The March 8 Wall Street Journal opinion item sought to ignore the complete failure by Trump to lead our country in this time of crisis by touting the successful development of vaccines. You mean the same guy who ignored the seriousness of the threat of the virus even though he knew better? The guy who politicized every aspect of a global health crisis because it would reflect badly on him? The guy who got COVID even though he was tested daily? The guy who held dozens of super spreader events all over the country? The guy who never wore a mask or suggested others do so?
Many other countries were able to minimize the impact of COVID on their citizens and economy months before any vaccines were available. Why didn’t we? The tragic truth is that the United States had the worst response to the virus of any country in the world and Trump is largely responsible for that. Over a quarter million dead Americans will never care that we now have vaccines. Let’s be honest about the full Trump record.
Rod: In all fairness, Trump did the best he could by waving his magic MAGA wand: Make All Go Away! What more could we expect from someone so incredibly naive and incompetent?
Jorg - for some mysterious reason, wand or otherwise, the world is now benefiting from his warp-speed-developed vaccine. In relative terms, Trump may be incredibly naive and incompetent but where does that leave you? Based on your Trump comments you have little left but silly, repetitive slander.
Dirk: For Trump, slander is neither necessary, nor appropriate. The awful, damaging truth is more than enough, - although his naive followers refuse to acknowledge it. Or, don't they understand?
Tommy and Jorg - you just can't let go of Trump can you? For the record, the US has almost the lowest morbidity rate due to Covid 19. This is reported by Johns Hopkins Hospital, https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality. Look it up.
You are just fantasizing about Biden's approach to handling such a crisis. If his handling of the prior H1N1 flue epidemic is an indication, even Biden's own advisor said that they lucked out. Had Biden been in charge last year, our morbidity rate would have been drastically higher. It was Trump who made the development of the vaccine possible and now Biden is crowing that he is making it available. It is like your son taking credit for distributing cookies after you paid for them. Lame brain Biden and suck ups like CNN at their best.
Dirk: "US almost the lowest morbidity rate"? WHAT? We have the tenth largest! Can't you read statistics? Trump deserves no credit for the vaccine development, he who poo-pooed the whole pandemic didn't exactly encourage development! Vaccines were developed despite Trump! It is about time that even you begin to realize that Trump was a clown without a fiber of presidential potential, and a disaster compared to President Biden. That's crystal clear to the steadily growing majority of us, - i.e. those better informed and honest! Don't get sucked in by Hannity and Carlsen and the like!
Sorry, I didn't see this post until after submitting my own comments. My remarks should pop up in a couple of minutes. Although they are addressed to Rod... the author of the LTE... I would invite you respond and if you care to do so...
Yes... truly one of the greats. In sports, you'll always have lively debates about who was the best... the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran fights produced some super memorable rounds... but the Hagler vs. Hearns fight has no match for intensity, athleticism and drama. Thanks for the link...
I checked the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center report referenced by Dirk. It appears his factual claim (based on the report) that the US has almost the lowest rate of COVID deaths is true. The Johns Hopkins graph shows the twenty countries most affected by COVID worldwide. The US has the 18th lowest case-to-fatality ratio (1.8%). That seems to validate Dirk's comment.
Who has the highest ratio at 9%? Mexico. The second country listed in the report was Bulgaria with a 4.1% ratio. The numbers then steadily decline as you work down the list.
Do you have a reference to support your statement that the US has the "tenth largest" morbidity rate?
Thanks for the info, but it does not support your earlier comments. Statistica.com is not a source. It is a software program that reports data from sources. But let's look at what they reported... when you open the link, you'll see a list of 13 countries. It is a look at some numbers for countries for the last seven days. Seven of those countries listed have a higher ratio of deaths per million than the US... some of them with rates two, three or more times higher than the US. Your claim that the US leads in this category (based on your Google search) is a false narrative.
But you need to look deeper... where did Statistica.com get the data for the info they are now reporting? Drum roll... wait for it... the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center!? (That deserves an interrobang not just an exclamation point.)
It appears you are parsing Statistica's info... citing numbers limited to a seven day period... to support your claim that COVID is much worse in the US than what Dirk stated in his comments. When we look at the actual source, a much different picture emerges... a view that is consistent with Dirk's interpretation of the data.
So, the question remains unanswered... "Do you have a reference to support your statement that the US has the "tenth largest" morbidity rate?" The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center disagrees with your statement. If you find a source, could you please share that information? BTW... "wiki" is not a source and neither is a vague reference to a Google search.
As an aside... yes, we very sadly have more total reported COVID deaths than Brazil. Could that be because there are 120 million more people living in the US?
Yes Jorg, I actually majored in statistics. But the chart that Johns Hopkins keeps up to date shows clearly that our mortality rate as a function of our population due to COVID19 is one of the lowest in the world, 1.7%. Of the largest 20 counties in the world, only the Czech Republic and India scored slightly lower. All others scored significantly higher, even your Walhalla, Norway.
Now I wonder where you get your information, looks like you parrot MSNBC and CNN. The fact that Biden was working on developing the vaccine in his basement must have escaped me.
I have family members who were already working on the J & J vaccine in my home town, Leiden, the Netherlands early last year and others who work at Moderna at the same time. They all said that the funding came from warp speed, a term totally incongruent with anything our slug Biden does. What made the difference was that Trump guaranteed their research activities and if they failed they would still get paid. Production went underway as soon as the first batches were tested in August. That is why we are now awash in vaccines from different sources. You cannot deny those facts as I have them from first hand discussions and published information in Science magazines..
The stats you cited were updated this morning about 7 am EST. They are current. I don't think we'll see any refutation of your comments.
Now, in the spirit of left joining right... let's get everyone vaccinated so we can celebrate a more traditional Fourth of July instead of the isolated backyard barbecues suggested by Joe...
Dirk: Even Johns Hopkins shows a US Covid mortality rate as the 18th highest in the world. Not really much to be proud of, is it? Or, did Trump tell you to be?
Here we go again. Tommy and Jorg, two, for now, of our resident fake news peddlers still trying to interview for a spot on the lamestream news. Sorry folks, if they haven’t contacted you now, they’re not going to. You can start telling the truth.
Ray: I have other more important things to do than arguing about whether US is the 14th or 18th worst country when it comes to the Covid mortality rate per capita. Get it?
In other words, you cannot support your claims in print with anything credible, accurate or relevant. OK.
Jorg... I am flummoxed re: why you feel the need to insult others who do not share your viewpoints. There's a lot more that could be said, but it would serve no useful purpose at this time. So, I will refrain from commenting on your screeds and diatribes in the future. AMF... adieu my friend.
Cue the receding patter of scurrying feet… The winner is Ray Fowler, yet again, via knockout. Better luck next time, Jorg. This is better than watching many of the so-called comedies these days.
Ex-President Trump did help the vaccine scene with the Warp Speed program and he deserves credit for that. Unfortunately as you point out, that is about the only thing he did right in the pandemic. One more item you didn’t mention was the fact that although he did use the Defense Production Act, he only used it to increase ventilators. He should have used it to improve the supplies of PPE’s and testing equipment and materials so there would have been a better control from the start.
Sorry Taffy, I forgot to cite you as a resident fake news peddler, but I now correct my mistake. Please take a bow and join your fellow failed interviewees.
I could tell by the time stamp it was an accident. Being selected by Terence, the leader of the Fake News Society of the DJ, makes my badge of honor shine a little brighter.
You know, after all this time, Jorg has finally convinced me... Re: arrogance, incompetent COVID policies, womanizing, lying and becoming a laughingstock... Jorg was talking about Andrew Cuomo, right?
Good morning to you also. Sure looks that way about Cuomo. Both him and Trump are from New York, maybe they are more alike than we thought, or maybe there is something in the water?
Taffy – mentioning your badge of honor is apropos, since you’ve been shining people on for the longest time. Happy Pi Day! In your case, a slice of humble pie may atone for your sins, especially in spewing fake news and hoaxes.
I think you missed the point... can you imagine a reader posting the same thing about someone in the news over and over again... dare I say... ad nauseam?
Now that I've got your attention... were you able to find a reference to support your claims re: COVID made yesterday?
This topic sure does elicit some emotional responses. Perhaps the interjection of more facts into the discourse will permit someone on the left to understand the perspective of someone on the right, and permit someone on the right to understand the perspective of someone on the left. Maybe.
