinson has racial issues against “old white men” like the 78-year-old McConnell, as seen by this tweet from Tuesday, “I would say the government is broken but it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do which is maintain power and privilege for old white men.” …After teaching for over a decade in middle and high schools in Richmond, Virginia, he became a social studies and history teacher for grades 6 through 12 at the Virgie Binford Education Center, located inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. He was named Virginia Teacher of the Year in 2018 and National Teacher of the Year in 2019… …Robinson received the R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence in 2012.[7] In 2018, he was named Virginia Teacher of the Year[8] and in 2019 he was recognized as National Teacher of the Year.[6] He described his reaction to winning the national award as humbling and noted: “as a black male educator, we’re put in this box where we’re told to only coach, only deal with difficult kids, only do discipline, and we fight to try to escape that box, and now here I was being chosen to represent all teachers and students in America. It was validating”.[3] There was some controversy over whether Robinson would decide to visit the White House to be honored, but eventually he decided to go. He met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office after Trump broke with tradition by not personally presenting the award to Robinson.[9] Robinson planned to use his platform as National Teacher of the Year to advocate for more even funding of schools between rich and poor and to increase the number of minority men who become teachers.[3]
This is the latest example of how teachers, and specifically teacher unions, have lowered the bar for public education. Today it is more important to preach social justice and activism than it is the basics of education. Look no further than their own Teacher of the Year.


hotair--2020-12-31--Seattle's revolving door of justice leaves 62-year-old man fighting for his life in ICU

On Christmas night a repeat offender in Seattle named Abdalla Jama , who is homeless and has mental problems , began to start fights with people on the premises of Exhibition Hall in Queen Anne .
A security guard saw what was happening and approached Jama to move him away from others .
Jama then took a swing at the guard .
The guard attempted to grab Jama to prevent getting hit and Jama head-butted him in the chin .
According to a written statement by Seattle police , the guard said Jama took a swing at him and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrain him .
The Seattle City Attorney ’ s Office received that case but Jama ended up being given a conditional release within hours of his arrest .
The Christmas Day arrest was Jama ’ s 5th arrest this year .
In October he had been arrested for trying to strangle someone near a Salvation Army center .
In that case , he was prosecuted and served a month in jail .
But there were no charges filed in the Christmas Day attack .
Q13 reports that the City Attorney ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t enough proof and…the security guard was the first to initiate physical contact.
” In short , City Attorney Pete Holmes office decided to blame the victim and put repeat violent offender Abdalla Jama back on the street .
That decision had life-altering consequences for another man just hours later .
The next day , about 6 hours after being released from jail , Jama is accused of beating Timothy L. Gravermoen so badly near the King County Courthouse , the victim was found bleeding and barely alive .
Police say Jama hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid defenseless , Jama allegedly beat and kicked Gravermoen so viciously that you could see the 62-year-old ’ s skull .
Witnesses told police there was some type of argument between the two men before the vicious attack at City Hall Park which is right next to the courthouse .
People around there say they ’ ve seen Jama at the park before selling crack cocaine .
Gravermoen was rushed to Harborview in critical condition .
The victim in this attack , Timothy Gavermoen , is a 62-year-old homeless man .
So if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go easy on the homeless , it didn ’ t really work out that way .
We ’ ve seen all of this before .
Pete Holmes has fought to keep repeat offenders like Jama out of jail before .
Francisco Calderon had been convicted of crimes 72 separate times , 14 of them were felonies .
But last year Holmes still sought to give Calderon a pass on his latest violent assault .
When a judge refused to go along with the city ’ s revolving door of justice and sent Calderon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge and even claimed he ’ d set up the whole thing to garner headlines .
The story of Abdalla Jama is also similar to the story of homeless addict Travis Berge who was also in and out of jail dozens of times and finally wound up murdering his girlfriend and killing himself .
It really is astounding what people in Seattle are willing to tolerate from public servants like City Attorney Pete Holmes .
In almost any other job Holmes would have been fired by now but as City Attorney , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be no consequences at all , at least not for him .
There are of course consequences for people like Timothy L. Gravermoen who is still fighting for his life in the ICU .

