I am sorry, I must say this because it's the truth.

[shockey80]

The term, open up the economy is a fantasy. I am afraid the worst is yet to come because of what trump did and continues to do.

When Trump decided to commit the most insane act by any president in our history, he sealed our fate.

Trump decided to try and cover up something that is impossible to cover up, an extremely contagious, deadly pandemic. He lied about the virus and took little action for over a month. This allowed the virus to spread throughout America and it continues to spread to this day. Game over, that insane act cannot be fixed, unless a miracle drug treatment is discovered quickly or the virus magically disappears.

On top of this, the bailout was full of corruption and incompetence. Trump continues to lie to his voters and like I predicted they would go on a death march. Right now they are out protesting their right to kill themselves if they want, open up America. This will only cause more death and destruction.

Because of Trumps insane act our economy will not come close to opening up. This will lead to great economic damage over time,
damage we have not witnessed yet. We are just starting to see signs our food supply may be in danger. Our drug supply may be in danger. Many businesses in America are going to disappear, forever.

Republican governors will attempt a partial opening of their economies. This will lead to hot spots breaking out and they will be forced to pull back or spread the virus.

One thing about this virus has become clear. The only chance you have as a country to somewhat control the virus is to react quickly and shut things down. Trump did the opposite.

It is April 18, we should be testing millions of people per week. We have tested less than 4 million people total. Trump still refuses to address this issue which will extend the spread of the virus and lead to severe economic damage.

All we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Things are going to get worse, Trump and the Republicans are making sure of that.

[enough]

1. The idea that "the economy" is separate from public health is absurd. NT

[ProudMNDemocrat]

8. Trump and the GOP own this when it goes BAD....

Because there can be NO ECONOMY without a healthy populace. Not the other way around.

They are too fucking stupid to realize that. To them, it is about money.

[Hortensis]

57. AND THE GOP. McConnell & co are in this over their evil heads.

It's not that I don't agree with Shockey about other things, but this could never have happened without complicit Republican control of the senate, blocking all action from the very beginning.

It's like imagining Hitler acting alone without others in the National Socialists who got him into power and kept him there. Without them, he'd have been writing crank screeds in some dirty little apartment or room.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Here's The Thing

Somehow these drones believe that an extra 4 to 10 million dead people won't negatively impact the economy!
First, using the midpoint, that's 2% of the population. The macroeconomy is 70% consumer driven. That's already a 1.4% contraction.
Then, with numbers that large, everybody is likely to know someone personally that died. That will scare the daylight out of many survivors. They'll stay home out of fear, and the economic impact will be 5x that, at least.
Talking a 7-10% contraction, with 1.4% permanent.
It's not like reopening is a magic bullet to a robust economy.

[smirkymonkey]

33. +1000

[randr]

2. He has been itching for a street fight and is now on the verge of starting one

Like all bullies who are afraid of the real fight he goads others to do his dirty deeds.
I hope someone settles this lawlessness right quick.

[gordianot]

37. They can have the street but they better stay of my lawn.

I will be particularly nasty.

[shockey80]

3. Even if we start mass testing now.

We lost the ability to trace long ago. How can you trace millions of people that are infected? You can't.

[gab13by13]

28. Honestly, I believe we can.

I believe we can test millions of people every day, if we had a leader as president. Trump and Republicans do not want to test and are either not testing or throwing up roadblocks or both.

I watched the last Trump virus rally and Dr. Blitz put up a chart that showed Texas and Florida were among the states with the highest capacity to test. Texas is ranked 49th in testing and planning to open up. I don't know where Florida is but with their elderly population their numbers have to be way under-reported. Florida is already opening up.

I pity the people in Texas and Florida if Abbot and DeSantis foolishly rush in to open up.

[yellowdogintexas]

43. we may have the highest capacity to test whatever that means

but we are also #2 behind New York running neck and neck with CT
Yesterday we added 629 new cases.


I think we are a ticking time bomb

[Capn Sunshine]

53. well, they just opened the goddam beaches

so those yahoos are gonna be in a world of hurt in about 25 days.

[Celerity]

56. bingo

this contract tracing of an airborne virus this late into the game is myth

particles are left all over the place wherever an infected person goes

what really needs to be done is massive antibody testing to determine the viral penetration rate and to start to clear off people who are now immune (in the US alone there are millions of now immune people who have zero clue they are already exposed and therefore (barring a mutagenic shift) immune

[underpants]

4. Storefronts

One part of this that I hear all the talking heads jump around or over is the basic element of economics. Opening stores sounds great but it’s the people inside them that make the economy move. From orders by the store owners (who often are dancing on a fine line themselves) to the employees. They spend their money. All of it. Often living on credit. This float of the one time (for now) checks and supplemented unemployment will at best keep their basic needs covered. The short term utilities grace period will still have to be paid. They aren’t spending the extra fun money on the things that keep the other storefronts open.

