09-23-2020, 11:56 AM
(09-23-2020, 10:38 AM)ScottyB Wrote: is his lack of leadership during COVID directly responsible for more dead Americans than we should have had? i don't see how it isn't.
I'm not sure, to be honest. Covid 19 response is a valid criticism, but our per-capita covid deaths seems pretty on par (~600 deaths for every million people) with the rest of the western world (Uk: 626, Belgium 870, Spain 640, Italy 590 etc etc), especially when you consider the dumpster-ass-trash-fire that was NY nursing homes at the beginning, the at-times-potentially-questionable death cause reporting, and like, America being America.
Could it have been better? Maybe. Is Trump "directly responsible" for those deaths? Is Sophie Wilmes directly responsible for Belgium's death toll? (She was appointed at the very beginning of it, after all). Maybe it's King Philipp's fault. What about Spain? Is Sanchez directly responsible for Spain's death toll? It's easy to second guess after the fact, but Spain did a "President Madagascar" style shutdown...and still has had more deaths per million than the US. (although all dramatically smaller than the US too, so not a perfect comparison.)
Trump saying "Ok Governors, handle your shit and call us if you need us" is personally precisely what I want the federal government to do, and I think it worked out, frankly, about as well as anything else would have.
We've had precisely two good presidents, and the rest have been basically shit.
The problem with asking people if they "Feel" more successful, secure, safe, etc etc etc is that Feelings are just that. Feelings are easily manipulated. I know, I know, "Objectivity and the Scientific Method is white supremacy" or whatever but I'm less concerned in regards to a Chief Executive with how people feel and way more concerned with how things are.
I have no desire for a second term of Donald J. Trump as president.
But I'm not convinced that what is presented as an alternative to me will be "better" by an objective measure, and potentially worse.
1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442