OnionAhaiReborn Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 5 hours ago, karaddin said: I've seen quite a bit of chatter on Twitter today about Biden being completely absent. Has he actually been silent in a way to justify worrying about his health situation? It's definitely not what I'd expect a candidate to do during a crisis. It's odd. He's said his campaign is just working "setting up the mechanisms" to do more virtual communication, which seems a bit flimsy of an excuse. But I think it's more likely that Biden's campaign is scrambling to figure out what to say than that he is secretly corona-stricken or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 1 hour ago, OnionAhaiReborn said: It's odd. He's said his campaign is just working "setting up the mechanisms" to do more virtual communication, which seems a bit flimsy of an excuse. But I think it's more likely that Biden's campaign is scrambling to figure out what to say than that he is secretly corona-stricken or something. No, it’s not a flimsy excuse, and suggesting he’s hiding because he had Covid-19 is worthy of a Trump supporter, not a Democrat. Biden had a press conference by phone on Friday - did you hear any of it? No? It’s because there’s this pandemic thing going on. Everything has changed in the campaign now, and of course he must be in hours of meetings to figure out strategy going forward. One of the biggest issues has got to be how Trump has handled the pandemic so far. Do you attack the POTUS in the middle of a national emergency? Some people would say absolutely not, the Republicans will attack Biden as a disloyal American, selfishly attacking Trump instead of supporting him 100% in a crisis. But we’ve all seen the Task Force press conferences by now. They’re an exact duplicate of a Trump rally, Trump at the microphone with a line-up of people standing behind him, Trump being forceful and sticking knives into people with his side comments even while being ‘deeply concerned’, Trump talking about how badly Obama handled swine flu leading to 13,000 American deaths and passing on a ‘broken, failed system’ to him, Trump berating the press and attacking individual reporters. Trump lying and spreading false information, Trump self-aggrandizing. Every damn day, in front of an audience of millions that is sure to grow in size as the crisis deepens. And, best of all, he doesn’t have to pay a fucking cent! Republicans are re-writing history right before your very eyes, every single day. So yes, Biden is deep in meetings, getting the research on how Trump has mismanaged things, trying to figure out what tone to use so as not to alienate frightened voters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 9 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said: No, it’s not a flimsy excuse, and suggesting he’s hiding because he had Covid-19 is worthy of a Trump supporter, not a Democrat. I mean, this was Biden's Florida/Illinois speech: Bad webcam sending out mediocre audio and image over VoIP software. They clearly did not have equipment, and possibly expertise, for more professional broadcasting from ad hoc studios (per Politco, that's a makeshift studio in his own home in Delaware), at the time. So entirely consistent with the idea that they're working out expertise and equipment. I'm sure Biden's touched by the concern for his health that's being displayed by the interwebs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionAhaiReborn Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 35 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said: No, it’s not a flimsy excuse, and suggesting he’s hiding because he had Covid-19 is worthy of a Trump supporter, not a Democrat. Biden had a press conference by phone on Friday - did you hear any of it? No? It’s because there’s this pandemic thing going on. Everything has changed in the campaign now, and of course he must be in hours of meetings to figure out strategy going forward. One of the biggest issues has got to be how Trump has handled the pandemic so far. Do you attack the POTUS in the middle of a national emergency? Some people would say absolutely not, the Republicans will attack Biden as a disloyal American, selfishly attacking Trump instead of supporting him 100% in a crisis. But we’ve all seen the Task Force press conferences by now. They’re an exact duplicate of a Trump rally, Trump at the microphone with a line-up of people standing behind him, Trump being forceful and sticking knives into people with his side comments even while being ‘deeply concerned’, Trump talking about how badly Obama handled swine flu leading to 13,000 American deaths and passing on a ‘broken, failed system’ to him, Trump berating the press and attacking individual reporters. Trump lying and spreading false information, Trump self-aggrandizing. Every damn day, in front of an audience of millions that is sure to grow in size as the crisis deepens. And, best of all, he doesn’t have to pay a fucking cent! Republicans are re-writing history right before your very eyes, every single day. So yes, Biden is deep in meetings, getting the research on how Trump has mismanaged things, trying to figure out what tone to use so as not to alienate frightened voters. I didn't suggest he has Covid-19, I said the opposite. I said it's likely that his campaign is trying to figure out what to say, which is exactly what you say he is doing in your response to me. So I'm not sure we're in disagreement, unless you believe he is both figuring out what to say and that his campaign also genuinely cannot, in 2020, figure out how to set up virtual events, and that's all they're waiting on. ETA: Also, I did hear about his Friday press conference, as the article I linked and quoted was reporting on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 14 minutes ago, OnionAhaiReborn