During President Biden's remarks on Thursday, you'll note that his teleprompter did not scroll across the term "Warp Speed" or acknowledge the Trump administration's role in developing not one but two vaccines. In fact, the Team Biden announced they were retiring the term "Warp Speed" well before Joe was inaugurated.
A NY Times (not known for being Trump friendly) fact check reported that contrary to Joe Biden's comments, BOTH administrations deserve credit for our current vaccine supply. With respect to Joe's remarks on Thursday, given that we have seen a remarkable lack of proper attribution in comments made by Joe in the past... I'm wondering... are we seeing it again?
Rick Grinnell reported that during meetings on security issues when a call concerning Warp Speed was received by the WH that President Trump would pause the security meeting to take the vaccine related call. Now, I wasn't there and neither were you... but I don't believe Mr. Grinnell is being untruthful. However, given that the shortest time a vaccine had been developed before Warp Speed took about five years, I will suggest that comments alleging the prior administration was not involved in the development of a COVID vaccine are without merit. Where are the facts to support such comments?
The facts re: reopening schools are clear... do it. Yet, President Biden did not stand behind the science and advocate for reopening our schools in the manner prescribed by the CDC. Then, there is the issue of lock downs... for another time.
If it weren't for Trump's WARP speed program that got companies to pre-build manufacturing facilities for the vaccine, thousands more would have died waiting for a it. Not one Democrat ever though about doing this.
The US response to COVID was little different from England and France, etc. If it wasn't for Trump's WARP speed program, thousands more would have died waiting for a vaccine.
If it weren't for Trump lying about the seriousness of COVID, mocking people wearing a mask, holding super spreader events etc. thousands of people would be alive.
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(38) comments
Rod: In all fairness, Trump did the best he could by waving his magic MAGA wand: Make All Go Away! What more could we expect from someone so incredibly naive and incompetent?
Jorg - for some mysterious reason, wand or otherwise, the world is now benefiting from his warp-speed-developed vaccine. In relative terms, Trump may be incredibly naive and incompetent but where does that leave you? Based on your Trump comments you have little left but silly, repetitive slander.
Dirk: For Trump, slander is neither necessary, nor appropriate. The awful, damaging truth is more than enough, - although his naive followers refuse to acknowledge it. Or, don't they understand?
100%! Leading experts agree: Had Biden been president a year ago, the toll from covid ‘would be nowhere near what we’re talking about today’
No way of proving because he wasn't president. pure speculation.
Yes, it would at least be doubled because there was no vaccine in sight. And who are YOUR experts? Flip flop Faucy and Birx?
Quite true. Biden elected and in no time we are on the road to recovery. It was as if the news media switched from "off" to "on."
Tommy and Jorg - you just can't let go of Trump can you? For the record, the US has almost the lowest morbidity rate due to Covid 19. This is reported by Johns Hopkins Hospital, https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality. Look it up.
You are just fantasizing about Biden's approach to handling such a crisis. If his handling of the prior H1N1 flue epidemic is an indication, even Biden's own advisor said that they lucked out. Had Biden been in charge last year, our morbidity rate would have been drastically higher. It was Trump who made the development of the vaccine possible and now Biden is crowing that he is making it available. It is like your son taking credit for distributing cookies after you paid for them. Lame brain Biden and suck ups like CNN at their best.
Dirk: "US almost the lowest morbidity rate"? WHAT? We have the tenth largest! Can't you read statistics? Trump deserves no credit for the vaccine development, he who poo-pooed the whole pandemic didn't exactly encourage development! Vaccines were developed despite Trump! It is about time that even you begin to realize that Trump was a clown without a fiber of presidential potential, and a disaster compared to President Biden. That's crystal clear to the steadily growing majority of us, - i.e. those better informed and honest! Don't get sucked in by Hannity and Carlsen and the like!
Hello, Jorg
Sorry, I didn't see this post until after submitting my own comments. My remarks should pop up in a couple of minutes. Although they are addressed to Rod... the author of the LTE... I would invite you respond and if you care to do so...
