DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus COVID-19: Truther Edition

But essentially it's. Type of brain washing. You stick to your few talking points then you skew the "information" you provide to resonate with either the fears or ego of your audience, you coach them on gaslighting arguments and perceived weaknesses in the Democrats arguments etc. Whether it's Limbaugh or Shipiro or anyone in between it's the same basic playbook.

The plan is to have no plan

"There is no genius there, only a damaged human being playing havoc with our lives."

In this space I am parking my short description of the de facto plan the Trump government has for getting the United States out of the public health emergency caused by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is my read on what the government’s guidance and actions amount to. I will revise the text and add new links as more information flows in. My purpose in posting it is to challenge the American press to be a lot clearer in its descriptions.

The plan is to have no plan, to let daily deaths between one and three thousand become a normal thing, and then to create massive confusion about who is responsible— by telling the governors they’re in charge without doing what only the federal government can do, by fighting with the press when it shows up to be briefed, by fixing blame for the virus on China or some other foreign element, and by “flooding the zone with [censored],” Steve Bannon’s phrase for overwhelming the system with disinformation, distraction, and denial, which boosts what economists call “search costs” for reliable intelligence.

Stated another way, the plan is to default on public problem solving, and then prevent the public from understanding the consequences of that default. To succeed this will require one of the biggest propaganda and freedom of information fights in U.S. history, the execution of which will, I think, consume the president’s re-election campaign. So much has already been made public that the standard script for a White House cover up (worse than the crime…) won’t apply. Instead, everything will ride on the manufacture of confusion. The press won’t be able to “expose” the plot because it will all happen in stark daylight. The facts will be known, and simultaneously they will be inconceivable.

“The plan is to have no plan” is not a strategy, really. Nor would I call it a policy. It has a kind of logic to it, but this is different from saying it has a design— or a designer. Meaning: I do not want to be too conspiratorial about this. To wing it without a plan is merely the best this government can do, given who heads the table. The manufacture of confusion is just the ruins of Trump’s personality meeting the powers of the presidency. There is no genius there, only a damaged human being playing havoc with our lives.

UPDATE: A few developments since then, as reported in the Washington Post:

May 15, 2020: Trump’s continually strange comments on possibly ‘overrated’ coronavirus testing. (Link.)

The answer wouldn’t seem to be that testing isn’t necessary, but that more testing would be preferable to make sure people who are infected take precautions as soon as possible. The whole commentary is confusing and in many cases nonsensical.

June 27, 2020: With Trump leading the way, America’s coronavirus failures exposed by record surge in new infections. (Link.)

While public health experts urge caution and preventive measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing, Trump, Pence and other top aides repeatedly flout their advice, leaving confused Americans struggling to determine who to believe. “They’re creating a cognitive dissonance in the country,” one former senior administration official said. “It’s more than them being asleep at the wheel. They’re confusing people at this point when we need to be united.”

July 6, 2020: Trump and Biden campaigns shift focus to coronavirus as pandemic surges. (Link.)

White House officials also hope Americans will grow numb to the escalating death toll and learn to accept tens of thousands of new cases a day, according to three people familiar with the White House’s thinking, who requested anonymity to reveal internal deliberations. Americans will “live with the virus being a threat,” in the words of one of those people, a senior administration official.

July 6, 2020: President Trump, coronavirus truther. (Link)

A review of Trump’s public commentary on the virus reveals precious little in the way of a reality check for a country confronting a surge in cases. He has instead again focused like a laser on downplaying the pandemic — suggesting the rise in cases is merely a symptom of increased testing (it’s not), questioning the efficacy of and need for wearing masks, and repeatedly suggesting the virus isn’t so bad after all. It all culminated Saturday in Trump declaring that “99 percent” of cases are “totally harmless” — a statement that bears no resemblance to what health officials have said.

July 13, 2020: Trump’s attacks on Fauci and other experts reinforce that he’d rather Americans be confused than concerned. (Link.)

Trump would rather have no one be trusted than that he stand out as unusually untrustworthy, even if the cost is confidence in his team and in experts trying to tamp down the pandemic.

July 15, 2020: As the coronavirus crisis spins out of control, Trump issues directives — but still no clear plan. (Link.)

There is no cohesive national strategy, apart from unenforced federal health guidelines. Instead, the administration is offering a patchwork of solutions, often in reaction to outbreaks after they occur. Although Trump and his team declare sweeping objectives, such as reopening schools, they have largely shirked responsibility for developing and executing plans to achieve them, putting the onus instead on state and local authorities.

