Why are some Governors removing COVID-19 precautions?

[MineralMan]

That's easy. They're trying to keep the pandemic-deniers on their side. They're appealing to the right-wing Republican base, which has never liked masks, closings of large gatherings and the like. It is nothing more nor less than pandering to their base.

Along with that, there is a link to voter suppression as well. Blacks and some other minorities have a higher death rate from Covid-19 than Caucasians. By re-opening prematurely, those groups, which tend to vote for Democrats, might be reduced in numbers or be fearful of going to the polls. This, of course, is never spoken of by Republican Governors and legislators, but it is on their minds.

In the case of Governor Abbott of Texas, it is also designed to distract people from his total failure of leadership during the recent cold weather and the disaster that was caused by poor management of power generation facilities. He is desperate to get people's minds off that and onto something else.

The well-being of the citizenry is not a factor. There is zero concern for that among Republican leaders.

[Ohiogal]

1. Being concerned for the health and welfare of the community

Is seen as being “weak”.

Here in Ohio, the Republican weasel running for Portman’s seat called fellow Repub DeWine “squishy” for not doing what Abbott is doing.

[panader0]

2. I think Abbott may be doing it to distract from his incompetent handling of the ice storm.

Mississippi? Who knows? Maybe they're all afraid of Biden having too much success, so they'll
just sacrifice some citizens to make him look bad.

[MineralMan]

4. Yes, I mentioned that in the last paragraph of my post.

[Comfortably_Numb]

39. Next week is spring break doncha know??? Gotta open those bars and businesses and get the cash

spigot opened up... who cares if texans die... those of us who didn’t literally freeze to death can smother as covid kills us..

[calimary]

43. Indeed. I think it was MSNBC's Brian Williams yesterday evening

who referred to the hapless Abbott by saying “this governor has proved he can’t keep the lights on in Texas.”

OUCH!!!!! Pass it on!!!!!

(Liked that comment so much I wrote it down verbatim! I knew it’d be useful! Hope some Democratic opponent takes advantage of that comment. It’s an OUTSTANDING campaign slogan! )

[movingviolation]

54. They're really not above that at all, are they?

They sacrifice citizens, and mess up on purpose, just to try make their opponent look bad, because all they do have is greed, and all they can do is harm. This is a nightmarish scenario.

[bdamomma]

63. We are

just surplus to them, just kill them off, more money for them.

[lagomorph777]

3. Because they are trying to kill more people of color and other likely Dem voters.

[MineralMan]

6. That is in my original post, as well.

[lagomorph777]

7. Yup. I think it's the #1 motivation for the entire GQP pandemicide.

[MineralMan]

10. That is never, and will never be, mentioned.

Still, it's always in the backs of their minds.

Republican elected officials are clinging to their power with tightly clenched fists. Elections are getting closer and closer in many red states. Worse, they are always in danger of being challenged by other candidates who are even more conservative. So, they have to appease the worst of the Republican constituency. It's a lose/lose situation for them.

Abbott in Texas is hanging on by a very slender thread, after the unnecessary disaster caused by that cold snap. I don't think he survives his next election, regardless of what he does. He's grasping at straws right now to try to hang on to the right wing of the party. I think he will not succeed.

[lagomorph777]

13. Jared mentioned it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/jared-kushner-scrapped-a-national-covid-19-response-because-it-was-hitting-democratic-states/ar-BB17nX9d

"Vanity Fair has the sordid details today of an innovative form of voter suppression: Ensuring a large swath of people who might vote against you die after being infected with a novel form of the flu. The story, which details the formation of a team led by Jared Kushner to implement a cohesive, national response to covid-19, alleges that while such a program was created, it was ultimately scrapped for political reasons. As the publication reports, the Trump Administration decided that the spread of coronavirus wasn’t worth combatting on a federal level, as it hit states that voted Democrat earliest and hardest"

Odd that even in July of 2020, Vanity Fair was calling COVID "the flu." But otherwise, this story was widely reported.

[sandensea]

57. That, AND they're trying to create a new Covid crisis - to give themselves something to blame Biden

The GOP doesn't want this to go away; they very much want this to be a hot topic for '22 and (if possible) '24.

And they think they found the way to bring that about.

[NCDem47]

5. Sleazy donor/pro-business $$$

All about the buck. These R governors are not beholden to "the people." They are installed by the business community to make them $$$. THAT'S the pressure that was applied. They loathed the closing and capacity restrictions.

P.S. I'm not against anyone making an honest living and investing in their future, their business and the community. I love nothing more than prosperous Democrats!

[Hoyt]

8. "Texas Governor Announces State's Morgues Now Allowed To Operate At 100% Capacity" -- The Onion.

[MineralMan]

11. Perfect!

[Upthevibe]

9. MineralMan...

Another reason I'm thinking is that they will now be able to deny Unemployment claims. I have NO idea what I'd be doing right now if it wasn't for my Unemployment benefits here in California......

[MineralMan]

12. Could be.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. The governors are in "Spring Break" destination states.

