Summations Only

Just how bad does a president have to be to make George Bush 2 look really good?

at least Bush 2 has empathy (or a reasonable simulation of it), do you think Trump spends more than a fleeting moment thinking about the service men under his command?George W. Bush's veteran portraits yearn for a return to innocence - CNN Style

Trump doesn't spend more than a fleeting moment thinking. And those limited synaptic energies are dedicated to the aggrandizement of his own ego exclusively.I was never a Bush 2 fan but I must admit his video, as unexpected and unnecessary as it was since he is no longer in office, is a welcome sincere comfort from a republican operative. I would not have thought this of Bush 2 but I'm thinking he released this video as a counter to the lack of sympathetic leadership by Trump. To, in some small way, fill a glaring hole in the Republican leadership. I won't ever like him, but I will commend him for this effort.

From NYT earlier today: From CNN a few minutes ago: Basically, they're doing whatever Trump feels like doing at any particular moment. Planning? Strategizing? Organizing? What's that?--Percy

And now he’s filed a whistleblower reportIt seems that things were not good from the start Contacts with Trump’s inner circle seem to have be been an advantage.... Hydroxychloroquine came up: And Bright claims he was sacked because he was thought to have blown the whistle on chloroquine.

I read that one of Trump’s comments about his u-turn on the CV task force was as follows:I thought we could wind it down sooner. But I had no idea how popular the taskforce is until actually yesterday when I started talking about winding down. It is appreciated by the public.So the metric is popularity. Not efficacy and success in saving lives, but popularity. Because lives don’t matter as much as Trump getting re-elected, do they ?

It’s all about TV ratings. That number is the one Trump sort of understands.

If he planned, strategized, organized, then absolutely refused to take into consideration any new information or changes in statistics, you'd heap praise on him for that? Several times, including just recently, ABC"s David Muir proclaimed that "PRESIDENT TRUMP REVERSES COURSE". Just like your USA Today headline uses the term "reversal" - it's an egregious lie. All he did was delay an action until a later date based on new information.These news outlets do this to mislead casual swing voters, trying to imply that Trump flails about, doing 180's based on whims. As long as the swing voters aren't paying much attention, it works for them. But when those who ARE paying attention take note of this and point it out to others, then it tends to cancel out any gains the crooked news media made. Polls taken of news media approval tend to bear this out. It's like when Trump stopped travel from China back in January, and was immediately called a xenophobe, racist, bigot, etc. by many Democrats and their puppets in the news media. Now those same people have REVERSED COURSE, (proper use of the term) and say Trump didn't act soon enough to slow or stop the spread of the virus. A LOT of swing voters noticed that course reversal.It's going to be a fun campaign season!

Stubbornly refusing to make adjustments based on new information goes along with dictators like Kim Jong Un, not U.S. presidents.

And what new information is he referencing ? Popularity.Efficacy, results, saving lives, scientific data ? Nope. He just refers to popularity.That is the measure of a would-be dictator. Or a stuck up arsehole, if you prefer.

In case it isn't already obvious, there is a new Trump reelection strategy:

• Get the economy restarted as quickly as possible and ignore any public health consequences.
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• Convince the public of two contradictory stances:
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  • We're at war and sacrifices involving the lives of Americans must be made.
  • The fight against the virus has been successful and the consequences are behind us.

--Percy

Except Trump.

Planning, strategizing and organizing while changing course as circumstances require is what competent management would do. It is not what Trump is doing. He can't do course corrections because he has no set course to begin with. He does whatever he thinks is necessary for winning the news cycle, not what's good for the country.If Trump was competent and effective and doing what was good for the country then we'd have effective medical supply, testing and contact tracing strategies, but we don't. If we could perform millions of tests per day and do intensive contact tracing then we could reopen the country safely in just a few weeks, but we don't so we can't. Trump has resolutely refused to follow the advice of medical experts in these areas. Reverses course on what in particular? Only if you describe what you're talking about can it be discussed. You mean like this Trump same-day 180:

• Trump Says Task Force Will Wind Down - The New York Times
• Coronavirus: Trump says task force will continue indefinitely

And Trump's reason for the switch? Because the task force is popular. Not because this effort chaired by Mike Pence is doing essential work leading and coordinating the virus response effort (or would if Trump would let them) but that it's popular. Everyone else thinks the task force should continue in operation because of the important work it is doing.Trump only liked the task force as long as it provided him daily TV opportunities to spread propaganda, lies and misinformation. The embarrassments he created for himself grew more and more severe, finally culminating in his bleach/disinfectant/light comments that forced him to cease the daily circus, the circus being Trump, not the other people who spoke. Once the task force ceased providing him a daily propaganda opportunity, he lost interest. Of course he wanted to cancel it, because he doesn't care about the country, only what gets him before the cameras. It isn't clear what you're talking about. You're repeating a false complaint manufactured by Trump and being a willing dupe in the bargain. If you really think this true then try to track down news articles from right after Trump's January 31 announcement of the China travel restrictions that report what you're claiming. You'll have a hard time doing it because they don't exist. This is another false Trump manufactured complaint. Is there anything he says that you won't buy? Again, if you think it true then track down the news reports about it.--Percy

Just waiting now for Trump and Pence to both come down with the virus and become intubiated. Then we'll have President Pelosi to try to pull our cookies out the fire. Finally a competent person in that position!

But owned by the same oligarchs.