I feel sorry for the poor schmucks of the Presidential Praetorian Guard, or whatever they call them nowadays, who must have one of the Worst Jobs In The World. As an added bonus, they now get Covid-19...
Presumably they can't be prohibited from wearing PPE?
That makes me wonder about uniformed officers in other fields than personal security of top politicians - do they get PPE to match their uniform and told to wear it or just given permission to wear some they provide but mustn't distract from uniform (logos, garish colours etc) ?
Presumably they can't be prohibited from wearing PPE?
Cloth masks aren't PPE.
Seriously - they're not. They're a public health measure, and they reduce the spread of virus-carrying droplets, but they're not PPE, because they don't provide any effective protection for the wearer. You wear a mask to protect other people from you.
I don't know what the rules are for the Secret Service; but someone could probably make an argument that masks, PPE, etc. might get in the way of protecting T. (E.g., communication, full vision (I find my straight-down vision somewhat obscured in a mask), movement, etc.)
Yes, that makes sense. I still feel sorry for them, though, having to protect such a malevolent, ignorant, would-be dictator.
Mind you, Barack Obama led his guards a bit of a dance, judging by the videos of his random forays into the streets, cafes etc., though the public generally enjoyed them - especially the folk who actually got to speak with the President, shake his hand, have their photo taken etc. etc.
Yes, I know some of those visits were planned a little beforehand, but Mr Obama must have given the Secret Service some anxious moments...
Yes, that makes sense. I still feel sorry for them, though, having to protect such a malevolent, ignorant, would-be dictator.
Mind you, Barack Obama led his guards a bit of a dance, judging by the videos of his random forays into the streets, cafes etc., though the public generally enjoyed them!
Yes, I know some of those visits were planned a little beforehand, but Mr O must have given the Secret Service some anxious moments...
From what I understand unplanned visits are generally far safer for US Presidents than well-telegraphed planned events. Nobody is going to sit in a book depository (or on a grassy knoll for that matter) with a high-powered rifle on the off-chance the President might happen by the window.
AIUI, some of the visits to restaurants etc. were 'planned' to the extent that the relevant staff on duty had half-an-hour's notice that the President would be visiting! Just enough time to get excited, and to make sure they had a clean T-shirt on...
Does Trump ever do these random, off-the-cuff, visits, or walkabouts? Or does he only go to places where he knows (or thinks, or hopes) The Faithful will be present in Bigly Quantities?
President Donald Trump's campaign directed the removal of thousands of "Do Not Sit Here, Please!" stickers from seats in the Bank of Oklahoma Center in the hours before the President's much anticipated Tulsa rally, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
As part of the BOK Center's safety plan for the June 20 rally, arena management had purchased 12,000 do-not-sit stickers with the intention of keeping people apart by leaving open seats between attendees, according to the Post.
Then on the day of the rally, when event staff had already placed the stickers on nearly every other seat in the 19,000-seat arena, the Trump campaign told event management to stop and then began removing the stickers, according to a person familiar with the event who spoke to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
<snip>
The stickers were removed at the arena ahead of the event, according to pool reporters, who noticed that the stickers that once appeared on the seats hours before were nearly all gone by mid-afternoon on Saturday. The stickers were removed before the public was allowed into the arena, according to pool reports.
Meanwhile, in one video clip obtained by the Post, two men, one in a suit and one wearing a badge and a face mask, can be seen pulling stickers off seats in a section of the arena. The identities of the men are unclear.
No one has greater contempt for Donald Trump's supporters than Donald Trump.
If they'd left the stickers in place, the little group of 6000 (or whatever it was) would have had to spread out, and would have looked a lot Biglier than it really was...
It seems that Homer Simpson no longer works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, but for Trump...
The Simpsons famously predicted the Trump presidency. Lisa followed him into the White House and had to sort out the mess. Milhous was in charge of the finances, and announced that Trump had spent all the money.
Regards the Tulsa rally: as I understand it, about two thousand of the people in that auditorium were campaign staff, security details, and the press. Another 2,000 were paid gig actors (they were on the floor of the arena) which left 2,400 as real spectators, Many shots of the audience showed they were bored.
The Rushmore episode had him saying a speech that was very racist and xenophobic.
He has an upcoming rally in New Hampshire, but his people have been told in no uncertain terms that all attendees must wear masks or it will be shut down.
And now there are reports that the great convention he is expecting in Florida will not be so great. Many key Republican senators have said they will not attend. Some delegations like from the Northeast will not be attending because of their states' quarantine rules. Sounds like it might just be half full from the reports I have been seeing.
Regards the Tulsa rally: as I understand it . . . .
Source? As honorable a gentleman as you are, I see no reason to treat your report any differently from any other unsubstantiated rumor. (Miss Amanda said, while chuckling under her breath over prospects that it might indeed be true.)
The claim had been bouncing around on social media outlets. Various fact check organizations though have said that at best, the claim cannot be verified.
However, CBS News this evening reported that Tulsa has seen an increase of 500 new Coronavirus cases since the rally two weeks ago. We will be watching for the next increase in Phoenix, then South Dakota, and so on. Good job, Donnie.
