Nothing to See Here

“It’s the home of the brave, land of the free, where the less you know the better off you’ll be”

–Warren Zevon, Disorder in the House

The coronavirus is spreading with the disturbing news that someone from California became infected who had not traveled to China nor had contact with anyone deemed high risk.  Experts say this is evidence of “community” infection, which is cause for concern, but don’t panic—yet.  There is a shortage of test kits in the U.S., which begs the question of why 100,000 people in South Korea are being tested while we only have 400 kits available.  There are 80,000 people in California alone who need testing.

In the meantime, the POTUS is downplaying the issue by appointing that well-qualified official, VP Mike Pence, to head the coronavirus response because “he has nothing better to do.”  All official communication about the virus shall be routed through him.  Public health officials can’t make public statements on their own.  POTUS says the virus could go away “like magic”, or maybe it won’t, “we’ll see what happens”.  There are reports from a whistleblower that several officials from HHS’s Administration for Children, Youth and Families who greeted the Americans returning from Japan, some of which were coronavirus positive, did so without protective equipment or training.  Some were likely exposed but went about their business by returning to their day jobs, at least one taking a commercial flight.  Move on, nothing to see here.

The stock market has dropped like a rock this week, and there is no end in sight. POTUS says it’s the Democrat’s fault:  he contends that investors saw the recent debate and reacted.  It’s not about the virus, but that’s not what the pundits are saying.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he pointed fingers at Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, much less the current crop of donkey presidential hopefuls.

In the 1800s there was the Know Nothing Party.  Here is what Wikipedia says about them:

“The Know Nothing, formally known as the Native American Party and the American Party from 1855 onwards, was a far-right nativist political party and movement in the United States which operated nationwide in the mid-1850s. It was primarily an anti-Catholic, anti-immigration, and xenophobic movement, originally starting as a secret society.”

The Republican party is our modern version of the Know Nothings.  When in crisis close your eyes and blame the Democrats.