There are 210,000 Americans dead from the Coronavirus and 7,400,000 have tested positive. The President of the United States has the virus and is in Walter Reed Hospital. His wife, several close associates, and number of legislators have tested positive as have several state governors.
Friday night, Rachel Maddow opened her show with a statement emphasizing that it is important to separate Trump’s political actions, as terrible as they have been, from Trump the human being. She stressed that Trump’s political decisions should be dealt with politically, by voting. On the other hand, she stressed the importance that we express our humanity and show concern for his well-being and his family. It was an amazing statement unlike the common “get well soon” offerings made by everyone else.
As I began writing this blog, I made several attempts to do as Rachel suggested. But I cannot, because if I did, I would be lying. I do not wish that Trump die. I do not wish death on anyone, even him. Yet, I have no sympathy for him. I do not care if he, as an individual, lives or dies. He brought it on himself. As he did for millions of Americans.
I feel the same way for all those elected officials who promoted Trump’s dangerous statements and behavior. They ignored scientific evidence and the advice of health experts. Trump and these officials made personal decisions that led to deadly political actions. After the election, provided it has not been stolen through voter suppression and intimidation, Trump and all those officials who have injured and killed Americans, must face the legal consequences of their actions.
Today is day three since Trump went into the hospital. And still his condition is a mystery. Can he function in his official capacity? What are the current arrangements for running the government while he is in the hospital? Is he genuinely sick?
We are unable to trust anything said by the White House or anyone in the Administration. After five years of blatant lying, disinformation, and hiding the truth there is no reason why we should believe them now. I know that I do not.
Trump’s official spokes people paint a positive picture. A source at Walter Reed was more concerned and warned that Trump’s immediate recovery was questionable. Just how sick is he? What machinations are going on in the background? These are legitimate concerns.
On October 2, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a serious stroke that paralyzed his left side and blinded him in his left eye. He remained bedridden for two months and then spent the rest of his term in a wheelchair, through the election and the inauguration of Warren G. Harding on March 4th, 1921. During those 17 months, Wilson’s cognitive abilities deteriorated. The American people were completely unaware that the President of the United States was disabled and only learned of it when Wilson died in 1924.
The President’s wife, First Lady Edith Wilson, stepped in to act as gatekeeper and determine what issues would go to the President. She described her role as, “I studied every paper sent from the different Secretaries or Senators and tried to digest and present in tabloid form the things that, despite my vigilance, had to go to the President. I, myself, never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs. The only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very important decision of when to present matters to my husband.”
While Mrs. Wilson never made any direct decisions concerning public policy, deciding what went to the President and how she summarized it impacted what got done and how. I’m unclear as to her relationship with Senators and the Wilson Administration, but it would not be uncommon that various factions, promoting their own agendas, had an effect on what was seen and decided.
Fast forward to today. The past four chaotic years have provided plentiful evidence that the White House and the Administration are untrustworthy. They have continuously put their welfare and the power of the Republican Party before what is best for the American people and our Democracy. As the election approaches, they rush voter suppression measures into place, making a blatant grab for power. They are pushing the nomination and confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to a position on the Supreme Court. She is a Judge that despises Roe v Wade, America Care Act, LGBT rights, and the separation of church and state; contrary to the will of most Americans.
With Trump in the hospital and a Republican controlled government that considers lying an acceptable form of behavior, there is good reasons to be very skeptical. Could Trump’s illness be just one more chaotic episode designed to take our eyes off the substantive news concerning his racism, his murderous response to the pandemic, his illegal financial dealings and tax fraud, his disrespect for our military, his destruction of our economy, and a myriad of other issues?
Trump has been backed into a corner. Joe Biden is making gains with Trump voters. Trump’s childish behavior during the first presidential debate hurt him. A second debate would be a disaster. What better way to avoid debating while hijacking the news media and national attention with a battle with COVID?
Once again Trump has inserted, confusion, fear, and uncertainty into our lives. I think that Trump is playing us with, “You don’t kick someone when they’re down.” This time, yes, we do.
I Am Skeptical is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Attribute to Les Phillips, Les-Phillips.com