The Donald Trump Score Card

DeSantis' perception of and response to the coronavirus have been like a copy of Trump's.

DeSantis made boneheaded remarks in May 2020 to journalists before the virus had impacted his state. He accused journalists of trying to push what he called a narrative about the risks to FL that he thought would turn out to be false. The journalists turned out to be correct about the risks.


DeSantis OKs state moving into Phase 3 of reopening, lifting most limits
John Kennedy | Sarasota Herald-Tribune
September 25, 2020

DeSantis lifts most coronavirus restrictions; phase 3 reopening effective immediately

excerpt:

"Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, where infections and deaths have been highest, have been slower with re-opening, but are allowed to participate in Friday’s Phase 3 expansion.

Some epidemiologists said DeSantis is wrong to push forward with Phase 3.

“I think that’s an extraordinarily stupid move,” said Dr. Ira Longini, a biostatistician and epidemiologist at the University of Florida.

“Given the overall size of the epidemic in the U.S. and given the fact that we are heading into the fall and we still don’t know the full impact of the school and university openings, it seems quite premature to me to open up that much,” he added.

DeSantis’ decision to lift some of the final restrictions on businesses in the state is the latest move by the governor that seems to parallel President Donald Trump’s re-election themes. The president has endorsed his own handling of the coronavirus, downplayed its severity and campaigns on the promise of a quick return to a strong economy staggered nationally, and in Florida, by the virus."

 

And too damn crooked.

 

A few weeks before the election, Trump is now supporting attributes of the Affordable Care Act that he has spent his term sabotaging (like the cartoon showing Trump graciously handing a tire pump to a farmer after puncturing his tractor tire with his own pitch fork).



Trump’s health care sham
Rick Newman·Senior Columnist
Fri, September 25, 2020, 11:43 AM EDT

Trump’s health care sham

excerpt:

"Part 1 of Trump’s plan is an executive order declaring Trump’s support for a law that already exists. On Sept. 25, Trump signed an order declaring that it’s the policy of the U.S. government to protect people with preexisting conditions. But the Affordable Care Act, which Congress passed 10 years ago, already prohibits insurers from charging people more if they have preexisting conditions, or denying them coverage. Trump’s order doesn’t enhance that in any way, and it has no legal standing.

Part 2 of Trump’s health care plan is a request to Congress to pass legislation banning surprise medical bills, like those some patients get when they unknowingly get “out of network” care that’s not covered by their insurance. If Congress doesn’t pass such a law by the end of the year—which it won’t—Trump will try to ban surprise billing by executive order, which won’t work because the president can’t enact laws on his own.

Part 3 is some free money for seniors, if Trump can find $6 billion somewhere and reappropriate it without provoking a lawsuit. Trump says he’ll send 33 million seniors a $200 discount card to defray the cost of prescription drugs. If this actually happens, you can bet the cards will have the Trump name on them, to remind recipients who’s giving them the free money."

 

Be careful what you wish for. There go Bernie and Elizabeth, as well as the Donald, and of course Joe before he even gets there! Maybe we could set the age at 80, which would at least take care of Grassley. (Can you believe he's 87? I guess it beats a nursing home!) Our own Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe is seeking another Senate term at 85, which would make him 91 if he gets it and lives through it. Grassley not only chairs the powerful Finance Committee in the Senate, but is President pro tempore of the senate--third in line for presidential succession. Climate Change and Science denier Inhofe chairs the most powerful environmental committee in the Senate, Environment and Public works. He thinks only God can change climate.

 

Let's see, it was 15,000 new daily cases for Florida back on July 12th and they have been under 5000 cases a day now for 6 weeks, with a dramatically lower death rate

Remember the headlines about all the field hospitals that were never needed

It's really a combination of seasonal variations and mutating less deadly strains

.....but it also just ends up looking like the red states handled it way better than the blue states

 

Lolz, McConnell is the same age as Biden

 

Down to a 7 point gap in the average of the national polls 49-42%

2020 Presidential Election Polls: Biden vs. Trump

 

Yes, I know, but we need to set a precedent.

I would not put all my chickens in one basket, if I were you. I know demographics are not your strong suit, but you should know that red states have smaller populations than blue states.

 

but Biden is cogent.