July 15, 2020: As the Trump disaster gets worse, a new political theory helps explain it. (Link.)

Law professors David Pozen and Kim Lane Scheppele present “executive underreach” as a species of leadership failure that’s as destructive as executive overreach, defining it as: “a national executive branch’s willful failure to address a significant public problem that the executive is legally and functionally equipped (though not necessarily legally required) to address.”

https://pressthink.org/2020/05/the-plan-is-to-have-no-plan/

So the hospitalization rates, the infection rate per 100 people, all those people dying from it, none of that matters now? You just keep digging that hole deeper.

The number of those admitted to hospitals from the virus keep rising. Hospitals in many areas are again on the verge of being overran. The deaths are once again on the increase. And you're on a soap box about positive test results?

Good Lord man.

I understand the issues just fine.

The reality is both sides do this.

The really scary part is is that both sides think only the other side does it.

This country is in for some dark times ahead. The amount of stupidity you see on both sides is alarming and scary.

I hate to sound alarmist, but I won't be surprised if the death toll reaches .5M - 1M at this point.

Without a coordinated fed/state effort and mandated precautionary measures, this thing will ravage us indefinitely. Even those who are practicing the most stringent personal protocols are going to catch this disease because of the stupid people around them.

It's invisible. People can't see the threat, so they ignore the threat.
It spreads exponentially. People don't easily understand exponents.
It's been downplayed by the administration, and those who a warning us are now being smeared in the public arena. As such, people don't know what to trust or who to believe.

This perfect storm is just beginning. There will be untold suffering and tragedy before this story reaches its denouement.

I can't shake my sadness at all of this.

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/10/20-0948_article

Effectiveness of Cloth Masks for Protection Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2

To our knowledge, only 1 randomized controlled trial has been conducted to determine the efficacy of cloth masks (4).

The primary transmission routes for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are thought to be inhalation of respiratory droplets and close contact; therefore, WHO recommends wearing medical masks during routine care and using respirators during aerosol-generating procedures and other high-risk situations (17). However, SARS-COV-2 is a novel pathogen, and growing evidence indicates the possibility of airborne transmission (18–21).

More research on cloth masks is needed to inform their use as an alternative to surgical masks/respirators in the event of shortage or high-demand situations. To our knowledge, only 1 randomized controlled trial (4) has been conducted to examine the efficacy of cloth masks in healthcare settings, and the results do not favor use of cloth masks.

Mask or no mask, all of us will end up with COVID19 at some point unless we just never leave our house till they have a vaccine. We need to accept that reality, most people can't hence why they have to have a mask to ease anxiety, and they are glued to every word some expert says.

I have always said the cloth mask are nothing more then something to relieve anxiety of general public and to give some semblance that the govt knows what they are doing.

"America's going through a rough patch right now. Some people seem to be enjoying it. Maybe they just hate America. Maybe they just enjoy watching the world burn. I think some are liking the chaos because they think it gives them a political advantage. Part of that chaos is caused by school's closing. For our kids, we need to open them," Kennedy said.

Everyone is fine, never felt better. thumbsup

You?

Yes but one must always consider the source when dealing with these things.

jc

With all the mask mandates going out, I wonder how many of the defund the police crowd will be calling the cops on people not wearing masks.

You must not have seen how much abuse I took

Too many ugly blanker blankers on here.

Odd 40. when did you go from Mr. Chaos to "Let's all come together"?

Did you have a come to Jesus moment?

People think the mask is just a "anxiety coping tool" yet all the countries that implemented them early and their citizens actually wear them en mass, are going way down in numbers, and actually starting to open back up relatively safely while we spin out of control.

Just to be clear, for the 1000th time: The mask isn't about protecting you, it protects others from you, but if we all wear one, it helps protect everyone.

It's not fool proof, but it's a step in the process.

From social justice warrior to martyr. Quite the metamorphosis.

I heard you are holding the pity party at your local Holiday Inn as soon as they allow crowds in the meeting rooms again.



And you're on that list.

Gee, you are such a "happy person."

I wasn't looking for a pity party. I posted facts. But, given your history of supporting criminals and blaming the police for everything, I can see why you got upset when people point out your unsavory actions.

jc

With all the mask mandates going out, I wonder how many of the defund the police crowd will be calling the cops on people not wearing masks.

No peace pipe, but I will gladly never speak to him again, mention his name, or make a reference to him if he will agree to do the same. He crossed the line. He's dead to me!