said: I didn't suggest he has Covid-19, I said the opposite. I said it's likely that his campaign is trying to figure out what to say, which is exactly what you say he is doing in your response to me. So I'm not sure we're in disagreement, unless you believe he is both figuring out what to say and that his campaign also genuinely cannot, in 2020, figure out how to set up virtual events, and that's all they're waiting on. ETA: Also, I did hear about his Friday press conference, as the article I linked and quoted was reporting on it. Lol, bah, sorry, no coffee yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 34 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said: Lol, bah, sorry, no coffee yet... BIRD! been flying into some windows the last few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 34 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said: BIRD! been flying into some windows the last few days. I have been meaning to get new glasses since late summer and kept putting it off until I literally had a scary crisis the other day. My eyesight in my old age has been changing very rapidly and I get new glasses every year, but it’s almost two years now (your eyeball starts to flatten altering your sight dramatically). The other day I had a sudden increase in ‘floaters’ which can be a warning sign your retina is detaching and then you become blind. I frantically looked for an available optometrist, since they say don’t go to your doctor, he doesn’t have the equipment to determine what’s going on. The optometrist assured me my retina was ok but gave me the warning signs and told me to immediately head for Emergency if any happen (dramatic increase in floaters, or flashes of light, or loss of peripheral vision, like a curtain has been dropped, on any side, left, right, top or bottom). He couldn’t see me that Wednesday to do the tests for glasses because he was fully booked, so I saw him on Monday and immediately ordered glasses. I just hope the manufacturer doesn’t get locked down. I really meant to get this done earlier, but before Christmas I started to get sick and had the 6 week cold from hell. Then I stopped doing a lot of things because I was nervous about coronavirus. This is one thing I should have done. I now use my iPhone all the time, and if you fat-finger something auto correct can do weird shit, lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 3 hours ago, Fragile Bird said: Do you attack the POTUS in the middle of a national emergency? Goddamn right we do because he MADE the catastrophe and he's making it more catastrophic every single minute, both with doing none of the right things and doing the wrong things -- i.e. lying, refusing to take the right actions, and trying to make a personal profit out of it, both financially and politically. Both Cuomo and de Blasio attack him daily, including this morning, for providing none of the supplies and assistance needed, here where it is the worst, and where it came in, and from whence it spreads everywhere. GODDAMN HIM TO HELL AND THE SPRING BREAKERS. OBSESSED WITH CLOSING BORDERS, THIS IS WHAT NEEDED TO BE CLOSED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 My issue with Biden is he needs to be more aggressive delineating how he would respond to this better than the administration. And yes, you attack the president in the middle of national emergency if his administration's response to said emergency is this grossly incompetent. Also, I'm sorry, like @OnionAhaiReborn said, "setting up the mechanisms" is a pathetic excuse. If I can figure out zoom, panopto, and blackboard collaborate in an afternoon, the campaign should be able to figure that out lots quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 24 minutes ago, DMC said: My issue with Biden is he needs to be more aggressive delineating how he would respond to this better than the administration. And yes, you attack the president in the middle of national emergency if his administration's response to said emergency is this grossly incompetent. Also, I'm sorry, like @OnionAhaiReborn said, "setting up the mechanisms" is a pathetic excuse. If I can figure out zoom, panopto, and blackboard collaborate in an afternoon, the campaign should be able to figure that out lots quicker. Oh, I agree he should be attacked, I'm just saying there is debate on the issue. Traditionally, in time of crisis, Americans stand by their president, and attack later. That just may be theory, maybe FDR was relentlessly attacked during WW II? I don't think Democrats meant figuring how to use Zoom, I think they meant what is the most effectice way to attack Trump. Biden is attacking Trump, but they need to use the right tone. Is it outraged anger, a la Sanders? Is it lay out the facts to undermine the lies? Then gradually build up the anger? Wait until the bodies pile up? In other news, Rand Paul has tested positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 You bet FDR was attacked relentlessly before WWII and after, and attacked for doing the right things. So was Lincoln. For that matter Jefferson Davis was constantly attacked by a whole faction of the CSA, who were as bad at working out stuff as he was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 3 minutes ago, Triskele said: On the Biden thing Kevin Drum had a post that was sort of a "calm down" about this here. I'll let y'all decide if it makes you calm. By the way, @Ran, he did a mea culpa down this blog about that prediction that COVID won't hurt the economy that much an "it has not aged well" admission. Feels like the economic outlook is worsening by the second. Yeah, I feel like the Spanish flu we had such a different global market and economy. That said, Goldman Sachs and so on are seeing sharp declines in Q2, but imagine surges going from Q3 on. This makes sense to me; still a