Linkee-poo Sunday

Mostly coronavirus except the last one.

"Welt am Sonntag also quoted an unidentified German government source as saying Trump was trying to secure the scientists’ work exclusively, and would do anything to get a vaccine for the United States, 'but only for the United States.' (Grokked from Kelly Swails)

"Despite mounting pleas from California and other states, the Trump administration isn’t allowing states to use Medicaid more freely to respond to the coronavirus crisis by expanding medical services." (Grokked form Seanan McGuire)

"The new restrictions which apply to 26 countries in Europe (but not the United Kingdom) came as a surprise to many E.U. leaders when Trump announced them. They also came as a surprise to many public health experts… 'From a public health perspective, it's remarkably pointless,' says Francois Balloux, an epidemiologist at University College London who worked with the World Health Organization on the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. Balloux says closing borders only works in the very early days of an outbreak, or for countries that haven't yet detected any cases at all." Closing the door after the horses are all out.

Newt Gingrich is in Italy arguing for massive US government action. "The lesson of Italy is that the sooner you act, the fewer lives you will lose and the less damage you will do to your economy." As a reminder, Newt has spent his entire political career sowing discord and cutting government programs. He has supported efforts to basically cut everything from the government except the military. While I agree with most of his points (note he likes to mention the half-hearted attempts by conservatives in this event, but completely ignores Pelosi getting a goddamn bill through the House and accepting compromises that weaken the bill just to get something done). Newt can go fuck himself. (Grokked from Fred Clark)

"All over America, the coronavirus is revealing, or at least reminding us, just how much of contemporary American life is bullshit, with power structures built on punishment and fear as opposed to our best interest. Whenever the government or a corporation benevolently withdraws some punitive threat because of the coronavirus, it’s a signal that there was never any good reason for that threat to exist in the first place." Just like the panic exposed all the fractures in our "strong economy" and Wall Street couldn't hide it any longer. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)

"It may be impossible to quantify their number, but not their influence. Those Democrats who will not yield to a moderate and vote for Biden if he wins the nomination are the same group who are sometimes blamed for Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 when disappointed Sanders fans sat out the general election… And the past few weeks have been hard to swallow for Sanders fans." I appreciate their idealism and devotion, but within a party, especially one with as big a tent as the Democrats, you need to learn compromise. Compromise doesn't mean abandoning your ideals. It means realizing that your ideology or wants don't have the support or the ability to be realized. At the moment. There really are only 2 paths for the Bernie Bros (yes, I know they're not all bros), form their own party (there's enough of you) or work to change the Democratic Party's alignment on the political spectrum. Staying "my way or nothing" puts you in the first camp. Nothing wrong with that, except you should stop pretending. If it's the second camp, you have to help deliver victories for people who are closer to your idealism, and work within the party to shift that focus and move the needle. Which means showing up for every election, showing up at party meetings, making friends, winning them over to your vision. Holding your breath until you pass out isn't helping. And for people who claim to be fighting for the people, delivering them into authoritarianism is just an exercise in your privilege. And not voting sends absolutely zero message. Most people who can don't vote. Your voices added to the 50%+ of eligible voters who don't vote is barely noticeable. And you've given "the establishment" no reason to listen to you or consider your wants or needs. Does the DNC need a revamping? Hells yes. Checking out guarantees that won't happen. "'For me not voting would be to send a message: what you’ve done is not OK,' Wright said. 'I wish there was a way to vote for [Biden] and still send that message.'" Want to know how? Show up at the fucking meetings. Regularly. If it's a movement you want, you have to actually move.