“Trump’s Last Year in Office: Two Impeachments and 400,000 Funerals ” © Tom Ersin 2022. This is the current installment from the serialized publication of this distinctive historical book.
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES (skip to article)
- “PANDEMIC: While Coronavirus Is Exploding, Trump Says, ‘One day it will just disappear’” (2/27/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: Dow Jones Falls 1,192 Points, All-Time Record 1-Day Drop; 4 Days of Massive Sell-offs Has Resulted in 11% Stock Market Loss, Worst Since 2008 Crash” (2/27/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: CA Coronavirus ‘patient 0’ (‘community spread’) in Same Community HHS Received 14 Infected Americans From Overseas w/o Proper Health Security Measures, Staff Training; CDC Advised Against Patients’ Returning Right Away, Was Overruled by Trump Administration” (2/27/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: White House Silencing Govt. Health Experts From Speaking About Pandemic w/o Permission, Forcing all Comments, Info to Go Through Coronavirus ‘Czar’ VP Mike Pence” (2/27/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: World: 83,310 Cases; 2,858 Deaths; Cases in 50 Countries” (2/28/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: Stock Market Closed Down 12% From Recent Peak; Record Since 2008 Crash” (2/28/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: Trump Calls Coronavirus Pandemic ‘Democrat hoax’ at Campaign Rally” (2/28/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: U.S. Now Has 3 Cases of ‘unknown origin’ aka Community Spread” (2/28/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: White House Dropped Ball on Test Kits, U.S. Shortage; Had 2 Mos. Lead Time” (2/28/2020)
- “WH Signs Deal w/ Taliban; Afghan Govt. Not Involved; Critics Fear Trump Gave too Much” (2/28/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: First U.S. Death” (2/29/2020)
- “Joe Biden Wins SC Dem Pres. Primary 48-20% Over Bernie Sanders; Tom Steyer Drops Out” (2/29/2020)
- “Dem Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Drops out of Race, Endorses Joe Biden” (3/1/2020)
- “Dem Presidential Candidate Amy Klobuchar Drops out of Race, Endorses Joe Biden” (3/2/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: Trump Incompetent, Ignorant at Mtg. of Drug Co. CEOs Discussing Vaccine” (3/2/2020)
- “MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Retires/Pushed out After 20+ Yrs. Over Misogyny Accusations” (3/2/2020)
- “Dem Pres. Primary Super Tuesday: Joe Biden Beats all Expectations, Wins 10 States” (3/3/2020)
- “Dem Presidential Candidate Michael Bloomberg Drops out of Race, Endorses Joe Biden” (3/4/2020)
- “Dow Jones Rebounds Near 1,200 Points, 4.5%+, on News of Biden Surge, Likely Nomination” (3/4/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: U.S.: 150+ Cases; 11 Deaths; Cases in 14 States; Exploding Elsewhere in World” (3/4/2020)
- “PANDEMIC: Trump Accuses WHO of False Stat, Says Its Announced Mortality Rate of 3.4% Is ‘false’: ‘Personally, I would say the number is way under 1 percent … This is really my hunch’” (3/4/2020)
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump’s corruption, incompetence, and amorality have been front and center, characterizing his response to the world health crisis.
Pandemic Response
Donald has been corrupt and amoral in his dissemination of information about the pandemic’s progression, falsely playing down the danger. He called the coronavirus story a “Democrat hoax” (then denied video evidence of his statement). He called the World Health Organization’s stated current mortality rate of 3.4% “false” and said, “Personally, I would say the number is way under 1%.”
He’s deliberately misled the country, putting preparedness and lives at risk specifically to prop up U.S. stock market performance, which has been rocked by the crisis. He believes a humming market protects his reelection chances. And if he’s not reelected, he faces indictment on multiple crimes for which he currently is immune as president (notwithstanding the old saw about “no one is above the law”). Plus he won’t be able to make the big emoluments-clauses-violation money anymore by gouging foreign diplomats and political allies on Trump property convention fees, room rates, and drink prices.
