Trump Seems To Be In A Race To Pollute As Much Of America As He Can Before Being Tossed Out On His Ass

On Thursday, Trump issued an executive order-- claiming a national emergency-- to bypass environmental laws fast-tracking of major construction projects in a bid to... perhaps boost the economy before November, perhaps enrich friends and GOP campaign donors-- probably a combination. What his order does is lift environmental review of major projects, exactly what Congress prohibited over the course of decades. In practical terms it will mean rushed approval of highways pipelines, oil and gas projects and other polluting industries that have historically and disproportionately had harmful effect on minority communities.

Mustafa Santiago Ali of the National Wildlife Federation, formerly a senior adviser for environmental justice at the EPA said "It shows again that they have no respect for the lives in these communities that are already overburdened. Trump’s actions put a spotlight on black lives don’t matter."

And just as that was going on, the Senate was working in a bipartisan fashion-- very rare-- to tackle the the Climate Crisis via agriculture, "direct the Agriculture Department to help farmers, ranchers and landowners use carbon dioxide-absorbing practices to generate carbon credits."

Mike Braun (R-IN), #LadyG (R-SC), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) are the principal sponsors of the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture "to create a program that would help the agriculture sector gain access to revenue from greenhouse gas offset credit markets... The bill would establish USDA-certified protocols for farmers, ranch and forest owners seeking to develop projects that can generate offset credits under existing programs. It would offer a new revenue stream for farmers, ranchers and land owners suffering from the economic impacts of global trade tensions and the coronavirus."

Landowners and farmers can generate credits and earn money for activities ranging from reforestation to sequestering carbon in soil to capturing methane from livestock.

“As a Main Street Entrepreneur and conservationist, I know firsthand that if we want to address our changing climate then we need to facilitate real solutions that our farmers, environmentalists and industry can all support,” said Braun.

Voluntary offset programs have been around since the early 2000s. In 2018, the average price of such credits was $3/tonne.

Demand for credits is expected to grow when airlines are required to purchase offsets to comply with the industry’s Carbon Offset Reduction Scheme (CORSIA), which will begin in 2021.

Republicans in Congress have largely rejected the kind of economy-wide climate measures proposed by Democrats. But some of them have recently floated legislation that promotes carbon removal through land-based measures like planting trees to investments in carbon capture and sequestration technology for power and industrial plants.

“Our nation’s farmlands, forests, and ranches hold untapped potential for removing harmful emissions from the air naturally,” said Sarah Greenberger, senior vice president at the National Audubon Society.

Kathy Ellis is running to represent a he rural district in southeast Missouri, bordering on Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee and the red part of Illinois. And yeah-- it was Trump country in 2016. The PVI is a daunting R+24 and Hillary only took 21.0% of the vote. Two year later Kathy Ellis challenged Trump bootlicker Jason Smith, another right-wing homophobic closet case, and did 4 points better than Hillary did. This November she plans to do much better and, hopefully, replace Smith. She told me she absolutely supports "bipartisan measures to tackle climate change and supports our farmers. When I've travelled throughout the District and spoken with farmers, I've found that they often know the best tools to tackle climate change and want to implement these measures in their agricultural work-- but, they're often too expensive or inaccessible. Our small farmers are suffering, and implementing policies that protect them and our environment is a smart plan forward... Each year, Jason Smith conducts a 'farm tour' where he travels throughout the district, visiting farmers, in his pick of plaid shirts. As one farmer responded this year, 'I just want to be left alone.' It's clear that Smith doesn't prioritize the small farmers that make up our district, and his vote against bipartisan measures such as this makes that clear."

The video below is the very first one Audrey Denney made for her 2018 campaign. Ten seconds in, she said "I believe that climate change is the single largest facing humanity and life as we know it and I spent a huge part of my professional career working to solve this problem." Watch the whole thing. Today, Audrey told that she could talk about it for an entire semester of a college course-- which she has done. She did well last cycle and is now known throughout the large, rural-- and red-- northeastern California district and is running for the seat occupied by right-wing, do-nothing backbencher Doug LaMalfa, a Trump stooge. This morning she told me that she is "beyond thrilled to see bi-partisan support for the Growing Climate Solutions Act. I talk about carbon sequestration every day on the campaign trail-- not just because I’m a science nerd. Drawing carbon down out of the atmosphere and storing it in soil through plants-- is THE cheapest and most effective way to turn the dial back on climate change. Farmers and ranchers unlock this drawdown potential through the way that they manage their land and the practices that they implement. I believe that agriculture can and must have a net positive impact on our environment. The way we continue towards that goal is legislation like this-- that rewards farmers and ranchers for the good things they are already doing, provides support and training, and helps them increase their razor thin profit margins.





Like Audrey and Kathy, J.D. Scholten, a champion of family farms and rural communities, is running for Congress in Iowa's forth district, one of America's top agricultural districts. "One of the most underrated messages from the Iowa Caucus," he told me today, "was the consistent messages from the candidates about paying our farmers for their environmental services. We need to create 'on ramps' for farmers to enhance practices to combat climate change. We can't expect the average farmer who has struggled to make cost of production for over a half decade to go at it alone. At the heart of why I am running for Congress is my vision for Iowa's 4th Congressional District to be the epicenter for 21st century resilient agriculture."

Jennifer Christie didn't win her primary, but this is a bill she's been pushing for-- with a significant amendment: reforestation. She posted this on Twitter the other day:

Campaigning For Congress In Indiana, Jennifer Christie Asks: "What If We Just Had A Genuine Conversation Focused In Solutions?"

Jennifer Christie is running for an open Indiana congressional seat north of Indianapolis. It's generally considered a "red" seat-- the PVI is R+9-- so, as usual, the DCCC insists on a Republican-lite politician as their candidate. That isn't Jessica, a full-throttle progressive. So while the DCCC candidate raises big bucks from DCCC mailing lists and parrots tired talking points, Jennifer is discussing real problems with Democrats, Republicans and independents-- including other candidates-- and looking for sensible common ground.

I always wind up admiring political leaders who understand how to work across the aisle. The DCCC Blue Dogs and New Dems have no idea what bipartisan means-- though they use the word more than anyone. To a corporate Dem-- who generally holds few, if any, Democratic values to begin with-- working across the aisle just means giving in to Republican ideology, maybe softening it around the sharpest edges. But some of the most successful congressmembers in our time have been progressives-- many who got their training in state legislatures-- who knew what it meant to find common ground without selling out. Former state legislators like Ted Lieu, Karen Bass, Pramila Jayapal and Jamie Raskin understands what it means to look for solutions to solve problems for constituents without discarding principles. They did it in their legislators and they do it in Congress. Alan Grayson, Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna have been incredibly successful working across the aisle with Republicans on issues that benefit everyone-- and no one can accuse any of them of the kinds of sell out tactics that define the Blue Dogs.

