Where's the petri dish thread?

[DCHawk1]

Today and maybe tomorrow.

That's all the time he has to shift his narrative to "This is a very real, very serious Chinese plot to undermine me and the country."

That's his only hope, and he has to do it soon.

[jfish26]

This is painting with far too broad a brush, but a few "take them to the Poli-board" assorted thoughts:

1. He is incapable of conceiving there can exist problems of the scale that cannot be wished away.

1a. He has no interest in seeking information from others that there can exist problems of the scale that cannot be wished away.

1b. He has purged from his orbit anyone who can take it upon himself or herself to force Trump to confront that there can exist problems of the scale that cannot be wished away.

2. It seems all but certain at this point that, whatever the global human and financial toll of COVID-19, it will be orders of magnitude worse due to acute micro (Trump specifically) and macro (gutting the public sector) deficiencies.

3. Trump's fixation on the market is revealing, of (among other things): (a) just how stupid he is, in being convinced that the DJIA is a good proxy for the health of the economy, generally, and (b) how vulnerable he feels, politically.

3a. Economic security (even just the illusion of it!) is really the one thing holding together his base.

3b. A downturn in economic security among a significant portion of his base is a massive political vulnerability.

3c. A significant portion of his base is acutely vulnerable to the human (they're often old/in poor health) and financial (they're working poor, who can't ride out an extended time without work) tolls of something like what might be coming.

4. By being not just unwilling to be but incapable of being prepared for this, Trump has exposed a political flank in a way that he really cannot remedy except by telling people not to believe their eyes and ears (and lungs and wallets).

[jfish26]

Today and maybe tomorrow.

That's all the time he has to shift his narrative to "This is a very real, very serious Chinese plot to undermine me and the country."

That's his only hope, and he has to do it soon.

There are only so many playbooks, and that's certainly one of them.

Another you'll see taken out for a walk is what happens when the Democratic nominee tries to use this against him: "This is not the time for finger-pointing and political gamesmanship. Once again, the Democrats are trying to turn personal tragedy into political gain. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families in this difficult time."

[Deleted User 62]

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families in this difficult time."

The ultimate 'MEH'....

[Shirley]

[Shirley]

I feel reassured:

[Deleted User 89]

sharpie-gate 2.0!!!

[jfish26]

I will say - I'm not overly disappointed (in a vacuum) that some fat has been trimmed from the market the last couple days.

[Shirley]

I will say - I'm not overly disappointed (in a vacuum) that some fat has been trimmed from the market the last couple days.

^^^ x 1,000.

Investors reaching for yield have bid stock valuations up so high, if feels like every buy is at the top.

[jfish26]

[Shirley]

I remember that very well.

[Shirley]

And now I ain't worried, more than ever:

[Shirley]

What could possibly go wrong with having a guy so totally immune to science, in charge of the Trump Administration's response to COVID19?

[Shirley]

I missed the first couple of minutes of the news conference. Is it safe to assume it started with:

"No president in history has ever been treated so unfairly by a virus..."?

[Shirley]

Were I in Trump's position, I definitely would not have said this:

"The 15 (US coronavirus infections) within a couple of days is going to be down to zero."

[jfish26]

What could possibly go wrong with having a guy so totally immune to science, in charge of the Trump Administration's response to COVID19?

Honestly, the slickest move of the day was by whatever GOP strategist figured out such an elegant way to get Pence's ass drop-kicked from the 2020 ticket.

[Shirley]

What could possibly go wrong with having a guy so totally immune to science, in charge of the Trump Administration's response to COVID19?

Honestly, the slickest move of the day was by whatever GOP strategist figured out such an elegant way to get Pence's ass drop-kicked from the 2020 ticket.

Nikki Haley denies having any idea what you're talking about.

[Geezer]

Now it's Lent so true Christians will be safe from the virus.

[Deleted User 89]

couldn’t help myself...had to watch Contagion tonight

[Shirley]

This is not good news. If it's true that this person has contracted the coronavirus without any known contact with an infected person, that calls into question the preliminary assumptions that are being made in order to avoid and contain the spread of the infection. Only time will tell.

One thing that should be mentioned is, although it's early, if the reports are accurate, though they're citing an ~ 2% mortality rate, it's likely that the true % of the population that have died from the disease is much smaller, due to the # of people who have only mild coronavirus infections but never bother to get tested, and so aren't added to the "total" number of people infected.



A new coronavirus case in California could be the first in the U.S. that has no known connection to travel abroad or another known case, a possible sign the virus is spreading in a U.S. community, health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the case Wednesday.

California officials said the person is a resident of Solano County, northeast of San Francisco, and is getting medical care in Sacramento County. They said they have begun the process of tracking down people who the patient has been in contact with, a process known as contact tracing.

Officials did not immediately release any other details.

All of the 59 other cases in the U.S. had traveled from abroad or had been in close contact with those who traveled. Health officials have been on high alert for so-called community spread.