On Christmas night a repeat offender in Seattle named Abdalla Jama, who is homeless and has mental problems, began to start fights with people on the premises of Exhibition Hall in Queen Anne. A security guard saw what was happening and approached Jama to move him away from others. Jama then took a swing at the guard. The guard attempted to grab Jama to prevent getting hit and Jama head-butted him in the chin.
According to a written statement by Seattle police, the guard said Jama took a swing at him and then head-butted him when the guard tried to restrain him. The Seattle City Attorney’s Office received that case but Jama ended up being given a conditional release within hours of his arrest.
The Christmas Day arrest was Jama’s 5th arrest this year. In October he had been arrested for trying to strangle someone near a Salvation Army center. In that case, he was prosecuted and served a month in jail.
But there were no charges filed in the Christmas Day attack. Q13 reports that the City Attorney’s office released Jama because “there wasn’t enough proof and…the security guard was the first to initiate physical contact.” In short, City Attorney Pete Holmes office decided to blame the victim and put repeat violent offender Abdalla Jama back on the street. That decision had life-altering consequences for another man just hours later.
The next day, about 6 hours after being released from jail, Jama is accused of beating Timothy L. Gravermoen so badly near the King County Courthouse, the victim was found bleeding and barely alive. Police say Jama hit Gravermoen to the ground and as he laid defenseless, Jama allegedly beat and kicked Gravermoen so viciously that you could see the 62-year-old’s skull. Witnesses told police there was some type of argument between the two men before the vicious attack at City Hall Park which is right next to the courthouse. People around there say they’ve seen Jama at the park before selling crack cocaine. Gravermoen was rushed to Harborview in critical condition.
The victim in this attack, Timothy Gavermoen, is a 62-year-old homeless man. So if the idea of releasing Jama was to go easy on the homeless, it didn’t really work out that way.
We’ve seen all of this before. Pete Holmes has fought to keep repeat offenders like Jama out of jail before. Francisco Calderon had been convicted of crimes 72 separate times, 14 of them were felonies. But last year Holmes still sought to give Calderon a pass on his latest violent assault. When a judge refused to go along with the city’s revolving door of justice and sent Calderon to jail, Holmes publicly attacked the judge and even claimed he’d set up the whole thing to garner headlines.
The story of Abdalla Jama is also similar to the story of homeless addict Travis Berge who was also in and out of jail dozens of times and finally wound up murdering his girlfriend and killing himself.
It really is astounding what people in Seattle are willing to tolerate from public servants like City Attorney Pete Holmes. In almost any other job Holmes would have been fired by now but as City Attorney, he keeps making costly mistakes and there seem to be no consequences at all, at least not for him. There are of course consequences for people like Timothy L. Gravermoen who is still fighting for his life in the ICU.
Here’s the Q13 report.


hotair--2020-12-31--Here we go again? Protests in Minneapolis after first police shooting since George Floyd; <span clas

Here we go again? Protests in Minneapolis after first police shooting since George Floyd; Update: Deceased ID'd by family; Update: Bodycam footage released -- suspect shot first

Update , 5:05 pm CT : Police have released footage from at least one of the bodycams , and it shows police trying to get the suspect to stop his car and come out with his hands up .
Instead , as seen below , Dolal Idd tried to drive through the cars , and then fired at police , as can be seen pretty clearly in the video : If you fire a bullet at police , they will return fire until the threat is neutralized .
Will this be enough to convince protesters to stand down ?
Almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extremists , but it ’ s likely to keep the protests limited to only those most radically opposed to policing of any kind .
Or at least one would hope so .
Will this turn into a repeat of the late May-early June riots after the death of George Floyd ?
Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo wants to avoid that outcome , but angry protests have already begun over a police shooting in the same vicinity in which Floyd died .
Police made a felony stop on a suspect yesterday evening , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting since Floyd ’ s death .
Police say the suspect fired first , and so do witnesses , but the protesters seem … skeptical : It was the first police killing in Minneapolis since the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of four since-fired police officers .
Floyd ’ s death spurred protests and rioting that spread nationwide and prompted an intense , often bitter debate about the future of the Minneapolis Police Department .
After Wednesday night ’ s shooting , a crowd of about 100 protesters congregated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tense , shouting expletives and throwing snowballs at police .
Later in the evening , protesters remained relatively peaceful as they gathered at a bonfire built in the street .