Hello Ray
RIP to Marvelous MH. He and Hearns provided for THE best Round One in all of boxing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL2a2-8OHdg
Hey, Just Mike
Yes... truly one of the greats. In sports, you'll always have lively debates about who was the best... the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran fights produced some super memorable rounds... but the Hagler vs. Hearns fight has no match for intensity, athleticism and drama. Thanks for the link...
Hey, Jorg
I checked the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center report referenced by Dirk. It appears his factual claim (based on the report) that the US has almost the lowest rate of COVID deaths is true. The Johns Hopkins graph shows the twenty countries most affected by COVID worldwide. The US has the 18th lowest case-to-fatality ratio (1.8%). That seems to validate Dirk's comment.
Who has the highest ratio at 9%? Mexico. The second country listed in the report was Bulgaria with a 4.1% ratio. The numbers then steadily decline as you work down the list.
Do you have a reference to support your statement that the US has the "tenth largest" morbidity rate?
Ray: Here is the latest, moving US up to 9th place:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/
US also has the highest total, twice of #2, Brazil. Indeed, something to be proud of!
Hey, Jorg
Thanks for the info, but it does not support your earlier comments. Statistica.com is not a source. It is a software program that reports data from sources. But let's look at what they reported... when you open the link, you'll see a list of 13 countries. It is a look at some numbers for countries for the last seven days. Seven of those countries listed have a higher ratio of deaths per million than the US... some of them with rates two, three or more times higher than the US. Your claim that the US leads in this category (based on your Google search) is a false narrative.
But you need to look deeper... where did Statistica.com get the data for the info they are now reporting? Drum roll... wait for it... the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center!? (That deserves an interrobang not just an exclamation point.)
It appears you are parsing Statistica's info... citing numbers limited to a seven day period... to support your claim that COVID is much worse in the US than what Dirk stated in his comments. When we look at the actual source, a much different picture emerges... a view that is consistent with Dirk's interpretation of the data.
So, the question remains unanswered... "Do you have a reference to support your statement that the US has the "tenth largest" morbidity rate?" The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center disagrees with your statement. If you find a source, could you please share that information? BTW... "wiki" is not a source and neither is a vague reference to a Google search.
As an aside... yes, we very sadly have more total reported COVID deaths than Brazil. Could that be because there are 120 million more people living in the US?
Yes Jorg, I actually majored in statistics. But the chart that Johns Hopkins keeps up to date shows clearly that our mortality rate as a function of our population due to COVID19 is one of the lowest in the world, 1.7%. Of the largest 20 counties in the world, only the Czech Republic and India scored slightly lower. All others scored significantly higher, even your Walhalla, Norway.
Now I wonder where you get your information, looks like you parrot MSNBC and CNN. The fact that Biden was working on developing the vaccine in his basement must have escaped me.
I have family members who were already working on the J & J vaccine in my home town, Leiden, the Netherlands early last year and others who work at Moderna at the same time. They all said that the funding came from warp speed, a term totally incongruent with anything our slug Biden does. What made the difference was that Trump guaranteed their research activities and if they failed they would still get paid. Production went underway as soon as the first batches were tested in August. That is why we are now awash in vaccines from different sources. You cannot deny those facts as I have them from first hand discussions and published information in Science magazines..
Bravo, Dirk!
The stats you cited were updated this morning about 7 am EST. They are current. I don't think we'll see any refutation of your comments.
Now, in the spirit of left joining right... let's get everyone vaccinated so we can celebrate a more traditional Fourth of July instead of the isolated backyard barbecues suggested by Joe...
Dirk: Here is the latest, moving US up to 9th place:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/
US also has the highest total, twice of #2, Brazil. Indeed, something to be proud of!
Dirk: Even Johns Hopkins shows a US Covid mortality rate as the 18th highest in the world. Not really much to be proud of, is it? Or, did Trump tell you to be?
Here we go again. Tommy and Jorg, two, for now, of our resident fake news peddlers still trying to interview for a spot on the lamestream news. Sorry folks, if they haven’t contacted you now, they’re not going to. You can start telling the truth.
Terence
Can you hear the sound of scurrying?
Hi Ray - not only do I hear the sound of scurrying, a source tells me Colonel Sanders bought a bigger net for his next hunt.
Ray: I have other more important things to do than arguing about whether US is the 14th or 18th worst country when it comes to the Covid mortality rate per capita. Get it?
