Could the coronavirus take China's communist dictatorship down?

American Thinker ^ | Monica Showalter

[RoosterRedux]

The root of the problem is that ruling Chinese communists refuse to permit the free flow of information. In an epidemic, that's deadly, that's precisely what extends the duration of an epidemic, information being the one thing that needs to be shared freely, to prevent panic, to ensure the distribution of medical supplies, to obtain effective cures, to isolate transmission areas. Foreign Affairs explains the details of this very well. So the more the Chicoms act like Chicoms, the worse the epidemic gets and the worse the effects. To look at the comments section of the YouTube video about, it's clear the locals know it.

It's possible, and maybe likely, the epidemic will die out before anything really dramatic happens. But there are so many signs of trouble already in China already that it raises questions as to whether China's 73-year-old communist regime is going to survive this.

Quite apart from the disease, the country is already in a dry tinder state, with an extended uprising in the semi-westernized Hong Kong side on China's coast, and a vast Gulag-like detention of millions in the restive Islamic far west. It's economy is faring poorly and President Trump's trade squeeze on China has already forced a quick capitulation. Now with the coronavirus striking at Wuhan, the physical center of the country, the flashpoints now go across the country. But it's not just the physical center that's significant about this Wuhan outbreak - it's also the industrial center, not the only one, but a very important one.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

That has been my prayer ever since this epidemic started. But the Chinese people need the moral support of the world community especially from the great powers. All lovers of freedom the world over have an ally in President Trump. But every other major government and institution including American elite entities aplenty — have only served to cement and enable the Chi-Com stranglehold on the global stage.

[ronnie raygun]

The dissidents need only spread the word that the government is the reason why the people are suffering with this virus

[RoosterRedux]

It's more likely that the coronavirus would merely topple Xi, not the communist government. But that said, it is Xi, the hardcore communist, who decided to reverse Deng Shao Ping's efforts to modernize China (i.e., move toward "real" capitalism).

It is quite possible that some in leadership will see that Xi's absolute control (in other words, his communism) is responsible in large part for the expansion of the virus.

[pt17]

It would seem that the Chinese people have become conditioned to political servitude over the centuries and aren’t about to risk life and limb to fight it now, especially with a modicum of prosperity and seemingly bigger enemy afoot (i.e. coronavirus). I would, of course, love to be wrong.

[goldstategop]

A certain measure of trust exists between the Chinese government and its people.

Every one realizes the preservation of human life is the only priority the country has right now and every one shares the same fate.

I do not think it could survive if it failed to contain a potential epidemic. That’s why the measures taken are of unprecedented severity.

This by far the gravest threat China has confronted since World War II.

[nathanbedford]

It seems to be a pertinent question for a conservative political forum would be whether the coronavirus can take down President Trump's reelection?

I posted this a few days ago:

Coronavirus is a double-edged threat that can bring down the Trump administration and forfeit any Republican control of Congress if the president does not get in front of this potential plague.

One sharp edge of the threat: massive deaths as the system is first overwhelmed then disintegrates. Steve Bannon now reads reports that the actual death rate is 15%. If this is even remotely true we are looking at a calamity of Spanish flu proportions, given the RO that this virus has achieved in Wuhan.

The second sharp edge: the end of the Trump Economic Era and the creation of a crisis which, once again, the left will not let to go to waste. Expect the stock market to crash as and when the world's second largest economy shuts down in anticipation of a coming recession. Expect our automobile industry to shut down as automakers in Korea reported already to have done. I have read that the Chinese have ceased importing copper, without which no industrial economy proceeds. One of the foundational pillars of Trump's claim to reelection is the economy.

I believe the president has made a mistake in reporting favorably on his phone call with Pres. Su of China. I believe Homeland Security is not sufficiently reactive to be able to avoid Democrat's slogan that coronavirus was Trump's Hurricane Katrina.

Far better to overreact and look somewhat foolish as the threat is contained than to underreact and explain to grieving mothers and out of work fathers why he did not do more.

[Reno89519]

If the government stops the Chinese Coronovirus Plague, regardless of how they do it, they are winners. If it spreads and as news comes out about how they lied about its seriousness, I doubt in today’s multimedia Internet environment that they can survive. They have no history of Democracy so it will be a new messy regime. If we could disarm this menace, that would be good, as they otherwise have military that risks us and at some point they will point their anger outside their borders as means to unify the country.

[Reno89519]

I think the president is in a stronger position than you fear. Their initial response of a team, an advisory, and then quick warning, now quiet actions, quarantines of government evacuations, visible CDC actions at ports of entry are good. We’d do better with complete ban of travel from China and infected countries, but that is likely too late. The economy is biggest problem. He might leverage the fall of Chinese manufacturing into a rise of American. That would be a big win-win as we should never have been buying from communist China anyway. We need to rebuild our manufacturing base, here is the chance to do so. Trump’s a businessman, not an idealogue, so I am hopeful, barring opposition of the political class, that he can steer us through the mess.

[gasport]

Could the Democrats torpedo the economy to take Trump down?

[KavMan]

If coronavirus can takedown Communist China then let's release the coronavirus in Iran, Russia, Cuba & North Korea

[Caipirabob]

A fate very similar to the soviet communists, who through their own incompetence managed to “nuke” themselves.

Prayers for the Chinese people.

And may the chicoms become “good communists”.

[RoosterRedux]

Could the Democrats torpedo the economy to take Trump down?

They would if they could...and not just to take down Trump. They would torpedo the economy and the culture (see California and NYC) because they believe that would enable them to move the US to a system of communism/socialism.

[nathanbedford]

I don't quibble with any of the arguments you make, indeed I endorse them all but I have two observations:

1. We have 264 days to the election and all that you outline must be either accomplished or sold to the electorate on that timeline.

2. It is not enough that the president is actually doing the right thing he must be seen to have done the right thing on November 11.

[Reno89519]

Yes, agree 100%

[sauropod]

Hopefully.

[null and void]

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

[kingu]

Sure, just, umm, gather a crowd and march together to demand change, I'm sure it'll work out just fine.

I think it'll have the opposite effect and strengthen the communist system as they try to deal with a nearly 3 trillion dollar economic loss. By the by, now’s a great time to buy an American flag, odds are they'll be hard to find come 4th of July since China's not shipping right now.

[GulfMan]

Totally agree with your assessment. The first thing we need to do is create our ability to manufacture our own medicines and not be dependent upon anyone else for that.

[Zhang Fei]

There’s a lot of deflection of blame towards local officials in the Party’s narrative. Except in China, top level local leaders are not local. In order to retain central control and prevent local leaders from cultivating power bases that might feed separatist tendencies in times of turmoil, senior officials are not only helicoptered in from other provinces, they are also rotated periodically in order to prevent them from going native. This is how the Chinese empire has been held together for thousands of years. The regimes change, but the methods remain the same. These “local” leaders will quite literally call a deer a horse, if told to do so by Xi Jinping.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Gao#Calling_a_deer_a_horse
You can’t even call these “local” officials carpetbaggers, since carpetbaggers planned to set down roots. This history, of a vast empire insensitive to local problems, is possibly one of the reasons China has gone through many more successful internal revolts, led by peasants all the way up to top level courtiers, than just about any polity I can think of. The top level “local” officials, being short-timers and outsiders appointed by the central government more or less as hall monitors to ensure that any separatist tendencies are kept in check, are neither in place long enough to understand local issues nor particularly inclined to do much beyond ticket-punching and perhaps acquiring personal wealth through large scale graft. It’s a system with a built-in internal time bomb.