The shooting occurred as officers tried to stop the man , whom they described as a felony suspect , about 6:15 p.m. at the Holiday gas station at E. 36th Street and Cedar Avenue .
Arradondo said witnesses reported that the suspect fired first , and that “ police officers then exchanged gunfire with the suspects.
” A woman also in the car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t release much information about the suspect , or about the officers that were involved in the shooting .
Protesters and reporters demanded to know the race of the man killed , but the PIO on scene said he didn ’ t have that information .
Even if that information had been readily available , it might not have mattered .
Dozens of people protested at the scene almost immediately after the shooting — a few grainy videos can already be found on YouTube — shouting slogans like “ If we don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t get no peace ” and “ I smell bacon.
” This protest and that which will likely follow it don ’ t need specifics to flourish ; it might flourish more in the lack of specifics .
Arradondo must believe that to be the case too .
He ’ s hoping to head off any momentum for protests by releasing bodycam footage of the shooting , perhaps as soon as later today .
The MPD confirmed that the officers had turned on the cameras before the incident began and that those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to releasing it quickly : One has to assume that Arradondo already knows what ’ s on the video , or at least thinks he knows what it will show , to make that kind of promise .
Or maybe it doesn ’ t matter ; after this year , these bodycam videos will get released ASAP in every police shooting and custodial death , because to do otherwise will fuel protests and potential riots all over again .
There ’ s something to be said for that kind of immediate transparency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not always clear and unambiguous , either .
Cameras strapped to bodies in motion tend to produce video that requires extensive and careful analysis , which generally isn ’ t what immediate dissemination on social media produces .
And it didn ’ t take long for the protests to get violent either .
Police called repeatedly to get crowd-control tactics authorized : Anything more than that , the Star Tribune explains , has to be authorized by Arradondo himself .
That policy got put in place after the state ’ s Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year over police response to the Floyd riots .
At least for now , nothing more was necessary , but how long will that be the case ?
Along with the bodycam footage , police and the coroner will release the identification of the deceased and apparently also the reason for the felony stop .
Depending on all of that information , it ’ s likely to get tense tonight again in Minneapolis , perhaps even apart from what the bodycam footage shows or witnesses say .
Even with all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hostility to the MPD specifically and policing in general has not abated in this city , from its leadership all the way down to the streets .
Update , 2 pm CT : Still waiting for the bodycam video to be released , but the family of the deceased have identified him as 22-year-old Dolal Idd .
His father met the press along with more protesters : It ’ s still not clear what prompted the felony stop .
However , Idd had a record , and his family had at one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting up a basement shower : That sounds like someone with poor impulse control .
The bodycam video will hopefully clarify if that is what led to the police shooting yesterday .

Update, 5:05 pm CT: Police have released footage from at least one of the bodycams, and it shows police trying to get the suspect to stop his car and come out with his hands up. Instead, as seen below, Dolal Idd tried to drive through the cars, and then fired at police, as can be seen pretty clearly in the video:
Here's the Minneapolis bodycam footage from the police officers who fatally shot a felony suspect who, to no one's surprised, fired first. pic.twitter.com/BCHeF6Mylu — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 31, 2020
The footage released by the city shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday shows a chaotic scene as officers repeatedly scream “Hands up, police!” at Idd with their guns pointed at him while he is in the driver’s seat of a car in a Holiday gas station parking lot. He is pinned in front and behind by squad cars as he attempts to flee, and is is seen peering out of the driver’s side window and pointing what appears to be a gun before the glass shatters. An officer shouts an expletive and at least a dozen shots are fired in return.
If you fire a bullet at police, they will return fire until the threat is neutralized. Will this be enough to convince protesters to stand down? Almost assuredly not, at least for the extremists, but it’s likely to keep the protests limited to only those most radically opposed to policing of any kind. Or at least one would hope so.
Original post follows …
Will this turn into a repeat of the late May-early June riots after the death of George Floyd? Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo wants to avoid that outcome, but angry protests have already begun over a police shooting in the same vicinity in which Floyd died. Police made a felony stop on a suspect yesterday evening, and it rapidly turned into the first police shooting since Floyd’s death.