Jennifer Christie is that kind of a candidate, which is why I'm so especially hoping she wins her primary a week from Tuesday. She's talked with me about her ideas on this frequently, especially in regard to the Climate Crisis, and I asked her to write a guest post on it, which she did (below). Please give it a read through-- and if you like what you see, consider clicking on the Blue America 2020 congressional thermometer and chipping in what you can for her campaign.


Working Towards Solutions, Not Just Counting Coup
-by Jennifer Christie

Our election is in just over a week, and I have thought about what the general election will be like. Most predict that it will be ugly. But what if it weren’t? What if it were a genuine discourse on solutions to the issues of our time?  What if we just had an intelligent discussion?

I recently authored a letter to our state government regarding election ballots alongside three Republicans who I believe would welcome such a discourse. I have had the privilege of meeting each of them at public forums as well. They are running for the same seat as I am.

  I may not agree with these candidates on all solutions, but we care about many of the same issues. What if we had a public conversation focused on solutions? Has this ever happened on America or has the age of Trumpian politics made that impossible?

After interacting with a few of the more grassroots Republican candidates, I am a more optimistic. One of these candidates even has Climate Solutions as a top priority. As someone who has worked on climate change for years, I know that this is a bipartisan issue that opens the door to solution-oriented discussion about infrastructure, economic growth, and jobs. We also all agree that our health care system isn’t working for everyone. What if we start there, with the agreement that our goal is that everyone has quality healthcare? What if we started with the goal in mind? What if we behaved as problem-solvers instead of politicians?

I know where I stand in issues. I am the only candidate to support Medicare For All in my race as well as a Green New Deal. I also know that I cannot walk into Congress and just get everything I want; there is debate to be had. So let’s have it then-- genuine, fact-based, authentic debate!  What do we need to do to get there to have the debate in the first place?

The answer is in the grassroots. We not only need to speak up, we need to involve the grassroots, and we need authentic people in Congress. When I considered running, I almost talked myself out of it because I am not a politician. Then I thought how much I would love to be represented by a smart or hard-working person down the street. We would have entirely different discussions - and decisions.  Likewise,  the three Republican candidates that signed the letter with me talk about the need to get money out of politics which is a critical to an honest grassroots approach.

So what if we had a general election focused on ideas and authentic conversation....wouldn’t that be refreshing? We can only start with ourselves, so let’s begin.

Campaigning For Congress-- In The Midst Of The Pandemic

Asshole without a mask campaigns among men all wearing masks

Right before the shutdown, an unsymptomatic campaign volunteer gave everyone on a congressional campaign COVID-19-- as well as the candidate's entire family. No one died. But it sure screwed up the campaign. Yesterday, the Attorney General of Michigan, Dana Nessel, said Señor Trumpanzee is no longer welcome in the state after he adamantly refused to wear a mask in public as part of a campaign stunt. "He is a petulant child who refuses to follow the rules. This is not a joke." Michigan has been a hard-hit state that is working very diligently to flatten the curve by encouraging-- not discouraging-- everyone to wear a mask. Michigan's 53,510 caseload increased by 501 cases while Trump was in the state yesterday and 69 more people died, bringing their total deaths to 5,129. (Yesterday there were 5,358 cases per million people, worse than every European country other than Spain.)

A political consultant friend of the blog, Eric Hogensen, wrote up some suggestions for campaigning during the pandemic for his clients and shared it with us. "The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting changes to our lives," he wrote earlier this week, "have altered politics. In addition to moving election dates, restrictions on the usual messaging tactics have changed campaigns, possibly for the rest of the year."

Digital

With canvassing is limited or unavailable, social media will become more important and valuable this year. Online videos, both planned and live, can be used by the candidate to get their message out. A candidate can also host question-and-answer sessions that connect a candidate to a voter. Organizing a virtual night based on any one of the main issues taking place in the district you are running in, is a great way to reach voters. Also, utilizing more apps with platforms such as Nextdoor to reach voters in your district directly will greatly benefit your campaign.

Branding

The typical political messages may seem less appropriate during these challenging times, so messages should be inspiring and hopeful. It’s important to remember not to change your brand as a candidate during these times. You can pivot with creative messaging and expanding your brand but don’t change who you are.

Field

Instead of canvassing door-to-door, phone banking will become more important. Use community mapping by starting with who you know and identifying who is influential (such as local leaders). Build a list of these individuals and then ask them to introduce you to their connections. Predictive dialer services should also be utilized even more during this cycle. Also, the targeting for different constituencies through phone calls should be looked at with a closer lens to evaluate your support as you begin your outreach. With volunteers making calls from home, it can actually be easier for calls to get made. Set up weekly goals and a leaderboard so volunteers can reach enough voters.

Although these are challenging times, candidates should recognize that there are still alternative ways to reach voters, and that it is important to spread the message of hope and unity during this crisis.

I asked some of the Blue America-endorsed candidates how they're coping with keeping a campaign moving forward during the pandemic. Indiana progressive Jim Harper was the first to respond: "Our campaign acted early to make sure that we were doing no harm. I haven't shaken a hand for months, and we quickly cancelled our in-person events even before stay-at-home orders were issued. We have switched our focus to phone calls and digital outreach, but also work to make sure that we as a campaign are giving back during a difficult time. Every week, we engage in multiple service activities. This is a good opportunity to remain connected with our community, while lending a helping hand."

If Jennifer Christie wins, she will have flipped an open red seat in the suburbs north of Indianapolis. There's a crowded field of Republican-lite Democrats and Jennifer is the only one running on a straight-up progressive platform. This morning she told us that "We started knocking doors right after the New Year. We were out several times per week long before any other campaigns had started canvassing. We knocked in thr sleet and snow. Then the pandemic hit. We stopped knocking with an abrupt halt to keep our team and constituents safe. We immediately switched over to phone-banking, text-banking, and zoom-events. We are on the phone daily and it’s going really well. Because people are home more, we talk to a lot of people. And we get overwhelmingly yes commitments with enthusiasm for our truly progressive campaign and the chance to send a scientist and a mom to Congress."

The Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Hoboken, Weehawken, Jersey City district that Hector Oseguera is running in is very different from IN-05. For one thing, the district is as blue as it gets and the electorate is 65% Hispanic. The winner of the primary is the next member of Congress. Hector is campaigning hard against an entrenched, machine-backed incumbent, Albio Sires. Earlier today, Hector told us that "Incumbents normally hold a tremendous advantage over their challengers, having much better access to funding and to influential groups within their districts. This new reality has quickly leveled off this traditional power disparity, as both elected officials and their challengers adapt to life in lockdown. This campaign specifically, has shifted to online advertisements on platforms like Facebook, which can have as much impact and reach as traditional television and radio ads at a fraction of the cost. Letter writing campaigns offer remote outreach opportunities that give voters a personal, one-on-one experience, while maintaining social distancing. Even our activism need not grind to a halt. I've participated in a number of COVID-safe rallies at ICE detention centers, where activists drive around prisons, honking profusely, to let the inmates and staff know that we are aware of the unsafe conditions inside. All this chaos can provide creative, tech-savvy campaigns a much needed advantage on a traditionally skewed playing field. How campaigns adapt to this new world will vary depending on the contours of their districts; but the old Latin proverb, Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat, hold true today... fortune favors the bold!"

