Have you ever noticed that when Democrats catch the ‘rona it’s a simple, unbiased news headline, but when it happens to Republicans it’s a “cautionary tale”? Consider this straightforward CNN headline last month about Ralph Northam: “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for Covid-19.” Now, compare that to when Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a fan of freedom, personal responsibility, and getting things back to normal as soon as possible, tested positive: “This Republican governor refused a mask mandate. Then he got coronavirus.”
These people seem to believe that if Parson had simply put a mask mandate in he wouldn’t have ever caught the virus and neither would any Missourians, apparently. At least that’s what they want us to think. Of course, the media never bothers to point out that Missouri is handling their load just fine, especially when you compare it to masked-up places like California. In fact, Missouri has 33 fewer deaths per million than California does, where a statewide mask-mandate has been in place since June. They also tend to ignore the fact that plenty of people who diligently follow “the rules” get sick. But who cares about facts when forcing people to meekly don their slave gags is the media’s sole priority.
But the madness didn’t stop there, sadly. It got worse, a lot worse. The next week, all hell broke loose as prominent Republican senators and White House officials, along with the president of the United States, all began dropping like flies - well, not literally dropping like flies, but catching ‘the thing’ and becoming the subject of more media “cautionary tales.” Some theorize that the spreading event supposedly happened at the White House lawn ceremony introducing Judge Amy Coney Barrett, even though months of outdoor protests and riots apparently were virus-free (since that was all for a ‘good cause,’ don’t you know). To media scolds, it all came down to platitudes like “not taking the virus seriously,” and “wearing masks,” the kind of ridiculous, unscientific bias that assumes that masks and masks alone are the be-all-end-all when it comes to catching and spreading COVID-19.
“Seeeeee???” they preen. “Bad Orange Man eschewed masks and now he’s sick, and all this could have been avoided if he had simply taken the virus seriously,” they preach in some form in virtually every news report on the topic, as if they really cared about the president’s health. Granted, Trump doesn’t seem to be a big mask fan, for a variety of reasons. Since he tended to avoid them, it’s easy for the media to use that to bolster their narrative. However, I would argue something altogether different - that the facts and the logic do not back up their narrative at all, but rather that of ‘Team Reality.’
Here’s the first clue. Speaking to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Friday, Donald Trump Jr. seemed truly puzzled by how his father even caught the virus in the first place. “The protocols around my father are pretty amazing,” he said. “Literally anyone who is in close proximity [to the president] is tested each and every day. You know, so if he can get it probably anyone can, for better or worse. I know they took really extensive protocols and it didn't seem to matter.”
Yes, the president didn’t wear masks often, but masks don’t protect the wearer all that much anyway, remember? And mask or no mask, one thing Trump was really good at, even before the pandemic, was social distancing. He’s a known germaphobe who already didn’t like shaking hands and getting up in people’s personal space (unlike another presidential candidate we know). Plus, everyone around him was tested daily, as was he. Are we truly supposed to believe that a filthy piece of cloth can protect the average citizen from coronavirus better than the president of the United States was protected?
Doesn’t the fact that President Trump, despite all the precautions that were taken (whether he agreed with them or not), still caught the virus tell us something about highly contagious respiratory viruses? Common sense and pre-COVID-politicized science says that viruses are gonna virus pretty much no matter what we do, but the media obviously lacks the sort of common sense that leads to truth and, by extension, a sane, reasonable, sustainable virus response.
Instead, what we have is a dystopian global nightmare of hiding from a highly transmissible and relatively tame (to those not super-old and/or super-sick) cold virus and trying to indefinitely avoid “cases,” most of which are harmless and actually contribute to herd immunity. Except, indefinitely isn’t feasible. Lockdowns can work, for a time, but when they end the virus always spreads. Even if masks worked (they don’t, as mountains of evidence shows), they would still only delay the inevitable. When this whole thing started, it was understood that most people would end up being exposed. The trick was to make sure hospitals weren’t overwhelmed. My how the goalposts have shifted. We’ve gone from 15-days to seven months with no end in sight.
A WHO official just estimated that upwards of 750,000,000 people on the planet have likely had coronavirus already. At a million or so dead (most of whom would have died either this year or the next anyway), that’s a death rate of .13%, or around that of the seasonal flu. Now, the fact that Republicans caught the Wuhan flu is supposed to be a “cautionary tale” for the rest of us. “Take heed!” the mask-cultists preach as they insist we wear face burqas from now until viruses are eradicated from the planet. Remember, the odds say everyone will pull through this thing unscathed, even if they need some treatment along the way. However, if I catch COVID and die next week, it doesn’t change the numbers and the facts, nor should it change what sane public policy should be. The same goes for anyone, whether it’s - God forbid - Chris Christie, Ralph Northam, or even the president of the United States.
When dealing with a highly transmissible cold virus, the correct, sane, sustainable response isn’t containment or even the mirage of a safe, effective vaccine, but rather treatments, therapeutics, and eventual herd immunity. We either need to learn to live with this thing, or we can destroy our society trying to fight an unwinnable fight. THAT is the real ‘cautionary tale.’
- I’ll leave you with two things. First of all, this one-stop-shop about the real science behind masks from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is an absolute must-read and must-share. Except, Facebook will tag it if you do, because pencil-necked 20-something tech-nerds have apparently determined what “settled science” is and have decided to ignore the scientists on the other side. But whatever. I suggest a text post with a broken up link (like this!). Second, if you aren’t already following my “Team Reality” Twitter list, you’re really missing out on some great information. Plus, I’m adding great accounts almost every day. If you have one in mind that I’ve missed, tweet at me and I’ll consider adding it.
Follow Scott on Twitter @SKMorefield, Parler @smorefield and Facebook