COVID-19 Rapid Fire Thoughts Edition:
Fact and Fiction
— You know those science fiction disaster films that always have the same elements: 1) Scientist/Expert makes dire warnings 2) Populace does not listen 3) Leaders poo poo his or her advice because they don’t want to incite panic, primarily because panic is bad for business and also for their reelections? Man, did those films not understand reality, eh?
Show Me Cliff Divers
I’m with Charlie here. ESPN has the opportunity to prove to its audience that sports really did exist before September of 1979. Gimme cliff diving from Acapulco. Demolition derbies. And all the Evel Knievel we can handle.
They can also resurrect The Superstars, which was sort of an Olympics pitting famous athletes against one another (an entirely new generation would learn who Bob Seagram was). I believe Scott Van Pelt would be into this.
Self-Control
I’m old enough to remember when President Trump delivered an address to the nation and said, “We must put politics aside, stop the partisanship, and unify together as one nation and one family.” It was fun while it lasted.
Shock Market
The Dow Jones fell more than 2,300 points yesterday. That’s it worst single-day loss ever, breaking a record set (checks notes) earlier this week, which broke a record (again checks notes) earlier this month. Oops.
I knew yesterday was going to be bad when between the 9 a.m. open and the 9:30 bell on “Squawk On The Street” Jim Cramer repeated his infamous line from 2007: “They know nothing!” And then he doubled down with, “I knew more than they did in 2007 and I know more than they do now.”
Someone in the White House was watching. Later in the hour, on air, he excused himself to take a phone call. He never said who phoned, but my guess is that it was either Larry Kudlow or Steve Mnuchin.
Today’s verse to remember: “It’s easy to grin/When your ship comes in/And you’ve got the stock market beat/But the man who’s worthwhile/Is the man who can smile/When his shorts are too tight in the seat”
Your Own Private Idaho
Remember just five days ago when we wrote that there were 17 states that had the coronavirus and invited you to predict which would be the final one to report? Well, we are now down to Idaho, Montana and West Virginia. You better bewaaaaaare.
Just a coincidence that these are heavy MAGA states?
A Worthwhile Thread
From 2015 to 2017 Andy Slavitt was the administrator for Medicare and Medicaid. We might want to pay attention to this thread…
A Bulldog In Congress
This is how you hold people in power responsible. Katie Porter does not let Dr. Redfield off the hook. Good for her.
Committing A Cardinal Sinn Fein
The president of the United States does not realize that Ireland is an independent republic and not part of the United Kingdom. That’s kind of a big deal over on the Emerald Isle. Like for the past seven or so centuries. What. A. Dope.
The Best Cinematic Portrayal Of How The U.S.A. Reacted To The Coronavirus
It’s like, the United States (and let’s face it, some of us dumb stockholders) had weeks and weeks to see what was happening in China (and Italy) and we all just thought, Oh, poor them. But it won’t happen here. It can’t happen here. And then for some inexact reason, Pearl Harbor hit this week. What was the turning point? Was it Wednesday’s night’s speech coupled with the Rudy Gobert and Tom Hanks news all within the same half hour? Or was it more than that?
I can distinctly talking to someone on Tuesday and telling them I was going out of New York City. At the time, and this is just three days ago, there was no feeling of Get out while you can. And at the time I remember thinking that the markets were just a see saw. The signs were there for all of us to see. I missed them because I was too enthralled with the present. The White House missed them, and continues to do so, because it does not want to deal with reality.
Knowing how many things that Trump and some of his minions have said in the past few weeks and how those words will reverberate for decades not unlike Chamberlain’s “peace in our time” quote. Now where’s our Winston Churchill?
Sticking To The Script
Man, when even the Fox News anchor gives you the look of contempt…