Had COVID-19 started in the US under Trump's watch...
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  Had COVID-19 started in the US under Trump's watch...
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Poll
Question: If COVID-19 had first begun spreading in the US, how would Trump's response differ from China's?
#1
A more proactive approach than China (immediate federal-run lockdowns in Dallas, forced quarantines for probable cases within a couple days)
 
#2
An equally proactive approach as China (closing of area with apparent cases, shutdown of city after 17 apparent deaths, complete lockdowns of regions with single-digit cases)
 
#3
A less reactive approach (Trump denies it's a problem and refuses to support locking down of area)
 
#4
Something else
 
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Total Voters: 34

Author Topic: Had COVID-19 started in the US under Trump's watch...  (Read 1585 times)
redjohn
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« on: October 08, 2020, 10:32:43 AM »

With all the criticism of the Chinese response to COVID's first clusters in Wuhan coming from Trump and Pence, I'd like you to imagine this scenario:

The first cases of a strange pneumonia pop up in Dallas (America's ninth most populous city, compared to Wuhan). After several days, health officials begin reporting that there should be major concern over the cases.

How quickly would the federal government have responded to the cases? How many deaths would it have taken before the government began completely locking down the country?

Personally, as someone with family in China I remember seeing the pictures and videos of the roads in and out of Hubei being torn up to halt all transportation in and out of the province. Sealed doors of those who'd recently been to Wuhan. On the other hand, there was a cover-up for a couple weeks to avoid acknowledging the major problem that should also be discussed. But I think with all the blame on China, it's pretty clear from Trump's response to the virus that he would not have acted anywhere near as strongly as China did. I don't doubt that he also would've attempted to engage in some sort of cover-up. I don't know how effective it would've been.
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It’s so Joever
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« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2020, 10:56:34 AM »

It would have been infinitely worse than China, and you can bet Trump would cover it up as long as possible with the support of Texas GOP politicians.
That being said, the initial spread would be a bit slower due to behavior/population density reasons, but it would quickly not matter.
This would actually be a very interesting alternate timeline.
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Crumpets
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« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2020, 11:09:42 AM »

Let's dispel with this fiction Trump responded strongly to COVID because it originated in China. Trump had a phenomenally weak response to COVID and complemented China's government in its transparency and cooperation in addressing the outbreak until doing so was no longer politically viable.

If it had started in the US, he'd have probably had a similar weak response unless it started somewhere like San Francisco, in which case I think you can look to Reagan's response to AIDS as something of a precedent for how Trump would have initially responded.
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Del Tachi
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« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2020, 11:13:53 AM »

Weird premise.  Zoonotic viruses (like COVID-19) originate in places where many, many people live in close proximity to a lot of animals.  A very high level of human/animal density is needed for zoonotic transmission of a novel virus.   That's why these diseases (COVID, H5N1, SARS, etc.) originate in the Far East. 
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redjohn
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« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2020, 11:17:20 AM »

Weird premise.  Zoonotic viruses (like COVID-19) originate in places where many, many people live in close proximity to a lot of animals.  A very high level of human/animal density is needed for zoonotic transmission of a novel virus.   That's why these diseases (COVID, H5N1, SARS, etc.) originate in the Far East. 

Just considering the hypothetical for the purpose of guessing what the political response would be. Not discussing the origins of a virus.
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ExtremeRepublican
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« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2020, 11:19:02 AM »

Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
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redjohn
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« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2020, 11:26:58 AM »

If it had started in the US, he'd have probably had a similar weak response unless it started somewhere like San Francisco, in which case I think you can look to Reagan's response to AIDS as something of a precedent for how Trump would have initially responded.

Completely agreed. The US has a horrendous record on handling epidemics, particularly in marginalized communities where the marginalized communities themselves are blamed for contracting illnesses. The homophobic and racist handling of AIDS by Reagan's admin would've probably been a blueprint for any standard Republican administration on handling a disease disproportionately affecting any disadvantaged community.
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It’s so Joever
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« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2020, 11:54:43 AM »

Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.
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Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers
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« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2020, 12:49:41 PM »

Get used to it Asian countries have been walking around years wearing masks, social distancing is the future, for now in this country, even if Biden is elected Prez, we are still gonna be social distancing, nothing is gonna change that much between now and Jan as far as attending large events and crowds. Even from now and Jan 2022
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Santander
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« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2020, 02:21:33 PM »

Get used to it Asian countries have been walking around years wearing masks, social distancing is the future, for now in this country, even if Biden is elected Prez, we are still gonna be social distancing, nothing is gonna change that much between now and Jan as far as attending large events and crowds. Even from now and Jan 2022
That's because of pollution, you dolt.
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SevenEleven
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« Reply #10 on: October 08, 2020, 02:49:22 PM »

Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.