"In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rochester, NY candidate Robin Wilt, "our campaign first off transitioned to mutual aid efforts. We saw the communities that were most engaged in our campaign suffering, so we started making deliveries for a local food pantry, which turned out to be one of the few food pantries in the county that has continued to operate during the crisis. We also transitioned our phonebanks to include senior check-ins. In addition to mutual aid efforts, we knew that our original strategy would depend a lot on direct voter contact, so since we didn’t have that in our toolbox anymore, we transitioned our outreach to social media, and we began doing weekly COVID-19 community check-ins. These are updates where we highlight the issues facing our frontline and most vulnerable community members to raise awareness and build action around moving forward through this pandemic together, with no one left behind. We have now done these public forums and outreach to the arts and self care communities, for those that are housing insecure, the immigrant, migrant, and refugee community, the incarcerated community, the climate justice community, the mutual aid community, educators, voting rights advocacy, etc. Yesterday, we hosted a call with Medicare for All advocates. We promote them via Zoom on Facebook Live, and it’s a means to engage voters around the priorities that matter most to the electorate."

"So, basically," she concluded, "our team has shifted to a strong digital outreach effort through social media channels. The results have been terrific, reaching an average of 60,000 voters each week. We’ve also never strayed from our activist roots. What we’re finding during the pandemic is that raising awareness and taking action to support our frontline communities is the best mechanism to spread our message.

Mckayla Wilkes is taking on Pelosi's #2 (and K Street's #1)-- Steny Hoyer. "Prior to COVID-19," she told us today, "we were knocking on over 10,000 doors a weekend so when we had to suspend canvassing we were obviously a bit concerned as to how we would continue to get the word out about our campaign. But thankfully, we were able to transition fast due to our committed volunteers. Since we shut down canvassing, we’ve made hundreds of thousands of calls, seen an increase in volunteers by 1000%, raised over $300k and see no signs of slowing down. Just yesterday, we launched our first TV ad campaign throughout the district!"

Cheri Bustos Wields Her Red To Blue List Like A Weapon Of Death Towards Progressive Candidates-- Take Indiana

IN-05 is an open seat. Rep. Susan Brooks-- a relatively mainstream conservative Republican-- is retiring. There are 15 Republicans running-- and 9 who have raised over the $5,000 that triggers an FEC report. The top-"raising" Republican, Victoria Spartz contributed $750,000 of her own money to her campaign, 98.7% of her funds. The second in the GOP money race is Beth Henderson and she self-financed to the tune of $154,600, about half of her campaign's budget. #4, Chuck Dietzen put in 120,000 of his own (44.5%) of his campaign's budget. That's how Republicans play; they all try to buy the election. Even way down the food chain, Matt Hook "raised" $36,872 (and spent $36,366), 81% from his own pocket.

Keeping in mind the district has an R+9 PVI, there are 4 serious Democratic candidates as well. Blue America has endorsed Jennifer Christie. But it's the kind of district (red-- Trump beat Hillary 53.1% to 41.3%) where the DCCC insists there be a corporate conservative Republican-lite candidate. So... not Jennifer.

Formerly, the DCCC would pretend to be neutral in primaries, especially open-seat races. Since Pelosi gave Blue Dog Cheri Bustos the chair, that policy has been discarded and the DCCC has become a full-time anti-progressive jihad and a recruiting machine for the Blue Dogs and New Dems. Her website's issues page looks more like a GOP page than a Democratic page. She uses Republican talking points, like favoring "access" to healthcare, rather than... healthcare. She's been careful to not include any positions that will offend Republicans. So, of course the DCCC endorsed her and added her to their Red-to-Blue page and have been telling institutional donors to give their contributions to her, not to the other Democrats in the race like Jennifer, the unabashed progressive, whose is running on a clear and cohesive agenda for working families-- like this:




At the end of January, Bustos made her move to help the conservative in the race. The Indy Star seemed to think it was marvelous: "For the first time since 2012, a Hoosier has made it on the inaugural list of candidates the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee plans to throw its support behind. Christina Hale, a Democratic 5th Congressional District candidate, is one of 12 Congressional candidates across the U.S. who made it to the DCCC's "Red to Blue" program in the first round, which recognizes candidates who have a shot at flipping a Republican district. More candidates will likely be added later, but being among the first recognized is a positive sign for Hale's campaign. It could be helpful as she heads into the primary season against other Democrats. Her inclusion in the program will also enable her to access resources and fundraising support." Then the DCCC press release:

“A lifelong Hoosier, Christina Hale exemplifies the sacrifice, hustle and drive needed to deliver on behalf of Indiana families,” DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos said in a statement. “Her reputation as a consensus builder in the Indiana State House means every bill she passed earned bipartisan support."

It's the latest sign of optimism from Democrats that the 5th district isn't reliably red anymore.

Republican Susan Brooks' decision to retire from Congress gave Republicans and Democrats alike the chance to seek the 5th District seat without having to run against an incumbent.

Republicans see the district-- which stretches from the northern portion of Indianapolis to the city of Marion and includes all of Hamilton County-- as an easy win since they've long controlled the seat.

But Democrats are hopeful they can capitalize on changing demographics in the suburban portion of the district, as Democrats elsewhere in the country have.

A year ago the DCCC put the district on its list of targeted districts in 2020.

Hale will likely face three candidates on the Democratic ballot in May: Dee Thornton and Jennifer Christie, who both ran in the 2018 Democrat primary for the 5th District, and Andy Jacobs, the son of former Congressman Andrew Jacobs, Jr.

Republicans face a much more crowded field, with potentially nine candidates on the May ballot. On the Republican side, both Kelly Mitchell and Chuck Dietzen are part of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s more extensive "On the Radar" candidate list.

Hale, who was John Gregg's running mate during his 2016 gubernatorial campaign, has long been a party favorite. The DCCC reached out to Hale about running, even as early as 2018.

Historically in Indiana being included in the "Red to Blue" program hasn't necessarily led to a victory in the general election.

Last year, 2nd District candidate Mel Hall and 9th District candidate Liz Watson were added to the list later on in the election cycle. Both lost their respective elections against Republican incumbents.

The last time a Hoosier made it on the inaugural list was 2nd District candidate Brendan Muellen in 2012. He also lost to a Republican.

