This morning I read a story posted by an American Ex-pat who currently lives in France (see Do Americans Understand How Badly They’re Doing?). The story was focused upon the difference between the coordinated, national-level measures that European Countries have taken to control and contain the Corona Virus vs. the chaotic and rudderless efforts in the United States. The U.S. ranks with Brazil in the out-of-control spread of the pandemic – see chart.
By The New York Times | Source: Johns Hopkins University
I posted about that last week – see How Embarrassing. One phrase that the author used that seems to apply to the response to both the pandemic and to the lack of national leadership that is contributing to the unfolding disaster is “self-inflicted wound”. Indeed POTUS could easily switch out his MAGA logo on his red baseball caps with Self-Inflicted Wound and they would immediately become much more meaningful and accurate.
Several states that rushed to reopen have also discovered that they have caused self-inflicted wounds upon their populations. The southern and western states that reopened everything are now having to backtrack and take measures that were obvious from the get-go – closing venues where large, unruly crowns might gather and requiring masks in enclosed spaces. It is only a matter of time until regulation or common sense causes the airlines that decided to fully pack their planes to back off that decision. No one in his or her right mind would get onto a fully loaded plane.
I also posted here last week about the lack of will that American have displayed in dealing with this crisis – see Felled by a lack of patience and resolve. What I did not state strongly enough was the devastating impact of not only a lack of leadership sat the national level, but indeed a leadership that seems to be only concerned with political survival. This is a self-inflicted wound on America; but, it is one that we can correct in November. We need only hope that our Tweeter-in-Chief’s self-aggrandizing and delusional leadership is kept somewhat in check until then. One can also hope that his Senate toady Mitch McConnell stands proudly at attention saluting and goes down with that ship.
Until November we will all have to watch the embarrassment unfold on the nightly news as POTUS keeps claiming what a great job he is dong and the successful countries of the world keep their borders closed to Americans. I guess it is good in one way that we can’t ravel to those countries, since we would be subjected to their laughter and derision about our self-inflicted wound.
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