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COVID Update August 21: Public health is supposed to be above politics.
For now, health is nothing but politics. 1/
For now, health is nothing but politics. 1/
When the pandemic started many of us tried to adopt the adage of politics ending at the shoreline.
Some of us knew that small fractures would create problems. So we bravely said letās put politics aside. 2/
Some of us knew that small fractures would create problems. So we bravely said letās put politics aside. 2/
I had this conversation with @PreetBharara where in effect I said: Iām willing to roll up my sleeves and work with the Administration to save any life possible. And I did. I donāt regret that. 3/
I also said to @PreetBharara something like āwe may not like him but the president doesnāt want people to die.ā
Hereās what I got wrong. He may not want people to die. But he also doesnāt care either way. And if saving lives gets in the way of his agenda, he puts himself first.4
Hereās what I got wrong. He may not want people to die. But he also doesnāt care either way. And if saving lives gets in the way of his agenda, he puts himself first.4
Politics is about priorities.
Weāve decided our priorities. Bars more important than schools. Sports more important than colleges. White people more important than Black people. Young people more important than old people. The stock market more important than jobs.
5/
Weāve decided our priorities. Bars more important than schools. Sports more important than colleges. White people more important than Black people. Young people more important than old people. The stock market more important than jobs.
5/
These were Trumpās decisions.
By not doing the work he decided.
By calling it a hoax he decided.
By cancelling the task force he decided.
6/
By not doing the work he decided.
By calling it a hoax he decided.
By cancelling the task force he decided.
6/
There are good people. But where we are today are federal officials more neutered, advisors more ignorant & experts more muzzled than ever.
The FDA and the CDC have had their standards stripped.
7/
The FDA and the CDC have had their standards stripped.
7/
In this Administration, empathy is seen as weakness. And all decisions can only be made with in person in mind. 8/
Let me try this Trump style. 9/
WAKE UP. 10S OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE SLATED TO DIE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
(Misspellings would be helpful but Iām not one to talk here.
)10/
(Misspellings would be helpful but Iām not one to talk here.
)10/
Why not use all caps for that? Thatās when we know heās serious. Thatās when we know he means business. Thatās his version of action. 11/
So our solution most be two pronged at this point.
1. We must still save every life we can.
To the embarrassing Twitter ātruthersā, all the talk about how important schools are & herd immunity & every other rationalization, you are just writing people off. 12/
1. We must still save every life we can.
To the embarrassing Twitter ātruthersā, all the talk about how important schools are & herd immunity & every other rationalization, you are just writing people off. 12/
Governors, mayors, testing companies, schools, Congress (on a prayer), profiteers, landlords/- these are the people we must press. We just have to do what the president wonāt wherever & whenever possible.
The answer that we must just wait for the election wonāt suffice. 13/
The answer that we must just wait for the election wonāt suffice. 13/
2. Part 2 is overtly political.
Whatever your politics, if you want to stem the greatest death toll we have ever witnessed, you vote for @JoeBiden. 14/
Whatever your politics, if you want to stem the greatest death toll we have ever witnessed, you vote for @JoeBiden. 14/
If you are a socialist, if you are a libertarian, if you are completely a political, if you are a neo-con, if you are a bro-liberal, if youāre for the pot party or the Independence Party...
if you want to save lives, you vote for @JoeBiden. 15/
if you want to save lives, you vote for @JoeBiden. 15/
Iām biased.
I would have voted for Joe any way.
I would have voted for my dog Brodie over Trump and heās been working on the same bone for like 2 months. 16/
I would have voted for Joe any way.
I would have voted for my dog Brodie over Trump and heās been working on the same bone for like 2 months. 16/
But this isnāt about that. This isnāt about the politics of before. This is about the lives we would lose.
Brodie is not enough any more. We need competency & compassion. We need @JoeBiden for this moment. 17/
Brodie is not enough any more. We need competency & compassion. We need @JoeBiden for this moment. 17/
I know the man & heās made for moments like these. He gets done what he says he will. He sticks his neck out for people.
The knock on Joe compared to Obama who had ice in his veins was that he had too much heart. His relationships mattered. But Obama loved & relies on that. 18/
The knock on Joe compared to Obama who had ice in his veins was that he had too much heart. His relationships mattered. But Obama loved & relies on that. 18/
This Twitter thread will convince exactly no one to change their vote.
The people for Trump are also strongly against people against him. Theyāre not taking advice from me. 19/
The people for Trump are also strongly against people against him. Theyāre not taking advice from me. 19/
But hereās what can happen. More people voting. Lots more people voting.
People voting with the strength to pull out a truck deeply in a ditch. All holding on to the truck or each other and pulling all at once. 20/
People voting with the strength to pull out a truck deeply in a ditch. All holding on to the truck or each other and pulling all at once. 20/
Pulling so hard that when the truck comes out of the ditch it seemed like it was stuck in, it comes all the way out. So far we almost laugh we are falling backwards from the effort.
We see each other and realize we needed every one of us to do the pulling. 21/
We see each other and realize we needed every one of us to do the pulling. 21/
The people who we called. The people who we helped register. The doors we knocked or virtually knocked. The savings we spent. The things we missed.
It will take all that work & all those people. Not an ounce less. 22/
It will take all that work & all those people. Not an ounce less. 22/
Trump wonāt go down easily. He will cheat. He has already. He will lie. He will cast doubt. The media is addicted to him. They will tighten the race. Electoral college, voting sites, mail, chads, Russians, Facebook, all of it. 23/
When Iāve led major turnarounds, people know my philosophy was simple.
If itās important, do everything. We canāt afford to have the one thing you donāt do be the thing that would have mattered.
So do everything. 24/
If itās important, do everything. We canāt afford to have the one thing you donāt do be the thing that would have mattered.
So do everything. 24/
Itās shameful that it will take politics to save people. That Trump lacks the humanity that exists in almost every living thing.
But since it is what it is, politics is the game you must play to win. /end
But since it is what it is, politics is the game you must play to win. /end