An anecdote from CNN. Interviewing a man who has had the extreme misfortune to have contracted the virus twice (and both he and his wife are still sick) it emerged that their son still believes that the virus is a hoax.
Now that's the power of the cult. Words like Fake News and Hoax become embedded in the brain as the secure answer to apparently unpalatable facts. Cult members can remain in denial for a long time. The words which illustrate their belonging have become shibboleths. A sign of membership.
Everyone is expendable in service of the re-election ambition. Including Trump cult members.
Arizona authorities will not reveal for privacy reasons what tracking and tracing have revealed about the spike in Tulsa and any clear connections with attendance at the rally. Rallies will go ahead. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.
Except the ship's captain is taking very good care of his own safety. Just not that of his loyal supporters.
I agree it looks lame. Plus it seems to fly in the face of the need for transparency. But I suppose Trump supporters told they should go into quarantine would probably not want to tell.
Everyone is expendable in service of the re-election ambition. Including Trump cult members.
Arizona authorities will not reveal for privacy reasons what tracking and tracing have revealed about the spike in Tulsa and any clear connections with attendance at the rally. Rallies will go ahead. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.
Except the ship's captain is taking very good care of his own safety. Just not that of his loyal supporters.
As Tulsa is a city in Oklahoma, not Arizona, I'm not sure why you would look to Arizona for results. Nonetheless, it has been reported that there has been a spike in Oklahoma, with an estimated 500 new cases attributed to the Trump rally.
After the rally in Tulsa, OK, he had a follow-up rally at a church in Phoenix, AZ. That is why I am interested in what the increase will likely be in Arizona.
There was a very interesting piece in Vox on Trump's support among culturally conservative evangelicals. It's an interview with Kristin Kobes Du Mez, who recently published a book, Jesus and John Wayne. It was worth the read. FYI
There was a very interesting piece in Vox on Trump's support among culturally conservative evangelicals. It's an interview with Kristin Kobes Du Mez, who recently published a book, Jesus and John Wayne. It was worth the read. FYI
Is there any substance to the speculation I have read in a couple of places (and I'm sorry I didn't note where they were) that if Trump is not re-elected he may refuse to leave the White House?). I dismissed it the first time I read it, but is it likely?
I think it's likely that he'd contest the validity of any election in which he appeared to lose. Inauguration takes place nearly 3 months after the election, leaving plenty of time for a lame duck president with a pliant Department of Justice and a substantial number of hard core followers to cause mischief.
I think it's likely that he'd contest the validity of any election in which he appeared to lose. Inauguration takes place nearly 3 months after the election, leaving plenty of time for a lame duck president with a pliant Department of Justice and a substantial number of hard core followers to cause mischief.
This is assuming that there will be votes in swing states that can be challenged, but when Biden appears to be carrying those states by more than 10 points, the courts will be disinterested.
In other news, Trump delays the New Hampshire rally. Ostensibly because of Hurricane (or Tropical Storm) Fay, but the educated guess is because the expected turn out looked to be lower than Tulsa. People just don't want to risk getting the virus.
This is assuming that there will be votes in swing states that can be challenged, but when Biden appears to be carrying those states by more than 10 points, the courts will be disinterested.
The courts aside, and as encouraged as I am that Biden is currently polling so well compared to Trump, the election is still almost 4 months away. A lot can happen between now and then.
No jinxing about it. It’s reality. Talking about the current poll numbers as though they are an actual predictor of what might happen in November is what risks jinxing things by lulling folks into a false sense of security. We’re 16½ weeks from November 3, and that’s a long time in politics. It ain’t over til it’s over. We act as if we’ve already won, or even as if we’re winning, at our own peril.
No jinxing about it. It’s reality. Talking about the current poll numbers as though they are an actual predictor of what might happen in November is what risks jinxing things by lulling folks into a false sense of security. We’re 16½ weeks from November 3, and that’s a long time in politics. It ain’t over til it’s over. We act as if we’ve already won, or even as if we’re winning, at our own peril.
Exactly. A week is a long time in politics.
The election is not won or lost until the votes are counted. Even then, it's not the popular vote overall, but how that translates into the result that vote gives in the Electoral College. As 4 years ago, a majority of the popular vote does not necessarily mean success. Should Bernie Sanders decide to run, that would split the anti-Trump vote and make it harder to tip him out.
Should Bernie Sanders decide to run, that would split the anti-Trump vote and make it harder to tip him out.
I don’t think there’s a realistic scenario under which Bernie could decide to run now. Aside from the fact that a presidential candidate has to get on the ballot state-by-state—and the deadline for getting on the ballot as an independent has already passed or is fast approaching in many if not most states—he’s already been on the ballot seeking a party nomination. In many states, that disqualifies him from being able to run in the same election cycle as an independent.
if Trump is not re-elected he may refuse to leave the White House
Merely occupying the White House would not make him President. At any rate, I would expect that the Secret Service would escort him out, under guard and in handcuffs if necessary.
I knew that his possible staying would not affect the outcome, but from this distance, and hearing so many strange stories about him it's difficult to know what is true. (Just to be clear I'm not criticising US politics -heaven knows NZ ones are weird enough at the moment).
