Democrat Cuomo and Republican Trump share blame for the needless deaths of thousands of Americans due to COVID-19; illustrate one huge problem with American politics
Governor Cuomo and POTUS Trump both delayed enacting policies that demonstrably have saved thousands of lives elsewhere in the country and the world. They did so because of their own egos. Trump's is a well-known matter of record now. Here's Cuomo's statement in early March on the pandemic:
“Excuse our arrogance as New Yorkers — I speak for the mayor also on this one — we think we have the best health care system on the planet right here in New York,” Mr. Cuomo said on March 2. “So, when you’re saying, what happened in other countries versus what happened here, we don’t even think it’s going to be as bad as it was in other countries.”
This was about a week before the Bay Area in CA enacted general shelter-in-place orders, but plans were already underway by then and everyone knew it was coming. Tech companies (including the one I work for) that didn't have work-from-home policies had been testing it with scheduled "WFH days" for a couple of weeks and companies that did have work-from-home policies simply made them the default. If Cuomo had been less like Trumpublicans and more like the rest of the country west of the Mississippi, the state of New York might not have been impacted nearly as badly, putting it more fittingly in rankings with other countries than other states in the US.
Of course, as all of this was happening, Cuomo has successfully managed to cut Medicaid spending in New York. Let that sink in. A Democrat, quite popular these days for his "sober" handling of the crisis (unspoken: he helped create), cut medical aid in the middle of a deadly pandemic which has hit his state hardest of all in the US.
There's no holding back: what Cuomo did should be considered criminal. The deaths of anybody who will no longer receive services due to these cuts are on his hands. He should be held accountable. He won't be, of course, because in our country we never really got ourselves out of a monarchy and nobility--we simply replaced it with a facade of democracy in which our government's officials are above the law in practice, if not theory.
On the national front, the "CARES" stimulus is essentially a giveaway to banks and other large, wealthy corporations. The $1200 checks will help, but mostly they'll cover a scant month's of expenses (if that--many places it won't cover even the rent). At-risk populations in this country aren't going to be helped significantly by this: they'll simply have the worst delayed by a few weeks. It's shameful and brazen. And, notably, it was bi-partisan. Democrats could have fought a little harder to get a little more, but they didn't because that would have put their patrons' rescue packages at risk.
One would think people would eventually catch on and strive for change, something more concrete and sustained than Bernie's two failed experiments at pulling the Democratic Party to the left.
Unfortunately, as places like Daily Kos, Free Republic and other partisan forums reveal, we live in a country where people put their chosen political tribe first, even before their own interests. Party leaders are the American Nobility, and their mindless, zombie-like followers comprise 60% of the population. That's ranks of foes of the people deep and wide, folks. It's gonna take more than an aging Jewish guy and a couple of failed primary runs to beat that enemy.
So maybe all these needless deaths are also on the hands of these partisans. No, not maybe: I firmly believe that folks like Markos Moulitsas and Sean Hannity, who have more in common with each other than average folks, should share in some of the blame. So, too, should the various partisans who actively help entrench the absurd power political parties (which are private corporations) wield.
Comments
The quote you cite condemns Cuomo with his own
words. His grandstanding is really a mirror image of Trump’s and for the same reason: ego. Too bad most people are too blind to see it.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Yep. Trump could have said it
himself. In fact, in not so many words, he has. Repeatedly.
Will the pandemic shatter the self image Americans have?
The pandemic has revealed how utterly corrupt and inept are American institutions. Even the military has revealed its corruption when it refused to help sailors on an aircraft carrier. Of course I am using mild descriptions of the reality. But amazing the utter crass stupidity of democrats to tout Cuomo as some hero given what he has done.
I’m wondering
About the collapse of American federalism. We now have at least two regional groups of state governors who are openly ignoring the federal government - and doing better than the rest of the country as a result.
And by better I mean “fewer people are dying”. That’s something visceral. I already don’t watch Trump’s Coronavirus Wrestling show because I have more reliable sources of information, my governor is more on top of the situation, my state university (UW) is doing some of the modelling everyone is using - and we are shipping ventilators to NY because we no longer need them.
So what exactly does the west coast gets from federalism again?
We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg
Shelter In Place
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio was pushing for a Shelter In Place policy days before Cuomo allowed any action whatsoever.
In the endless pissing contest that characterizes the Andrew/Bill relationship, Governor Cuomo proclaimed that Shelter in Place was too alarming for the oh so delicate residents of New York. So He delayed taking action.
So, now we have 1,000 deaths per day. (If you're following the CNN/ MSDNC data it says about 800 per day. That is being changed as I'm writing this to reflect the number of deaths at home, or in the streets, that haven't been included in the count. Not a conspiracy, but an oversight. maybe.)
