The absolute minimum we can expect and demand of a President is that they not play politics when lives are at stake. Can we agree on that?
Take Donald Trump. Trump has shown repeatedly that he is willing to put lives at stake in pursuit of re-election, thus failing to meet the most basic prerequisite for fitness to serve. Trump’s politicization of the COVID-19 crisis is the most recent example. To recap: Experts are warning that COVID-19 could become a worldwide pandemic that could rival or exceed the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. If COVID-19 spreads out of control in the US and the mortality rate matches the 2-2.5% rate seen so far in every country to have documented close to a thousand or more cases (so far, China, Japan, Iran, and Italy), we could be talking about upwards of a million deaths in the United States alone. Trump appointed science-denier Mike Pence to “head up” the response team and ordered that CDC officials make no public statements not approved by Pence. Then he publicly called COVID-19 a “hoax” perpetrated by the Democrats. Trump’s chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, publicly echoed those claims. And Pence went on the Sunday shows and expressed support for Don Jr.’s tweet accusing Democrats of hoping for lots of deaths in order to bring down Trump.
Trump’s politicization of this life-or-death issue is wholly disqualifying. Lives are at stake, and once again Trump has used the situation for political gain. It shows he is not fit to serve as President.
Which brings me, sadly, to Elizabeth Warren and her proffer of a bill that ties COVID-19 funding to border wall de-funding.
Obviously, if passed Trump would veto the bill. Of course, the bill will never even get a vote. But that fact doesn’t make it any better. Warren has thrown gasoline on the trope that COVID-19 is a Democratic hoax being used to score points against Trump. Indeed, that claim is half true with respect to Sen. Warren: Warren is using COVID-19 to score points against Trump. But COVID-19 is not a hoax. People are already dying. A recent report, based on genetic analysis, suggests that the outbreak went undetected in the Seattle area for up to six weeks. There are now four West Coast cases of unknown origin. The COVID-19 outbreak is likely to get much, much worse.
Warren’s bill takes two issues that are completely unrelated and ties them together in a way that is divisive, demagogic, and counterproductive.
I’ve railed against the border wall since it was first mentioned. I’ve demonstrated against it. Heck, I even diaried one of those demonstrations—you can look it up. The wall is racist and it is wrong.
And I’ve been a Warren supporter since before she announced. I agree with Warren on 99% of her policy positions. I’ve donated to Warren’s Presidential campaign monthly starting in 2018. I’ve been a supporter much longer than that—I first donated to her in 2012, when she first ran for Senate. During this cycle I’ve campaigned, I had a yard sign, and I’ve blogged on her behalf.
Nevertheless. The decision by Warren to tie the border wall defunding to funding the COVID-19 response, a wholly unrelated issue of life and death, is the single worst idea I’ve heard from a Democrat in memory. In my view it is wholly disqualifying.
Warren lacks the judgment to be a good President.I’ll be voting in California on Super Tuesday. I won’t be voting for Elizabeth Warren.