Pandemic Politics: Memorial Day 2020 and the Embarrassment of a Nation

While Memorial Day marks the first unofficial day of summer for much of America, it is also a somber day. It is a day to thank those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. Originally, it applied to those in military service and that is still its primary meaning. However, we also remember those who have given their lives for their country and their communities through public service as police, firefighters, and, due to this pandemic, frontline medical professionals. I hope you will take a moment to remember those we have lost and those who gave all they had that we might be free.

This Memorial Day seems different than those in the past for many reasons. First, we are in the midst of a global pandemic, unlike anything any of us have ever experienced. The unofficial data from Johns Hopkins University reports nearly 1,650,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and nearly 98,000 deaths. We will top 100,000 deaths sometime on May 26, 2020 and there is no end in sight. The numbers of new cases are not falling, contrary to the president's claim. We are still reporting 20,000+ new cases every single day. On a positive note, the death rate seems to be declining, possibly due to the lockdown of long-term care facilities and the hesitation of elderly citizens and those with co-morbidity issues to venture into public places. Nevertheless, America leads the world in both the number of cases and the number of deaths. A sad statistic to be number one in, especially since our president promised us he had the virus under control and it was nothing to worry about. Right.

Remember what the president said back in March? It's Memorial Day, don't forget it. Here's a reminder:

March 10: “And it hit the world. And we’re prepared, and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”
 
March 11: “I think we’re going to get through it very well.”
 
March 12: “It’s going to go away. ... The United States, because of what I did and what the administration did with China, we have 32 deaths at this point … when you look at the kind of numbers that you’re seeing coming out of other countries, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it.”

The president clearly has a different definition of doing a great job than I do. If I promised my employer that something wouldn't be a problem and 100,000+ people died in just over two months, I wouldn't have my job and I might be held criminally liable. Not this president. In fact, when asked if he felt any responsibility due to his downplaying of the pandemic, he made up another lie and claimed he always thought it was a pandemic, way before anyone else thought it was a pandemic. If so, Mr. President, why did you tell us it was nothing to worry about? That, of course, is the problem with pathological liars. They lie so frequently that they do not even know what they lied about yesterday so why not just make up something new today. And his gullible supporters will excuse and defend him while trying to deflect blame onto the media, the Democrats, the Chinese, the WHO, or whoever else they can. 

Take these retweets from the president this weekend meant to distract from the horrible job he is doing a president:

About Stacy Abrams (African-American candidate for GA governor):

“We just got a look at the official portrait for the self-proclaimed Governor of Georgia. She fought a tough race, kissed a lot of babies, and visited every buffet restaurant in the state. Joe will be a racist if he doesn’t pick her.”


About Nancy Pelosi:

“Anyone know what’s going on with PolyGrip? I’ve noticed lately that her face seems glossy and she is sporting a poorly marked 2nd set of eyebrows,"

In a second tweet attacking Pelosi’s appearance that appeared on Trump’s Twitter feed over the weekend, Stahl took a shot at the Speaker’s teeth, claiming she wore dentures, and wrote that she drank alcohol “on the job.”

About Hillary Clinton:

Another post from Stahl that Trump retweeted referred to Clinton, who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential election, as “HRC the Skank.”

This is racist and misogynistic language that should be beneath the President of the United States. Once again, Mr. Trump has disgraced himself, the office of the president, the American people, and our nation. When will someone stand up to this bully and say enough is enough? Why do we tolerate from the president what we would never tolerate from our friends and family members? Any employer would be justified to fire such an individual. It is time for America to fire its president.

I expect more from the President of the United States than a pack of lies each day. I expect more from him than demeaning attacks on those he disagrees with politically. Yes, I know I will be sorely disappointed by expecting anything resembling presidential leadership from this president. I know he will never tell the truth nor will he admit to getting it wrong. He simply cannot accept the fact that he, like the rest of us, is a fallible, sinful human being who does not have all the answers. This is why I vehemently opposed his candidacy in 2015-16 and his election in 2016. This is why, as a lifelong Republican, I am in the Never Trump camp. I long for a president that is willing to work with those with whom he disagrees. Give me Ronald Reagan (tax reform and Social Security reform with a Democratic Congress), give me George H.W. Bush (the Americans with Disabilities Act and deficit reduction w/ a Democratic Congress), give me Bill Clinton (Welfare reform w/ a Republican Congress), give me George W. Bush (education reform, children's health insurance w/ a Democratic Congress), and give me Barack Obama (education reform w/ a Republican Congress). 

I'd love to put Donald Trump on that list but I cannot think of one piece of bipartisan legislation he has promoted or signed (other than the three Coronavirus acts, which any president would have signed). What has President Trump done to reach across the aisle and work with the opposition to accomplish something for Americans? Nothing. Sure, he signed the Republican tax cuts in 2017 that blew up our deficit and gave trillions of dollars back to wealthy supporters while middle-class folks got $6 a week in their paychecks. At least I could afford a second Starbucks white chocolate mocha each week. Thanks, Donald. 

So, on this Memorial Day, think of all we have lost and all you have to be thankful for. Tell those special people in your life that you care about them. Treat strangers with kindness and courtesy. Reach out to those with whom you disagree and be reconciled. They will not be here forever. Use the fierce urgency of now to be a peacemaker, a humble soul, and an all-around better human being. Don't look to the president for guidance because you will not find it there. Look to 'our better angels' as a great president once said. Look at the man in the mirror and make that change. 

Only then will God Bless this great country that so many have fled to as their only hope of light in a darkened world.