Police say the suspect fired first, and so do witnesses, but the protesters seem … skeptical:
It was the first police killing in Minneapolis since the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of four since-fired police officers. Floyd’s death spurred protests and rioting that spread nationwide and prompted an intense, often bitter debate about the future of the Minneapolis Police Department. After Wednesday night’s shooting, a crowd of about 100 protesters congregated near the scene and at times grew tense, shouting expletives and throwing snowballs at police. Later in the evening, protesters remained relatively peaceful as they gathered at a bonfire built in the street. The shooting occurred as officers tried to stop the man, whom they described as a felony suspect, about 6:15 p.m. at the Holiday gas station at E. 36th Street and Cedar Avenue. Arradondo said witnesses reported that the suspect fired first, and that “police officers then exchanged gunfire with the suspects.” A woman also in the car was not hurt.
Police didn’t release much information about the suspect, or about the officers that were involved in the shooting. Protesters and reporters demanded to know the race of the man killed, but the PIO on scene said he didn’t have that information. Even if that information had been readily available, it might not have mattered. Dozens of people protested at the scene almost immediately after the shooting — a few grainy videos can already be found on YouTube — shouting slogans like “If we don’t get no justice, you don’t get no peace” and “I smell bacon.” This protest and that which will likely follow it don’t need specifics to flourish; it might flourish more in the lack of specifics.
Arradondo must believe that to be the case too. He’s hoping to head off any momentum for protests by releasing bodycam footage of the shooting, perhaps as soon as later today. The MPD confirmed that the officers had turned on the cameras before the incident began and that those cameras were functional, and Arradondo committed to releasing it quickly:
One has to assume that Arradondo already knows what’s on the video, or at least thinks he knows what it will show, to make that kind of promise. Or maybe it doesn’t matter; after this year, these bodycam videos will get released ASAP in every police shooting and custodial death, because to do otherwise will fuel protests and potential riots all over again. There’s something to be said for that kind of immediate transparency, but bear in mind that bodycam footage is not always clear and unambiguous, either. Cameras strapped to bodies in motion tend to produce video that requires extensive and careful analysis, which generally isn’t what immediate dissemination on social media produces.
And it didn’t take long for the protests to get violent either. Police called repeatedly to get crowd-control tactics authorized:
About an hour after the shooting, a crowd began to gather near the scene, demanding more information and shouting at police. According to dispatch audio, an officer asked at one point for permission to use a 40 mm launcher because “they are starting to throw ice balls at us.” Launchers are authorized only “to stop imminent physical harm to officers,” dispatch said. “Can you clarify what is authorized at this point?” one officer asked. They were told handheld aerosol, such as pepper spray, could be used to stop “assaultive conduct.”
Anything more than that, the Star Tribune explains, has to be authorized by Arradondo himself. That policy got put in place after the state’s Department of Human Rights battled with the city this year over police response to the Floyd riots. At least for now, nothing more was necessary, but how long will that be the case?
Along with the bodycam footage, police and the coroner will release the identification of the deceased and apparently also the reason for the felony stop. Depending on all of that information, it’s likely to get tense tonight again in Minneapolis, perhaps even apart from what the bodycam footage shows or witnesses say. Even with all of the murders and carjackings taking place in Minneapolis, hostility to the MPD specifically and policing in general has not abated in this city, from its leadership all the way down to the streets.
Update, 2 pm CT: Still waiting for the bodycam video to be released, but the family of the deceased have identified him as 22-year-old Dolal Idd. His father met the press along with more protesters:
Bayle Gelle, of Eden Prairie, arrived at the gas station Thursday morning with several supporters and identified his 22-year-old son, Dolal Idd, as the man shot following a stop for a felony warrant at the Holiday at E. 36th Street and S. Cedar Avenue in south Minneapolis. Gelle said authorities have not shared more information with him about what happened and haven’t shown him any videos of the shooting. “The police they are brutality,” he said. “I want to get justice.”
It’s still not clear what prompted the felony stop. However, Idd had a record, and his family had at one point banned him from the house after shooting up a basement shower:
In 2019, Idd was convicted of illegally possessing and firing a gun in Hennepin County. The charges say, in July 2018, Idd fired a gun the basement shower of his parents’ home around 1 a.m. with two children sleeping nearby. Idd’s mother told Eden Prairie police that her son was not permitted in the house because “he scares the children.” Police arrested him later in Bloomington with a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun that had been reported stolen in North Dakota, according to charges.
