Gloom but not doom

    Several ongoing stories in the news incite both hope and despair.   The Covid 19 story is a case in point.  While the emergency is real in the Northeast and cases continue to escalate in other areas of the country, regional consortiums of governors on the east and west coasts are making tentative plans to reopen the economies in those areas.   Meanwhile, in South Dakota, the governor refuses to issue a shelter in place order even after one of the biggest meat packing plants in the country has been shut down by the virus with over 300 cases.   Instead, the governor is sponsoring a trial of hyroxychlorquine, the president*s fantasy drug of choice to combat the pandemic.  Another study of the drug was shut down amid concerns the side effects of the drug could cause heart problems.
    Wisconsin republicans forced the primary and judicial elections to proceed as normal in the face of the epidemic last week.  They supposed low voter turnout would lead to the reelection of a conservative justice on the State Supreme Court.  Instead, their obstruction of free and fair elections caused liberals to turn out in record numbers to elect the liberal challenger.
     Finally, the NYT came out with a devastating story charting the delay, dithering and inaction of the administration and the president* as the Covid 19 pandemic roared across the country.  With access to 80 pages of emails and conversations with officials it has been established tRump was warned repeatedly in January and February the country was in danger and yet he continued to downplay the situation, referring to the virus as a democratic hoax.   He aired a campaign video last night during his  "pandemic briefing" blaming the media for government inaction.   At the same time, he asserted his power to end the states' shutdown of the economy.   At this point most people consider this presidency a rancid joke which needs to end on the third of November.  I will end on that hopeful note.