To be fair, de Blasio dragged his feet on closing the schools.
NYCVG
Yes, he did, and these deaths are on him
as much as on Cuomo and Trump.
This whole episode has been shameful. And if our "leaders" weren't obviously psycopaths without a shred of empathy they'd feel shame for their negligence, too.
But, but, ... Cuomo's a Democrat!
How can you say such mean things about our next prezident?
Any comparison of Republicans and Democrats that reveals the small gap between them is "false equivalency", dontcha know.
As I understand it from advertisers, when people get older
and stop spending money foolishly, they become "dead weight" and a number of groups want them to exit stage right, so to speak. And stop taking up space, especially in urban areas.
Dead weight is exactly the term they use. As far as the ad industry. It gets used a lot in the corporate advertising world.
Don't believe me? Ask them. Its not like this in other countries, except perhaps the UK, which can be even more cynical than us in this way, Ive heard. Its all about money. The financialization of everything is doing this. If you're not moving forward financially in a big way, youre actually falling back fast. People on fixed incomes are in serious trouble. They want poor people to die.
So we're supposed to "trust" politicians just because they pick
a brand that they think they have a better chance of winning as part of? Even when they obviously seem more aligned with the other group?
Why? Party should be irrelevant, what counts is what they do, not what they say. Talk is cheap, especially in the US and with politicians. Who have absolutely zero obligation or accountability to the public. And immunity from being held to almost any standards whatsoever. Look at Trump (and the Clintons).
Half of the country hopefully is smart enough to never vote for
RE: Cuomo annointment?
Looks like they backed the wrong horse. The American people are so sick of these families.
It is not "his turn"
comment on Bernie comment
This isnt true, it was forbidden by internationalk law since January 1 1995. Nomatter what or who people voted for.
This is flatly untrue, part of a cover up to deceive people about the GATS and WTOs theft of democracy. I think the evidence is indisputable that Bernie Sanders job was part of a scam. We all know that single payer would work, we all dont know that it would be illegal because the US signed a deal to dismantle public services, and uts nailed down, hard. Bernie went to great lengths tio hide that. And Democrats are too, obviously because we want people to be deceived into a trap. of inaction. Their cover up is its a lie, and I can prove it. You can prove it by reading the whole rest of the world's critical writing on GATS.
Critical writing and observing that people here are being shamelessly kept in the dark. Stop pretending we live in a democracy here. Or that the pres is free. We don't. Bernie was a cover up top hide the theft of our rights to regulte. , unless we withdrew from the 1995 treaty by leaving the WTO, first.. Donald Trump is probably part of this scheme too. He is a diversion. There to make a much needed discussions toxic. was probably recruited for this plot by his old golfing buddy, ex President Bill Clinton.
Ask any trade lawyer. I first realized this more than ten years ago. A number of groups don't ever discuss this probably because they want the votes of the desperate hopeful voters. Who realize the country is being stolen thats right, but they are too out of the loop to figure out ho and why? (A loss of political power always leads to marginalization and displacement. Look at the Native Americans. Look at the Rohingya. Look at the Trail of Tears and the Seminole. Look at the Armenians. and the Young Turks.
The wanna be rich are the truly scary Democrats. They are not real Democrats. They are willing to lie like crazy to get what they want us to see as their entitlement. Its the same with foreign oligarchs. . Jobs are hard to come by. Well its time politicians had to do more for their living than lie to us. Over and over. I dare any of you to challenge me on this. We are being fed a massive lie.
Get ready for a big shock, they also traded potentially millions of peoples jobs away. Many politicians are leading a double life. Their loyalties are totally with the oligarchs. They are literally two-timing us. The whole country. Young people are the ones who are being shafted the worst. Politicians literally soild off their future for profits on things Americans don't want, that in the 1990s killed at least 30 million people, mostly innocent children, for the crime of not having huge amounts of money to buy over expensive AIDS drugs at the same $15000 a year they cost Americans then, and still cost now. (However because of the eforts of The Bush Adnministration, poor people in the poorest countries can get very low cost drugs, (less than a dollar a day, instead of $15000 a yer, a cost thats impossibly high for Africans, so high that oinly a handful of Africans could afford the cure) This is what we bought with the WTO and the US hangs on with its death grip to that wondfall. . When a clue that cost only pennies to make already existed. (Thankfully, the New York Times, then, largely due to one reporter, did report on that. And also thankfully, President Bush created a program to get the lifesaving drugs to the poor Africans ending a carnage that Bill Clinton described as "dying like flies" when probably an incredible number of people died. Now the low cost AIDS drugs are in danger again.