Straw, Meet Camel’s Back?

Hmmm. I think that this just might be where the wicket starts to get sticky. My Governor, Democrat Steve Sisolak just gave an interview on FOX-5, our local FOX affiliate, in which he stated that he was so concerned about the coronavirus spike on our state, that he was seriously considering declaring a state of emergency, and putting in place another 90 day shelter in place order. Yeah, Da Guv is thinking about shutting the whole damn thing down again, until well after Labor Day.

I’ll start with this, I have full confidence in, and fully support Sisolak. Nevada was the second state in the country to shut down, 12 hours after California. And when Sisolak shut it down, he had the people at his back. And they stayed there, time and again both Sisolak as well as the Clark County Sheriff complimented the residents, and thanked them for making their job of enforcing the lockdown so easy.

That being said, in good faith I must also say this. While we are experiencing a spike in new cases, our death total is still extremely low. On the map, our state is still a light orange color, the second lowest one you can have. But obviously Sisolak is seeing something in the numbers that worries him. Personally, I think that he wants a much lower case total by fall, in case the predicted second wave hits. And if necessary, he’s willing to shut us down again to get it if he has to.

Sisolak isn’t the first one to think about this, just the most extreme. A week or so ago Oregon’s Governor announced a 1 week pause in their reopening schedule, to let them monitor their rise a little more closely. And several progressive Mayor’s have hit the brakes in expansion of their re-openings, again to watch for any possible spikes. So far, Sisolak is the only concerned enough to consider quarantining the whole state again, but obviously others are having second thoughts,.

Right now, California is seeing severe spikes in several areas. If this continues, and local preventative measures fail to get it under control, how much longer before Governor Gavin Newsome is forced to consider reimposing a statewide stay-at-home order? The same for Oregon and even Washington. These Governors took too tall a stand, and made too many tough choices to lose it all before a second wave could hit in the fall.

Early and enthusiastic reopening GOP states like Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Florida, and South Carolina are all experiencing extreme spikes. At the moment, those Governors are continuing to don their smiley faces, but there is an issue for them now that they didn’t have to contend with earlier, Namely, progressive Mayors and counties who are becoming much more aggressive in demanding their local autonomy to institute protective measures. And some Governor’s, like Arizona’s Doug Ducey have blinked and given them permission to issue such orders. What happens when a state has multiple locations under lockdown, while the rest is operating like a drunken frat party?

Look. There was one reason, and one reason only for Donald Trump to rush like a fire engine to reopen the American economy, in defiance of the guidelines his own administration put out and supported. And that was to get the economy booming in order for Trump to have that one lousy thing to run on after 3 1/2 wasted years. And he’s already doing it. He’s already extolling the magnificent comeback of the fucking stock market while 40 million Americans are pulling down unemployment. Man, talk about tone deaf! But what if, just what if, in that frenzied rush to buck up the stock market, he sowed the seeds of his almost certain defeat?

Let’s just say that in 10 days or so, Sisolak pulls the trigger, and locks down Nevada for 90 days. What happens? Millions of people go back on unemployment, and an entire state economy goes into deep freeze for 90 days. Once Sisolak is the visionary, what’s to stop Newsome from locking California down a week or two later if they can’t control their spike? And what about Oregon, and maybe even Washington state if their spikes continue to persist. It’s always easier to be the second or third one to do something than the first.

In this instance, it really doesn’t matter what GOP dominated states do, simply because the damage is already done. Millions of people will go back on the unemployment rolls, and one of the largest state economies in the country goes into hibernation. I don’t care how well Wall Street was insulated, there is no way they can survive another schism like this without falling off the proverbial cliff. And what do national retailers do this time around. The company Teri works for shut down nationally the day after Nevada shut down, reading the handwriting on the wall. How long do they hold out, trying to decide if this signals a second wave of mass shutdowns?

It was James Carville who coined the pithy political phrase, It’s the economy stupid!, and I’m pretty sure that when he said stupid, he was thinking about Donald Trump. Trump maniacally tethered his entire presidency on somebody else’s economy, and it may be his own economy that brings his reign to an end. Trump had better learn to be a pious man, and start hitting his knees, because once again, his fate rests squarely with decisions made my people he has absolutely no control over.

To know the future, look to the past.before the insanity of the 2020 election, relive the insanity of the 2016 GOP primary campaign, and the general election, to see how we got to where we are. Copies of President Evil, and the sequel, President Evil II, A Clodwork Orange are available as e-books on Amazon, at the links above. Catch up before the upcoming release of the third book in the trilogy, President Evil III: All The Presidents Fen

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