President Trump opines on start of NFL Season as World Burns
Joe Johnson
|
Note: This article represents the thoughts of one person, me. It does not reflect the thoughts of our team, and hopefully will be the last overtly political article I’ll need to write.
One of the overarching questions and/or concerns regarding the NFL is whether or not the season will start as planned later this year. With every other pro sport (and most parts of our lives/economy) being shuttered fro the foreseeable future; there’s a lot of uncertainty out there as to when we’ll be able to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Enter President Trump, who was on a conference call with the commissioners of pro sports discussing the state of COVID-19 as it impacts pro sports. Those commissioners were from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA, WWE Wrestling, the PGA Tour, UFC, IndyCar, LPGA, and Breeders Cup.
One thing we try to not do here is talk about politics or our political leanings, as while there are very serious things going on (with the decisions in government literally being life or death ones at this point), we also want to be a place where people can go to get away from that aspect of life (if only for the average 58 seconds most people spend on our site). While you could argue that the United States did botch their COVID-19 response (objectively), making the United States the opposite of the world leader in terms of response, and active cases of the illness.
After Trump spoke weeks ago stating that… I’ll just let FactCheck.org explain:
Jan. 22: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” — Trump in a CNBC interview.
Jan. 30: “We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five — and those people are all recuperating successfully. But we’re working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it’s going to have a very good ending for us … that I can assure you.” — Trump in a speech in Michigan.
Feb. 10: “Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do — you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though. We have 12 cases — 11 cases, and many of them are in good shape now.” — Trump at the White House. (See our item “Will the New Coronavirus ‘Go Away’ in April?“)
Despite knowing since LAST year that the novel Coronavirus coming out of Wuhan China could decimate the world’s population and economy, Trump did nothing…and almost worse than that- gave those that follow his Twitter/press conferences/typical route of determination of his blatherings (ie Fox News or Sean Hannity’s radio show) the idea that COVID-19 is just like the “flu”, or as Rush Limbaugh said “… the common cold, folks”.
That lead people like the Shudder Sean Hannity the impetus to call the Coronavirus, or namely the media’s response to it, was yet “another hoax” that the left was using to “bludgeon Trump”. Or people like Fox News’ “Judge” Jeanine Pirro to say that COVID-19 was “a virus… LIKE THE FLU!”, as if because the flu is also a virus that it means ANYTHING. You know what else is a virus? HIV? Ebola? Mambo Number Five?
Those five or so cases that would magically disappear in April seem to have not gotten the message from those behind the agitprop at Fox News, have exploded into a crisis the modern United States (and the world, but especially the United States) have never seen. As I said, I don’t typically interject political thought into what I write or what our team writes about, despite the fact that I am a political scientist by education (B.A. from the University of Minnesota (my other degree is in sociology of law, criminology and deviance)).
Just look at this current map from the CDC. I know, the CDC? What’s that stand for? The … cDeep dState cDepartment?
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html
That map also reflects some of the insanity that we are finding from those that those in the agitprop department (that has grown since President Reagan overturned the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 ) have created by essentially demonizing, spinning and nullifying any information from the news, scientists, doctors, educators… Essentially anyone that can prove that their way of running the country (we’re all still waiting for that wealth to “trickle down”) is objectively wrong.
I mean, what seems more likely? That the person or people that have every reason to lie are lying or that tens of thousands of scientists from different countries are all working together to lie about things like climate change or COVID-19… Because they receive government grants? That’s literally what they’ve said. That because they get grants they have every reason to lie to continue to get those grants.
Two people can’t keep a secret, so where are the hundreds of scientists of conscience who have come out to prove any part of that? Or even ONE scientist? How about the media? Or schools where apparently because you’re taught/or had your ability to critically think nurtured (and when you’re able to critically think, you’re able to see things like the above) that it’s all some Soviet-style system.
I explained what my degree was, and I graduated in 2006 (which was a very polarizing time politically, as anyone who disagreed with George W. Bush on ANYTHING was deemed “Unpatriotic”) and the only thing that I ever heard in all of my years either in higher education or growing up going to Minneapolis Public Schools that was even remotely biased or political came from a professor at the U who hated Bill Clinton.
Either way, Trump has objectively made a bad situation nighly apocalyptic, and after spending about two days eating crow (or doing the best version of eating crow he could, which was him backtracking without a single sense of humanity, “I always knew it was bad! I’m just not a negative person!”… Ugh.
Can’t wait for his library to put that quote on the wall), is now most likely going to parrot what some on Fox News (and some Governors of red states) have been saying and that’s that apparently those that value human life more than those on the left (who, you know, agree with the SUPREME COURT on Roe v. Wade)) have said and that’s that since things are currently really, really bad, let’s just open up the economy because it can’t get worse!
That’s where the NFL comes in. As Trump said the following about the start of the NFL season:
“I want fans back in the arenas, I think it’s … whenever we’re ready. As soon as we can, obviously. And the fans want to be back, too. They want to see basketball and baseball and football and hockey. They want to see their sports. They want to go out onto the golf courses and breathe nice, clean, beautiful fresh air.”