Hopefully, this time, the DCCC corporatist shill won't even make it through the primary. Hale is trying her best to run an issue-free campaign, just like the DCCC urges their candidates to. At the candidates forums she bothers to participate in, she just pivots to her talking points or stump speech and tries avoiding answering questions directly. Recently she has been willing to say she is pro-choice, however and was endorsed by Planned Parenthood; one of her staff is on the board.

The Indy Star compared the positions on top issues of the 4 Democratic candidates in late March. One progressive-- and three mushy centrists. A Blue America member in Carmel near Indianapolis told us he has gotten flyers from Hale that he describes as just generic "horse-pucky" that full of poll-tested talking points. "She states her support for a 'public option' for Medicare and something "dizzyingly generic about climate change," but in the end "you know just one thing-- she's never going to be on the same side as an AOC or Pramila Jayapal. I don’t even think she would talk about climate change if Christie wasn't campaigning so hard on it... Hale did not show up to the Climate Forum which was bipartisan and hosted by CCL. I can tell you one thing for sure-- when she was a centrist state legislator, she accepted a lot of money from fossil fuel PACs and other Corp PACs. So that should give you an idea about what kind of member of Congress she would be."

I asked Jennifer about the DCCC endorsement for her status quo primary opponent and she just shrugged it off. "There are 5 names on the ballot," she said. "I am the only progressive, the only to support Medicare For All, a Green New Deal, and other important progressive causes. We have experienced staff and motivated volunteers. The DCCC has been helping our opponent since the beginning. We’ve seen them out knocking doors for her, phone-banking, and the DCCC has surely been an integral part of fundraising and steering PAC money to her campaign. Our opponent is running TV adds and blanketing  the district with mailers that have the usual political messaging. We take that as another sign that we are doing well, so we keep calling and writing voters because we know that the more people we talk with, the more votes we earn. We have vision, not talking points.  We are working for real change."

The DCCC ran a poll and their candidate did so badly that they didn't release the results, but Hale started spending a lot more money than she had planned to in the primary. Please consider helping Jennifer's campaign by clicking on the Blue America 2020 congressional thermometer above and contributing what you can.

Many Democrats Are Freaking Out When Anyone Calls Status Quo Joe The Lesser Of Two Evils

And he wasn't ever really a liberal on civil rights and civil liberties either

I really liked the two Jeff Sharlet books I read, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power and C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy and his Netflix series, The Family (based on the two books). Between Ken, Gaius and I, there are a dozen posts that feature him, the most recent of which, Most Religions And Many Governments Feed The Poor-- But Not All... And Millions Of Elderly Americans Are Literally Starving, was last year.

Last week Sharlet published a piece on his Facebook page explaining why he is not just voting for Biden, but contributing money to his campaign. It's a good post and I agree with his analysis, albeit not his conclusion, at least not to me personally. Read it if you have a minute or two:

It may feel like too soon, but the hour is already late. I'm sending my first donation to the Biden campaign. I've despised Biden as long as I've known about him. Sure, he's done some good things. But he has been a loyal servant of empire and corporation, there are allegations of sexual assault (I haven't examined them, but I'm troubled by those Biden supporters who attacking his accuser using the same misogynist playbook as Harvey Weinstein), he is constitutionally dishonest, his vanity pales only next to Trump's, and he is woefully mismatched to the hour. My first choice was Warren by an inch; Bernie better matched my politics, and I still believe he would have had the better shot at beating Trump.

I supported his campaign, but his campaign is over, and even absent pandemic we would we be facing full meltdown. Is Biden the answer? Hell no. He is part of the problem. But he won't actively try to kill us. I know what Biden is; it's dispiriting. And I've reported on Trump in 2016 and this campaign close up; he's worse than horrifying because he's not even as bad as it could be. He's not full fascism, because he's too self-involved; but he is the door, and it's open, and it's pouring in.

So with respect for those who can't do it, I'm asking fellow Bernie and Warren supporters planning to sit it out now that Biden's the only option to swallow the bitterness-- and it will be bitter-- and vote for Biden. I'm donating, modestly, even though it feels like paying protection money, because I know firsthand from reporting on Trump how astonishing his fundraising is. If you haven't been paying attention, he's been by far outraising every Democrat. Before I gave money to Bernie and Warren, so I knew what their fundraising was like-- I got all the emails, all the texts. Sloppy, compared to Trump's operation. You may look at him and see a fool and at his followers and see only racism or delusion, but the machine around him? The people who are profiting from his authoritarianism? They're no dummies.

The people around Biden, meanwhile? I kind of think they're maybe not keeping up with the program. They can't believe it's not 2008 anymore. They believe the center will hold. They don't understand that their neoliberalism, their corporate coziness, let any idea of "center" slouch so far rightward that Trumpism is now the center. He's not an aberration. He is our horrifying new normal. So a return to normalcy isn't an option. the old normal wasn't so grand. The hope is to build anew--and Biden won't do that. I'm not suggesting we pretend Biden is anything other than what he is: a means of buying time. Voting for him isn't a moral choice; it's a very temporary survival mechanism. I keep thinking of the campaign slogan associated with the utterly corrupt Democratic Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards, running against actual Klansman David Duke: "Vote for the crook."

Same deal here: Vote for the hack. Then maybe we can fight like hell for what comes after.

The post from Wednesday on my own blog, Will Deeply Committed Progressives Vote For Status Quo Joe In November-- The Lesser Of Two Evils Play? caused hysteria on my Facebook page. I only unfriended the nastiest commenters, none of whom I know or had ever heard of (and have no idea how they became my "friends," but some former colleagues from work went right up to the line in their denunciations of me-- or anyone else-- who refuses to vote for Biden. I wonder how they would receive Sharlet's Biden endorsement.

I don't disrespect or look down on anyone who decides they want to vote for the lesser evil. Many express-- like Sharlet-- excellent and reasonable arguments to do so. But I vote for candidates who I want to see in office, not because the opponent is worse. My hatred for the Democratic Party, which has used the lesser-of-two evils strategy to turn the party into a neoliberal corporate hellhole, is, as my grandfather taught me when I wasn't even a teenager, less than my hatred for the Republican Party... just not by much. I'm a progressive, not a Democrat.

Rebecca Parson, who is challenging the head of the Wall Street owned and operated New Dems in Washington state, is also a dedicated progressive. "Voters in my district," she told me yesterday, "are excited to turn their energy to local elections like mine. We've all heard of NY-14, but I am bringing that populist leftist message to a working-class rural district, and  volunteers from Bernie's campaign are coming over to mine after he dropped out. My opponent isn't well known nationally but he's been getting away with taking millions of dollars of corporate PAC and lobbyist money and he's the chair of the conservative New Democrat Coalition. But there are other reasons voters care about my campaign: my district is on the coast and has a beautiful national forest, so issues impacting the environment are on voters' minds, and yet my opponent doesn't support the GND. Our district also has some of the highest rising rents in the country, so voters in Washington's 6th are ready for a candidate like me who is making affordable housing a top priority with nationalized rent control and a Homes Guarantee. Trump is a symptom of greater problems within our political system; those problems existed before he came into office and they will persist afterward if other down-ballot candidates don't step up."

