The GOP Has An Official Beverage Now: Corona Beer

Early in February, I wrote about why I had decided to cancel a trip to the beautiful Dordogne region of France. Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron locked down the country "for 15 days" (it will likely me much longer). Even the Islamic State has issued a travel ban now! Yesterday, Bob Costa reported for the Washington Post that GOP nut case Devin Nunes said on Fox that "it’s a great time to just go out, go to a local restaurant." Many Trump enablers and allies see the coronavirus as hyped up bullshit "being created to destabilize the country and destroy" Trump, in the words of crackpot Bernard Kerik. Costa wrote that "Inside the Republican Party and the conservative movement that Trump commands, there is now a deep divide as the nation confronts the coronavirus. For weeks, many on the right, including Trump, minimized the virus, if they considered it at all. Even in recent days, as much of the world shuts down to try to stop its spread, some Republicans mocked what they saw as a media-generated frenzy. Their reaction reflected how the American right has evolved under Trump, moving from a bloc of small-government advocates to a grievance coalition highly skeptical of government, science, the news and federal warnings."

Although several states are moving slowly, glacially-- even grudgingly-- towards lockdown, Trump is way too much of a political coward to do any such thing nationally. His states-- Arkansas, West Virginia, Mississippi, Idaho, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Wyoming, the Dakotas-- aren't concerned yet. People in Trump-Country are still clinging to his original stance, namely that the pandemic is a "hoax" cooked up by Trump's political enemies to deprive him of a second term. These aren't all states that were part of the Confederacy. Several of them are way up near Canada, likely the reason Canadad shut down its borders with the U.S. this week. Amtrak trains that normally operate from New York and Seattle into Canada ceased service as of yesterday. At least the Kentucky Derby was smart enough to move the event from the first Saturday in May to September 5-- far more realistic than the announcements of places (like schools, museums, concert venues, etc) closing for weeks or a month or two.

Last week I was fascinated to see a couple of morons in my local supermarket lugging 3 cases of Corona beer through the checkout. Did you know that Corona beer sales are up 5%? I wonder if it's only among Republicans.

Americans not drinking Corona beer because of the coronavirus made headlines recently. It was fodder for talk-show hosts about the collective American intellect (or lack of). Constellation Brands, the company that markets Corona beer in the U.S., shot back immediately, pointing out Corona beer sales rose 5% over the four-week period ending February 16.

Americans, it seems, aren’t as dumb as the Twitterverse made us seem. But the episode still raises the question: If 38% of Americans say they wouldn’t buy Corona beer “under any circumstances,” how are sales up 5% in the U.S.?

...The survey made three claims. First, “38% of Americans wouldn’t buy Corona under any circumstances now.” Next, “Among those who said they usually drink Corona, only 4% said they would stop drinking Corona, but 14% said they wouldn’t order Corona in a public venue.” Finally, “16% of beer-drinking Americans were confused about whether Corona beer is related to the coronavirus.”

But for Republicans flaunting Corona beer seems to have become "a thing." Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner wrote over the weekend that right-wing lunatic Tim Eyman, a candidate for governor of Washington, "spent Saturday rooting for a political rally of 250+ people to 'stick our finger in the eye of Jay Inslee.' In an email blast to supporters, Eyman flouted public health restrictions and advice on slowing the spread of coronavirus, saying '251 is the # of patriots I hope will join me @ Oak Harbor today. I’m bringing a 6-pack of Corona!'" Only "around 60" pathetic death-cult Republicans showed up.

Eyman said he wanted to provoke a debate about government authority in a time of crisis. “I am very concerned that during situations like this or 9/11 or other fear-intensive events that the government infringes on basic constitutional rights without sufficient questioning,” he said in a text message, adding the media was failing to adequately challenge such restrictions.

Eyman, aside from refusing to obey directives about social distancing (i.e., spreading the plague), was recently found guilty of concealing nearly $800,000 in political contributions and of stealing a chair from an Office Depot. He may not have gotten the message yet, by Trump-- and Fox-- have suddenly decided to switch the COVID-19 storyline. Trump realizes that calling it a "hoax" is politically detrimental. Looky:

Short version: a new poll by Marist shows that only 34% of independent voters believe what Trump has to say about the pandemic. That could be fatal for his reelection chances. (Even 21% of self-described Republicans say they can't trust what he says about COVID-19.) Only 45% of registered voters say Trump is handling the coronavirus outbreak well-- a number that big because 85% of Republicans say so, as opposed to just 40% of independent voters. Which demographics think Trump is fucking up worst?

• Democrats- 83%
• non-whites- 61%
• White women college grads- 60%
• College graduates- 58%
• white college grads- 56%
• 18-38 year olds- 55%

And so far only hundreds of Americans have died from it. Soon it will be thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands and... maybe more. And that will include people in Trump states and Trump counties who are flaunting social distancing recommendations... and having Corona beer parties.

Yesterday, AP reported on the Trumpist about-face on COVID-19, noting that instead of raving about a hoax, he sounded downright somber and is now warning about "pain to come," calling on the country to come together and deferring "to the nation’s public health experts while at least momentarily putting aside petty squabbling." A lunatic like Eyman may be protesting Governor Inslee's half-assed decree than no more than 250 people gather, but on Monday Trump said no more than 10!

After weeks of trying to play down the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump struck a new, more urgent tone on Monday as he delivered a sobering message to Americans grappling with a new reality that will dramatically alter their lives for months to come.

Gone-- at least for now-- were Trump’s “do as I say, not as I do” handshakes that had continued even after health experts admonished people to avoid contact and practice social distancing. Also gone was the rosy talk aimed, in part, at propping up reeling financial markets.

The shift was informed in part by a growing realization within the West Wing that the coronavirus crisis is an existential threat to Trump’s presidency, endangering his reelection and his legacy. Trump has told advisers that he now believes the virus will be a significant general election issue and he took note of the clear-eyed, somber tone used by his likely general election foe, Joe Biden, in Sunday’s Democratic debate.

With reports from Italy growing grimmer, U.S. cases surging and America’s economy in shock, Trump has also received a series of alarming briefings in recent days that have included dire projections about how many Americans could be infected if drastic action isn’t taken.

He also has watched the dramatic escalation of precautions within the White House complex, where officials are now screening everyone who enters the building after Trump unknowingly interacted with at least three people who have since tested positive for the virus. Already, both his press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, and his outgoing acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, are isolating themselves at home after coming into direct or indirect contact with those who have COVID-19.

...For all of that, though, Trump was still Trump. He said he would award himself a 10-out-of-10 rating. And on Twitter, he was still needling a longtime political foe, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has called for a more assertive federal response.

As recently as Saturday, Trump had said, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the country had “tremendous control” of the virus, even as cases soared, local governments were shutting down schools, and doctors were warning of an impending health catastrophe. He reframed that comment Monday, saying that he’d been referring to his government’s handling of the crisis and not the virus itself.

“It’s not under control for any place in the world,” he acknowledged.

Trump for weeks had taken his upbeat cues from a network of outside advisers who told him the media and Democrats were hyping the threat. But he has also heard from allies who have urged him to bolster his response and change his tone, including some Republicans on Capitol Hill who feared they had been personally exposed to the virus.

Jared Kushner, the president’s influential son-in-law and senior adviser, who has recently taken a more active role in the administration’s response, has privately compared the virus to a “war” that could imperil the nation’s economy and population, according to two White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations. The pandemic’s impact could rival that of World War II, he has said, requiring a national effort.

...Trump had hoped the markets would rise again Monday after the Federal Reserve’s announcement the previous day that it would slash interest rates, and he was rattled when they collapsed instead. Hoping to turn the tide, he told aides he wanted to speak at Monday’s 3:30 p.m. press briefing-- the same late afternoon time slot as Friday’s Rose Garden news conference.

But this time, instead of a spike in the market, the Dow Jones continued to plummet as he spoke, dipped even further after the president admitted, for the first time, that the nation may be heading for a recession.

While Trump’s changes in tones are often fleeting, White House officials and allies saw Monday’s more measured approach as evidence the president was coming to grips with the magnitude of the challenges ahead for the nation and his presidency.

Americans-- many struggling to work from home while juggling childcare, or facing job losses-- needed to hear directly from their commander in chief exactly what they are in for, said Trump’s former communication strategist Jason Miller.

“It’s important for people to hear from him, especially the message that we are going to get through this together,” Miller said.

Still, few expected Trump’s more measured approach to last or to erase past missteps.

Said Princeton presidential historian Julian Zelizer: “I’m not sure a change in tone makes up for a kind of complete lack of leadership that the country has seen in the first few weeks of this crisis.”