# The Politics of Covid-19 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 13, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375 "2020-03-13T00:00:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 13, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/21 "2020-03-13T18:49:27Z")
> [@MulderMuffin](#): > > The Prime Minister of Canada is currently under self quarantine because his wife tested positive. I don’t think there have been riots in the streets or widespread panic. To the contrary, he’s being seen as proactive and responsible. And he’s also made the point that he’s still doing his job as a work-at-home thing, using the phone and teleconferencing. Since using work-at-home as much as possible is one of the best things we could do to limit the spread of the disease while still getting work done, this is showing _actual_ leadership. What does it say about Trump that he apparently can’t figure out how to do this? JT figured it out before he gave his first public statement. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/22 "2020-03-13T19:26:54Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The most insane thing is that, AFAICT, Trump and those around him refuse to be tested. As I just posted in one of the other threads, I don’t believe this for one second, and I doubt anyone else does, either. They’re probably being tested hourly. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/23 "2020-03-13T19:47:40Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > As was said in another thread, Trump looked like a hostage reading demands from his captors. And he fucked that up too. > > The man is a moron. We know that. He fucks up everything. He hasn’t a clue what is going on other than this may make HIM look bad. Credit where credit is due. He finally took advice from experts. I don’t care that he did it at the point of a gun and every CEO and banker threatened to bankrupt him if he didn’t get his shit together for just one night. He didn’t get it perfect but he didn’t fuck it up. I think it’s sticks that he didn’t include countries where he owns gold courses in the travel ban but its better than nothing. I’ve learned to lower my expectations from government. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/24 "2020-03-13T21:07:33Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The most insane thing is that, AFAICT, Trump and those around him refuse to be tested. Considering that trump and pence have been close to multiple people who have the virus it’s pretty absurd. The president of Brazil supposedly has it and was physically next to trump recently. I’m guessing trump is being tested he just wouldn’t release the results. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/25 "2020-03-13T21:20:16Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Someone has to show leadership (and it doesn’t matter whether anyone thinks it is poor leadership) and the President must be that person, even at the risk to his own health. ‘I Don’t Take Responsibility At All’ - Donald J. Trump - March 13, 2020 ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/26 "2020-03-13T21:27:52Z")
“In case you were wondering who’s responsible, I take responsibility. It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down. … But there shouldn’t be any confusion here: The federal government is fully engaged, and I’m fully engaged.”
 - Barrack Obama - May 27, 2010 - re: Deepwater Horizon In case anyone was wondering what leadership looked like. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/27 "2020-03-13T21:30:52Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > ‘I Don’t Take Responsibility At All’ - Donald J. Trump - March 13, 2020 “No, I don’t take responsibility at all. Because we were given a – a set of circumstances, and we were given rules, regulations and specifications from a different time. It wasn’t meant for this kind of – an event with the kind of numbers that we’re talking about.” > **[Trump blames Obama for lack of coronavirus tests: 'I don't take...](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/coronavirus-trump-says-i-dont-take-responsibility-at-all-for-lack-of-tests.html)** > > The president claims he was "given a set of circumstances" that wasn't meant for the high numbers of potential coronavirus infections and casts blame on his predecessor, Barack Obama. Yeah, and those “circumstances” include the NSC’s pandemic response office being closed – by Trump’s own National Security Advisor in 2018. But he’s trying to make it sound like Obama’s fault. What a scumbag. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/28 "2020-03-13T21:46:27Z")
> [@MulderMuffin](#): > > There is already widespread panic in the United States. Walk into any grocery store or pharmacy and try to buy any basic health items. There are none. I can’t explain there darth if toilet paper… Look at the stock market. Look at the widespread closures of public buildings, schools, businesses, and spring events. This is panic borne of lack of reliable information from a central, trusted source. I don’t really see any panic in the US so far. I see people making the best decisions they can in an environment of high but very unknown risk. Runs on supplies aren’t an indication of panic. They are the logical and reasoned reaction of people thinking clearly about supply shocks and trying to limit their exposure to disease. Two weeks ago I went and bought several months of our normal medical supplies. Because I knew that 1. The last place you want to be in a pandemic is a pharmacy where a bunch of sick people will go. 2. Other people will have the same idea, and a supply chain that’s set up to normally handle people not buying several months in advance will run out. 3. The global economy is going to have disrupted supply chains for a while, which is going to lead to more shortages. That’s not panic, just a shortage. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/29 "2020-03-13T21:55:49Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Someone has to show leadership (and it doesn’t matter whether anyone thinks it is poor leadership) and the President must be that person, even at the risk to his own health. Or in this case, even at the risk of everyone else’s health. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/30 "2020-03-13T21:56:45Z")
I imagine some Fox News watchers and Trump supporters have whiplash. But all these emergency measures, both on the state and federal levels, seem like shutting the barn door after the horse is out. It’s a half-assed job of containment, which means it’s not containment at all. I’ve been underwhelmed by the governor’s response here. Yes, he closed all schools today, but if you’re serious about containment, you don’t wait this long to do such things. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/31 "2020-03-13T22:02:26Z")
Anyone who wants to have a foretaste of how Trump will handle the coronavirus crisis can take a look at how he handled Hurricane Maria. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/32 "2020-03-13T22:30:32Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > ‘I Don’t Take Responsibility At All’ - Donald J. Trump - March 13, 2020 Campaign ad sound bite right there. Gonna be tired of it by November. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375/33 "2020-03-14T03:10:14Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Credit where credit is due. He finally took advice from experts. I don’t care that he did it at the point of a gun and every CEO and banker threatened to bankrupt him if he didn’t get his shit together for just one night. > > He didn’t get it perfect but he didn’t fuck it up. I think it’s sticks that he didn’t include countries where he owns gold courses in the travel ban but its better than nothing. I’ve learned to lower my expectations from government. I quoted the President to a friend, telling her how the insurance companies had agreed to cover the cost of testing and treatment without copays for Covid-19. It appears that wasn’t true, though. Maybe the testing, that’s debatable. But they’ve agreed to nothing in terms of treatments. I don’t know if his scriptwriter gave him bad information, or if he misread it like he misread about cargo being kept from coming in to the country. There have, in fact, been many, many instances of misstatements and wrong facts in that 10 minute speech, I’ve discovered while researching the insurance company information. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-politics-of-covid-19/849375.md?page=1)