Yep, godspeed, to all the people putting their hearts and souls into electing Biden and other conservatives who call themselves Democrats. I'm putting mine into progressives like Rebecca. And Shan Chowdhury, running in the southeast Queens district where that hospital you keep hearing about with all the deaths-- Elmhurst-- is. "It’s clearly disappointing that Bernie is not the Democratic nominee," he told me. "So many working people put their money and time into seeing him win. Now all there’s left is anger, and rightfully so. I’m reminded more than ever now how critical down ballot races like mine are. I’m taking on one of most corrupt members in Congress. I am his first serious challenger in over 20 years, and I’m doing it completely 100% people funded, turning out new voters with a mission to fight for progressive change. This is how we will win! The movement does not end with Bernie."

I heard a similar message from the Blue America-endorsed candidate in the suburbs north of Indianapolis, Jennifer Christie. "Until a month ago, we were out knocking doors every day. Now we are phone-banking and people are home. I’ve talked with thousands of Indiana voters. People are sick of politics and want real leadership. Hoosiers are interesting. We are considered a 'red' state, yet we elect Democrats throughout the state at all levels.  The average voter here regularly crosses the ballot. Indiana voters care deeply about authenticIty. Bernie won my district in 2016, and he won the state. We have always had wonderful volunteers in our campaign. In the last couple of months, our team had been growing immensely with new volunteers joining us every day. Why are voters enthusiastic about our campaign? Real change and genuine leadership. We have Democrats, Independents, and even a few Republicans who support our campaign because we are willing to take a positions and leadership on the issues. I am the only candidate in the race to support Medicare For All, a Green New Deal, and other important progressive policies. I am also the only scientist in the race, which, especially during the pandemic, people appreciate as a much needed voice in policy-making. We find over and over again that most Hoosiers support these policies, even across party lines. I believe that voters are especially enthusiastic now because  we have an opportunity to flip a seat with a true progressive. We know that our best shot for passing our policies is to fill the House and Senate with progressives.  Much of our support comes from Bernie and Warren supporters who understand that, while Biden is not a progressive, if we get a Medicare For All or Green New Deal bill to his desk, he will sign it. Since I am running for an open and flippable seat, we can make a big difference toward making that happen."

She's more hopeful than I am about getting Biden to sign a Medicare for All bill-- or anything progressive by twenty-first Century standards. But electing candidates like Jennifer Christie, Heather Parson and Shan Chowdhury is the way to move and get the country out of the ditch Trump and corporate conservatives have shoved us into. Please consider contributing to all three campaigns by clicking on the Blue America thermometer above.

And, by the way, AOC staffers and Team Biden have been discussing how to get progressive enthusiasm up for Biden: policies. She's asking Biden to more in a more progressive direction in terms of healthcare climate change, immigration and federal treatment of Puerto Rico.

On the subject of Biden’s health care proposals, Ocasio-Cortez said his support for lowering Medicare’s eligibility age to 60 is not “going to be enough for us,” adding that the party is “going to have to pursue a much more ambitious health care policy.”

Ocasio-Cortez also elaborated on Biden’s stance toward climate change, characterizing his preferred methods for combating the threat from rising global temperatures as inadequate.

“I don’t think that the vice president has a climate change policy that is sufficient right now,” she said, “and I’d like to see us really work on that.”

The congresswoman also offered advice on the most important decision Biden will make in the coming weeks, casting his choice of vice presidential nominee as another litmus test of the candidate’s progressive credentials.

Although Ocasio-Cortez said she was heartened by Biden’s pledge to name a female running mate and his openness to a woman of color being on the Democratic ticket, she argued that “what’s really important is not only just that woman’s identity, in terms of gender and cultural terms, but... who that woman is and [what] her stance is.”

Even With The Pandemic Ravaging The World, The Greediest And Most Repulsive Among Us-- Take Lloyd Blankfein-- Still Oppose Medicare-for-All

My friend Frank Schaeffer hasn't been a Republican for many, many years and he is most certainly a #NeverTrumper. But he's been absolutely fiendish in his instinctual opposition to Bernie. Yesterday, though, he tweeted that after hearing from Trump and Pence that you could get a CODID-19 test at Walmart, he drove over to the one closest to his home in Massachusetts. "All I saw were Walmart employees with no health coverage smoking in the parking lot wondering how they can miss work with no childcare, no money, no savings. Yep, Walmart will save us! Thanks Donald."

I don't know how Frank feels about Medicare-for-All. But I do know how Lloyd Blankfein feels about it. The former Goldman Sachs top bankster hates it as much as he hates Bernie. Here's a Bankster Blankfein tweet from Saturday afternoon advocating for the kind of privatized, for-profit healthcare that Frank Schaeffer found in the Walmart parking lot Sunday morning:

And I found this popular tongue-in-cheek meme in one of the responses to Blankfein's tweet:

This was the video Bernie posted-- narrated by Bernie endorser actor H. Jon Benjamin ( Bob Belcher in Fox’s Bob’s Burgers and Sterling Archer in FX’s Archer)-- that the bankster objected to. Bernie's campaign's description may have ruffled Blankfein's feathers: "From Roosevelt’s attempt to create a New Deal national health insurance program, to the Trump administration’s repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate-- the three-part Bernie’s Damn Bill video series reveals how decades of influence by greedy special interests have led to the present health care crisis. Bernie has waged a four decades-long fight to implement Medicare for All and explains how his administration will take on corporations and the billionaire class to finally make it happen."





Tell me, did you find that clip more informative and more inspiring than Bankster Blankfein did? Here's the second video in the series:





And the third in these series-- a series that you can see helps explain Bankster  Blankfein's enthusiasm for Status Quo Joe, who has recently threatened that if he's nominated by the Democratic Partyand elected president then and Medicare-for-All finally passes, he would probably veto it:





At times like this-- and all other times-- Trump can't help taking on the role of the Ugly American and has offered a German medical company a fortune for exclusive access to a COVID-19 vaccine. The German government is trying to fight off what it sees as an aggressive takeover bid by the U.S. The U.S. Pig-man has "offered the Tübingen-based biopharmaceutical company CureVac 'large sums of money' to gain exclusive access to their work, wrote Die Welt... Trump was doing everything to secure a vaccine against the coronavirus for the U.S., 'but for the US only.'" The loathsome monstrosity sounds like he actually wants to spend eternity roasting in hell.

