How We Knew That Trump's Covid Policy Would Be Catastrophic-- Written one year ago today

 It was 1000% clear to me how and why Trump would sabotage an effective response to covid. I knew this in March, and you can read the articles on my Blog from back then to confirm it.

 How could we tell? Well, the way he handled the Stoneman-Douglas School shooting in Florida, is a perfect example.

First he said he would have been right in there to take on the shooter single-handed, if he had been on the scene. Yeah, right, Sargent Bonespurs, the epitome of bravery under fire. After he's done primping his hair and orange make-up, adjusting his red tie to cover his tiny thingy.

But what was his actual proposed solution after the fact? Remember, he said to arm the teachers. Now, what does that tell you?

First, that he is a superficial shallow thoughtless idiot. School shooters never have a getaway plan, because it's a suicide mission, they want to go out in a blaze of glory. The idea that arming teachers is a deterrent for people who are there because they want to die is beyond absurd. Also, remember that most School shooters or other mass shooters have tactical or firearms training, so having a solution based on turning Mr. Fortnoy from Debate club into Bruce Willis as a plan for protecting children from mass shooters is a non starter. It is like a twisted infantile sex fantasy from an Oedipal little boy who wants to protect his momma from monsters, like his Father. In fact, not so much "like", more so "is" exactly that.

Then conversely, to look at it as a leader actually would, requires thinking about underlying causes, institutional failures, legal issues involving access to firearms and otherwise, breakdowns in the social safety net, failure to assess behavioral problems, the impact of cults or family breakdown as causal in behavioral problems, corruption or poor training for Law Enforcement or Security guards, etc There are many causal factors that need to be considered to put forward an actual policy solution of an enduring nature.

In other words, the proposal to prevent school shootings by arming teachers is as superficial and useless as Trump's single minded "quick fix" of focusing solely on a vaccine and treatments, while completely suspending, and counter organizing a traditional effective public health policy to contain its spread. Why a quick fix? Because he cares only about his popularity among people like him, and his own reelection. Because he does not care about people unless he knows them personally and they have sworn loyalty to him. And even then, he only uses them up, and dumps them when he's tired of them.  He wants to convince people he cares, by throwing something out there that sounds good to shallow minded simple ass fools, which actually solves nothing, but appeals to their stupid backward prejudices.

To solve a serious problem, you have to care. You have to have an attention span. You have to listen, read briefings, and learn. You need to defer judgment and trust professionals who have worked for a lifetime at solving these kinds problems when you have little or no background yourself. You need advice from people who are not just bootlicking flatterers, who will be truthful because that's what is needed, not "approval from the Boss".  You have to be prepared to change strategies when yours isn't working. 

In short, you have to do everything, be everything that Donald Trump is not, and never has been...a human being. 

So yes, the writing was on the wall about how and why he would fail on covid. His staggering, disgusting indifference to the safety of children in their schools should have been a super "Red Flag", right then, that is, if his previous conduct had not been more than enough already.