Now, he did say “as soon as we can, obviously”, but there’s just far too much uncertainty for someone as important as, you know, THE PRESIDENT, to be making any uneducated guesses about the start of anything. According to ESPN, Trump floated the idea of leagues working together to lobby for tax credits so fans could deduct concessions and tickets from taxes as a means to encourage fan turnout and jump start the economy.
What?
“Hey honey! I know if we invite Bob and Sally to the game, statistically one of us will be hospitalized for COVID-19, assuming there’s room in any hospitals… But, guess what! We can deduct $12 beers from our taxes in 2021 if we go to the Vikings game, assuming that US Bank Stadium can get all of those COVID-19 patients out before noon on Sunday!”
I can understand his willingness to get things back to normal, again, but instead of focusing on how to do that, he’s taking conference calls with pro sports commissioners and still not lifting a finger federally to help out states that desperately need that help. His son-in-law who somehow is qualified to be in charge of anything this important has been defiant about the lack of federal support (saying the resources that the federal government has are meant for the federal government, not the states (so who are they for?)). That means that 50 states are all in bidding wars for things like masks and ventilators. Meanwhile, only 3,200 of the 100,000 ventilators that the government has sourced will be ready by the projected peak of the virus).
Meanwhile, the people that are actually trying to help like Dr. Anthony Fauci (who reportedly has no idea as to why the entire country isn’t on lockdown), are getting literal death threats to the point that he needs personal security, because of the fact that the right has completely gone off the rails and because of their inability to run any government at any level (notice how when former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty left the state had a deficit in the billions thanks to his no new taxes/fees way of governing, and how they’ve had multiple budget surpluses under Mark Dayton and now Tim Walz? Or how every rescue dog your friends has is from the South? or how Blue States bail our Red ones federally?).
Because they don’t want to be responsible, red states have been subsidized by blue ones just as red counties can only exist because of blue ones. Read about the Minnesota Miracle (No, not that one (which is called the Minneapolis Miracle, btw)) from the 1970’s and why it happened. Why we still have such an amazing living standard (compared to red states, but not like Western Europe) and diverse economy (with the most per capita Fortune 500’s) despite our “high” tax rates (also comparatively).
But that’s fine. Or was. Until now.
Not only are blue states bailing out red ones and allowing them to live this unrealistic life of greed and selfishness, but now people are literally dying because of the right’s mix of either intentional or unintentional dismantling of the way government does business when the left come in to fix things like the 2008 economic implosion (thanks to three GOP Senators named Graham, Leach and Bliley), or create amazing sustainable (not bubble) economies like under Bill Clinton (who left office with a federal budget SURPLUS (that George W. Bush turned into the biggest deficit in American history (at the time, and that was without including the cost of the War on Terror)), or Obama (that Trump immediately took credit for and then somehow turned into the lowest CEO confidence in two decades and lower GDP growth than Obama’s final two years, thanks to his tax cuts and his erratic style).
September 11th may not have happened if the new administration listened to Richard Clark), just as the current COVID-19 Pandemic may not have been this bad had Trump taken it seriously, or not literally pivoted to getting flavored VAPING fluid back out to his constituents.
I thought he was going to bring the “best” people to the White House. Instead, he’s done what he always has done, which is expected loyalty at all costs, even if that loyalty means serious prison time (like… How many of his former “best” people?). That loyalty has lead to misinformation, a lack of urgency, fighting with the media and doctors and the deaths of hundreds of currently and with the way things are going… Hundreds of thousands of deaths in the next few months.
But yeah, let’s make sure that people can write off nachos at stadiums that those that actually are trying to do their part have said will most likely be converted into massive triage centers. Just like the Superdome during/after Katrina. Who was in charge of that response? Oh yeah.
So, yeah. I apologize for getting political but I find it hard to sit on my hands when I’m worried about my parents dying because they’re both going to work because they need to pay their mortgage. Of my nieces dying, of my fiance getting sick, or me and my premie lungs/chronic bronchitis making it so I’m one of the 20% that end up hospitalized and needing a ventilator, but that I (or any of my loved ones) won’t be able to get one because Trump and company literally stopped paying for maintenance on the federal stockpile of ventilators meant for this purpose (unless you ask Jared Kushner).
Those of you out there that are still supporting these people despite all of the signs pointing to this being yet another massive disaster overseen by those that claim to be the responsible ones (because they kick working-class people off of any government support (so they can give more tax cuts to those who need them less than those who the tax burden always shifts to)), who were still moving forward with kicking hundreds of thousands off of food stamps in the midst of this crisis and basically have said that the elderly should sacrifice their health and lives to keep the economy going, aren’t people that care about anyone but those that line their pockets to keep the status quo a quo-ing.
That is if we survive this in the first place.
I, for one, am tired of being held hostage by the world’s C- students, at this point literally and despite how important football clearly is to me (emotionally and financially), understand that it should be topic 1.2 billion for those in charge, right now. People are dying and they will continue to do so, so any talk about opening up the economy or getting people IN STADIUMS is just more attempted manslaughter from the worst administration ever. EVER.
But, Trump’s approval rating has gone UP during this crisis, which means that perhaps we’re getting what we deserve. At least we’ll be able to write off those concession purchases as we recall how many of our friends/family members that used to LOVE the Vikings have died when they, as other countries have shown, didn’t need to.