Posts Made By: Darian Rachal

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi Russ:

Well, you have given me pause.  

Still, I literally don’t know anyone whom I believe is influenced by Trump to the degree you are talking about.  I know several mask averse folks.  Some at work, a few socially.  It is a small minority of friends and no family, but like those on the forum, they really seem to be making up their own minds.  I can’t imagine Greg or Darian being hard core social distancers no matter what Trump’s rhetoric might be.

I hope you understand that I’m saying this without approving of Trumps rhetoric.  His tweets today are incredibly irresponsible. 

Also, I have to call out the shift in your own rhetoric.  I probably would not have replied if you had said that Trump’s failure of leadership had cost lives.  Instead you called him the greatest mass murderer in American history. I’m  rightfully accused of being pedantic by some close to me, but I think in this instance I am justified. 

Jim

Originally Posted by James Lacey

I hate to say it, Brian, but I think you called it on this one. Trump hasn't necessarily recovered, but it's clear at this point that they are doubling down on the "it's just the flu" messaging, and that Trump is a strong-man who easily recovered and then triumphantly returned to the White House to reclaim his rightful place. Have you seen the video he tweeted out? The strong-man balcony scene is too much. It looks like something you would only see in a country with authoritarian rule.

Originally Posted by James Lacey

It's great advice when you are only a helicopter ride away from the best medical care available and can access the best treatments and medications for COVID, and you don't have to worry about how to pay for it. It's not such great advice for the average person.

The only reason you haven't gotten sick, Darian, is because you haven't come in contact with a sick person. I don't live my life in fear either, but I'm well aware that if I'm in public and come across someone who is actively shedding virus, I'm most likely going to contract it. Wearing a mask can help reduce the viral load I get or give, but if you come in close contact with someone infectious, you will likely get it. So, it makes sense to take common-sense precautions, wear a mask, stay distant when possible, wash your hands, and avoid large crowded indoor groups. It's only necessary to look no further than the Rose Garden super-spreader event to understand this.

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

"In an unprecedented move, the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday published an editorial written by its editors condemning the Trump administration for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic -- and calling for the current leadership in the United States to be voted out of office."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/07/health/nejm-editorial-political-leadership-bn/index.html

Originally Posted by James Lacey

So, I take it your intuition is telling you this is no big deal. I'm curious, what will it take for you to abandon your intuition? Because let's be honest, it's not serving you very well. If I recall correctly, you said way back in March; you thought we would see no more than 40,000 COVID deaths. We are currently at 200,000+ deaths, and COVID has killed more people than the last five to six flu seasons combined. The IHME model predicts by January of 2021, we will be at 400,000, and it has been, and continues to be, eerily accurate. Your intuition also said that Biden and Kamala could not beat Trump, yet Trump is getting crushed repeatedly in the polls. Biden clearly has a double-digit lead nationally now that several weeks of national polling have all said the same thing. Sure, Trump still has a 1 in 5 chance of winning according to most election forecasts, but let's be honest, your intuition has been wrong about this too. You may want to start paying attention to data, scientists, and various other experts and thinkers. You might be right more often.

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

Yeah, what the hell do doctors/scientists know anyways.

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

They are giving expert medical assessment of the Trump administrations response to the pandemic, not political advise:

"The response of our nation’s leaders has been consistently inadequate. The federal government has largely abandoned disease control to the states. Governors have varied in their responses, not so much by party as by competence. But whatever their competence, governors do not have the tools that Washington controls. Instead of using those tools, the federal government has undermined them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was the world’s leading disease response organization, has been eviscerated and has suffered dramatic testing and policy failures. The National Institutes of Health have played a key role in vaccine development but have been excluded from much crucial government decision making. And the Food and Drug Administration has been shamefully politicized,3 appearing to respond to pressure from the administration rather than scientific evidence. Our current leaders have undercut trust in science and in government,4 causing damage that will certainly outlast them. Instead of relying on expertise, the administration has turned to uninformed “opinion leaders” and charlatans who obscure the truth and facilitate the promulgation of outright lies."

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

Doctor are giving a remedy, one of several, for a disease...

Originally Posted by James Lacey

I'm actually sad that we had to endure four years of this moron and are having to live with the consequences of his utter incompetence. I will be glad to see him gone if Biden prevails, but it will be a bitter-sweet victory at best, given all the damage Trump has done. It will take years to dig out from his mess.

Originally Posted by Brian McFarland

I'm curious - do you consider the scientific and medical community advice regarding social distancing and mask-wearing to be political?