We need to fix our schools ASAP.
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Santander
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« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2020, 02:52:17 PM »

Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.

We need to fix our schools ASAP.
He probably went to a Christian school where he was taught to worship God instead of the government.
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SevenEleven
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« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2020, 02:55:02 PM »

Quote from:  link=topic=402514.msg7636466#msg7636466 date=1602186562 uid=28871
Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.

We need to fix our schools ASAP.
He probably went to a Christian school where he was taught to worship God instead of the government.

Dude is a Vanderbilt grad IIRC.

Conservatism is a pandemic worse than COVID, responsible for far more deaths. It's time we treat it as such.
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Damocles
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« Reply #13 on: October 08, 2020, 02:56:19 PM »

"The official position of the Republican Party is that a global coronavirus outbreak cannot originate in the United States. They told the public that the highest confirmed numbers of cases were just 2,000, in New York. They gave them the propaganda number."
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Santander
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« Reply #14 on: October 08, 2020, 02:57:23 PM »

Quote from:  link=topic=402514.msg7636466#msg7636466 date=1602186562 uid=28871
Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.

We need to fix our schools ASAP.
He probably went to a Christian school where he was taught to worship God instead of the government.

Dude is a Vanderbilt grad IIRC.

Conservatism is a pandemic worse than COVID, responsible for far more deaths. It's time we treat it as such.
I meant like, primary/secondary school, but yeah, conservatism is a disease.
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Starry Eyed Jagaloon
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« Reply #15 on: October 08, 2020, 03:06:14 PM »

Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.

We need to fix our schools ASAP.
He probably went to a Christian school where he was taught to worship God instead of the government.
I'm no fan of ExtremeConservative's position on Covid, but are you seriously arguing we should worship government?
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Santander
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« Reply #16 on: October 08, 2020, 03:09:40 PM »

Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.

We need to fix our schools ASAP.
He probably went to a Christian school where he was taught to worship God instead of the government.
I'm no fan of ExtremeConservative's position on Covid, but are you seriously arguing we should worship government?

Surely you understand my posting style by now?
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Starry Eyed Jagaloon
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« Reply #17 on: October 08, 2020, 03:11:17 PM »

Wuhan overreacted in the way you can count on Communist/Authoritarian governments to do so.  The only thing that was surprising is that non-Communist countries did similar things.

Although, I could see the argument of trying to cordon the disease within a certain zone to prevent a pandemic, but the cat was out of the bag on that by late February.
Thanks for explaining why China handled it better than the US, mindsets like yours.

We need to fix our schools ASAP.
He probably went to a Christian school where he was taught to worship God instead of the government.
I'm no fan of ExtremeConservative's position on Covid, but are you seriously arguing we should worship government?
Surely you understand my posting style by now?
I was being mildly dyslexic and thought I was replying to a Forumlurker post. Got it.
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Skill and Chance
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« Reply #18 on: October 08, 2020, 03:21:16 PM »

Trump could shut down air travel to/from Texas and put roadblocks at state borders, but anything more than that would be up to Greg Abbott.  With the real COVID, he started off proactive in March/April, then went libertarian in May and then got proactive again in late June and July (really, one of the most proactive summer wave responses in the country for an R governor in a Trump state). 

If this scenario happened, I think he would start off super aggressive (especially with the opportunity to play himself off against the Dem mayor of Dallas) and have the national guard quarantine the Metroplex for a few weeks.  However, he would be anxious to declare victory and may lift the quarantine too soon.
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shua
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« Reply #19 on: October 08, 2020, 03:28:37 PM »

If COVID had started in the US rather than China, the result would have likely been worse in the US than COVID was in China, but better for the world as a whole due to greater transparency.  The WHO for one thing would not have been as deferential to any kind of propaganda from the Trump Administration as it was to propaganda from China.
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Skill and Chance
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« Reply #20 on: October 08, 2020, 03:39:45 PM »

If COVID had started in the US rather than China, the result would have likely been worse in the US than COVID was in China, but better for the world as a whole due to greater transparency.  The WHO for one thing would not have been as deferential to any kind of propaganda from the Trump Administration as it was to propaganda from China.

The world as a whole would be 10X better off with a pandemic that started in a country with free speech. 
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Skill and Chance
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« Reply #21 on: October 08, 2020, 06:32:28 PM »

Weird premise.  Zoonotic viruses (like COVID-19) originate in places where many, many people live in close proximity to a lot of animals.  A very high level of human/animal density is needed for zoonotic transmission of a novel virus.

Ehhh, Spanish Flu may have originated in rural Kansas.  I agree it would have been better to use, say, a meatpacking plant in Amarillo in the example rather than Dallas.
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