A COVID Correction
Aside from whatever corruption happened in the 2020 election (see below), most analysts agree (here, here and here) that COVID put Donald Trump on defense and was thoroughly exploited by Joe Biden and his left-wing media allies. Based on the obscene ads the Biden campaign ran, you'd would have thought that COVID originated in Mar-a-Lago rather than a Wuhan lab.
When Joe Biden occupied the Oval Office, he enjoyed sky-high approval ratings, hitting 63% in one poll. But in less than a year, he has methodically frittered it all away.
Monday, Biden astonished the White House staff when he told the nation's governors that they were on their own because "there's no federal solution." He promptly walked out of that meeting and flew back to Delaware for his 31st vacation of the year.
Donald Trump resisted "federal solutions," arguing that America is a very diverse country and what makes sense in New York City may not in Sioux Falls. The media blasted Trump for not taking COVID seriously.
Not long ago, Joe Biden was attacking Republican governors who tried their own solutions, telling them to "get out of the way." But now that Biden has essentially taken Trump's approach, the media are trying to clean up for him.
Left-wing journalists who were hyperventilating last year are suddenly telling everyone to calm down. It seems we're in the beginning phases of a much-needed COVID correction.
After all, the left can't admit that COVID is a serious problem now that their guy is in charge, even if he doesn't want to be in charge anymore. Some pro-pandemic pundits, however, are finding it difficult to let go, like the "Fauci groupies" at MSDNC.
Meanwhile, Republican governors are taking Biden at his word. Since there are no federal solutions, they're demanding he rescind his onerous federal mandates, most of which have been blocked by the courts.
Day by day, the reservoir of support and goodwill that Joe Biden had on the virus is evaporating. He started the year with a 63% approval rating. Now it's cratered to just 36%.
Yes, Afghanistan, illegal immigration, crime and inflation have a lot to do with that. But even on the issue of COVID, Biden's numbers are underwater.
So, as Biden loses his advantage on his key issue, I expect we'll see more media elites and talking heads telling us that we're "turning the corner," and we just need to keep calm and carry on – exactly what Donald Trump tried to tell us.
Follow The Science?
Americans have an instinctive love of science. Science put a man on the moon. Science eradicated polio. Science ended World War II. Science gave us the Internet and the iPhone. So, the call to "follow the science" has strong appeal. But when it comes to COVID, the "follow the science" mantra has been largely propaganda.
For example, the CDC changed its guidance on exposure and quarantines this week. Instead of isolating for 10 days (it used to be 14), it's now just five days. What was the science behind that change? Well, there wasn't any.
The "science" consisted of a letter from the CEO of Delta Airlines to the CDC. What does the CEO of Delta know about virology? About as much as I do. But he does know how to run a business.
Asked to explain the change, Dr. Anthony Fauci said it was done get people "back to the workplace doing things that are important to keep society running smoothly."
Fair enough. And that's exactly what Donald Trump and conservatives were arguing last year! But, conveniently now that Biden is in charge (sort of), we can't afford any serious disruptions to society.
Well, someone better tell that to the teachers' unions. Evidently, they're ready to shut the schools down again.
By the way, pre-COVID there was a general consensus that lockdowns didn't work. A 2006 study from the World Health Organization based on the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic found that "forced isolation and quarantine are ineffective and impractical."
And a September 2019 study from Johns Hopkins University concluded: "In the context of a high-impact respiratory pathogen, quarantine may be the least likely [intervention] to be effective in controlling the spread due to high transmissibility."
In other words, the science told us not to do exactly what Dr. Fauci told us to do.
The CDC also quietly admitted this week that it grossly botched initial estimates of the spread of the Omicron variant. It was only off by 200% or so. Close enough for government work, right?
And this isn't the first time that the CDC has botched or ignored science. According to one member of the CDC advisory panel, the decision to authorize certain booster shots was based on "more [of] a gut feeling rather than based on really truly serious data."
And when it came to recommending booster shots for teenagers, the CDC and FDA totally ignored their own experts, who actually voted against the recommendation.
Speaking Of Propaganda. . .
The Biden/Harris regime and its liberal media allies have perfected the use of fear as a means of forcing compliance. It's disgusting and disturbing. Joe Biden's rhetoric that we're facing "a winter of severe illness and death" is a good example.
From the moment the Omicron variant first appeared, there was evidence that while it spreads easily, there was little risk of severe illness. But Dr. Fauci is still demanding more mandates.
The fact that hospitalizations are not rising significantly compared to the number of cases tells you that fear is the wrong approach.
But fear is all the left has, whether it's COVID, climate change or "threats to our democracy."
Vermont, where 79% of the state's residents have had at least two shots, is the most vaccinated state in the union. But last week Vermont's medical officials were begging residents to stop going to emergency rooms just because they had a positive test.
Vermont hospitals are being inundated with people with runny noses or no symptoms at all who think they're going to die because of misinformation from the administration and the media.
Polling has consistently shown that the American people grossly overestimate the risks from COVID, thanks to the left-wing media's hype.
The damage done by COVID fearmongering will take years to correct, especially when combined with climate alarmism-induced anxiety.
Rigged
For those who care about election integrity, and I know many of you do, I strongly recommend Molly Hemingway's latest book, Rigged. Hemingway delves into the myriad ways in which the 2020 election was corrupted by the left with the best details and facts I have seen.
If you want to understand what happened in 2020 and how to prevent it from happening again, read this book. Every grassroots activist and state legislator should have a copy of Rigged. It is the blueprint for future election integrity legislation, and the roadmap for securing our Republic.