The big news today comes, of course, from the governor of Georgia:
"Georgia governor says he didn't know asymptomatic people could spread coronavirus":
bit.ly/39AHR3t Well, I'll say he's either lying or dumb but I'll bet on the former. We live in a world of no consequences, one in which the elite can get a Covid-19 test and bribe their kids into a good college and the hoi polloi are ill-informed and unaware of the levers of power, never mind knowing how to use them.
Taken in concert with today's "New York Times" pictures, you'd think there'd be consequences, but there will not be.
"Where America Didn't Stay Home Even as the Virus Spread":
nyti.ms/344Ihy4 Pictures don't lie, and this one is horrifying, but don't expect this to move the needle either.
And speaking of the "Times," scroll down to read the top ten states with the most deaths per capita, and the top ten infected counties per capita.
Louisiana is number five in deaths. Florida is number six, the governor finally relented and told everybody to stay home, but only when Trump told him to.
As for counties...
#1 is Blaine, Idaho, where Sun Valley is located. Proving once again, the richer you are, the more you travel, the more your business is based on travel, the greater the odds you're gonna get infected.
#10 is also a resort area, Eagle County, where Vail and Beaver Creek are located.
But number nine?
Dougherty, Georgia. And the governor just issued a stay-at-home order yesterday?
But, once again, don't expect any of the above to change minds. There are two sides, and either you're on one or the other.
Today the "Times" did an analysis of the right wing/Fox position:
"Alarm, Denial, Blame: The Pro-Trump Media's Coronavirus Distortion - Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing commentators turned the pandemic into a battle of us vs. them - the kind of battle President Trump has waged for much of his life.":
nyti.ms/2JB7hDK Bottom line? It's the Democrats' fault.
Yes, that is what right wing pundits and Fox are saying.
Rail all you want, but it's not gonna make any difference.
But do you know what might make a difference?
Attacking the Murdochs.
"74 journalism / comms professors + journalists have written an open letter to Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch about the network's coronavirus coverage":
bit.ly/2JAR0yM This is a good start.
Let me tell you how business works.
You start at the top, with the decision makers, if the person you're interacting with can't say yes, bypass them.
This is especially true in the music business. That A&R guy up your rear end? Chances are he doesn't have signing power, he'll butter you up for eons and then come back to you and say his hands are tied, his boss doesn't want to sign you. Either you need to know and make contact with the boss, or you have to have a representative, like an attorney, who can make that contact. In most cases you'll learn you're wasting your time, the label just isn't interested, they like you, but won't sign you. As for label heads saying they trust their people, that's hogwash too, because if something is hot enough, they jump right in.
Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are not pariahs.
But you could make them such. All it would require is an organized effort, which the Democrats seem unable to construct, unless it's an inside job.
"How 'Never Bernie' Voters Threw In With Biden and Changed the Primary - After Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire and Nevada, his campaign hit a roadblock: a wide range of Democrats who would do anything to stop him. Joe Biden became their vehicle.":
nyti.ms/2UE4IqY Finally, some truth. We've been hearing for weeks how Bernie blew himself up, nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is he was winning so much it was clear he was going to be the candidate and the Party and its voters got together to stop him. Candidates dropped out, media attacked and people were convinced they had to vote for Biden to stop Bernie.
But they still don't like Biden.
You need to read Karl Rove's piece in today's "Wall Street Journal."
"Biden's Weak Election Strategy - Instead of leading, he panders to Bernie Sanders and criticizes President Trump":
on.wsj.com/2R5AvPi I don't agree with that headline whatsoever, once again, it's just the right working the refs. But if you read the article, you'll learn:
"It also found that only 24% of all Mr. Biden's supporters were 'very enthusiastic' about him, compared with 53% of Mr. Trump's."
"'Deja vu,' writes ABC News. Hillary Clinton's 'very enthusiastic' score was 32% in September 2016."
What do we call this, hate-watching?
If you've got a big personality, if you take a side people are drawn to you, either positively or negatively. This is not only Trump, but Fox News itself. Thank god that the right criticizes Rachel Maddow, that means they're paying ATTENTION!
So, the right defined Hillary, that's why she lost, it's more about that than Trump's "virtues."
But Trump is gonna kill Biden in the debates. Biden couldn't even stand above his competitors in the Democratic debates, and when it came to going one on one with Sanders, he employed the right's technique, he just lied:
bit.ly/2X5LIDk The left lets this slide, but the right does not when there's something at stake, when it's challenged. The right is gonna amplify Biden's faux pas to such an extent that even the left will nod their heads in agreement.
I still think Biden wins in the end, I think the anti-Trump sentiment is just that strong. Look at 2018, and focus on the fact that all the media had that one wrong, days after the election we found out the Democrats triumphed, but the news is all about a snapshot, they want eyeballs today, forget about the trends.
So, the numbers from Karl Rove's piece? They're from the ABC News/Washington Post poll, so don't tell me they're skewed. Yes, this is the poll that has Biden beating Trump by only 2% points. Once again, one thing we've learned in the last twelve months is how fast things can change, can you say Elizabeth Warren, can you say Covid-19?