recession at the end of the year, but no reason to expect it to be long term. We're losing a quarter or two of productivity, it'll recover, there's no the same rot in the system that led to 2008 as the banks and fiscal system is strong and no governments seem overly hesitant about helping with liquidity. There'll obviously be an inefficiency in terms of mass lay offs and bankrupts and so on followed by mass hirings and restarts of businesses, and no doubt unemployment will take longer to recover, but... I don't know, I'm feeling okay about the economic outlook two-three years into the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 2 hours ago, Fragile Bird said: I have been meaning to get new glasses since late summer and kept putting it off until I literally had a scary crisis the other day. My eyesight in my old age has been changing very rapidly and I get new glasses every year, but it’s almost two years now (your eyeball starts to flatten altering your sight dramatically). The other day I had a sudden increase in ‘floaters’ which can be a warning sign your retina is detaching and then you become blind. I frantically looked for an available optometrist, since they say don’t go to your doctor, he doesn’t have the equipment to determine what’s going on. The optometrist assured me my retina was ok but gave me the warning signs and told me to immediately head for Emergency if any happen (dramatic increase in floaters, or flashes of light, or loss of peripheral vision, like a curtain has been dropped, on any side, left, right, top or bottom). He couldn’t see me that Wednesday to do the tests for glasses because he was fully booked, so I saw him on Monday and immediately ordered glasses. I just hope the manufacturer doesn’t get locked down. I really meant to get this done earlier, but before Christmas I started to get sick and had the 6 week cold from hell. Then I stopped doing a lot of things because I was nervous about coronavirus. This is one thing I should have done. I now use my iPhone all the time, and if you fat-finger something auto correct can do weird shit, lol! Jesus Birdie. Be safe, but as was said in the previous thread, piracy could be coming back baby, so don't overlook the menacing eye patch as an option. Also, make sure you clean your phone daily, if not more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 12 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said: Oh, I agree he should be attacked, I'm just saying there is debate on the issue. Traditionally, in time of crisis, Americans stand by their president, and attack later. That just may be theory, maybe FDR was relentlessly attacked during WW II? "Politics stops at the water's edge" is a relic of a bygone era. Only recent example where that actually held for more than, like, a day was 9/11 - and in retrospect that was a horrible idea! Moreover one could argue the opposition has a civic responsibility to attack the administration when its incompetence is endangering thousands (millions?) of lives. 19 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said: I don't think Democrats meant figuring how to use Zoom, I think they meant what is the most effectice way to attack Trump. Well, the HuffPo link Onion provided definitely was talking about getting the virtual campaign up and running. Even if it was the latter, your senior staff needs to decide on a strategy for attacking Trump a lot quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oberonus Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 14 minutes ago, Mexal said: im shocked, shocked that a GOP bill would be just a hand out to the rich and a fuck you to everyone else. Shocked! well.. not that shocked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince of the North Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Just one more brick in the wall of the Trump administration's ineptitude: Quote President Donald Trump’s directive for governors to buy their own medical supplies to fight the coronavirus has run into a big problem -- the federal government. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker told Trump during a video conference on Thursday that his state three times lost out to the federal government on purchases of critical supplies, creating an awkward moment during the made-for-TV event at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington. Wish I could say I'm surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centrist Simon Steele Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Rand Paul, first senate member with confirmed Coronavirus. I'll hold back my impulsive comments like "it couldn't have happened to a better guy." Or, "Why are you getting tested with no symptoms when millions of Americans have symptoms and can't get tested?" Or, some other stuff about stupid libertarians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fez Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Just one economist's prediction, but still... holy fuck... I've thought for a while that the estimates from Goldman Sachs and others were too rosy, but I didn't think it'd be this rough either. Unless Congress can pass a much, much larger bill than even $2 trillion, I think we're at the point the pain and suffering from the economic collapse is getting worse than letting the virus run free. Assuming this prediction holds true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martell Spy Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 21 minutes ago, Triskele said: We're about to see a real time example of how libertarianism kills in the coming months. He's not just any libertarian, but one that has made anti-vaccine comments. This could only be some sort of divine retribution/karma/justice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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