So, with respect to the cyberattack against the Colonial Pipeline (which is responsible for the gas shortages on the East Coast) and the prior Solar Winds attack that:
"Whoever launched the ransomware attack on the pipeline is either in cahoots with Russia or was handed the keys to affect the assault."
I didn't check your bio out to see if you were a cyber security specialist; but, you've only provided your opinion that there was a connection and no actual proof. I'm willing to examine any you can provide.
Yes, it's the same old tripe about President Trump being soft on Russia. It's not like he or his policies:
– Provided lethal arms for Ukraine to resist further incursion into the country by Russia which occurred on Obama's watch and for which Obama and Biden were only willing to provide small arms and nonlethal support. I'm sure Putin appreciated those antitank rockets the Trump Administration provided.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/23/us-officials-say-lethal-weapons-headed-to-ukraine.html
– Unleashed extraction of US fossil fuels making the US a net exporter of energy for the first time in a half-century.
https://www.statista.com/topics/3027/us-energy-imports/
– Lobbied for and secured contracts for US energy exports to European countries getting their energy from Russia. This not only served US business interests; but, countered Russian economic gains and limited potential Russian geopolitical influence over European states held hostage by Russia's energy supply. That's a two-fer benefiting US/Allied-interests while a huge negative for Russia. The Trump Administration also imposed sanctions which led to construction on a Russia – Eastern Europe pipeline to be halted. Enter Biden/Harris hell-bent on curtailing US energy production/transport and pledging fealty to the religion of anthropogenic global warming theory, Europe isn't so confident on US energy exports now. Russia restarted construction on their energy pipeline with eyes toward improving their economy and providing a ready-made instrument to coerce European leaders to bend to Moscow's will with threats of energy slowdowns or embargoes.
https://www.offshore-energy.biz/allseas-stops-nord-strea-2-works-citing-u-s-sanctions/
– Put in place a pro-business agenda that led to the pre-pandemic lowest recorded unemployment statistics for POC and a 60 year low for women. A booming economy and employed Americans counter all America's adversaries, including Russia. In contrast, one of President Biden's first acts was to kill the Keystone XL Pipeline putting at least 1000 construction workers out of a job and impacting employment which may have serviced, housed, fed, and otherwise facilitated those workers in accomplishing their jobs. The second dirty little secret with President Biden's actions is that the crude is going to be transported one way or the other. The supposed environmentally conscious President just assured it would be transported in ways that are less safe than a pipeline.
But, since you won't read them, I wasted enough time destroying the Trump-was-soft-on-Russia meme.
Let's look at your three main points:
President Trump grew the coronavirus in his basement, unleashed it on the world, and stood perfectly still while Americans died. EVERY death in the US from coronavirus is his fault.
No, wait. The Newsweek article you linked to claims that 40% of US deaths due to coronavirus could've been avoided.
Delving into that article it states:
"The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on the USA, with more than 26 million diagnosed cases and over 450000 deaths as of early February, 2021, about 40% of which could have been averted HAD THE US DEATH RATE MIRRORED THE WEIGHTED AVERAGE [emphasis mine] of the other G7 nations," the report explains.
Okay, US and European countries, Japan, and even our neighbors to the north, Canada, have different cultures, eating habits, exercise habits, etc. I know most leftists believe that every problem in America began with the inauguration of President Trump. But, to the extent those differences impacted the death rate in the US, it seems irresponsible to lay those deaths at President Trump's feet.
But, then the Newsweek article notes that the report's authors are SERIOUSLY woke. It's like they could cater an AOC "Socialism Now" mixer. To whit:
"While Trump is responsible for his administration's actions in the past four years, the authors of the report point out that many problems in the U.S. date back decades due to neo-liberal policies promoted by both Republican and Democratic leaders. While people are living longer, healthier lives in peer nations—life expectancy in the U.S. is on the decline. THES REPORT POINTS TO A RANGE OF NEGATIVE FACTORS SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE, DEREGULATION, SOARING HEALTH CARE COSTS, LACK OF HEALTH INSURANCE, ECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND RACISM [emphasis mine]".
So, decades of US politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, played a hand in the US coronavirus death rate; but, it's mostly the orange-haired monster's fault?
One of the researchers quoted, Dr Stephanie Woolhandler, surely won some progressive award for the following:
"Reversing Americans' decades of lagging health will require much larger reforms, including: MEDICARE FOR ALL; REPARATIONS TO COMPENSATE NATIVE AND BLACK AMERICANS FOR WEALTH AND LABOR CONFISCATED FROM THEM; PASSAGE OF THE GREEN NEW DEAL; AND ADDED FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR NUTRITION, HOUSING, EDUCATION AND OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR GOOD HEALTH [emphasis mine]," Woolhandler said in an email. "These social needs should be FUNDED BY REDUCTIONS IN DEFENSE SPENDING AND INCREASED TAXES ON THE WEALTHY [emphasis mine]."
Woolhandler noted that "Trump's stoking of racism and his dropping of regulations on polluters have probably had the gravest short term effects."
Looking back at COVID-19, from its origins in China to its spread across the world, it's easy to exercise 20/20 hindsight and say "if only we'd done this at that point, the number of deaths could have been avoided". I know reality is tough for you leftists. But, most kids not educated in a government indoctrina… school understand time travel has not been perfected yet.
The mantra was always "President Trump doesn't follow the science". But, if Facebook was honest, they would rate that comment as "needs context".
So, according to the leftist playbook, the way to contain COVID-19 is to wear a mask at all times, socially distance, shut down schools, shutter businesses, stop visiting grandma and grandpa, and sit back and wait for your measly government stimulus (which is actually your money being returned to you and that your great-great-grandchildren will have to pay back). Oh, importantly, if you fail to social distance, wear a mask, and sing a socialist tune while lighting your local Wendy's Restaurant on fire during your "mostly peaceful protests" you do not need to be concerned about COVID-19.
Now, imagine Donald Trump is waaaay out in front on this issue and proposes the US adopt any one of those proposals before they were generally accepted in the medical community. He would have been savaged by Democrats and their media supporters even more so than normal. They would claim it was a sign he was the dictator-wannabe they'd claimed he was before he had the temerity to defeat Hillary Clinton and you die her the coronation Democrats, the media, celebrities, and academia thought she deserved.
Accusations that President Trump didn't act soon enough or in the right way or in accordance with science must be weighed in the context at the time and in consideration of the U.S. Constitution.
… Did following the WHO "science" which claimed COVID-19 could not be transmitted between humans cost American lives?
… Did following Saint Fauci's "science" when he advised US citizens didn't need to wear masks cost American lives?
… Did delaying implementation of the travel bans that he believed (rightly) the Demmedia would label xenophobic cost American lives?
… How many, if any, of the policies/actions of our supposed enlightened friends in the G7 which allegedly was responsible for disparities in coronavirus deaths did President Trump have constitutional authority to implement? I submit that without that analysis, placing blame on President Trump for the disparity is premature and wrong.
If you had a sense of humor, you'd get a kick out of this comment:
For 4+ years we were told that President Trump makes things up, doesn't listen, always bolsters his responsibility for successes and denies responsibility for his failures. In that lies a major contradiction in the "Trump-is-responsible-for-all-US-COVID-deaths" claims.
But, there is one thing of which leftists are sure – When Donald Trump was impacted by the unforced error of allowing devoted-leftist Bob Woodward access to write a book about him, Donald Trump was repeating practically verbatim what he had been briefed by experts (those ones he doesn't listen too). That he wasn't exaggerating what he said (although he supposedly always does). Plus, what he was saying would bolster the public's perception of his coronavirus leadership when he knew to an absolute certainty the media (and Bob Woodward) would misconstrue anything he said.
You've been living under a rock if you think your quote would have been well-received by Democrats, the media, celebrities, or anyone in the "Resistance". Context, again, matters. When do you have them saying it? What are the dutiful things he would've had us do and was he authorized by the Constitution to do so?
Finally, most sources I've reviewed point to a 10-12 year development time to bring a vaccine to the public. President Trump's Operation Warp Speed delivered multiple vaccines in a fraction of that time despite ENDLESS Demmedia so-called "experts" claiming it was impossible. You also had VP Harris casting doubt on the vaccines if it was endorsed by President Trump.
Somehow, criticizing or casting doubt on that same vaccine became reason to terminate social media accounts and ban YouTube videos. VP Harris herself received a Trump-approved vaccine.
The long-term impact of lockdowns pushed by Democrats on children, education, business, etc. will have a generational impact. If the country was forced to maintain Democrat-led lockdowns for a decade, it's unimaginable what that death toll from COVID and related issues (suicides, mental health, restricted emotional development, etc.)
On to topic number two, The Big Lie…
The Big Lie is still The Big Lie because the victors write the history. I write that putting the media and Biden/Harris on "the same team" because they are and were.
President Trump's Tweet about stopping the vote count on November 5 was obviously wrong. Anyone who aspires to be Chief Executive of the country should know that basic piece of civics.
But, President Trump is formally a businessman. He is a US citizen and should know.
But, don't you think a career politician should know the three branches of the US government?
https://youtu.be/fG0Jpu9geWY?t=67
I will save you a trip to Google. The three coequal branches of the US federal government are not the House, Senate, and the President as the esteemed, career Democrat politician, Chuck Schumer claimed. They are the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch. Note also that the supposed "norm-loving" Democrats are making noise about drastic changes to two of those coequal branches not seen in 70 years.
Getting back to my original comment. The final verdict on the 2020 election is unwritten.
I'll stipulate that the widespread fraud claimed by President Trump didn't happen. It didn't need to be widespread to affect the election results.
It would be unbelievable to assume Democrats hadn't analyzed to death the results of 2016 when novice-politician, noted braggart, and misogynistic Donald Trump defeated Obama-proclaimed "most ready to be president candidate"' Hillary Clinton. Never mind that she was a terrible candidate, put forth ridiculous policy ideas,, ran a horrific campaign, and was disliked by a large swath of Americans, they thought it impossible for her to lose. Then she did and the screaming began followed by the shakes and the nightmares and the addiction and finally the realization. That was followed closely by the analysis.
Democrat strategists would have quickly discovered that if their 2020 candidate could simply "hold-serve" in those precincts, counties, and states won by Hillary and "flip" just a few key counties in important states, Democrats would be delivered into the White House.
Did fraud occur in those key precincts and counties? I don't know. But, I do know there were thousands of US citizens who swore under penalty of perjury "stuff" happened. Was that "stuff" enough to sway the election? That topic will be studied.
I think it's impossible to state that the 2020 election was "normal".
Combine that with the four-year Democrat mantra that President Trump was evil incarnate, a Russian stooge, dumber than a box of rocks, and a threat to mankind's very existence, might that have motivated some "resistors" to bend the rules JUST A LITTLE to ensure the election of Joe Biden? I think I know my answer, but, would it have motivated YOU to break an election law to keep Donald Trump from four more years?
I like your quote at the end of this section better than the first. I also agree with you it's a speech Donald Trump probably couldn't give.
That brings us to Solar Winds…
In your opening paragraph you chastise the Republican Senate for holding a hearing entitled "Examining Irregularities in the 2020 Election" and on "the day the Solar Winds hack was made known to the world".
Did you expect the Republican Senators to psychically know the Solar Winds hack was going to be publicly revealed?
Were they also supposed to invite the right people to testify given the likelihood that governmental plans often do change? What would you have thought of those Republican Senators if they had "got in front" of the Biden Administration formal announcement?
The title of the Committee Hearing was "Examining IRREGULARITIES [emphasis mine] in the 2020 Election" not "Widespread Fraud in the 2020 Election as Confirmed by President Donald Trump".
Whatever else the 2020 election was, it would be extremely argumentative to claim it was "regular".
You lament that "Not one person mentioned the hacking by the Russians". Senate Committee Hearings include members of both parties (unless Democrats boycotted) and since you didn't write "Not one Republican" mentioned the hack that must mean that NO DEMOCRAT asked about the hack. But, Republican's hate puppies or something…
Your hyperbole gets pretty thick at the end. Any future gas shortages in the near-term are more likely the result of Democrat anti-fossil fuel policies. The same goes for "angry, gunned-up street battles" as defund-the-police gets implemented in Democrat cities while President Biden's immigration policies admit or fail to deter violent, MS-13 gang members from Central and South America into the US interior.
I implore everyone I know to seek out alternate sources of information. I force myself to watch and read CNN and others. Can you say the same thing about Fox News?
I can honestly say I see more "actual" Democrats on Fox News where they are given a platform to express Democrat positions. They are challenged to explain their position and any hypocrisy (which is rampant).
You compare that with CNN and MSNBC where it's often hard to differentiate the opinion expressed by the "Republican" than the guests promoting Democrat talking points.
On the rare occasion an ACTUAL Republican is interviewed they are not so much challenged as they are "accused" with the alleged "journalist" more often than not simply spouting Democrat talking points without evidence.
This is too long, I know. I try to dumb down my Medium responses for the audience. "Big concepts" take many words when writing for the lowest common denominator.