Now right wing media is not completely aligned with Trump. If you read the heinous "Wall Street Journal" Op-Ed pages, you'll find that the WSJ has continually excoriated Trump for bad business decisions. But the average older Republican is watching Fox, and the younger ones are reading the "Daily Caller" and "Breitbart." In other words, the WSJ is just for the elite, the cadre the right belittles but the people and entities truly benefiting from Trump's policies.
So, in today's "Wall Street Journal" there's another story:
"China Asserts Claim to Global Leadership, Mask by Mask - Beijing is providing equipment to hard-hit nations such as Italy, drawing a contrast with the U.S. and making sure everyone knows about it":
on.wsj.com/2X2lPEb This is very simple, you may think the United States is the greatest country on Earth, but a lot of the world doesn't agree with you. And it's not only authoritarian countries like Hungary, but Italy.
Sure, the U.S. has done some things right, but the government is so disorganized, it can't get a coherent message out.
But the governor of Massachusetts and the New England Patriots can:
"New England Patriots team plane flying 1.2 million N95 masks from China to help ease coronavirus shortages":
cnn.it/344OFFy If you're following the Covid-19 story closely, you know that Trump handed responsibility to the states, and now the federal government is bidding against those same states for supplies. This event makes the government look like losers and the Patriots look like winners. The Patriots know how to play the game, and it's not only Bill Belichick. Robert Kraft owns the Patriots. He got caught with his pants down, literally, and his high-priced attorneys basically got him off. Kraft knows the public attorneys are no match for the private ones. He laid his money down. Furthermore, Kraft knows a lot of the country hates the Patriots, so this one good will effort builds "the brand," as Marty Byrde says.
Yup, Marty Byrde from "Ozark." It started off slow in the first two episodes, then it got really good. Don't tell me the ending, we still have two episodes left (and did you know "Money Heist" is coming back on Friday??)
But in one episode, Laura Linney, aka Wendy Byrde, is laying down the law with an elected official and she says what separates the winners from the losers is COURAGE!
Most people ain't got it. They don't want to hang their ass out on the line. They go with the program, they fear being ostracized. But all the winners have this courage.
The leaders of the right have courage in spades! They don't care what you say, they just keep plowing ahead towards the destination. Will they get their comeuppance? Could happen, but the blitzkrieg is so intense it's got the left on its heels.
So, if the left wanted to make a difference, it would have a full court press on the Murdochs. Meanwhile, airing all of Hannity, Ingraham and Carlson's dirt. And there's plenty. To get to the top you've got to leave propriety behind. And one thing the internet has taught us, no one is completely clean, everybody's got baggage. And if you watch "Ozark," you know that it's all about using that leverage to your advantage.
The Democrats rallied around Biden, but they just can't stand up to the right. They kick and they scream and it makes no difference. You've got to start at the top. You've got to make the Murdochs uncomfortable, a lot of their friends and business partners are not Republicans. The Murdochs have to risk becoming public pariahs. Business people have gotten a free pass compared to celebrities. Maybe because the business people are smart and the celebrities are not. The business people play for the long term. The business people work the system, they don't make a play every day.
So, if the left wants to change the narrative and teach people the truth, it's got to organize and play by the right's rules.
But it ain't got the courage. The left listens to Karl Rove and stops attacking Trump, Rove gets the left so unsure of itself that it's easily beaten.
Come on, the right has been beating up on Nancy Pelosi intensely for over a year. What does she do about it? DOUBLE-DOWN! Pelosi knows how the game is played. Sometimes you have to shove the shiv in, sometimes you have to do the unpopular, the seemingly tawdry, it's all about winning in the end.
So if you're a Trumper, you should be laughing. Your opponent can't even get in the ring. The Democrats can only sit in the stands complaining. And the only way you win a fight is by putting up your dukes and going on the offensive.
So, you'll see a lot of quoting of the "New York Times" above.
The right has neutered the "New York Times," even though every mover and shaker, Republicans as well as Democrats, lives and dies by it. The right just tells the ignorant lemmings that it's worthless. But the Democrats don't defend it.
And the "Times," unlike Fox News, is so busy trying to give the appearance of neutrality that it will not defend itself, it will not get angry.
So, as you can see, Covid-19 put all of America's issues in stark relief.
And this is the moment of change.
Sure, we're gonna hear about equipment and deaths and mistakes, and that's all important, but the real battle comes in the future. The Democrats have alienated the younger generation by rallying behind Biden, and what is their olive branch to the kids? BLAME! Yup, they're Bernie Bros uneducated on the issues, they're unrealistic, they are the problem, their issues like the environment must take a back seat and meanwhile, all those oldsters who rallied around Biden should be thanked, even though the young people will disproportionately lose in a Biden administration. The media and the DNC have this all wrong. They got their chosen candidate, but they can't stop beating up on their constituents.
Once again, the Democrats are disorganized and dumb and the Republicans are organized and smart.
Can the Democrats handle the truth?
I don't think so.
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