# Human life Vs Politics **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 27, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528 "2020-05-27T04:57:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/41 "2020-05-28T06:22:39Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, I am not defending Trump the idiot. But I am questioning the validity of everything being laid at his feet. Like I did before him, with Obama. > This pandemic is turning out to not be nearly as bad as predicted. So Trump, like a clock, is right twice a day. > > Now the real money goes to the why it’s not as bad. No, many governors, of both parties, had their own clocks and didn’t listen to Trump. Like in California. The question to ask yourself is: if we followed Trump’s advice, how many more dead would there have been? You’ve already seen how many fewer dead there could have been if he had shown some leadership. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/42 "2020-05-28T09:00:10Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > This pandemic is turning out to not be nearly as bad as predicted. In February, Trump publicly said we had fifteen cases in America and that it would soon drop to zero because of warmer weather in April. That was his prediction. Do you feel the pandemic has been not nearly as bad as Trump predicted? Has there actually been less than fifteen cases? Did Covid19 disappear in March instead of April? This was February. Several weeks after Trump had met with pandemic experts who advised him to begin building up stockpiles of medical supplies. Which Trump decided not to do because his prediction was that _“It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”_ ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/43 "2020-05-28T16:02:54Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > … I am questioning the validity of everything being laid at his feet. Like I did before him, with Obama. Cite? (For the second sentence.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/44 "2020-05-28T16:23:00Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > But one additional problem was the mindset that government can do no good, and thus we should starve the beast. That meant that a lot of important positions in government weren’t filled, and many that were had nincompoops in them. We can’t give Trump full credit for this - it has been a right wing position for a long time now. He’s in complete control of the Republican Party; they have totally prostrated before him. If he’d demanded a national, fact-based strategy happen, it would have happened. Bush 2.0 got huge government spending to deal with the 2008 meltdown and he didn’t have anywhere near the base support Trump has now. Trump’s own views have nothing at all to do with the Republican “starve the beast” philosophy; he has no ideological views at all, really. In theory, he could have gotten something done. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/45 "2020-05-28T19:02:52Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > It’s “turning out not to be so bad” _because of all the efforts we’ve made to limit the spread of the virus._ > > And the vast majority of those efforts were made in spite of Trump’s actions, not because of them. Trump is taking credit for the work of others, as usual. The only reason this wasn’t as bad as it was initially predicted is because so many people, at lower levels of government, in the private sector, and individuals, decided that Trump was an idiot, and they’d have to do it themselves. Right, that is a very real possibility. But if so, it’s a bad look to most of the US when the only people talking about staying closed are the Democrats. In hindsight he may look better than those advocating to stay closed? ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/46 "2020-05-28T19:04:01Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Cite? (For the second sentence.) Huh? Oh, nvm, snark right? or disbelief. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/47 "2020-05-28T19:22:31Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Right, that is a very real possibility. But if so, it’s a bad look to most of the US when the only people talking about staying closed are the Democrats. And half the Republicans. > [@Kearsen1](#): > > In hindsight he may look better than those advocating to stay closed? Not a chance. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/48 "2020-05-28T19:52:28Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Right, that is a very real possibility. But if so, it’s a bad look to most of the US when the only people talking about staying closed are the Democrats. > > In hindsight he may look better than those advocating to stay closed? Maybe for very low information GOP voters, but I can’t imagine anyone here falls into that category. I think most people understand how badly this has gone, and you see Trumps popularity falling in tandem. The polls I’ve seen say that people think the states are opening too soon. It’s just media coverage of a few right-wing loons in the name of balance that gives the impression that it’s even close to a majority. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/49 "2020-05-28T20:25:41Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Right, that is a very real possibility. But if so, it’s a bad look to most of the US when the only people talking about staying closed are the Democrats. > > In hindsight he may look better than those advocating to stay closed? No, not at all. What Trump is looking like is somebody who is refusing to admit there’s a problem when everyone can plainly see the problem exists. It’s making him look bad. His base may stick with him. But he’s losing everyone outside of his base. And even some people in his base are having second thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/50 "2020-05-28T20:28:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And even some people in his base are having second thoughts. Okay, that’s not accurate. Some people in his base are having first thoughts. That’s better. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/51 "2020-05-29T02:48:34Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > The polls I’ve seen say that people think the states are opening too soon. It’s just media coverage of a few right-wing loons in the name of balance that gives the impression that it’s even close to a majority. Yes, and that’s the “individuals” I mentioned in my post. It doesn’t matter how fast you re-open businesses, if 80% of the customers decide to stay away, and also decide to wear masks and maintain social distancing if they have to go out. Trump is benefiting from those actions, even if he and his supporters don’t realize it. The stupid 20% of the population will run around “Woohoo!”-ing without masks on, entirely oblivious to the fact that they’re being protected by the more responsible people around them. You know, like children. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/52 "2020-05-29T12:31:09Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > WTactualF?? Are you living on this planet? It’s not as bad because we’ve shut the world down. People aren’t going to bars, restaurants, on airplanes, to work. Unemployment is sky high because of the shutdown. Have you noticed that your favorite places are closed? Do you live on a mountaintop? > > I’ve heard people say that we’ll start hearing that it wasn’t as bad as the experts said it could be so we overreacted. I just didn’t think I’d hear something like that here. Why is it hard for you to realize that when the public starts thinking that Trump was right all along, that he will be re-elected? Hearing it here isn’t me WANTING it to be true, only that it has a very real probability NOW. And no, here in Texas, almost EVERYTHING has now opened, at least at 25% capacity. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/53 "2020-05-29T12:43:44Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Why is it hard for you to realize that when the public starts thinking that Trump was right all along, that he will be re-elected? Hearing it here isn’t me WANTING it to be true, only that it has a very real probability NOW. > > And no, here in Texas, almost EVERYTHING has now opened, at least at 25% capacity. It’s possible that some people will think that, but they’ll be wrong. Only very irresponsible news outlets could possibly claim that he was right all along, because it was wrong every step of the way. I mean, yeah, something like 40% of Americans think that evolution is crap and that people were created as is around 6,000 years ago. Some too-high portion of Americans think that vaccines cause autism. Large swaths of Americans believe ridiculous things, so I don’t doubt that some portion of them will somehow think that Trump was right all along. You don’t think that, do you? It seems pretty clear to me that he was wrong about: 1. Praising China’s response to the pandemic 2. Resisting closing things down 3. Pushing hydroxychloroquine as a cure 4. Suggesting ingesting or injecting household cleaners 5. Pushing states to reopen early 6. How much testing capability the US had 7. How our testing compared to other countries 8. Suggesting that people rise up against their own state governments to try and get things reopened 9. Ignoring warnings about this pandemic in the daily presidential briefings back in January 10. Putting Jared Kushner in charge of anything related to the pandemic Lots of other things as well, but clearly he was wrong every step of the way. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528/54 "2020-05-29T17:35:06Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Why is it hard for you to realize that when the public starts thinking that Trump was right all along, that he will be re-elected? Hearing it here isn’t me WANTING it to be true, only that it has a very real probability NOW. > > And no, here in Texas, almost EVERYTHING has now opened, at least at 25% capacity. There will never be a time when the public starts thinking Trump was right all along. He has been too obviously wrong. The best Trump can hope for is that people are willing to accept that he was wrong and forgive him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-life-vs-politics/854528.md?page=2)