In other words, you cannot support your claims in print with anything credible, accurate or relevant. OK.
Jorg... I am flummoxed re: why you feel the need to insult others who do not share your viewpoints. There's a lot more that could be said, but it would serve no useful purpose at this time. So, I will refrain from commenting on your screeds and diatribes in the future. AMF... adieu my friend.
Cue the receding patter of scurrying feet… The winner is Ray Fowler, yet again, via knockout. Better luck next time, Jorg. This is better than watching many of the so-called comedies these days.
Thanks, Terence
Speaking of kayos... a moment of silence for Marvelous Marvin Hagler...
Mr. Frink,
Ex-President Trump did help the vaccine scene with the Warp Speed program and he deserves credit for that. Unfortunately as you point out, that is about the only thing he did right in the pandemic. One more item you didn’t mention was the fact that although he did use the Defense Production Act, he only used it to increase ventilators. He should have used it to improve the supplies of PPE’s and testing equipment and materials so there would have been a better control from the start.
Sorry Taffy, I forgot to cite you as a resident fake news peddler, but I now correct my mistake. Please take a bow and join your fellow failed interviewees.
Terence,
I could tell by the time stamp it was an accident. Being selected by Terence, the leader of the Fake News Society of the DJ, makes my badge of honor shine a little brighter.
Tafhdyd
Good Sunday morning to you!
You know, after all this time, Jorg has finally convinced me... Re: arrogance, incompetent COVID policies, womanizing, lying and becoming a laughingstock... Jorg was talking about Andrew Cuomo, right?
Ray,
Good morning to you also. Sure looks that way about Cuomo. Both him and Trump are from New York, maybe they are more alike than we thought, or maybe there is something in the water?
Ray: I have no respect for either Trump or Cuomo, - both clowns when it comes to treating women the way real men should.
Taffy – mentioning your badge of honor is apropos, since you’ve been shining people on for the longest time. Happy Pi Day! In your case, a slice of humble pie may atone for your sins, especially in spewing fake news and hoaxes.
Jorg
I think you missed the point... can you imagine a reader posting the same thing about someone in the news over and over again... dare I say... ad nauseam?
Now that I've got your attention... were you able to find a reference to support your claims re: COVID made yesterday?
Hello, Rod
This topic sure does elicit some emotional responses. Perhaps the interjection of more facts into the discourse will permit someone on the left to understand the perspective of someone on the right, and permit someone on the right to understand the perspective of someone on the left. Maybe.
During President Biden's remarks on Thursday, you'll note that his teleprompter did not scroll across the term "Warp Speed" or acknowledge the Trump administration's role in developing not one but two vaccines. In fact, the Team Biden announced they were retiring the term "Warp Speed" well before Joe was inaugurated.
A NY Times (not known for being Trump friendly) fact check reported that contrary to Joe Biden's comments, BOTH administrations deserve credit for our current vaccine supply. With respect to Joe's remarks on Thursday, given that we have seen a remarkable lack of proper attribution in comments made by Joe in the past... I'm wondering... are we seeing it again?
Rick Grinnell reported that during meetings on security issues when a call concerning Warp Speed was received by the WH that President Trump would pause the security meeting to take the vaccine related call. Now, I wasn't there and neither were you... but I don't believe Mr. Grinnell is being untruthful. However, given that the shortest time a vaccine had been developed before Warp Speed took about five years, I will suggest that comments alleging the prior administration was not involved in the development of a COVID vaccine are without merit. Where are the facts to support such comments?
The facts re: reopening schools are clear... do it. Yet, President Biden did not stand behind the science and advocate for reopening our schools in the manner prescribed by the CDC. Then, there is the issue of lock downs... for another time.
If it weren't for Trump's WARP speed program that got companies to pre-build manufacturing facilities for the vaccine, thousands more would have died waiting for a it. Not one Democrat ever though about doing this.
The US response to COVID was little different from England and France, etc. If it wasn't for Trump's WARP speed program, thousands more would have died waiting for a vaccine.
Sorry Mr. Kahl,
If it weren't for Trump lying about the seriousness of COVID, mocking people wearing a mask, holding super spreader events etc. thousands of people would be alive.
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