They have a job to do, and somebody has to do it. If they leave, even more people would die.
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Unlike their dad, the Trump Boys like to play dress-up in Tough Guy Tactical Khaki and have their pictures taken outdoors. They just don’t like hunting things that could pose an actual challenge. So the question becomes, how do they get to look like Tough Guys™ on a whale hunt without having to actually rough it in any way?
My guess is that they take a luxury yacht out to the area near the whales, but bring along one of those anti-submarine military choppers on the helipad to drop a whale-seeking torpedo near the target. That way they still get some military hardware to pose with.
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Here’s to hoping those copter operators are very strongly affiliated with the Labour Party.
“Let me help you with that door.”
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WHO should make it a condition of their vaccine development and distribution contracts that they can’t be used by the Trump family.
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Fucking hell. That country is falling apart. And thanks a lot for trying to drag the rest of us down with you by dismantling every single international institution.
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I disagree. Pulling out of the WHO is insane, during the worst global pandemic in a century. They lend this action credibility if they stay in office. They tacitly support it unless they step down. Very curious if that becomes explicit support for the action over the coming days.
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Impeached President Donald Trump announced on a Friday afternoon in the middle of a pandemic that has killed more than 100,000 that he is terminating the relationship between the United States and the World Health Organization.
Which is especially dumb because he has no say in it - Congress does. It’s another Trump distraction - say he’s doing this, but just to reinforce his effort to blame China (and WHO) for his own lack of action. Nevermind all the countries that acted on the same information he had, months before he did, some of which are actually now COVID-free.
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If he just flat-out refuses to disburse funds allocated by Congress to the WHO and his toadies in the rest of the administration just start refusing to meet with its officials, how long will it take for Congress to work around him? They’re still issuing ineffectual statements about him redirecting funds to his stupid border wall toy and that’s been going on almost since day 1.
On paper there may not be much he can do about pulling out of the WHO, but in practice he has a lot of sway over the operation of the federal government and not a lot of effective opposition forcing him to do what he’s told by law.
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Yeah, though in this case, I’m not sure he’s even in a position to insert himself in the disbursement process. He often makes a noise about doing something he has no control over - and then fails (or doesn’t even try) to interfere in it. Since his supporters are no-information voters, it’s all the same for something like this. He doesn’t actually care if WHO gets funded or not - it’s just important to appear to be angry at them to sell his narrative about China/WHO being responsible for his failings.
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It is time for the Americans to drag this idiot out of the White House. At this point I am even OK with Pence taking over. We need a coup now!
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Why should they resign?
I haven’t seen anything suggesting that they were party to this particular blunder.
I mean, I agree that Birx should resign from her advisorship since she’s clearly just there to be an obsequious lap dog, but Fauci is still doing good works.
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Tomorrow: Trump signs executive order disbanding the AMA.
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UNICEF? Mayhap?
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They literally represent the policy of the Trump administration, which has essentially exhibited the worst response to the pandemic on the planet. You either acquiesce to horrible things, or you stand in defiance of them.
You either acquiesce to horrible things, or you stand in defiance of them.
Or you make the best of a shit sandwich and keep promoting data-based policies to the best of your ability. If Fauci took a big ol’ defiant stand, what do you think would happen next? He would be fired and replaced with a groveling toadie ready to jump up and guzzle bleach while merrily boosting shitty misinformation. So then people turn to…who…who do they turn to? Birx? Barr? Paul fucking Ryan?
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He’s an inverse Russian nesting doll of arseholes.
Time and time again, just when you think he can’t get any worse, out pops an even bigger arsehole.
(Credit to Andy Zaltzman)
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You seem to think that what we are currently seeing is anything other than the worst possible response – and that includes Birx and Fauci making excuses over and over again for the administration’s missteps. I think they should resign, and then go very public about how the administration is utterly failing, and needs to be replaced in November. This is what I expect of decent people being pressured into doing bad things by the Trump Crime Syndicate. You are entitled to your own take.
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And that they took the brothers to an area with Orcas…And convinced them to dress like seals…
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This is not the worst-possible response. The actual response is a shambolic clusterfuck, but it is not the worst by a long stretch. Fauci and Birx aren’t on the same level. One is playing the role of Peter, the Hero of Haarlem in holding back a wave of even-worse moves, the other is a lap dog.
How could the response be even worse?
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Executive order creating a national stockpile of key medicines needed for ICU care reserved for favored personnel only, with extra groveling necessary to even get in queue
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Disgorging prisoners or ICE detainees with active unrolled COVID19 outbreaks into the centers of blue cities
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Idiot trade war decisions to block import or export of any necessary medical supplies
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Unaccountable contracts to produce needed drugs to Shkreli & the Sackler family
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Boosting homeopathic cures and faith healing
We could go on.
Read up on Fauci’s career sometime.
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As I said, you are entitled to your take. I think it’s completely wrong, and I’m entitled to that opinion.
Would you equally excuse medical staff working at facilities that locked up immigrant children forcibly taken from their parents, because hey, at least they have medical care, otherwise it would be worse?
What about the medical staff who administer the drug cocktails that kill death row inmates? Because you know, if inexperienced staff did it, the death sentence would likely be conducted less professionally, and may be more unpleasant.
See, reductio ad absurdum works both ways. I happen to think certain ethical stances need to be taken, even if the short term consequences are painful. Because the long term consequences of acquiescing each and every time the administration does worse and worse things? Less good, IMO.
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