That sounds like someone with poor impulse control. The bodycam video will hopefully clarify if that is what led to the police shooting yesterday.


hotair--2020-12-31--Ben Sasse: I won't participate in the January 6 project to overturn the election

Reading this Facebook post from Sasse in tandem with Lin Wood ’ s latest tweets makes for a fine year-end snapshot of how far apart the two poles of the GOP are right now on fidelity to America ’ s traditional civic culture .
It ’ s also a reminder that , on the spectrum between Sasse and Wood , the president is much closer to the pole that thinks John Roberts is part of some secret child-trafficking cabal than the pole that doesn ’ t .
I suspect 2021 ’ s going to be a momentous year in Wood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the reasons he supposes : “ I don ’ t know who needs to hear this again , but voices inside your head don ’ t count as a reliable source , ” tweeted Christopher Scalia , son of Antonin , upon reading that .
Sasse ’ s post is worth your time although there ’ s no disputing Matt Lewis ’ s point that Sasse would have been far more timid here if he were up again for reelection soon .
Earlier this year , facing a primary in Nebraska , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at his impeachment trial , he declined to join Mitt Romney and Susan Collins in voting to call witnesses like John Bolton to testify .
He ’ s finally found his voice — now that he no longer has anything to lose by doing so , an observation the president himself made not long ago .
The words “ Josh Hawley ” aren ’ t mentioned in his comments but it ’ s clear what drove him to publish this statement .
Sasse was doubtless hoping that McConnell would convince his caucus not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of them from having to take a no-win up-or-down vote on whether to accept the election results from various swing states .
Hawley blew that up yesterday .
Sasse will now have to show his cards , so he ’ s showing them early .
This bit about certain unnamed “ ambitious politicians ” who know the election wasn ’ t rigged but stand to gain by pandering to Trump voters about it has a bit of bite : When we talk in private , I haven ’ t heard a single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were fraudulent – not one .
Instead , I hear them talk about their worries about how they will “ look ” to President Trump ’ s most ardent supporters… The president and his allies are playing with fire .
They have been asking – first the courts , then state legislatures , now the Congress – to overturn the results of a presidential election .
They have unsuccessfully called on judges and are now calling on federal officeholders to invalidate millions and millions of votes .
If you make big claims , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the president doesn ’ t and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote .
Let ’ s be clear what is happening here : We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there ’ s a quick way to tap into the president ’ s populist base without doing any real , long-term damage .
But they ’ re wrong – and this issue is bigger than anyone ’ s personal ambitions .
Adults don ’ t point a loaded gun at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passage below is also clearly aimed at Hawley , although not just at Hawley , of course : “ Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard , ” Hawley tweeted yesterday in justifying his decision to object on January 6 .
He repeated the point last night in an interview on Fox News , saying , “ Now , when Republicans , 74 million Americans have concerns about election integrity , we ’ re supposed to just sit down and shut up ?
” That ’ s dishonest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his lawyers have had two months to raise those “ concerns ” in other forums and have failed at every turn .
Trump ’ s own DOJ has looked for evidence of widespread fraud and can ’ t find it .
Neither can courts .
In some cases , Sasse notes , Trump ’ s team isn ’ t even alleging fraud in court because the evidence is so thin that they might be sanctioned if they tried .
Georgia ’ s conducted two recounts , a security audit of voting machines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots in Cobb County to try to ease people ’ s “ concerns , ” to no avail .
The “ concerns ” have been ventilated .
To the extent that they remain , they ’ re not in good faith .
Second , the reasons Hawley gave yesterday for why he plans to object have nothing to do with the “ concerns ” held by the president and most of his fans .
Hawley says he wants to raise awareness about conflicts in Pennsylvania ’ s electoral statutes governing mail-in ballots and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scale in Biden ’ s favor .
Trump doesn ’ t care about any of that .
He wants to hear conspiracy theories about how massive vote-rigging changed the outcome of the election .
Hawley ’ s trying to have it both ways , pandering to MAGA fans by objecting but maintaining a veneer of respectability by not indulging their wildest Lin-Wood-esque allegations .
If he thinks widespread “ concerns ” about election integrity are sufficient to justify disrupting the vote certification on January 6 , he should man up and go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about — the crankery about Dominion changing votes , China stuffing ballot boxes , and all the rest of it .