 

3500 companies sue Trump over his escalation of tariffs on China.


Some 3,500 companies sue over Trump-imposed Chinese tariffs

 

Florida recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths of any state in the country the day leading into DeSantis' announcement of Phase-3 reopening.

 

Trump said the coronavirus death count isn't that bad when not counting the deaths in the blue states.

Chuck Schumer told Trump that he might as well not include both red and blue states if he wants to make the coronavirus look really good.

 

DeSantis made haughty statements to the press mistakenly thinking that Florida wouldn't be struck by the virus.

The red states now account for about 47% of the coronavirus deaths in the U.S. The red states had extra time to prepare for the virus, yet they ended up the same as the blue states, partly due to people like DeSantis who thought his state would be immune.

 

Trump thought the whole country would be immune.

As pathological as that belief was, Trump has gone even more demented by trying to belittle the deaths down to zero by blaming it on other conditions and saying at a rally that the coronavirus affects practically no one.

 

An IHME model in June was reasonably accurate, projecting about 180,000 (a range of 159,497 to 213,715) total coronavirus deaths in the U.S. by October 1, 2020.

Based on the current daily death rate, the actual death toll by October 1st will probably be between 210,000 and 220,000, which is very close to the upper range of the IHME model in June.

In June, the summer surge hadn't yet occurred and 100,000 were dead as of Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. A projection of about 200,000 total deaths by October might have seemed on the high side at the time

The IHME model projected about 147,000 U.S. deaths by October 1st if 95% of people wore face coverings.



New IHME COVID-19 Model Projects Nearly 180,000 US Deaths
However, high levels of mask wearing could reduce forecasted deaths by nearly 33,060
Next two weeks will show whether surge in deaths follows increase in cases
{ublication date:
June 24, 2020

New IHME COVID-19 Model Projects Nearly 180,000 US Deaths

excerpt:

"SEATTLE (June 24, 2020) – In its first projections comparing different actions to control COVID-19 transmission, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington is forecasting nearly 180,000 in the United States will die by October 1.":

 

The IHME projected death toll from June to end of September showed 33,000 less deaths if 95% of people wore face coverings.

Dismissive remarks by people like Trump about face masks and social distancing can change the death toll by thousands or even tens of thousands over a span of a few months.

 

The current electoral map.


image:

 

Trump is trying to do a cash giveaway of $200 gift cards to 33 million seniors before the election under the guise of it being a demonstration of a cost-cutting program using a section in the Social Security Act



What To Know About Those $200 Drug Cards President Trump Promised
Sydney Lupkin
September 25, 20207:00 PM ET

What To Know About Those $200 Drug Cards President Trump Promised

excerpt:

"Although anything involving the Treasury usually needs congressional approval, the White House doesn't plan to go that route.

Instead, officials say the White House plans to use a section of the Social Security Act that allows Medicare to test out new programs aimed at saving money, for example, to see if they work. Called "demonstrations," these are usually proposed by state governments, agency staff, Congress or the private sector. And the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is tasked with evaluating and approving them.

But not all Medicare demonstrations are approved, says Robin Feldman, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, who focuses on the pharmaceutical industry and drug policy.

"In my mind, the question is whether the White House could bypass the considerably extensive procedures established by the agency to evaluate proposals," she says. "That's a process that can take some time. And the White House seems to have a few weeks in mind so that it happens before the election."

Because so few details of the proposal have been released, Feldman says it's not clear how the administration plans to do this.

What's more, it's unclear what, if anything, the Trump administration is studying by sending out $200 prescription cards."

 

What To Know About Those $200 Drug Cards President Trump Promised

excerpt:

'Under this section of the Social Security Act, demonstrations also need to be "cost neutral." White House officials say they can pay for it with savings from the president's recent "most favored nation" executive order, which would tie certain Medicare drug prices to the prices for those drugs in other countries.

But again, this detail is fuzzy because it's unclear how much money the executive order would save — if it's implemented at all. There are still more procedural steps that it, too, must go through before it can become a reality.

"We're sort of, again, putting the cart before the horse here and saying we assume that this 'most favored nation' approach will actually happen and that if it happens, what will the savings actually be?" Sarpatwari says. "So there's quite a bit of inferential leaps to say we will have money to pay for this cash giveaway.""