Because Trump's top New York congressional crony, Chris Collins, was arrested and convicted on multiple charges stemming from his own Blankfein-like advocacy of for-profit (his own) healthcare-- involving a company he owned a plurality of the stock in, Innate Immunotherapeutics-- Collins was forced to resign from Congress, though not before he lied to NY-27 voters about the crime spree and managed to get-- narrowly-- reelected. Nate McMurray, the progressive Democrat who wrestled him to the narrowest congressional win in the whole country-- 140,146 (49.1%) to 139,059 (48.8%)-- will face off in the April 28th special election against hereditary billionaire, gambling magnate and right-wing state Senator Chris Jacobs. Jacobs' reactionary views on healthcare are about the same as Bankster Blankfein's. McMurray made his own clear in a simple tweet yesterday:

McMurray has a slightly longer version on his campaign website:

For years, we have watched large pharmaceutical and insurance companies set higher and higher prices that ultimately barred our access to affordable healthcare.

We can’t continue to let companies set prices and collect massive paychecks while our family members are dying from rationing insulin. The current system hurts families, it hurts businesses and it hurts our community. Common-sense healthcare reform will lower our costs and create a system that benefits everyone. With access to the greatest modern medicine in the world, American citizens deserve to not be kept up at night worrying about whether or not they can pay for their medical needs.

As your Congressman, I will support "Medicare for All" and fight for a system that keeps families healthy. I know we can do better for the citizens of New York 27 and I intend to fight like hell for that when you send me to Washington.

Bordering on McMurray's district, Robin Wilt is the progressive Democrat running for the Rochester, NY congressional seat held by pointless New Dem Joe Morelle. She told us that "NY Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a directive requiring New York health insurers to waive co-pays for Coronavirus tests, as well as any related emergency room, urgent care, and office visits for those who already have insurance. However, if one is not covered by insurance (and in the state of New York, that applies to almost 1 million people), the reality is that the lack of coverage presents a barrier to being tested and treated for the virus. This increases the overall risk of exposure for the population, at large. Steffie Woolhandler, founder of Physicians for a National Health Program, recently observed that the lack of Medicare for All is essentially forcing the United States to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with one hand tied behind its back, thereby increasing the threat to everyone--including the wealthy and people-- with-- insurance. By her example, it is estimated that 25% of cab drivers don’t have health insurance in this country (and that number is probably modest because it does not include rideshare providers like Uber and Lyft); 12% of home health aides lack health insurance; 15% of housekeepers lack health insurance. Essentially, those with means cannot avoid coming into contact with this epidemic just because they’re rich. The amount of wealth one has does not singularly eliminate one’s risk of exposure during a pandemic. We’re all in the risk pool for contracting COVID-19, so we all need to be in the system of care provision for maximum efficacy. That’s why Medicare for All is so important: because everyone being in the system means that no one has barriers to testing or treatment. It’s all about flattening the curve of the spread of the virus. Any barriers to testing or treatment when exposed to the virus, increase the risk of additional exposures. A global pandemic like COVID-19 is the perfect argument for a Medicare for All system."




Qasim Rashid is running for the Virginia congressional seat held by Trump lackey Robert Wittman, VA-01, which includes all of Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King George, King William, King and Queen, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Stafford, Westmoreland, and York counties, Fredericksburg city, Williamsburg city and parts of Newport News city plus parts of Faquier, James City, Prince William and Spotsylvania counties. He told us yesterday that "In the richest, most industrialized country on Earth, Americans should never have to worry about the cost of medical care when they are facing injury or illness. In the midst of a global pandemic, guaranteed quality healthcare is even more of a necessity. To treat those afflicted and prevent spread of the disease, we must have a healthcare system where cost is not a barrier to access. We cannot afford to have Americans deciding against getting treatment-- further endangering public safety and creating a scenario where this pandemic overwhelms our hospitals and our communities. A single payer healthcare system that guarantees that every American has access to treatment and care is needed now more than ever."

On the other coast, Mark Gamba is the mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon and running for the congressional seat held by Republican-friendly Blue Dog Kurt Schrader. "This pandemic," he told us, "should be the starkest wake-up-call as to why a national healthcare system that covers every single person is so critical. When millions of people fear going to the doctor because they can’t afford it, they won’t go. Even if they are sick, even if they have a disease that is easily communicable. Those same people are the ones who cannot afford to stay home from work either when they are feeling ill. Instead, they will 'tough it out' and go to work so that they don’t get evicted because they haven’t earned enough money that month to pay the rent. So that means that literally millions of people will be working anyway, even if they are sick. Some of those work for the TSA, some work in restraunts, some in schools, some deliver the mail in busy offices, some work in nursing homes and day care centers. Think about who the people are, that are doing jobs that don’t pay well enough to afford health care. They are the jobs that we count on every day. In some ways, these are the people that we NEED to be the healthiest. They come in contact with the most people. They keep our society functioning. Imagine. Instead, a robust new Medicare for All world. Where everyone has easy, and free access to healthcare when they need it. A world in which there are more doctors. A world in which there are more hospitals and clinics, even in rural areas because they no longer need to 'make a profit,' they simply need to provide healthcare. In this world there are more hospital beds and more ventilators because even in normal times there are more people to treat because EVERYONE gets healthcare. No one is left at home to just die alone because they are too poor. This Medicare for All world is the one that is most prepared for a major pandemic. It’s a world where drugs are invented to solve medical issues, not to maximize profits. We would employ thousands, researching and manufacturing those drugs and other critical materials, like masks and gloves, right here in America rather than farming that out to the lowest international bidder who can then cut us off when it serves them to do so. We need a CDC that is fully funded and working to stop pandemics before they start, and we need Medicare for All to make sure that when they do, we are prepared. We need new leadership in the Whitehouse and Congress to make these things come to pass. The status quo, neo-liberal movement of a world designed for maximizing profits for the rich has failed us."

How Congressional Offices Are Handling COVID-19

While Louie Gohmert takes people on tours of the Capitol and spreads coronavirus far and wide-- note to people in Lufkin, Longview, Nacogdoches and Tyler: keep at least 6 feet away from this crazy version of Typhoid Mary-- other members of Congress have wisely decided to run their offices based on good practices suggested by the CDC. That notice above is on Ted Lieu's door. I believe Mark Takano is also taking the same precautions.

As you probably know, one of the staffers in Senator Maria Cantwell's office, has tested positive for coronavirus. Cantwell's DC office is closed. I asked several offices what they're doing about the pandemic. The best response, predictably, came from Ted Lieu's chief of staff, Marc Cevasco. "Congress," he said, "is obviously a large organization, with thousands of direct and indirect employees, but office policies and staffing are left up to each individual Member of Congress. House offices are relatively small. I manage an office of 10 people in Washington and an office of 8 in L.A. From the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Congressman Lieu has taken the threat seriously and our office has instituted policies to mitigate risk as the situation has evolved."

