The Politics Of A Pandemic

I think the most significant death from COVID-19 happened this week. That is the passing of Herman Cain, pizza magnate and presidential candidate. Not only is he perhaps the most well-known non-entertainer to die of the disease, but the circumstances are intriguing.

Cain was diagnosed with the disease on July 1. On June 20, he attended the Trump rally in Tulsa, sans mask. It is not unreasonable to assume that's where caught it. In essence, his political stance killed him.

What's infuriating to those of us on the left is that an issue that shouldn't be political has been made so. It should be simple--there's a pandemic, and we should be using our medical no-how, which is considerable, to stop it. But it has become a political football, with too many people downplaying it, calling it a hoax, a conspiracy, and as a result not wearing masks. Governors in red states pushed to open things up as political ploys, and are paying the price, as Florida, Texas, and Arizona have been piling up cases.

COVID-19 is like climate change in that way--a purely scientific problem that has been twisted by political agendas. For climate change, the fossil fuel industry has spent billions of dollars refuting it, because it affects their bottom line. That they are condemning future generations to coastal flooding doesn't concern them, as long as they keep their yachts. For COVID-19, the impetus is presidential politics. The supporters of Donald Trump, deep inside their puny brains, have figured out that this virus is bringing down their orange leader. They fight back with nonsensical statements about equating the use of masks to lack of freedom. The wearing of masks is no such thing--it is a gesture that members of a civilization do to further the smooth running of a society, like traffic laws or covering your mouth when you sneeze. Do these yahoos object to red lights? Do they propose spitting in public because they are free to do so?

In addition to Herman Cain, America's dumbest congressman (which is saying something) Louie Gohmert came down with the illness. Of course he is a Trump supporter who refused to wear a mask. I don't wish death on anyone, but if he succumbed I wouldn't shed any tears. Chickens are coming home to roost.