Does it matter if you're winning Electoral Chess, when your opponent is playing a different game?

I try to feel hopeful. There are overwhelming numbers of polls showing Team Sanity winning the country by big margins, and the swing states as well. Honestly, for someone who voted Bernie, and even sent him money, I have been fairly impressed with Biden's operation thus far, which HAS been moving leftward, IMO. "Lay low, let Trump keep punching himself in the privates, since he's going to suck all the air out of the coverage, anyway." A few weeks of "Where's Joe?" memes notwithstanding, this is actually the smart move. Winning the Senate seems likely now, where once it was a longshot.

But I can't help but feel disquieted, too. Team Trump and the GOP more generally seem to have totally abandoned the field in terms of the whole: "winning an election by having a better argument for the American people" thing. They're speaking only to their most hardcore supporters. While the Trump/GOP tanks with Independents, women, and suburban voters, and that seems like a good thing for sanity in America, it bothers me that they seem to be playing a different game, entirely. Biden and Democratic leadership focus on "winning an election." Trump and the GOP focus on "maintaining power at all possible costs, election or none." What this looks like is desperate maneuvers to to stop non-Republicans from voting - attacks on the USPS, and purposefully-fomented (still low-level) chaos in Democratic cities. Biden and national Democratic leadership may be clearly outplaying the GOP in electoral chess, but that may not matter that much if Team Trump prefers to hone its "whack-a-voter" chops while ignoring the chess game entirely.

I don't know what's going to happen, and anyone who says they do is a liar. But I do believe the next five months may be the most important five months in the USofA since at LEAST World War II. Activate, energize, volunteer, donate, whatever the hell you can. It's all hands on deck time, folks. We need to be in voting booth, in the streets, and in the halls of power too. It's time to drive a stake through the heart of the vampire.

Terrifying Times in Texas

Texas Governor Says ‘Massive’ Virus Outbreak Sweeping the State

Houston On Pace to Exceed Intensive-Care Capacity by Tomorrow Today

From the Freedom-Haters at Bloomberg.com.

Texas is experiencing a “massive outbreak” as Covid-19 cases multiply, Governor Greg Abbott said on Wednesday as hospital systems in the state’s biggest cities strained to handle the influx of patients.

Texas posted its worst day so far for new cases, with a jump of 5,551 to 125,921, according to the state health department. The 4.6% one-day rise exceeded the 3.7% seven-day average. Hospitalizations climbed by 7.3% to 4,389.

If it weren't such a serious life and death matter, it would ALMOST be funny watching Texas’ shit-stain Governor Greg Abbott - who barely shut down the state in the first place and re-opened weeks before others - now realizing how many Texans' deaths are on his hands, furiously backpedal to this week's begging people to stay home, with his serious, "this time we mean it" spurs jangling at his feet. What's that old saying about horses and barn doors?

"Ol’ Bodybags” Abbott will have tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths on his watch, and conscience, due specifically to his policy decisions. I can't crawl inside that scumbag's head, nor would I want to. But unlike the truly clueless-seeming DuhSantis in Floriduh, whose decisions will give Ol' Bodybags a run for his Body Count Bowl trophy, the Texas Governor appears to the casual political media observer, to be experiencing at least some kind of "Oh shit what the fuck have I done?" moment. They should pile up the body bags outside his bedroom window.

UPDATE:

Did I mention Ol' Bodybags' pleadings for everyone to please stay home aren't backed by ANYTHING that resembles a statewide policy with legal teeth? He's still pushing it back on the localities. I'm sure the Good Ol Boys will do as requested.

Failures in Humanity Class

I have recently seen rather cavalier social media posts to the effect of: "I take good care of myself, get the right vitamins, eat right and exercise, and my immune system is in good health. I am NOT going to social distance, NOR wear a mask, and I will operate as close to 'normal' as I possibly can. I am not worried - if I get sick, my strong immune system will help me through."**

To which, I would respond: "Well, that's just swell for you and your great immune system. Had you heard that this disease was highly transmissible?-that you can pass it along without even having symptoms? Because if not; what fucking rock have you been living under? YOU AND YOUR (supposedly) HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM CAN SPREAD THIS TO OTHERS! These folks may end intubated on ventilators - a HORRIBLE predicament - for days or weeks at a time, or they could end up dead! But you won't social distance or wear a mask because you think you're fine?

It's pure selfishness. "I will not inconvenience myself, to save a stranger's life."

Yesterday was Mother's Day. Did your mother RAISE you to not care if your behavior kills or hospitalizes, or intubates other people, or makes them very sick?

