These are my observations and opinions from my select news of the day.
TRUMP MORE PRESIDENTIAL NOW? – Since he was elected, Democrats and their media friends, have been highly critical of President Trump, quick to say he doesn’t act presidential. Of course, that’s in the eye (or ears) of the beholder.
Was he being compared to Barack Obama?
Remember, Obama was described by Joe Biden as “the first mainstream African-American, who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy … I mean, that’s storybook, man.”
Then there was the memorable description of Obama, made by New York Times columnist David Brooks: “I remember distinctly an image of … we were sitting on his couches, and I was looking at his pant leg and his perfectly creased pant. And I’m thinking he’s going to be president, and he’ll be a very good president.”
And let’s not forget the words of former MSNBC anchor Chris Mathews, who said on-air, “I have to tell you, you know, its part of reporting this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama speak. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg, I mean I don’t have that too often.”
Critics of President Trump focus on his demeanor, and the authenticity that his supporters like, and why he was elected. People stand in line for hours for the opportunity to see him and hear him speak. He acts like he’s one of them, and his critics say he doesn’t act presidential.
Trump frequently mentions those critics when he speaks, and occasionally mimics a “stuffed shirt” president at the lectern.
President Trump has likely changed the paradigm of the presidency. Candidates have been known to make promises on the campaign trail, only they rarely follow through. With President Trump, people are experiencing promises made, promises kept.
(Courtesy Ken Catalano)
TRUMP THE LEADER – We are now seeing in President Trump, a man who was going to easily win reelection in November, on the heels of a super vibrant economy, confidently addressing the Chinese Virus outbreak for the health and safety of the people. He has placed those plans for rallies across the nation on the back burner.
During the daily press briefings by the task force on the virus, people are seeing a different president, more somber and serious, but in command. He is backed up by a task force that he calls upon to explain their actions and to respond to media questions.
“Mr. Trump this week has taken steps to demonstrate more command, appearing at daily news conferences, and taking a solemn outlook, while his campaign weighs how to contend with battered financial markets and rising unemployment,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
“This week’s White House Report Card finds President Trump in a stronger position as he leads his Coronavirus task force to take tougher measures to slow the spread of infections and death,” wrote Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner.
Pollster John Zogby, no friend of the president, graded President Trump with an A-, noting that “the president took charge like a wartime president,” comparing him to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
IPSOS/ABC NEWS POLL: “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)? Approve 55 percent, Disapprove 43 percent,”
TRUMP’S DAILY EXPOSURE during the task force briefings is causing concern among the anti-Trump networks, because they give him direct access to viewers with minimal filtering. And with Americans hunkered down at home, the regular briefings are providing them with up to date information, and reassurances from their leader,
It’s easy to see why Democrats are concerned that the virus has shut out Joe Biden from getting any coverage. But, as William A. Jacobson commented, “Joe Biden doesn’t have the mental acuity or stamina to handle such daily press conferences, and that reality is sinking in with Democrats.”
Margaret Sullivan, who writes for the Washington Post, blatantly stated @Sullview: “The media must stop live-broadcasting Trump’s dangerous, destructive coronavirus briefings.”
I recently wrote about the ABC and NBC reporters who were critical of the president referring to the virus as the Chinese Virus. They weren’t happy with his response, “because it came from China.”
When the president presented a hopeful, optimistic response to the malaria/arthritis drug and its possible use to combat the virus, NBC News reporter Peter Alexander accused him of giving Americans false hope.
The president called Alexander a “terrible reporter … you’re doing sensationalism.”
Of that, writer Toni Williams noted, “Trump does not suffer fools at all.”
NEW YORK GOVERNOR CUOMO has been complaining about the lack of ventilators, but Betsy McCaughey, lieutenant governor of New York under George Pataki, and an expert on health care, recently wrote of a decision Cuomo made on ventilators in 2015.
After learning that the state’s stockpile of medical equipment had 16,000 fewer ventilators than would be needed in a severe pandemic, he asked his health commissioner to form a task force and draft rules for rationing the ventilators they already had, according to McCaughey.
“Cuomo could have purchased the additional 16,000 need ventilators for $36,000 apiece or a total of $576 million in 2015. It’s a lot of money, but less than the $750 million he threw away on a boondoggle “Buffalo Billion” solar factory,” she writes.
Interestingly, Cuomo wasn’t challenged on his 2015 decision during his extensive press conferences.
WHAT MASK SHORTAGE? (Rex Features via AO)
AND THEN THERE’S THE MASK SHORTAGE – The shortage of N95 masks can be traced back to the H1N1 (Swine flu) pandemic of 2009, when Barack Obama was president.
It triggered a nationwide shortage of masks and caused a 2 to 3-year backlog for the N95 masks. A federally-sponsored task force recommended that depleted supplies be replenished to the stockpile, but it never happened.
“Despite the fact that the media traced the cause of the shortage back to 2009 – Bloomberg News and the Los Angeles Times reported on it – they accuse Trump of poor planning and trying to deflect responsibility,” wrote Matt Margolis of PJ Media.
MEANWHILE, as Congress continues to struggle with a stimulus bill to aid individuals and small businesses affected by the virus, I understand that a poison pill to aid Planned Parenthood still exists.
May God continue to bless the United States of America.