[jmg257]

5. I am pretty much all in that this will be fucked up even more.

Time and again, we can see that too many Americans are too stupid and too selfish to understand and/or care what we are up against.

The precarious balance they are spouting about being necessary in order to move forward will not be maintained.

[BigmanPigman]

44. 2 many, 2 stupid, 2 selfish...

2 true!

[rocktivity]

6. And now that there IS such a thing as speedy, cost-effective mass testing

for the U.S., there really is no excuse. A protocol has been approved by the FDA, and it should be rolled out immediately.


rocktivity

[Cousin Dupree]

7. Did you ever think that what's happened & what's going to happen is exactly what he planned?

He’s gaslighting and slow-walking and spreading the virus so he can somehow steal/cancel the election.

[OMGWTF]

10. Putin is creaming his jeans over how fked-up 'merikkka is under Shitler.

[Kaiserguy]

11. Nothing at this point would shock me

I have no doubt that Trump would kill millions to hold on to power and the GOP would be happy to go along with it.

[Efilroft Sul]

9. The only thing these protests are going to open up is more graves.

[Iggo]

12. "The Economy" is not a thing to be open or closed. It just...is.

We have an economy. It’s the new Trump Virus Economy.

And it’s cranking as fast as it can go, sad as that is.

[Pacifist Patriot]

17. This phrase has been like nails on a blackboard to me.

"Open up the economy" is absolutely meaningless. Our economy is not shut down or closed. Economic activity is still happening. The current state of economic affairs could never be described as:

healthy
robust
strong

But it isn't open or closed. I know this is all academic to those who have lost their jobs or don't have the "freedom" to go eat in a restaurant or see a concert. I get that. But the implication that we simply ceased having an economy with stay at home orders in place is ridiculous.

The GOP thoroughly owns this depressed, sluggish, reduced, whatever adjective you want to describe it Trump Virus Economy.

It's another right wing framing we need to reject thoroughly.

[They_Live]

18. I've been thinking this too

We always have an economy. It was never "closed". Adapt to the situation to "improve".

[WVreaper]

13. Don't ever

apologize for the truth.

[wiggs]

14. He WANTS dems and governors to stop the opening so that he can blame the

economic collapse on someone else.

Same story: dems have to be the responsible adults and do the heavy lifting, and get blamed for it.

There's no strategy that doesn't involve propping himself up and tearing others down. That's how he's wired.

[Pluvious]

22. I think you have nailed it n/t

[Hermit-The-Prog]

45. And if they don't maintain lock-down, he blames them for the 2nd wave of covid-19.

[bucolic_frolic]

15. Trumpie is reopening America to corona virus Wave 2!

[rickyhall]

16. Worse yet. If it all comes crashing down we will ALL be left out in the cold.

Except the rich bastards who have gold.

[Music Man]

20. Yes, the term "re-open the economy" speaks to the simple-minded way people think.

There's never going to be some magic moment we do a ribbon cutting and suddenly "America is open."

At BEST, it will be a protracted process with fits and starts where certain elements of society in certain locations return to normal.

This is, of course, not to mention the particular phrase "Opening Up America Again," a craven attempt to tie recovery from a health crisis to the partisan "Make America Great Again" mindset. They are shameless.

[Yavin4]

21. Everything you've posted is a result of normalizing modern-day Republicans

This is not just Trump. He has the full support of his party behind him. He would not be able to do this without that support.

The Republicans don't believe in government, governing, the quality of human life, the safety of human life, etc. They only believe in their own petty self interests. If others have to die so that they can go out to bars and restaurants, then so be it.

We continue to paint Republican ideology as normal. It's just a different point of view. But it isn't.

In a globally, interconnected world that we live in, we have to have a strong government to keep us alive. This virus is proof. Something happened on the other side of the world where we have no control or insight, has put our way of life on hold. You need government to protect us from things like this.

[secondwind]

23. I have a nephew in NYC who is a first responder. He was just

diagnosed with coronavirus. He’s in hospital, only 30 yrs old, using some breathing apparatus to help.

The hospital in NYC is waiting for some medicine FROM BOSTON to arrive so it can be administered.

This is Trump’s America. 😡😡

[MontanaMama]

25. Hugs to you.

Healing thoughts to your dear nephew. This is indeed tRump’s America.

[smirkymonkey]

34. I'm so sorry to hear about your nephew. He's so young. I am sending you both my

best wishes and healing thoughts. Please let us know how he is doing.

[sprinkleeninow]

39. ...

🕊💛🙏

[58Sunliner]

50. Let us know how he is doing when you can.

[keithbvadu2]

24. "It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear," Trump said...