Donald has been too incompetent to learn even basic information about virology and vaccination development. His experts informed him multiple times that research and trials take 12 to 18 months at minimum. But at his gathering of drug company CEOs, he was pestering them to do it in “a few months,” attempting to have them bid against each other for the shortest development time.
Additionally the administration dropped the ball on test kit production, resulting in a huge current shortage. It sent a team of untrained health workers to receive 14 infected Americans from overseas, resulting in unnecessary exposure. Ultimately the core incompetence has been systematically to cut health and science professionals from the government since Inauguration Day.
Selflessness
Also in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, there is a Democratic presidential primary season underway. A funny thing happened on the way to the nomination. Viable moderate candidates have shown tremendous selflessness and patriotism by exiting the race just days before Super Tuesday to clear the way for Joe Biden. In a normal primary season, even weak candidates would have stayed in longer — at least 48 more hours, which wouldn’t have cost them any more effort or money — hoping for an unexpected boost or at least to continue delivering their message and building name recognition for the future.
But this year we have a sitting president who must — must — be defeated. In the course of four days, Biden, with strategic help, has pulled off one of the most amazing turnarounds in American political history after being left for dead following the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary. He’s emerged as the only Democrat to beat the democratic populist, Bernie Sanders (an Independent running as a Democrat), and therefore beat the Trump GOP (phony) populist, Donald Trump.
I say Trump GOP because the Republican Party now is wholly owned and controlled by the president. It has abandoned most of its core values and now stands for Trumpism, that is, cold, venal avarice and power.
I continue to like Bernie. His values probably align more closely with mine than Biden’s do. But as many pundits have said, the country doesn’t need another revolution right now, albeit a progressive one. It needs and wants a return to boring, competent, moral, humane, sane leadership — to steer a government of integrity, to have our nation resume its status as a trustworthy international neighbor and dependable free-world ally.
Above all, Bernie Sanders can’t win the general election. Donald would eat Bernie’s “democratic socialism” for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two scoops for dessert. I’ve always said Sanders should have softened his ideological label to “social Democrat.” But he didn’t ask me.
Joe Biden’s Comeback
President Trump’s response to the pandemic has been but the latest example of why Democrats must choose the person best qualified to beat him, for no other reason than to beat him.
Joe Biden’s candidacy was in the tank a week ago after beyond-disappointing finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. Then last Saturday South Carolina happened, a state much more ethnically representative of the country. After a must-have pre-primary endorsement from influential Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Biden creamed Sanders 48% to 20%. The billionaire Tom Steyer dropped out that night. Pete Buttigieg dropped out Sunday and endorsed Joe. Amy Klobuchar dropped out Monday and endorsed Joe.
Three days later Super Tuesday happened with 14 states holding primaries. Joe stunned even his supporters and staff by winning 10 of those states, several decisively. On Wednesday the other billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, dropped out of the race and endorsed Joe.
After Super Tuesday it’s essentially Joe Biden versus Bernie Sanders, with Biden holding a substantial delegate lead and the overall edge. This was not the case last week. But Uncle Joe clearly has the momentum now.
Many pundits have explained that this Democratic development is exactly what the 2016 Republican presidential primary candidates did not do. Most of them stayed in the race way too long splitting the “reasonable” Republican vote. This allowed a jackleg confidence artist to take over their party, become president, and continue to hold the entire GOP hostage.
Selflessness. Tom Steyer, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Michael Bloomberg deserve our deepest gratitude no matter what one thinks of their views or perceived shortcomings. Running a presidential campaign takes over your life. It commands monumental commitment. It is extremely difficult to let go, to call it quits. These four Democrats are true patriots. They saw what it’s going to take to rid the country of a reprobate president and they did their duty.
Thank you.■
[Tom Ersin has been a full-time professional writer and editor since 2010 and holds degrees in communications and counseling. He’s a long-time political observer and has written a half-dozen nonfiction books on 21st century U.S. politics.] Click here to purchase book. Please leave a rating.
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