And third , as Sasse says , the reason these “ concerns ” exist in the first place is because Trump and his allies have encouraged them .
By Hawley ’ s logic , any smear campaign no matter how dubious is worthy of being taken seriously by Congress provided that it gains enough adherents .
He might as well demand an investigation into Wood ’ s theories about John Roberts too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans have “ concerns ” about elites feeding on Adrenochrome harvested from trafficked children .
Hawley ’ s created a perverse incentive in which the president will be rewarded by the Senate for his willingness to make wild conspiratorial accusations against election officials .
Where does that lead in future elections ?
I think the Daily Beast is right , that the January 6 pageant is less about Trump believing that he can cling to power at this point than him wanting reassurance that most Republicans in Congress will still kneel before him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The substance of his complaints next Wednesday will be trivial relative to that fact .

Reading this Facebook post from Sasse in tandem with Lin Wood’s latest tweets makes for a fine year-end snapshot of how far apart the two poles of the GOP are right now on fidelity to America’s traditional civic culture.
It’s also a reminder that, on the spectrum between Sasse and Wood, the president is much closer to the pole that thinks John Roberts is part of some secret child-trafficking cabal than the pole that doesn’t.
I suspect 2021’s going to be a momentous year in Wood’s legal career, although not for the reasons he supposes:
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1344451598131617792
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1344652363861258243
“I don’t know who needs to hear this again, but voices inside your head don’t count as a reliable source,” tweeted Christopher Scalia, son of Antonin, upon reading that.
Sasse’s post is worth your time although there’s no disputing Matt Lewis’s point that Sasse would have been far more timid here if he were up again for reelection soon. Earlier this year, facing a primary in Nebraska, Sasse not only voted to acquit Trump at his impeachment trial, he declined to join Mitt Romney and Susan Collins in voting to call witnesses like John Bolton to testify. He’s finally found his voice — now that he no longer has anything to lose by doing so, an observation the president himself made not long ago.
The words “Josh Hawley” aren’t mentioned in his comments but it’s clear what drove him to publish this statement. Sasse was doubtless hoping that McConnell would convince his caucus not to object on January 6, sparing all of them from having to take a no-win up-or-down vote on whether to accept the election results from various swing states. Hawley blew that up yesterday. Sasse will now have to show his cards, so he’s showing them early. This bit about certain unnamed “ambitious politicians” who know the election wasn’t rigged but stand to gain by pandering to Trump voters about it has a bit of bite:
When we talk in private, I haven’t heard a single Congressional Republican allege that the election results were fraudulent – not one. Instead, I hear them talk about their worries about how they will “look” to President Trump’s most ardent supporters… The president and his allies are playing with fire. They have been asking – first the courts, then state legislatures, now the Congress – to overturn the results of a presidential election. They have unsuccessfully called on judges and are now calling on federal officeholders to invalidate millions and millions of votes. If you make big claims, you had better have the evidence. But the president doesn’t and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote. Let’s be clear what is happening here: We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there’s a quick way to tap into the president’s populist base without doing any real, long-term damage. But they’re wrong – and this issue is bigger than anyone’s personal ambitions. Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.
The passage below is also clearly aimed at Hawley, although not just at Hawley, of course:
Right now we are locked in a destructive, vicious circle: Step 1: Allege widespread voter fraud.
Step 2: Fail to offer specific evidence of widespread fraud.
Step 3: Demand investigation, on grounds that there are “allegations” of voter fraud. I can’t simply allege that the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is “on the take” because they didn’t send the Cornhuskers to the Rose Bowl, and then – after I fail to show evidence that anyone on the Selection Committee is corrupt – argue that we need to investigate because of these pervasive “allegations” of corruption.
“Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard,” Hawley tweeted yesterday in justifying his decision to object on January 6. He repeated the point last night in an interview on Fox News, saying, “Now, when Republicans, 74 million Americans have concerns about election integrity, we’re supposed to just sit down and shut up?” That’s dishonest in three different ways. First, Trump and his lawyers have had two months to raise those “concerns” in other forums and have failed at every turn. Trump’s own DOJ has looked for evidence of widespread fraud and can’t find it. Neither can courts. In some cases, Sasse notes, Trump’s team isn’t even alleging fraud in court because the evidence is so thin that they might be sanctioned if they tried. Georgia’s conducted two recounts, a security audit of voting machines, and a signature audit of mail-in ballots in Cobb County to try to ease people’s “concerns,” to no avail. The “concerns” have been ventilated. To the extent that they remain, they’re not in good faith.
