How’s that social distancing working out?
It’s time for the Coronavirus Task Force daily press briefing. It starts with a parade of carefully selected experts that march into the room barely two feet apart, despite CDC guidelines that clearly ask ALL AMERICANS for a six foot buffer. The President then reads from a script, carefully prepared for him. What should take five minutes to read is stretched to twenty, as the president cannot contain himself when there aren’t enough awesome, huge, tremendous, wonderful, amazing, incredible, record breaking, words included. Then at least 80% of the experts stroll to the same microphone and extol the president’s virtues and his decision making prowess. The other 20% is where truth comes from, and they are often negated later in the briefing by the president himself. Maybe it’s his way of keeping us less frightened and more positive, but I’m giving him too much credit there. More likely it’s about poll numbers in an election year. Yeah, that sounds about right…
Is the president failing us? Probably. Is this really the time to dwell on it? I say no, and that won’t be a popular opinion among my liberal brethren. Oh well, we have to save lives right now. History will do the rest. That is where I see the media making a titanic mistake, but it's not too late to course correct it.
Trump often fires back at what he sees as unfair questions, so why ask him at all?
When it comes to the media grilling the task force the focus should be on getting the information Americans need to survive. Right now most of the respected journalists in the room seem interested in poking the president and manufacturing clickbait. Before the pandemic this was a fun pastime. Right now, it serves very little purpose. These are serious times. Let’s get down to business.
We need to save lives.
Should we hold feet to the fire, of course.
Ask the president about decisions he has made, plans for the future, and “opinions” and make sure the public knows that’s what they are… The opinion of a non-medical, science denying, ill equipped president. Please ask the experts the questions of importance, like efficacy of drugs, spread of disease, models,(please don’t ask him about models, ever again) and economic impact. If the president cuts off an expert again in these briefings, please insist on the expert's analysis. If the president sidesteps the question, the next questioner should insist he allow the expert to speak. If he refuses, stay on him. We need FACTS not his OPINION. We need information, not clickbait. The best way to save more of us is to not engage the president at all. History is waiting to do that job.
Dr. Fauci is been the lone voice of reason, and will be remembered for his frank analysis of medical science and real data. His words save lives. Talk to him.
I don’t like the president, but I hope honestly that history will tell a story about American journalism and how a pandemic brought truth back from the brink of death because we demanded better from everyone. Be better, media, demand better from the Task Force. I hope it’s not too late.