First and foremost, we have reinforced public health best practices for our staff (this is important all the time, but especially important during a pandemic). Basic best practices include things like washing hands regularly, avoiding touching your face, covering mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and disinfecting workspaces frequently. We also have a generous sick leave policy, which encourages people to stay home from work when they are not feeling well.

Social distancing is the buzzword of the hour-- it basically means you try to limit human contact as much as possible to prevent (or at least slow) the spread of the virus. Last week we limited in-person meetings for the Congressman and staff and had a "no contact" policy for the office (no handshakes etc). We also allowed for flexible arrival and departure times for staff so that we didn’t necessarily have to commute with everyone else on mass transit.

As the situation grew in severity this week, we have moved to 100% teleconference or video conference meetings for our Washington DC office and I have half of our staff working remotely from home. Interns are rotating so we only have one in the office at any one time.

During the upcoming district work period when the House is in recess (and Members are back home working from their districts) the entire Washington office will work remotely. In the district we will have two people manning the phones and everyone else will work remotely. We also will not have district staff attending large community events and meetings (for those few that haven’t already prudently been postponed) for the time being.

I am reminding my staff that this isn’t about them necessarily (most congressional staffers are in their 20s) it is about taking every precaution to prevent the spread of the virus to our older or sicker neighbors. Even delaying the spread of the virus can save lives as it prevents a spike in cases from overwhelming our medical system.

And then this was issued by the House Sergeant at Arms yesterday-- no more tours, Congressman Gohmert. And stop spreading disease, you asshole. Go quarantine yourself.

I asked some of the candidates for Congress how they've changed how they're interacting with staffers and voters and others. Yesterday Omaha progressive Kara Eastman told me that her campaign "has several workers who are paid hourly. I have told them today that if they are sick that they should not come in but they will still get paid for the time they would have worked. We are taking the novel Coronavirus seriously and want to make sure that people are safe and don't have to choose between their health and paying their bills." That's good practice that every campaign should adopt. Later Kara released a public statement that went further: "A comprehensive assessment of currently available data and public health warnings suggest we should avoid events and gatherings. We believe in putting the health and safety of our team, our supporters, and our community first. Therefore, until further notice, the Eastman Campaign will no longer schedule, attend, or engage in any public events."

Furthermore, we’ve taken the step of ensuring that our staff do not feel the need of choosing to work when sick by paying all hourly workers for their shifts if they need to stay home for themselves or a loved one. It is absolutely essential that we put the financial and health needs of our staff and community over other concerns.

We believe and support the excellent work done by local public health officials. It is a true testament to their work that the current number of cases of the novel Coronavirus in Nebraska is relatively limited.

We have decided therefore to continue our door-to-door canvassing. We should note that we have come close to making our first full pass in the district so we are in a position to pivot to phone calls only if need be and we will still be on track with our field goals. We prefer to be guided by science and data, and not fear. It is our policy, however, to wait until schools and other institutions close/convert to online services, to reconsider our canvassing method.

We join with other Democrats in pushing for free and accessible testing for this and all other pandemic conditions.

In conclusion, we will employ all available technological tools to continue to engage with NE-02 voters. Any voters who wish to converse with me should call me at (402) 200-3020.

This morning, Kara added that she's employing "a wide range of innovative technological tools to continue to reach voters and to be a part of the public health conversation." Her 6-point plan for the Corona Virus for NE-02:

• Free testing for all
• Stimulus package for temporary, part-time and full-time employees
• Move to all-mail primary voting
• No-cost loans to small businesses
• Paid sick leave for all workers
• Payment deferment of student loans and student loan interest

Also yesterday, Riverside County, CA progressive congressional candidate Liam O'Mara told us that "Both my campaign and my professional life have been affected. My campuses are closed so that students are not in close contact. Several party events have been cancelled, including the state's eBoard meeting, all the local Dem club meetings, and both a campaign fundraiser and a volunteer appreciation event. Unlike the incumbent, who called this a Democratic hoax in January and okayed the routing of people back from China through a local airport, we take the science seriously, and will follow all precautions from experts." He ws referring to Ken Calvert, who has put his own constituents in jeopardy with his shameful and, as always, fully partisan approach to the pandemic.

Eva Putzova is the progressive candidate running for the Arizona congressional seat occupied by "ex"-Republican Blue Dog Tom O'Halleran. Yesterday she updated her supporters on how her campaign is coping with the pandemic: "Because of the COVID-19 virus outbreak, we have paused all door-to-door canvassing and in-person events until the CDC advises otherwise. Up until now, our strength as a campaign has been in energizing people and engaging with voters one-on-one. We have a small army of volunteers across this vast district, but this will mean nothing if the coronavirus crisis lasts for a sustained period. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our volunteers and every person in our district. So instead of meeting people at their front doors, we are going to execute a broader digital strategy to get onto people’s computers screens and in their mailboxes."

Jennifer Christie, campaigning for an open seat in the suburbs north of Indianapolis told us that her campaign has "changed the way we canvass. We no longer shake hands at the door; instead we have a conversation and engage with voters with a Star Trek/Spock greeting, a 'Namaste,' or a wave. Voters have been receptive, and I think appreciate the conscientiousness."

Robin Wilt explained how her campaign is making the best of a bad situation-- and making it work for herself. "In NY-25, our Monroe County health officials have stressed the importance of 'flattening the curve' of the spread of the virus through social distancing. While the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in our campaign no longer participating in parades, rallies, or other events that bring more than 50 persons together, it has allowed us to reinforce our core strategy-- which is to meet individual voters where they are. We have pivoted to investing more effort in our ground game: knocking on doors and attending smaller community gatherings where we can intimately connect to voters. In essence, we have returned to our roots-- our grassroots, that is."

This morning the progressive running for the Colorado Senate seat, Andrew Romanoff, informed his supporters that he's changing the way he campaigns. "The coronavirus is forcing all of us to change our habits. Our campaign is no exception. Over the last 13 months, we’ve been crisscrossing the state, meeting tens of thousands of Coloradans in backyards and living rooms, coffee shops and brewpubs. That strategy yielded an enormous victory in last weekend’s precinct caucuses; we earned more votes than all the other Democratic candidates combined. But now we’re shifting course. In order to minimize health risks, we’ve decided to virtualize our operations. That means engaging supporters electronically, not in large events.

Coronavirus Tests For All?

I woke up this morning and immediately asked a couple of the best members of Congress to draft a bill that would give every American resident a free voucher for a conornavirus test. This morning, as the markets tumbled another thousand points in early trading, Reuters reported that "Investment-advisors are increasingly worried that U.S. authorities are not doing enough to prevent a widespread outbreak of coronavirus in the country, potentially adding further downside to already-battered markets. Their criticisms include the number of people so far tested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which some say is too small, the possible difficulties of imposing lockdowns on U.S. cities and concerns that the White House could bungle containment efforts." I had just read this column published by the American Conservative from Louisiana Bernie-hater Rod Dreher, which begins with a letter from a doctor updating Dreher on the coronavirus.