"It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear," Trump said...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213026080

[keithbvadu2]

26. Trump: a vaccine will be ready "relatively soon"

Trump: a vaccine will be ready "relatively soon"

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213041364

T-r-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-s-t me.

[Ilsa]

27. There sure as hell hasn't been any flattening where I live.

It's small and slow, but our numbers are increasing, not decreasing, not plateauing.

[Pepsidog]

29. Exactly spot on Shockey80. He continues with the attempted cover up and doesn't give a crap

about any of us. Malignant sociopathic narcissists are incapable of empathy. We are doomed unless someone takes control on a national level. No way we are in this position if any other person was president from either party. Bush would have done a better job and I didn’t think my disgust for him could ever be matched but Trump is a whole different animal. One could say that Bush was the worse president ever because he got us into an unnecessary war and has blood on his hands. But it looks like Trump is trying to beat W’s death toll. Well he beat W’s domestic death number and is gaining ground on W’s worldwide mortality caused numbers. And while I blame Trump, he isn’t the worst of the bunch. The real blame for this pandemic and the state of the world boils down to one person. Rupert Murdoch should be considered up there with Hitler and Stalin and others who stoked and caused hatred and death to millions. Murdoch’s brand of media has some so much harm to the world. He is a vile insidious man as is his family. Murdoch can single handedly do so much to stop the disinformation and chaos that plagues the country. There was a time in this country when granting a broadcast license came with the responsibility to contribute to the public good and irresponsible broadcasters would be held to account for their actions. Today there are no standards so a man like Murdoch can make billions fooling people by spreading lies and misinformation causing so much harm to so many.

[czarjak]

30. On March 23, a Trumpbilly assured me that this would be over in two weeks.

[DENVERPOPS]

31. "We have tested less than 4 million people total"

versus how many people are in the U.S.????????

Disgraceful, despicable, degenerates.......

[Tarheel_Dem]

32. When I see crops rotting in the fields, and perfectly good milk being dumped by the ton, I know...

we've walked through that looking glass, and I fear we may never get back.

[Generic Brad]

35. Insane, abusive and suicidal

Not good combinations.

[58Sunliner]

49. Homicidal.

[Cha]

36. Well said, shockey.. Thank you!

StaySafe~

[sprinkleeninow]

38. I started to welcome getting tested. It's a blatant lie that tests are available all over the place.

WHERE ARE THE FRIGGING TESTS??

[Pillow talk]

40. this isnt incompetence or accidental. the man is not capable of human emotion, only branding

[warmfeet]

41. You are correct. K and R.

[Shermann]

42. Latest poll on CNN: 60% of Americans think we are reopening too quickly

The beach bums and protesters get all the press, but let's not discount the fact that the majority of Americans want to proceed cautiously.

[Warpy]

46. Large scale testing might have helped

IMO, the worst thing that dumbass did was refuse test kids offered by the WHO We didn't have them. They did. However, he's so stuck on this America First fantasy that he was willing to let the disease spread undetected rather than accept offshore help.

Now he hates the WHO because they are a symbol of his failure to act and so they're all to blame for his feeling bad.

[patphil]

47. It does seem like he is deliberately trying to destroy the country, doesn't it?

[58Sunliner]

48. Agree completely. Get prepared the best you can folks.

DT and his targeting those 3 states with a margin that could be decimated due to deaths is no accident. That has been his plan all along. Deny the truth, deny help, scapegoat, target, steal, you name it. God help us if this virus mutates. Someone posted today about blood clots forming now in patients.
Is there a way to set up a go fund me to contribute to others here?

[Blue Owl]

51. K&R

[AlexSFCA]

52. trump's chances for reelection are high

It’s easy for those of us who did not lose jobs to talk about shutdown. I am alarmed to see some of my dem friends on facebook talking about the need to reopen asap. I won’t debate them because I’m not good at debating. But trump has a talent for exploiting despair. Do not, for a second, assume that all the millions of people who lost their jobs are not going to vote for trump.
By the way, many like to cite Sweden. Any update on how Sweden is doing - trying find a good way to respond.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

54. All so very true, but sadly see him getting away with it.

He masters the message and the media, while we basically sit and watch and are appalled three times a day. I can really only think of two people who zapped him back every time effectively...Michael Avenatti and Michael Bloomberg. Nothing to do with criminality or wealth or wanting them to lead...just the only two I can recall that we're effective.

[Ruby the Liberal]

55. Forgetting 2016 for a minute, imagine

if the senate had booted him at the beginning of February. Mike Pence is no genius, but no way in hades would he have screwed up this badly.

As long as I live, I will never forgive the GOP for this. My anger at those assholes is burning with the heat of 1,000 suns.