Well there is no doubt that Covid cost Trump the election. But there is also no doubt that some of the "certified approved heroes" were equally flummoxed. Having personally been up close and personal in a front row seat during this pandemic for the first 18 months I vividly recall the Surgeon General of the US mocking people who were requesting masks. And of course Dr. Fauci discounted the efficacy of masks, and the WHO did the same (I think the WHO maintained that position until June 1 2020). Then of course there was Dr. Fauci again saying early on that "... this (SARS-CoV-2) is not a major threat to the people of the United States and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about." The point is Mike, is that we - not just Trump - were (unbeknownst at the time) entering a very fluid, once in a life time event which confounded many folks INCLUDING the so called experts. Furthermore, the Nobel Prize committee cited Weissman and Kariko specifically for developing the vaccine used to mitigate the Covid pandemic. How do you think that this vaccine was commercialized so that said Nobel prize winning vaccine could actually get into the arms of people and in fact save them from this virus? I got news for you. It was called Operation Warp Speed. We went from the mapping of the viral genome in early 2020 to a commercial vaccine late in 2020 (I got my first jab in December 2020). That was unprecedented. Warp Speed was one of the most amazing medical initiatives that I ever witnessed in my long 40 year medical career. I know. So uncomfortable to actually attribute an amazing logistical feat to the evil DT. Hey. Sometimes facts and the truth are inconvenient. But if you claim you're for the truth and mock conspiracies and falsehoods then I suggest you acknowledge this fact. So I wonder do you believe in the conspiracy theory that Warp Speed had nothing to do with bringing those remarkable vaccines to market ... into the arms of folks ... and that DT had nothing to do with any of that? I know. The righteous high priests of the legacy media find such facts most inconvenient. (Note: Pfizer may not have been a "formal player" in Warp Speed, but by Warp Speed (the US Government) placing a multibillion dollar order for Pfizer vaccine after proof of efficacy - and no other guarantees or commitments from Pfizer - Warp Speed mitigated any corporate financial risks Pfizer might have endured going forward).
Thank you, Bruce, for your insights -- you come to this with a very distinctive background as a doctor for many years who worked through this horribly trying time. I agree with you---Operation Warp Speed was absolutely crucial. I oversimplified in my evaluation of Trump's role, and in the area of ramping up production/distribution, kudos are deserved. It's tragic, however, that he undermined that good work with his persistent indulgence in crackpot theories and other confused/confusing rhetoric.
What concerns me, an old journalism and political science major, is not so much the stuff the AP debunks, but the stories that AP chooses not to cover at all.
Point well taken. That's an elusive thing, isn't it? No pun intended. It'll be interesting to see how the Trevor Bauer story plays out in the media---I don't know how much he's been wronged but seems as if he has been wronged to some degree. For example, how many outlets will provide a link to his Twitter (X) video (whether you believe him 100% of some lesser percent in that four-minute clip), how many will only mention the video, and how many won't mention the video at all?
I was thinking more of Biden's personal life and the fact that millions of dollars were transferred to his family members through shell corporations while he was vice president and beyond. In some channels, this gets zero coverage. Obviously, if it were Orange Man Bad, it would be wall-to-wall. (I never voted for him btw).
As a journalist i'm sure you know the percentage of Democrat party registrations versus Republican among your colleagues. Diversity much?
Well there is no doubt that Covid cost Trump the election. But there is also no doubt that some of the "certified approved heroes" were equally flummoxed. Having personally been up close and personal in a front row seat during this pandemic for the first 18 months I vividly recall the Surgeon General of the US mocking people who were requesting masks. And of course Dr. Fauci discounted the efficacy of masks, and the WHO did the same (I think the WHO maintained that position until June 1 2020). Then of course there was Dr. Fauci again saying early on that "... this (SARS-CoV-2) is not a major threat to the people of the United States and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about." The point is Mike, is that we - not just Trump - were (unbeknownst at the time) entering a very fluid, once in a life time event which confounded many folks INCLUDING the so called experts. Furthermore, the Nobel Prize committee cited Weissman and Kariko specifically for developing the vaccine used to mitigate the Covid pandemic. How do you think that this vaccine was commercialized so that said Nobel prize winning vaccine could actually get into the arms of people and in fact save them from this virus? I got news for you. It was called Operation Warp Speed. We went from the mapping of the viral genome in early 2020 to a commercial vaccine late in 2020 (I got my first jab in December 2020). That was unprecedented. Warp Speed was one of the most amazing medical initiatives that I ever witnessed in my long 40 year medical career. I know. So uncomfortable to actually attribute an amazing logistical feat to the evil DT. Hey. Sometimes facts and the truth are inconvenient. But if you claim you're for the truth and mock conspiracies and falsehoods then I suggest you acknowledge this fact. So I wonder do you believe in the conspiracy theory that Warp Speed had nothing to do with bringing those remarkable vaccines to market ... into the arms of folks ... and that DT had nothing to do with any of that? I know. The righteous high priests of the legacy media find such facts most inconvenient. (Note: Pfizer may not have been a "formal player" in Warp Speed, but by Warp Speed (the US Government) placing a multibillion dollar order for Pfizer vaccine after proof of efficacy - and no other guarantees or commitments from Pfizer - Warp Speed mitigated any corporate financial risks Pfizer might have endured going forward).
Thank you, Bruce, for your insights -- you come to this with a very distinctive background as a doctor for many years who worked through this horribly trying time. I agree with you---Operation Warp Speed was absolutely crucial. I oversimplified in my evaluation of Trump's role, and in the area of ramping up production/distribution, kudos are deserved. It's tragic, however, that he undermined that good work with his persistent indulgence in crackpot theories and other confused/confusing rhetoric.
What concerns me, an old journalism and political science major, is not so much the stuff the AP debunks, but the stories that AP chooses not to cover at all.
Point well taken. That's an elusive thing, isn't it? No pun intended. It'll be interesting to see how the Trevor Bauer story plays out in the media---I don't know how much he's been wronged but seems as if he has been wronged to some degree. For example, how many outlets will provide a link to his Twitter (X) video (whether you believe him 100% of some lesser percent in that four-minute clip), how many will only mention the video, and how many won't mention the video at all?
I was thinking more of Biden's personal life and the fact that millions of dollars were transferred to his family members through shell corporations while he was vice president and beyond. In some channels, this gets zero coverage. Obviously, if it were Orange Man Bad, it would be wall-to-wall. (I never voted for him btw).
As a journalist i'm sure you know the percentage of Democrat party registrations versus Republican among your colleagues. Diversity much?