Second, the reasons Hawley gave yesterday for why he plans to object have nothing to do with the “concerns” held by the president and most of his fans. Hawley says he wants to raise awareness about conflicts in Pennsylvania’s electoral statutes governing mail-in ballots and how Big Tech put a thumb on the scale in Biden’s favor. Trump doesn’t care about any of that. He wants to hear conspiracy theories about how massive vote-rigging changed the outcome of the election. Hawley’s trying to have it both ways, pandering to MAGA fans by objecting but maintaining a veneer of respectability by not indulging their wildest Lin-Wood-esque allegations. If he thinks widespread “concerns” about election integrity are sufficient to justify disrupting the vote certification on January 6, he should man up and go all-in on what those concerns are actually about — the crankery about Dominion changing votes, China stuffing ballot boxes, and all the rest of it.
And third, as Sasse says, the reason these “concerns” exist in the first place is because Trump and his allies have encouraged them. By Hawley’s logic, any smear campaign no matter how dubious is worthy of being taken seriously by Congress provided that it gains enough adherents. He might as well demand an investigation into Wood’s theories about John Roberts too. After all, millions of QAnon fans have “concerns” about elites feeding on Adrenochrome harvested from trafficked children. Hawley’s created a perverse incentive in which the president will be rewarded by the Senate for his willingness to make wild conspiratorial accusations against election officials. Where does that lead in future elections?
I think the Daily Beast is right, that the January 6 pageant is less about Trump believing that he can cling to power at this point than him wanting reassurance that most Republicans in Congress will still kneel before him when asked. Hawley knelt yesterday. The substance of his complaints next Wednesday will be trivial relative to that fact.


hotair--2020-12-31--He's done it. Worst Governor in America will attend Bills' playoff game despite lockdowns

When we first learned that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wanted to attend the first post-season game of the Buffalo Bills after they secured a spot in the playoffs , I had assumed that he must have been joking .
With coronavirus cases surging across upstate New York and lockdown orders still in place for many areas , the idea of opening up the Bills ’ stadium for a huge gathering just so Cuomo could go watch the game seemed more than ludicrous .
It was offensive .
But rather than writing it off as an inappropriate joke and getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in America continued to work on a plan that would allow him to attend the game along with a select group of fans .
Now , barely a week later , Cuomo has proven that you really can move mountains if you have the proper motivation .
He ’ s finalized a plan that will allow nearly 7,000 fans into the stadium to watch the game .
And the Governor himself will be first in line , of course .
( NY Post ) A pandemic isn ’ t going to stop the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a playoff game for the first time in 24 years .
Gov .
Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that 6,700 fans will be allowed inside Bills Stadium on the weekend of Jan. 9-10 for the Bills ’ first home playoff game since Dec. 28 , 1996 .
It is the first step in a first-in-the-nation pilot program launched by New York aimed at “ re-opening businesses safely ” during COVID-19 , according to Cuomo , who said he will be attending the game .
The plan developed by the state , the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , calls for fans to show proof of testing negative for COVID-19 by a PCR test administered 72 hours before the game at a reduced cost to the fan of $ 63 plus $ 11 for parking .
BioReference will conduct drive-thru testing in the stadium parking lots .
We should all be clear about the malarkey that Cuomo is spewing in an attempt to whitewash this embarrassing spectacle .
He ’ s now describing this event as the beginning of a new program designed to “ reopen business safely ” as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there are two major problems with this attempt at public relations spinning .
First of all , there was no such plan in the works until the Bills locked up the AFC East .
The entire state still hasn ’ t reached the point where Cuomo will allow normal service in bars and restaurants or larger outdoor gatherings ( including weddings ) , to say nothing of packing thousands of people into a football stadium .
This plan was cooked up because Andrew Cuomo himself wanted to go see the Bills play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the optics would have been if he ’ d asked to be the only fan in the stadium , so he ’ s going to allow thousands of others to go .
