Game of Thrones in US Politics
There is clearly no love lost between Governor Cuomo of New York and President Trump. I have been shocked over the last few weeks at how well they have gotten along during the Covid-19 outbreak, but that seems to be coming to an end.
It started a couple of days ago when Trump said that he doesn’t believe that New York State needs forty thousand ventilators. During an appearance on Hannity, a FOX News program hosted by an adoring sycophant, Trump said this:
“I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to need,” the president said. “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You know, you go to major hospitals, sometimes they have two ventilators. Now all of a sudden they’re saying can we order 30,000 ventilators.”
Bully in Chief
It is appalling that Trump uses something like ventilators as a device to control behavior. He is exploiting New York’s and other states’ need for aid as a way of achieving fealty. Reports came out of the White House on Friday that Trump instructed the Vice President to not reach out to Governors who aren’t “appreciative” of his efforts. This is what Trump said during a White House Daily Briefing:
“I think they should be appreciative. Because you know what? When they’re not appreciative to me, they’re not appreciative to the Army Corps [of Engineers], they’re not appreciative to FEMA. It’s not right,”
Because I don’t want anyone to think I am taking things out of context, here is the interaction in its entirety:
He has been lying from the start
As I ranted about yesterday, I see people on social media applauding the efforts of Donald Trump and it disgusts me. He began this whole ordeal by denying its existence. He followed that up by claiming we were going to defeat it before it takes hold. Then, he claimed it was all a Democrat hoax to derail his reelection. Recently, he made obtuse claims that people don’t want the economy to fail and that everyone he talks to is pleading to go back to work to save the Stock Market. Now he is holding federal aid hostage and demanding Governors “kiss the ring” in order to get assistance.
Doesn’t this all sound a little bit like The Godfather or Scarface?
The latest fiasco coming out of The White House was Trump indicating that he may enact a quarantine of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. This would essentially close the borders of the states. First of all, this is most likely unconstitutional and outside of his executive power. Second, he didn’t even discuss this with the Governors of the three states mentioned. All three pushed back.
While speaking with CNN’s Ana Cabrera, Governor Cuomo of New York said the following:
“It would be chaos and mayhem,”
“It’s totally opposite everything he’s been saying. I don’t think it is plausible. I don’t think it is legal.”
“This would be a federal declaration of war on states,”
That last statement made by Cuomo has very deliberate phrasing. It acts as a line in the sand, per se. I only hope there is someone in The Oval Office that is speaking rationally to the President. He is in uncharted waters and he is making a lot of mistakes. Sadly, these mistakes have the potential to cause a lot of death and do serious harm to the economy.
My escape from the national chaos
On a very different note, I would like to take a few moments to express my sheer love and admiration for Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch. It has been a welcome distraction during this last week of severe social distancing (I still hate that term).
This new game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is technically the fifth release in a series of games that have scanned several consoles. There have been a few spin-off releases, as well. In hindsight, I am saddened that this new one is the first one I have played.
For those that have not heard of Animal Crossing, the concept is simple:
You are a human who decides to move to an deserted island owned by a company called Nook, Inc. There, you are going to act as a representative of a new flock of animals that are going to build a community there. You start with a tent and some simple tools and build your way to a thriving city over time.
click here to read about my history with video games
I am amazed by the manner in which the games takes full advantage of our brains’ dopamine reward system. The next achievement is always in sight and easy enough to obtain. It keeps you playing with a nice balance of “cute” and “challenge.” If you own a Nintendo Switch, I highly recommend this game.
At the time I am writing this, there are five of us currently living in the house and all five of us are playing the game. We take turns visiting each other’s islands and trading fruits and other supplies.
I guess this is what the apocalypse looks like:
See you tomorrow…
Chris
Oh, and here is today’s YouTube vlog post:
