What began as a primarily “Blue State” health crisis has now hit Southern and Western states, what are known as “Red States”, as hard, and in many cases, harder than New York and New Jersey and other states that vote Democratic.
The governors of these states, particularly Brian Kemp of Georgia, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Doug Ducey of Arizona, can be blamed for this by their lax policies on dealing with the CoronaVirus Pandemic.
This is specifically the issue of face masks being mandated, and since they have not been, the disease has spread like wildfire, causing mass loss of life, and alarming increases in cases.
Donald Trump’s refusal to set a national standard is also causing this crisis, which will destroy the Trump reelection bid, but he has refused, as them, to promote a unified approach.
Donald Trump strongholds will see many Trump supporters dying, but sadly, also those who hate Trump and the Republican Party.
But the Republican Party will pay the price in the fall and in the future, as it now seems possible Trump will lose all of these four states, and also Senate and House seats.
People suffering and dying is not a winning strategy for the Republican Party, which could now be called the Party of Death, not of Life!
Which “Red States” have been hit “hard, and in many cases, harder than New York and New Jersey” and the other so-called “Blue States”?
Between them, the top seven States with the most COVID-19 Deaths are New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Between them ~ which comprise roughly 35% of the total national population ~those States have had just under 60% of the Total C-19 Deaths experienced by Americans.
Between them, all those Red States have a long, long way to go before they experience anywhere near the depth and the breadth of the impact of C-19 has had [and is still having] on those Blue States.
And, Doc: You conveniently left California out of Your catalog of Failed Red States experiencing C-19 surges along with Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Is that because California isn’t “Red” enough for You?
Jeffrey, always the troll, reason I ignore you most of the time!
California HAD strong controls, eased up, and now are going back on it, while the Red States are on a path toward disaster, and they do not wish to enforce face masks!
Do you really think the Red State governors are doing a good job?
I do not plan to respond any further, as you are just interested in stirring controversy!
Along with Trump and his Republican cronies in Congress, these Red State governors need to be voted out.
Unfortunately, most do not come up for reelection until 2022!
Gee, Doc. And here i was putting together a private e-mail to You seeking Your thoughts ~ primarily as a professional historian and professor of history, but also as “The Progressive Professor” ~ on the US Department of State’s recently released Draft “Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights,” and the various reactions and responses to it by Human Rights organizations, academia, the media, politicians, and other talking heads. [https://www.state.gov/draft-report-of-the-commission-on-unalienable-rights/]
But since You plan not to respond any further, i won’t waste my time or bandwidth on that. But i will answer Your question of “Do you really think the Red State governors are doing a good job?”
“Good” as compared to Who and/or What? Based on the raw and per/capita numbers of Cases and Deaths of citizens of those States compared to the numbers for the citizens of the afore-mentioned Top Seven Deather Blue States? On that basis, Yes.
Even as C-19 is “surging” in those States, it is in no way impacting any of them by any measurable criterion in any way even close to how the pandemic has affected the Blues, particularly when it comes to the sheer numbers of people who were getting sick and, especially, dying.
It remains to be seen if this “surge” or “second wave” or whatever it is ends up infecting and killing as many people in those Red States as it has and will in the Blue. While the Case Rate is increasing noticeably [but nowhere near what it was back in March and April], the Death Rate increasing considerably less so. One thing operating in their favor is that none of those Red Governors are ordering extended care facilities for the elderly to take in known C-19-infected patients, which didn’t help New York’s performance in all this at all.
So that’s “Good” comparing the job Red State Governors have done compared to Blue Staters as far as dealing with the actual health care emergency that was and is COVID-19. How “Good” a job are the Reds doing compared to the Blues when it comes to dealing with the economic and social impacts, consequences, and fallout from that emergency?
What are the Unemployment Rates, Red vs Blue? What have been the relative drops in GSP [Gross State Product] between the two groups? How about the comparative Crime Rates, whether perpetrated by individual violent criminals against persons, or by groups of marauding, looting, arsonist “protesters” against property?
i don’t have the numbers to answer those and similar questions, but take a look at any of those maps in which the States are color-coded to indicate Case and Death numbers, rates, and growth rates over the course of C-19 in America. Or the ones that show Unemployment and Crime Facts for the first six months of 2020.
So, Yeah. Compared to what the big Blues Boys and Girls have done thru this whole goatrope, i’d say that the Reds are definitely at least holding their own
That says absolutely nothing whatsoever about what kind of job the White House, Congress, and indeed all of Swampland have done thru this latest episode of the reality-tv show that is America in this, Year Four of The Age of Trump, and the Reign of POTUS Maxximmuss XLV, also referred to in Asian circles as “The Year of The Rat.” But that, of course, is a whole separate rant and “controversy.”
And there’s already plenty of that here, eh?
###
Republicans are dooming themselves.
My father, God rest his soul, gave me wise advice when he warned me to never vote for a Republican.
Jeffrey, I decided to respond to your reference to the response on Unalienable Rights of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the National Constitution Center.
What Pompeo expressed is great, but words do not matter as much as actions, and Pompeo has to know in his heart that his boss, Donald Trump, is a massive violator of human rights, and Pompeo winks at it, and shows unwillingness to show courage. and work to change what Trump says and does.
Trump is, by far, one of the worst violators of human rights today, and just by endorsing or overlooking what goes on in China, Russia, North Korea, Turkey, the Philippines, Egypt, while condemning only Venezuela, Iran, Nicaragua shows his right wing authoritarian bent.
ALL authoritarianism is to be condemned, so Pompeo just mouths the words, not enough, as I see it!
Ronald writes, “The governors of these states, particularly Brian Kemp of Georgia, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Doug Ducey of Arizona, can be blamed for this by their lax policies on dealing with the CoronaVirus Pandemic.â€
At this point, I think all four of Florida, Arizona, Georgia, and Texas—in that order of likelihood—will flip Democratic for U.S. President here in 2020.
* * *
Jeffrey G. Moebus, in response to Ronald, writes, “Which ‘Red States’ have been hit ‘hard, and in many cases, harder than New York and New Jersey’ and the other so-called ‘Blue States’?â€
Refer to the link I provide that appears at the end of my comment.
On the topic of “Red States,†it is necessary to understand the context of what Ronald writes.
Florida is a purple state. The best bellwether state in the nation. (It voted for all presidential winners, except in 1960 and 1992, since 1928. So, Florida has been carried in 21 of the last 23 United States presidential election cycles.) It has performed within five percentage points of national margins, in U.S. presidential elections, since 1996—the beginning of its current unbroken streak of having carried for all winners. In the 2018 midterm elections, Florida was the only state which aligned with the overall outcomes for which party prevailed at each of the levels of U.S. House (Democrats, who won net gains of +40 seats; and Florida delivered +2 which reflected the average from a total 21 involved states); U.S. Senate (Republican hold; with Democrats having flipped +2; Republicans having counter-flipped +4; Republicans having won the overall net gains with +2; Florida was the only involved bellwether state which reflected the change); and U.S. Governors (explained within the third paragraph later).
Arizona, Georgia, and Texas flipping Democratic, for U.S. President, here in 2020, would likely take away their status as red states and make them at least purple states. (We’ll know more when we see the national and state-to-state margins.) But, until that happens, the trio are still commonly considered to be aligned as red states.
In his 2016 Republican pickup of the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump ended up with carriage of seven of the nation’s Top 10 populous states. Trump won 2012-to-2016 Republican holds of Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina (a 2012 Republican pickup for Mitt Romney after it was a 2008 Democratic pickup for Democratic presidential pickup winner Barack Obama). Flipping from the 2012 Democratic column (for re-electing Obama) to the 2016 Republican column (for electing Trump) were Ronald’s home state Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and my home state Michigan. That left 2012-to-2016 Democratic holds of the three remaining Top 10 populous states: California, New York, and Illinois.
I think the context here, in “Red States,†from Ronald, is with states which carried for Donald Trump, in 2016, and elected or re-elected Republican Party-affiliated governors in the midterm elections of 2018. (The 2018 Democrats came in with 16 governorships and won net gains in +7 to finish with still a minority count of 23. Had the 2018 gubernatorial Democrats reached a new majority of 26, going by margins and where states ranked, they would have also flipped—as Nos. 24 to 26—Florida, Georgia and, as the tipping-point state, Iowa.) So, Doug Ducey was re-elected in 2018 Arizona. Ron DeSantis won a narrower (by comparison to 2014 Rick Scott) Republican hold and first term in 2018 Florida. Brian Kemp also won a narrower (by comparison to 2014 Nathan Deal) Republican hold in 2018 Georgia. Same with re-elected Greg Abbott in 2018 Texas. And what Ronald is getting at is that those Republican Party-affiliated governors—from those Top 10 and Top 20 populous states—are failing in necessary leadership to help their citizens during this pandemic crisis that is COVID–19.
Approximately 54 percent of United States citizens live in a Top 10 populous state: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan.
Approximately 75 percent (three of every four) of United States citizens live in a Top 20 populous state: New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri, Maryland, and Wisconsin.
Five of 2016 Donald Trump’s six pickup states—adding, after the Top 10, that election’s tipping-point state Wisconsin—rank in the Top 20. Of these twenty states, Trump carried twelve. The Top 20 populous states combine for a current allocation of 369 electoral votes. Trump carried 205. Which means he carried 55.55 percent of the combined electoral votes from Top 20 populous states. And since his original electoral-vote score was 306, that 205 means Trump carried 67 percent of his winning electoral map thanks to the nation’s citizens living in states which rank among the Top 20.
Would you, Jeffrey G. Moebus, like to respond to this and, perhaps, write off these particular United States citizens?
* * *
Jeffrey G. Moebus further writes, “Between them, all those Red States have a long, long way to go before they experience anywhere near the depth and the breadth of the impact of C-19 has had [and is still having] on those Blue States.â€
Every state in the nation is experiencing and suffering with COVID–19.
COVID–19 does not care about United States politics.
COVID–19, which is pandemic, does not care about any nation’s politics.
COVID–19 does not care about politics.
* * * * *
Effective July 19, 2020, here is the CDC’s report with the United States map of COVID–19 cases:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html
Thank you so much, D, for your extremely perceptive comments on this topic!
You are extremely reliable on facts and details, and we all appreciate it!
i wasn’t particularly interested in what You thought about what Pompeo said about the Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights, Professor.
i was interested in what You thought about the Report: What it said; What it didn’t say; Where it was right and/or wrong and Why.
That sort of thing.
Thank You, D, for another of Your detailed, exhaustive, inclusive, fact-based analyses; You definitely have a way with numbers.
After listing the 20 most populous States, You noted ” Five of 2016 Donald Trump’s six pickup states—adding, after the Top 10, that election’s tipping-point state Wisconsin—rank in the Top 20. Of these twenty states, Trump carried twelve. The Top 20 populous states combine for a current allocation of 369 electoral votes. Trump carried 205. Which means he carried 55.55 percent of the combined electoral votes from Top 20 populous states. And since his original electoral-vote score was 306, that 205 means Trump carried 67 percent of his winning electoral map thanks to the nation’s citizens living in states which rank among the Top 20.”
And then You asked: “Would you, Jeffrey G. Moebus, like to respond to this and, perhaps, write off these particular United States citizens?”
Would i like to respond to what? What specifically does this have to do with how “Red States” are faring against C-19, as opposed to “Blue States”? Which is the topic of the Blog and of my Comment.
And in what way am i “writing off” anybody; and “which particular United States citizens” in particular am i writing off? i obviously don’t understand Your question.
In any event, You noted: “I think the context here, in “Red States,†from Ronald, is with states which carried for Donald Trump, in 2016, and elected or re-elected Republican Party-affiliated governors in the midterm elections of 2018.”
i think the context within which Ronald used the term was that they have Republican Governors during COVID-19. Whether it was or wasn’t, that was the context i used.
You concluded: “Every state in the nation is experiencing and suffering with COVID–19. COVID–19 does not care about United States politics. COVID–19, which is pandemic, does not care about any nation’s politics. COVID–19 does not care about politics.”
And some States have suffered more than others, just as some Nations have suffered more than others; whether in terms of Blood or of Treasure. And You are absolutely correct about C-19 and politics. But politicians and bureaucrats care a great deal about It. How did Obama’s Chief of Staff put it: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”
With this surge that’s happening, doctor’s offices are reporting seeing a lot of young people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. The speculation is that they aren’t being as careful as older adults.
While a younger person may not die from the virus, they can infect and kill someone older who will die from it. That’s why they need to heed the precautions.
85 babies tested positive for the virus in one Texas county.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/18/health/texas-infants-coronavirus-trnd/index.html
Incidents like that is why we should all wear our masks, socially distance, etc.
Our country is currently having 1000 deaths per day. I absolutely don’t consider that to be “good”.