Thank you Universe - mine did not.

**Sadly, this is actually a thing.

Great News Everyone!

The Guardian

Carnival to resume cruises in August despite infections and deaths on ships

Carnival Cruise Line has announced plans to resume operations at the beginning of August despite dozens of deaths on cruise ships during the Covid-19 pandemic and investigations into the industry’s possible role in spreading the disease around the planet.

In a statement on Monday, the operator said eight cruise ships would resume operations from 1 August, sailing from Galveston, Texas, and Miami and Port Canaveral in Florida, once a no-sail order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had expired.

The CDC has issued repeated warnings that cruise travel has spread the coronavirus outbreak around the world and on Friday, the US Congress announced an investigation of Carnival Cruise Line’s parent company – Carnival Corporation – over why it did not act sooner to protect passengers and staff.*

* Emphasis mine

Oh good. Can't wait to book my trek on a Vessel of Concentrated Contagion, so I can enjoy myself the same way I would at a badly overpriced theme bar on the campus of DisneyWorld, Orlando. I've always wanted to be stuck on a floating petri dish in a human science experiment. It's my dream.

Epistemological Crevasses and the Scourge of "Alternate Reality"

With regards the whole "did he float injecting household disinfectant into the lungs or didn't he now?" kerfluffle, I gotta say I am impressed by the nationally co-ordinated Army of Trump Whisperers, gaslighting the whole country all at once, "Never mind what you heard and saw! This is what he really meant. . . " First it was: "he didn't say that," even the though the video clearly shows him floating the notion of "looking into it," with "it" being injecting household disinfectants into the lungs. Then it was: "he was joking. He was being sarcastic," to which nearly the All of Non-GOoPer America was like: "what kind of monster jokes about something like this at a time like this?"

For the last time. Yes, our so-called quote "President" unquote definitely DID float the idea of somehow ingesting or injecting the same household disinfectants that kill the virus when used around the house. As usual, he was just baselessly speculating on unsubstantiable and unsubstantiated bullshit that is completely divorced from reality. That is all he ever brings to the table: talking out his ass. And then 2/3rds of the Trump Whisperers go onto: "just watch the video!" Almost like a dare. And then we watch the video, and we're like: "Yup he's suggesting we ingest household cleaners or at least look into it." Trump Whisperers: you cannot gaslight all of the country when there's video. Just shut up.

Then there's this . . .

‘Significant Increase’ in Calls to Illinois Poison Control After Trump Disinfectant Remarks

Citing a “significant increase” in calls to the Illinois Poison Control Center, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike is urging state residents not to ingest cleaning chemicals as a treatment for coronavirus.

“There has been a significant increase in calls to the Illinois Poison Control Center in association with exposure to cleaning agents (since Thursday),” she said.

The warning comes after President Donald Trump appeared to suggest injecting disinfectants to treat people with coronavirus.

I don't want to get to deeply into the psychology, sobriety, and/or mental acuity of someone who would actually take the so-called quote "President's" unquote medical advice to at least "look into" ingesting household cleaners, much less actually take the plunge and do it. I'm not prepared to trod that dark path. Seriously, I really recommend NOT listening to the El Drumpfo - about anything really.

A Failure on Every Level

This is BEYOND infuriating.

TRUMP SAYS WIDESPREAD CORONAVIRUS TESTING 'WOULD NEVER HAPPEN' AND ISN'T NEEDED TO REOPEN COUNTRY

BY ANDREW FEINBERG at Newsweek ON 4/9/20 AT 8:26 PM

President Donald Trump on Thursday said a widespread COVID-19 testing program to assess whether workers can safely return to their workplaces is "never going to happen" in the United States.

As he addressed reporters during the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, Trump touted the fact that 2 million Americans had been tested for the virus as a "milestone" in the U.S. fight against the global pandemic caused by SARS-Cov-2.

The 2 million tests that have been administered so far represents a high water mark after weeks of problems in obtaining and administering tests caused by the Trump administration's rejection of a test developed by the World Health Organization. However, that number means only .61 percent of the 330 million U.S. population has been tested for COVID-19.

Every Single Fucking Expert says we utterly, entirely, and with 100% certainty will NEVER be able to return to normal until we have enacted widespread testing to know how who has it, and, just as importantly, who does not. IT'S THE MOST BASIC THING IMAGINABLE. Let's be clear. This asshole is saying what Italy did, what South Korea did . . . we're not capable of it. "Can't be done." I don't get all flag-wavey and patriotic all that often, but that is the most "un-American" attitude I can imagine: "We're not capable. We can't do it."