There's money to be made. And if a bunch of spring-breakers catch the covids, well, that's some other governor's problem.

The governor of Texas hasn't shown a lot of concern for the well-being of his citizenry.

[MineralMan]

15. I think that's too subtle and too narrow a reason, frankly.

I think it's more of a political necessity for Governors like Abbott.

[TwilightZone]

29. South Padre shut down mid-spring break in '20 and won't issue permits for SB this year.

They've suspended beach permits until April 15th, which is after the usual spring break rush. No venue events, no stage events, no organized activities. No gatherings more than 10 will be allowed and umbrellas are being spaced 15 feet apart.

In Texas, it's about Abbott getting reelected and shunning responsibility for Covid, not spring break.

[BillE]

16. An additional reason could be

that they want to make Biden look bad if COVID deaths and infections continue to rise under his watch.

[MineralMan]

19. That's a very risky move.

For Abbott, it will backfire if cases and deaths increase in Texas, but not in other states that kept the precautions in place.

It's a bad bet, I think.

[BillE]

37. I agree, it's a stupid bet

but some republicans aren't known for being smart. Just watch once the infections and death increase in republican states that opened up, they'll declare President Biden a failure in stopping the virus. They are also screwing up the distribution of vaccine. Though I think distraction is the main reason.

[Mr.Bill]

38. They'll simply lie about the case numbers and deaths

like Florida has been doing all along. They will also reduce testing, which will reduce case counts.

Why wouldn't they? Trump came right out and said to stop the testing and they cheered him for it.

These people are fucking insane. I wish my state would ban all air travel from these states.

[uponit7771]

62. +1, kGOP has a message / feedback infrastructure that allows them to do this

[In It to Win It]

17. Putting public health in the culture war

[MineralMan]

20. Yes, but it's a very risky move.

People are getting panicky now that the vaccines are more available. Anxiety is rising. Governors need to pay attention to public sentiments, rather than listening to their donors and far-right conservatives.

They're playing a very dangerous game, not only for their constituents, but for their political futures.

[lindysalsagal]

18. Race to the death.

Some kind of gladiator deathwish.

[MineralMan]

21. Well, Texas is in the toilet in several ways.

Abbott is not being sensible at all, and it shows.

[luckone]

22. Chaos + Abbott is already telling people how they will get covid now even though it's a lie

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

?s=21

[malaise]

23. As opposition to Biden

They don't give a flying fuck who lives or dies

[MineralMan]

24. You're absolutely right. They don't care one bit.

They got their vaccine shots already. Guaranteed.

"I've got mine. Sucks to be you!"

[bluestarone]

27. EXACTLY!!

I would like to see THIS brought more by the MEDIA!! The QRUMP family supposedly got theirs in January? Who else got theirs? (and when did they get them) I would like to see this looked into and discussed more with the MEDIA.

[TwilightZone]

25. Pandering to his base, but he also knows a lot of people won't/don't listen to him.

Many large chains announced that their mask enforcement policies aren't changing, regardless of what he says.

The state response has always been mostly ignored. Towns, cities, and counties have always been the ones taking it seriously with restrictions, as well as schools and businesses. The mask policies for most aren't changing.

Mask usage in our purple Austin suburb has been high since last summer. Much higher, in fact, than my mom's experience in suburban Minneapolis/St. Paul. I went to a large grocery store to accompany my partner for her Covid vaccines. The place was very busy and saw a grand total of two people without masks.

A lot of people seem to think the state sways on whatever Abbott says, but the majority of people, especially those in the cities/suburbs, have been ignoring him on Covid all along. It's still grossly irresponsible but he's counting on most people to ignore him and wear masks anyway. That's been his MO all along.

[Ilsa]

26. Succinct rdply:

Link to tweet

?s=09

[MineralMan]

30. Very good!

[Piratedog]

28. They're afraid of being primaried by a even trumpier opponent.

[MineralMan]

31. Yes, indeed!

[Sogo]

32. Yep. The ultimate voter suppression....

Kill them off.


Kushner's inaction was because of the virus being mainly in blue states:

https://www.businessinsider.com/kushner-covid-19-plan-maybe-axed-for-political-reasons-report-2020-7

Same with Trump:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/07/trumps-war-on-blue-states-is-worse-than-previously-thought.html

Lock them up:

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2020/08/01/trump-and-kushner-must-be-prosecuted-for-crimes-against-humanity/

[gab13by13]

33. I believe this is having a ripple effect

in other states. I live in Pa. and just got back from grocery shopping. This store has been very strict with mask wearing and they sanitize the shopping carts and the belt that you put your food on. Well today there were several people not wearing masks, older people who are more vulnerable. The stupid runs deep. Freedumb to die or cause others to die.

[MineralMan]

35. There will always be stupid people.

Masks provide some safety, so keep wearing yours, and try to shop during slow periods in stores.

I don't think anyone enjoys wearing a mask. Most of us, though, have gotten used to doing so. It's too soon to stop wearing them.

[Politicub]

34. I think it's for a more malevolent reason.

Many of the GOP leaders have wanton regard for people’s welfare.