My wife and I were watching her Mandarin TV station news this AM. This was the feed from Beijing-- their vision of the Today Show. The leading story was a five-minute discussion of the fact that the world is now looking at the USA and its response to the virus-- and it is clearly being bungled. After weeks of snickering at China, he world is now having a belly laugh at the way the USA is handling the situation. The Chinese people have sacrificed greatly for the whole world to have a month or two to prepare-- and this is the way the USA has decided to use their time-- and by the way, they have not even tested 500 people. It is very clear to us that they are lying about their numbers.

You will have to forgive me-- they are meaning this to be propaganda-- but I cannot find a lot that is untrue in these statements.

The concern, worry, and anxiety being expressed by my patients is becoming stronger by the day. Unsolicited, the patients are starting off every visit with “What do you think?” or “What should I do?”

The feast of consequences we have created with our profoundly dysfunctional health care system is about to be served.

First off, this could not have happened at a worse time of the year for most patients with our now ubiquitous high deductible plans. Until the first $10,000 are met, everything is done out of pocket. So instead of going to the ER and the URGENT CARE centers across America where they will likely have to pay at least $1000 for a visit, patients with very concerning symptoms are going to either stay at home and continue to work, or flood their primary care doctor’s office because it is much less expensive. The ER and URGENT CARE are much more likely to be equipped to handle this situation, with negative pressure rooms and appropriate gear. Local doctors’ offices are not and never will be able to handle this kind of load with this kind of danger. Not a thing is being done about this at any level in our “preparations.”

I am in a primary care office. And this has already begun. We are already in the middle of a very nasty flu year. My office is full of people coughing and hacking. There were three patients of particular concern already this week; two have been shown to have the flu; the other one is very very concerning-- and demonstrates the complete and total failure of our public health systems to be prepared.

It is a young twentysomething business professional. They have spent the past three weeks in one of the places outside of China that has been in the news lately. In fact-- the very city. Their job requires multiple meetings, and people people people all day. The trip home went through two international airport hubs, and then two of our major hub airports.

About half way through the trip, the patient became febrile, and began having a cough. All during the way there were close quarters with other passengers in the plane and in the concourse, and multiple kiosk experiences getting boarding passes and luggage claim. A trip through security being forced to remove sweaty socks, coughing and hacking the whole time.

The flu test was negative. I then contacted our local public health office, and was told that I needed to contact the CDC. The first person on the phone had trouble spelling the state in which I was located, and could not get the information correctly in the computer. After several minutes of this, I was finally connected to a “specialist”. I was asked if the patient had been to Wuhan or if they had been in contact with anyone from Wuhan. I then told her the story, and my concern about this person being in the city that had been in the news the past week.

“Well, sir, they do not meet the criteria for testing, so we will not be able to do it.” I got a bit hostile. “Wuhan is last month’s news! This is a real problem-- I have this young person’s life in my hands! You have got to be kidding me...”

“Sir, I will not be talked to like that. I will now end this call.” Click.

Our public health system-- once the envy of the world-- reduced to a customer service transaction. The consequences will soon be enormous.

The patient is about the same-- still having fevers. I do not know what they have. But I told them it was their civic duty to go home and remain home. Self-imposed quarantine-- and they are doing it. We have community help to make sure they are being looked after.

If you think it is just me, I would urge you to read the story coming out about our first patient with no known exposure risk. It is just stunning-- from the UC Davis medical school.

They basically had the same response from the CDC.

And please note also: this [California] patient does not have a head cold or a little flu-- this patient is on a ventilator and fighting for their life. I wonder how many ventilators are in the city of Sacramento, and what will happen if more and more and more people start coming in this ill?

And I am hearing a lot about vaccines. Vaccines are not going to save us. They are years down the road-- and any confidence I had in our HHS Secretary Mr. Azar (experience for the job: he’s a former big pharma lobbyist) is now completely gone-- Please look at this tweet:

“We would want to ensure that we work to make it affordable, but we can’t control that price, because we need the private sector to invest.. Price controls won’t get us there.”

So, the message is the vaccine will be priced at whatever they want, if only the 10% or up can afford it, too bad. We are not about public health-- it is all profits, profits and more profits.

I would remind everyone that in a previous pandemic-- that of polio-- Jonas Salk developed the first vaccine. He could have been wealthy beyond the dreams of Mammon. But what did he do? He donated the vaccine to the world.

What is wrong with us? What has happened to this Republic?

Again: the feast of consequences is on the way.

I am certain the fire that is about to rain down will take us all by surprise.

We did once have leaders who stood in the breach with the people in some of the darkest days of this Republic. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” and in the absolute darkest days of WWII-- “Everything we have and everything we are is at stake-- everything we have and everything we are shall be given.”

What do we have now? Stock market tips, and oh this is just a flu, it will blow over.

I pray to God every day for this country. May he have mercy upon us.

Dreher followed that letter up: "It is hard to imagine a better issue for a democratic socialist running for president than a Big Pharma executive Trump put in charge of the health ministry saying that he won’t guarantee that a vaccine for the pandemic about to hit America will be affordable to people, because the Free Market."

Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba, the Medicare-for-All congressional candidate in Oregon's 5th district told us that "It's clear that the federal government is going to fail utterly when the Coronavirus hits America. I think it's critical that local governments have their act together. Rich, I'm wondering if you could pull together a meeting with 3 of the big hospitals in the area to talk about their capabilities and how fast they could ramp up? Do we have some place else in the county we could create an isolation unit? What are their abilities to test for the virus, etc. Once we get them lined up. I think it would be good to get as many of the mayors as possible along with the chair in a room with them so that we be can begin to formulate a plan and solutions. Why is a small town mayor having to do this?  Because our Federal Government is already utterly failing.  Every clinic and certainly every hospital should be able to run tests in-house.  Without that, when the virus hits, we will have an unimaginable situation where every medical facility in the country will be jammed with everyone with any sign of the disease whatsoever, and they will need to be quarantined until tests are run... by who?  The CDC? Run by the trump administration? I strongly recommend that states, counties and cities get on this immediately. Do not expect the clown car that currently passes for a federal government to do a damn thing until it is far too late. Sound familiar? It's why I'm running for congress. Leadership in DC is clearly in short supply."

Mike Siegel, a strong Medicare-for-All advocate-- and on the verge of an historic win in Texas on Tuesday-- connected the dots between pandemics and the need for Medicare-for-All. Mike told us this morning that "Now more than ever, we need universal health care and universal paid sick leave, not to mention a government that believes in science and a strong public school system to build community literacy. Our current Administration is a threat to humanity and must be replaced."