The other point is that pandemic is not “ receding ” in New York State .
At least not yet .
Case numbers are rising in many counties and hospitalizations are also up .
Yes , the vaccine has arrived in New York and it ’ s being distributed as quickly as possible , but only a relative handful of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playoffs start in ten days .
We ’ re not going to be anywhere near herd immunity by then .
Even if every man woman and child could somehow get the vaccine , that still wouldn ’ t matter because the vaccine is given in two doses and takes up to two weeks after that for the full effects to set in .
We ’ ve already seen a nurse come down with COVID a full week after being vaccinated .
I don ’ t care how much of a huge Bills fan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supposed to be putting the good of the citizens of New York ahead of his own lavish lifestyle .
And yet , here we are .
It ’ s simply incredible that an elected official can get away with this sort of behavior in plain view of the public and not face any repercussions .
But Cuomo is still the Teflon Don , after all .
Nothing ever impacts his approval rating .
And given the state of New York ’ s media , where most of the headlines surrounding this story are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s probably not going to change any time soon .

When we first learned that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wanted to attend the first post-season game of the Buffalo Bills after they secured a spot in the playoffs, I had assumed that he must have been joking. With coronavirus cases surging across upstate New York and lockdown orders still in place for many areas, the idea of opening up the Bills’ stadium for a huge gathering just so Cuomo could go watch the game seemed more than ludicrous. It was offensive. But rather than writing it off as an inappropriate joke and getting back to work, the Worst Governor in America continued to work on a plan that would allow him to attend the game along with a select group of fans.
Now, barely a week later, Cuomo has proven that you really can move mountains if you have the proper motivation. He’s finalized a plan that will allow nearly 7,000 fans into the stadium to watch the game. And the Governor himself will be first in line, of course. (NY Post)
A pandemic isn’t going to stop the Buffalo Bills from opening stadium gates for a playoff game for the first time in 24 years. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that 6,700 fans will be allowed inside Bills Stadium on the weekend of Jan. 9-10 for the Bills’ first home playoff game since Dec. 28, 1996. It is the first step in a first-in-the-nation pilot program launched by New York aimed at “re-opening businesses safely” during COVID-19, according to Cuomo, who said he will be attending the game. The plan developed by the state, the Department of Health, the Bills and the NFL, calls for fans to show proof of testing negative for COVID-19 by a PCR test administered 72 hours before the game at a reduced cost to the fan of $63 plus $11 for parking. BioReference will conduct drive-thru testing in the stadium parking lots.
We should all be clear about the malarkey that Cuomo is spewing in an attempt to whitewash this embarrassing spectacle. He’s now describing this event as the beginning of a new program designed to “reopen business safely” as the pandemic begins to recede. Of course, there are two major problems with this attempt at public relations spinning.
First of all, there was no such plan in the works until the Bills locked up the AFC East. The entire state still hasn’t reached the point where Cuomo will allow normal service in bars and restaurants or larger outdoor gatherings (including weddings), to say nothing of packing thousands of people into a football stadium. This plan was cooked up because Andrew Cuomo himself wanted to go see the Bills play. But even he realized how horrible the optics would have been if he’d asked to be the only fan in the stadium, so he’s going to allow thousands of others to go.
The other point is that pandemic is not “receding” in New York State. At least not yet. Case numbers are rising in many counties and hospitalizations are also up. Yes, the vaccine has arrived in New York and it’s being distributed as quickly as possible, but only a relative handful of people have been inoculated thus far. The playoffs start in ten days. We’re not going to be anywhere near herd immunity by then. Even if every man woman and child could somehow get the vaccine, that still wouldn’t matter because the vaccine is given in two doses and takes up to two weeks after that for the full effects to set in. We’ve already seen a nurse come down with COVID a full week after being vaccinated.
I don’t care how much of a huge Bills fan the Governor is. He’s supposed to be putting the good of the citizens of New York ahead of his own lavish lifestyle. And yet, here we are. It’s simply incredible that an elected official can get away with this sort of behavior in plain view of the public and not face any repercussions. But Cuomo is still the Teflon Don, after all. Nothing ever impacts his approval rating. And given the state of New York’s media, where most of the headlines surrounding this story are little more than cheering for the Bills, that’s probably not going to change any time soon.