So my hypothesis is that it feeds their egos to hold life or death in their hands. With a couple of words, these governors have condemned thousands of people to sickness or death.

They’re not stupid. They take actions that they know will have unthinkable consequences.

[MineralMan]

36. Yes. Among Republicans, there is also a constant stream of selfishness.

They look after themselves, but don't give a damn about anyone else. That's especially true of Republican leaders.

[movingviolation]

56. Quick, list the GOP leaders that don't have wanton disregard for people's welfare.

because I sure as shit can't

[cynical_idealist]

40. their real goal isn't herd immunity,

The real goal is culling the herd.

(surprised x45 didn't slip up and say exactly that).

[gab13by13]

47. He did, remember "herd mentality?"

[twodogsbarking]

41. It is a war on

stupid. Stupid is a formidable foe.

[JustAnotherGen]

42. Vaccine Access

A part of me says that if they pull this stunt - they are making a play to get their people vacinnated first.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

44. Because they're stupid

[GeorgeGist]

45. Sociopaths.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

46. Somehow I find it hard to believe that the Governors are really

intending for specific groups of people to die. Maybe I'm naive, but I don't have that low an opinion of them.

Something else to keep in mind, that not everyone who dies would have been a voter to begin with. Plus, as unfortunate as this pandemic is, as terrible as the number of dead is, it's not putting any kind of a dent into the overall population. Not to mention, some significant percentage were elderly to begin with, and probably a lot of them wouldn't be voting.

Distracting from poor leadership, that I'll buy. Plus, an overall ignorance about things like science. Actively intending targeted groups that are likely to vote for Democrats will die? No. I'm not buying that. Voter suppression that targets those groups, yes.

[gab13by13]

48. Don't underestimate their evil,

I can envision that they don't care because they can blame deaths now on president Biden.

[MineralMan]

50. Why is that hard to believe. We had Trump as President.

Do you share that disbelief about Donald John Trump? If so, I believe you are incorrect. People dying was not any concern of his. Over half a million people died due to his negligence. I have no reason to believe that Governor Abbott is any different. He ignored the entire state during the recent cold weather. People did die. He did not care.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

60. There's a huge distance between indifference to human life

or human suffering, and actively promoting death.

Early on in this pandemic, the notion that it was okay that it was mostly older people dying because that would take some of the pressure off Social Security and Medicare was ill-informed. Even if every single one of the over 500,000 who have already died were over age 65, it wouldn't make a dent in those programs.

And again, I'll point out that given only about half of all Americans bother to vote in the first place, and non-voters are disproportionately in the groups supposedly being targeted, if the Governors really are thinking that way, they certainly aren't thinking very clearly.

As for Trump, it's always been clear he's a complete narcissist and that others simply aren't fully human to him. That's what makes him dangerous. He doesn't care at all about anyone else, which I still argue is not the same as promoting their deaths.

[TwilightZone]

51. Agreed.

In Abbott's case, his MO has always been that he simply doesn't want to take responsibility for any of it. He's counting on the fact that businesses and individuals will ignore him - as many have - and he can keep up his goofy "freedom" facade.

As I noted in another response, that's basically how it's worked here in Texas all along. The state recommendations are generally ignored, and towns, cities, counties, businesses, schools, and individuals have taken the lead from the beginning. As a result, our numbers aren't the free-for-all one might expect. They aren't great, but they're also not indicative of places where no one has taken it seriously.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

49. In Texas Greg Abbott is worried about a primary from Allyn West

West is a true idiot and will be running for governor in 2022

[TwilightZone]

53. I don't think Allen West has any chance in 2022.

Texans generally don't like carpetbaggers, and that's essentially what he is. I think it'll take a while before enough people forget that he's from Florida before he'll be taken seriously by voters state-wide.

I'm sure Crenshaw thinks he's going to run. He's certainly been trying to hone his complete-jackass-GOP credentials.

[movingviolation]

52. I just love being held hostage by stupid.

[ancianita]

55. Yes. Repub Governors have zero concern that aligns with Big Corps's zero concern.

[marble falls]

58. To blunt Joe Biden's successful vaccine turnout. They have no souls.

[Ford_Prefect]

59. IMO it is their application of the Chaos-is-our-ally plan that Trump has used so effectively.

Along with aligning the mob behind them there is the general effect of disrupting and terrorizing Democrats by creating an incredibly toxic public situation.

They do not care that it will cause more deaths, or that it will damage the healthcare system and those who work there beyond repair. They don't appear to understand that the more transmissions there are the more frequently there will be mutations which may defeat current medical responses. They won't be held accountable (at least as long as they win elections).

It is the Karl Rove version of GOP politics in which anything may be done so long as it guarantees Republican control of government. As long as you win you can get away with anything, so anything you do to win is valid political behavior and thus beyond moral or legal reprimand. The only caveat is that you must behave in accordance with the goals your principal financial patrons.

[samplegirl]

61. Ohio certainly does not

need this as we are far behind on vaccinations yet.