Trump is SO gearing up to challenge the election results right now. How many times has he talked about voter fraud? How many times has he referred to Democrats as liars and cheats. He's priming his supporters to ready them for a massive political conflict if he loses. Trump is really not Al Gore. He couldn't give a shit about the country.
Comments
I also think the Dream City Church could do with a good exorcism before they try to hold Sunday services there.
ITTWACW!
I feel sorry for the poor schmucks of the Presidential Praetorian Guard, or whatever they call them nowadays, who must have one of the Worst Jobs In The World. As an added bonus, they now get Covid-19...
That makes me wonder about uniformed officers in other fields than personal security of top politicians - do they get PPE to match their uniform and told to wear it or just given permission to wear some they provide but mustn't distract from uniform (logos, garish colours etc) ?
Cloth masks aren't PPE.
Seriously - they're not. They're a public health measure, and they reduce the spread of virus-carrying droplets, but they're not PPE, because they don't provide any effective protection for the wearer. You wear a mask to protect other people from you.
Mind you, Barack Obama led his guards a bit of a dance, judging by the videos of his random forays into the streets, cafes etc., though the public generally enjoyed them - especially the folk who actually got to speak with the President, shake his hand, have their photo taken etc. etc.
Yes, I know some of those visits were planned a little beforehand, but Mr Obama must have given the Secret Service some anxious moments...
From what I understand unplanned visits are generally far safer for US Presidents than well-telegraphed planned events. Nobody is going to sit in a book depository (or on a grassy knoll for that matter) with a high-powered rifle on the off-chance the President might happen by the window.
AIUI, some of the visits to restaurants etc. were 'planned' to the extent that the relevant staff on duty had half-an-hour's notice that the President would be visiting! Just enough time to get excited, and to make sure they had a clean T-shirt on...
Does Trump ever do these random, off-the-cuff, visits, or walkabouts? Or does he only go to places where he knows (or thinks, or hopes) The Faithful will be present in Bigly Quantities?
Such as Tulsa, for example...
No one has greater contempt for Donald Trump's supporters than Donald Trump.
If they'd left the stickers in place, the little group of 6000 (or whatever it was) would have had to spread out, and would have looked a lot Biglier than it really was...
It seems that Homer Simpson no longer works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, but for Trump...
The Simpsons famously predicted the Trump presidency. Lisa followed him into the White House and had to sort out the mess. Milhous was in charge of the finances, and announced that Trump had spent all the money.
One feels that America could do worse than elect another orangey-yellow cartoon character...
The Rushmore episode had him saying a speech that was very racist and xenophobic.
He has an upcoming rally in New Hampshire, but his people have been told in no uncertain terms that all attendees must wear masks or it will be shut down.
And now there are reports that the great convention he is expecting in Florida will not be so great. Many key Republican senators have said they will not attend. Some delegations like from the Northeast will not be attending because of their states' quarantine rules. Sounds like it might just be half full from the reports I have been seeing.
It makes one wonder how many of those who turn up at any Trump-worship event are actually of The Faithful (rather than hirelings).
Source? As honorable a gentleman as you are, I see no reason to treat your report any differently from any other unsubstantiated rumor. (Miss Amanda said, while chuckling under her breath over prospects that it might indeed be true.)
However, CBS News this evening reported that Tulsa has seen an increase of 500 new Coronavirus cases since the rally two weeks ago. We will be watching for the next increase in Phoenix, then South Dakota, and so on. Good job, Donnie.
Now that's the power of the cult. Words like Fake News and Hoax become embedded in the brain as the secure answer to apparently unpalatable facts. Cult members can remain in denial for a long time. The words which illustrate their belonging have become shibboleths. A sign of membership.
Arizona authorities will not reveal for privacy reasons what tracking and tracing have revealed about the spike in Tulsa and any clear connections with attendance at the rally. Rallies will go ahead. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.
Except the ship's captain is taking very good care of his own safety. Just not that of his loyal supporters.
At least, not yet.
As Tulsa is a city in Oklahoma, not Arizona, I'm not sure why you would look to Arizona for results. Nonetheless, it has been reported that there has been a spike in Oklahoma, with an estimated 500 new cases attributed to the Trump rally.
Interesting read! Scary, but useful background.
This is assuming that there will be votes in swing states that can be challenged, but when Biden appears to be carrying those states by more than 10 points, the courts will be disinterested.
And it's silly to say anyone appears to be carrying anything four months before the election.
Psssst. Don't jinx it!
Exactly. A week is a long time in politics.
The election is not won or lost until the votes are counted. Even then, it's not the popular vote overall, but how that translates into the result that vote gives in the Electoral College. As 4 years ago, a majority of the popular vote does not necessarily mean success. Should Bernie Sanders decide to run, that would split the anti-Trump vote and make it harder to tip him out.
I knew that his possible staying would not affect the outcome, but from this distance, and hearing so many strange stories about him it's difficult to know what is true. (Just to be clear I'm not criticising US politics -heaven knows NZ ones are weird enough at the moment).