re covid..an odd thought, talk me down

[DonCoquixote]

I cannot help but think that the behavior that we would have to accept is in many ways conducive to trump/putin/and or Xi.

China gets to say "see, because we can oppress people, we can make them do what they need, we are the future baby!"

Putin gets to say global travel and trade is evil, and cocoon Russia in a silken web of Putin's corny system forever, just as the Constitution is changing to allow Putin to be in there for life.

Trump know that our ability to organize and even engage in pop culture is shot, whereas he knows his preachers will offer them silver colloids, folk remedies, and a trip to jesus if they vote.

add to this that the GOP would LOVE to see cities lose population, and therefore, influence and reps.

I do not like thinking this way, but this is where hopefully the folks at DU could take a page from maddow and talk me down without resorting to snark.

and yes, do i think either trump/putin or Xi is capable of using an agent like covid on us, yes...

[Wounded Bear]

1. Chaos is generally when autocrats take over...

People get scared, and they want a strong "father figure" to take charge and make the fear go away.

That's what Trump did in 2016, though the 'chaos' he exploited was largely manufactured. Now the chaos is getting real, and the Republic is in danger because of it. You can see it in other threads, people talking about Trump declaring martial law and starting to restrict civil rights.

Can't really talk you down. We need to be vigilant.

[Renew Deal]

2. Don't let your mind escape into conspiracies.

You will come out of it worse than how you went it. There is no "agent." There were no "earthquake machines." Sandy Hook really happened.

[HarlanPepper]

3. I see Putin's angle.

Xi’s is less clear to me. It’s caused a lot of problems in China. I’m open to anything though. If you’re making the case one of the two introduced this contagion my money would be on Putin because he’s that evil, we haven’t heard a peep about the virus in Russia and he benefits from chaos.

[2naSalit]

4. Yeah...

I wish I could talk you down but in the back of my mind there's a very similar case scenario rolling across the screen.

[coti]

5. At least with regard to Trump, he's just not this smart nt

[abqtommy]

7. I agree with the tRUMP part, but don't forget he's surrounded by ratfuckers 'par excellence.'

[Flaleftist]

6. I see this pandemic putting the incompetence of the Trump Administration on full display.

It's not like it wasn't before, but he always had the stock market to point to. Now, he doesn't. Countries with universal healthcare are handling this better. Maybe more people will realize the difference. I do believe the American people will tell him to fuck off in November.

[crickets]

10. I'm going with your scenario. I think the public is getting a serious wake up call. nt

[Eyeball_Kid]

8. Not likely THIS TIME.

The viral spread began in China. But something like this is what biological warfare would look like... except much worse.

[DonCoquixote]

11. YES IT DID , BUT

this is a great chance to reduce population and maintain the control of the populace.

[applegrove]

12. I think trump just doesn't care and is kept busy by the sociopaths around

Last edited Thu Mar 12, 2020, 02:20 AM - Edit history (6)

him, the businessmen randians and his fawning family. He is a reflection of them. He had no idealogy of his own save for being elected. Steven Miller made sure to make trump's base afraid of foreigners in Trump's speech. Gaetz got his jollies putting on a gas mask because people would soon be contracting a virus, some of whom would die from it. And when he got called out for it, it was suddenly him alone in a car in a walmart parking lot. Yeah, right! It is all just fun and games and about their needs. Not the needs of the country. I) i'm sure some care a bit. 2) I'm sure some don't care as long as it does not affect them politically. 3) I'm sure some relish the tought of so many people worldwide being so sick. It is very hard to tell who is who. But the number 2) were winning out until tonight. If we don't find out the uninsured will be able to go to the hospitals if they need to, we will have our answer as to who won out in the end. And i bet if the # 3) win out, 6 years from then america will have medicare for all after a Biden term to bring the country together. Remember the Nazis hid the camps. Anyone who is dying at home due to lack of insurance will still have skype. The right wing cannot possibly put enough payed trolls online to sway the online public to the "death is fun to watch" side. Even the Nazis realised they would wear down their semi sadistic ss officers if they had to watch each death so they systemized murder in the death camps so it would be less 'personal'. The truly sadistic, who would troll sick uninsured people online, are rare. And rarer too in pandemic situation in the USA vis a vis the many sick uninsured. There simply are not enough of the #3) to make ignoring the uninsured a win. The public will feel outrage and revultion at their trolling and at the policy. Sure there are quite a few republican sadists and semi sadists in politics in washington, but not enough on the whole. Sorry if i sound like a detached anthropologist. Someone has to.

[DonCoquixote]

13. I would love to agree

but the last four years have told me that , to paraphrase a quote about the nazis, 1/3 of the country would gladly kill another third, and the renaming third would watch. In america, we would add that said third would figure out how to make money off it, or get an ego high, confirmed by their church.