In our New Corona-Reality, Is "I Don't Know" a Mantra?

On our radio show (Speak Up, Las Cruces!”), Walt Rubel and I, and all who called in, readily confessed we don’t know what’s going to happen in the new corona-reality, but are following expert advice. Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Debbi Moore, when she called late in the show, remarked on everyone’s confessions of ignorance. Businesspeople and economists interviewed by others are also saying “I don’t know” a lot.

“I don’t know,” has otherwise been an increasingly rare phrase in political discussions. On most subjects, even if we know little, we readily wade in shouting opinions. Might we all learn from candidly confessing our ignorance during this challenging time?

It’s no secret that Republicans, particularly in the Executive Branch, reject a lot of science. They’ve denied anthropomorphic climate-change, muzzled scientists who work for the Feds, and savaged the U.S. State Department. They’ve eliminated many positions in which experts might articulate politically inconvenient facts about health or environment.

Noting this Republican rejection of science, we asked U.S. Senator Tom Udall whether he thought that, in this crisis, Senate Republicans were tending to get to work, without rejecting expert advice that might be bad for business. He said the folks he worked with (and he’d worked with many to pass the emergency relief act) were indeed “really looking at the evidence and listening,” adding, “I think that’s why they allowed us to move off this corporate-only bill to a very expansive bill, which was exactly what our pubic-health officials were telling us we should be doing.” (The final bill is still overly kind to some corporations, banks, and airlines that lobbied Senators unusually hard.)

Hours later, it was particularly jarring to read that Mr. Trump was suggesting the country could “reopen” in three weeks – and alleging that the “Lamestream Media” was blowing up the coronavirus stuff to torpedo his reelection prospects. 

 

Has Trump hit a new low? Imagine FDR complaining that Republicans were exaggerating the significance of Pearl Harbor to make him lose votes. 

 

Trump’s mindless “tweets” ignore reality. The global need for a massive response to this virus isn’t a media invention. Trump’s own scientific advisors and political appointees, standing six feet away from him during press briefings, stress the need for lockdown measures. They do it not because of some ephemeral philosophy but because they’ve seen what happened in China, Italy, South Korea, and Taiwan. 

 

Italy is an instructive tragedy. In China, they’ve stemmed the huge tide of COVID-19 cases, and are barring travelers from here. During the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918, U.S. cities responded differently. St. Louis immediately locked down, enforcing physical distancing. Philadelphia threw a 200,000-spectator Liberty Loan parade on September 28. Three days later vast numbers of sick Philadelphians jammed the hospitals. In October, 250 people per 100,000 were dying from Spanish flu. St. Louis peaked at one-eighth that. 

 

I’m not making this stuff up. Maybe we could forego restrictive measures and somehow skate through without massive problems; but I’m not hearing anyone with real knowledge of the facts suggesting we try. 

 

Trump’s reaction here is not just nutty. It’s not just kind of dangerous. It’s possibly life-threatening. Experts stress that lifting restrictions too soon would kill many more people and ultimately hurt our economy more. They might be right.

If “I don’t know” catches on – meaning not, “I don’t need to know,” but “I have more to learn about this,” Trump will certainly be immune.

                                                      – 30 --

[The above column appeared this morning, Sunday, 29 March 2020, in the Las Cruces Sun-News, as well as on the newspaper's website and on KRWG's website.  A spoken version will air during the week on both KRWG and KTAL-LP, 101.5 FM (www.lccommunityradio.org) and is also available at the KRWG site.]

[Whether or not "I don't know" catches on, I sure don't know anything.  Here Trump has demonstrably (a) weakened our ability to spot a pandemic and react quickly and sensibly before it even hits the U.S., (b) delayed following the experts' advice and even mocked the problem as a Democratic hoax, (c) most recently [apparently] caused medical supply vendors to stiff Michigan because it has a young, female, Democratic Governor he doesn't like (then declined to take her calls!), and (d) made noises that he might lift restrictions prematurely -- and polls show him above water for the first time!  I don't know nothing.  If what we're hearing about his treatment of Michigan (and Washington State) is accurate, and he carries that key "swing state" -- what lunatic planet do we live on?]

[Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told a radio station Friday that medical supply vendors informed her they’ve been told “not to send stuff” to her state amid the battle against COVID-19.
She couldn't say whether this was a White House order or the vndors were intimidated by Trump's feud with her.  
When she tried to call the president Thursday night to discuss the issue, she couldn't get through. He was actually trashing her to Fox "News", referring to her "as that young . . . woman governor from Michigan."
To review the bidding, the Administration told states to go it alone on medical supplies, Michigan was trying, and vendors with whom Michigan had contacts are being told by someone not to send Michigan supplies.  Shipments of personal protective equipment are being “canceled” or “delayed” — and sent instead to the federal government. Whitmer says other states are experiencing the same. She said it’s happening to other states as well.

At a press briefing Friday, Trump said he had instructed Vice President Mike Pence (head of Trump's coronavirus task force) not to call the governors of Michigan and Washington. The two states have among the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the nation.Trump reportedly said, “I say, ‘Mike, don’t call ... the woman in Michigan. It doesn’t make any difference what happens.’” I'll be curious to learn more about the context of that.  Can it rally be as bad as it looks?!  Whitmer won election by nearly a 10% margin, and has responded appropriately to Mr. Trump.]

[By the way, on "Speak Up, Las Cruces!" we're still doing our regular Wednesday morning discussion show, as well as half-hour "Cruces Coronavirus Updates" at 9 Mondays and Fridays.  The Wednesday show has been devoted to coronavirus and the shutdown recently, with discussions this past week with Senator Udall, local business leaders, a psychologist, and a nurse who's on the front lines in Baltimore.  This coming Wednesday we'll talk with local expert Dr. Obiefuna Okoli (recorded a couple of days ago) and local health experts, as well as local officials and another psychologist, plus someone who knows how this is playing out with immigrants detained by the federal government.  AND YOU!  We invite phone calls, at 575 526-KTAL -- 526 5825.
Starting 15 April, we'll be discussing (by phone) local primary election races, with the candidates.  We've a full schedule for April and May.  That tentative schedule is:

4/15 9 a.m. Dona Ana County Treasurer

4/22 8 a.m. Dona Ana County Clerk 

9 a.m. Lou Gerber

4/29 8 a.m. Dona Ana County Commissioner (District 4) Dem;

 9 a.m. County 4 GOP

5/6 8 a.m. Dona Ana County Commissioner (District 2)  

9 a.m. District Attorney

5/13 8 a.m. N.M. State Senate Dist. 38 GOP 

9 a.m. Senate 38 Dem

5/20 8 a.m. N.M. State House Dist. 34 

9 a.m. Senate 31

5/27 8 and 9 a.m. U.S. Congressional Dist. 2 ]