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Hell and Hope
Townhall.com ^ | April 26, 2020 | Gil Gutknecht

Posted on 04/26/2020 5:43:34 AM PDT by Kaslin

“When you are going through hell, keep going.”

Winston Churchill

Churchill made clear that he had little to offer but blood, sweat, toil and tears. He certainly didn’t sugarcoat the gravity of the situation his countrymen were facing. But his plan was for victory. Victory at any cost. He didn’t dwell on the hell they were going through. He did not allow predictions of massive casualties alter plans for the Normandy invasion. Churchill understood that he had to buck up his British subjects. More than anything, they needed hope.

These White House briefings offer little of that.

Investment Guru Jim Cramer said a mouthful the other day when he observed that the daily briefings have become “almost unwatchable.” The doom and gloom emanating from these things is unbearable. They are too long. Experts daily pour cold water on any hope that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. They talk in medical terms that ignore the fact that over 25 million of our fellow Americans have lost their livelihoods.

It is difficult to see how any of the dower experts providing their daily updates are helpful. The amorphous “framework” that the White House produced can hardly be described as a clear path to victory. This only makes it easier for certain governors (who would like nothing more than to replace this administration) to keep moving the goalposts.

Second-guessing the courageous governor of Georgia for beginning to reopen his state was an unforced error. Is the White House unaware that the governor of South Dakota never shut down her state’s economy? Death rates have not spiraled and her hospitals are not overwhelmed. Please don’t let your experts try to explain that away!

The nation is growing restless.

Americans are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. Those millions who have lost their jobs are beginning to rightly wonder why. Is it simply to please some Washington experts? Haven’t we already flattened the curve? Our hospitals are mostly empty. Reports on numbers of ventilators ring hollow. The price of this murky, yet undefined victory is astronomical. Especially for those who can’t pay next month’s mortgage.

The experts claim that their recommendations are data driven. Somehow they ignore data that questions their preconceived conclusion. Anyone who challenges that conclusion (shutting down the economy) must be ignoring the data or wants millions of Americans to die. No further discussion.

They ignore reports from experts like Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. He reminded us that there are only two paths to victory; a vaccine or herd immunity. There is not now a vaccine and like the common cold, there may never be one. Dr. Katz argues that we need to focus on herd immunity. Hiding in our homes will assuredly slow the progress of the disease. It will also prevent the development of greater herd immunity, which is critical to victory.

Katz noted that several Asian nations who slowed the spread with shelter-in-place strategies saw increases in cases once those policies were relaxed. Without herd immunity, we may go back to where we started, after suffering staggering costs.

Congress looks hapless. They cannot borrow enough money to prop up our entire economy. Congratulating themselves for spending trillions that we do not have on programs that cannot work? All presumably to cut the number of deaths from this virus. Has anyone stopped to ask, by how many? And at what cost?

This is insanity.

The daily doom and gloom reports may have made sense three weeks ago. Today we need benchmarks and a realistic plan for victory. The Left thrives on doom. Hell works well for them.

We need hope.

This administration must pivot and start providing some hope. Bring some outside experts like Dr. Katz, Dr. Oz or Governor Noem into these briefings. People who are optimistic.

If millions of those blue-collar Americans (Trump voters) are still unemployed and losing hope in November, they may blame some of the people in those briefings. That will open the door for a hapless, confused candidate. One who will be totally dependent on the far Left.

Then all hope will indeed be lost.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: trumpadministration; whctf; wuhancoronavirus

1 posted on 04/26/2020 5:43:34 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
The crux therein:  This is insanity.
2 posted on 04/26/2020 5:48:44 AM PDT by tomkat
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To: Kaslin; All

“The nation is growing restless.”

I don’t have to BE anywhere, and I’m spittin’ MAD that this man-made, self-inflicted Economic DISASTER has been foisted upon us!

Enough! Get us back to WORK, Mr. President! Yesterday!

FWIW, I live in a County of 24K. FIVE confirmed cases, NO hospitalizations, no deaths. 100% Recovery Rate. Why are we locked up?

And the first thing our dip-shiite Governor has opened? GOLF COURSES!


3 posted on 04/26/2020 6:00:46 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Kaslin
The pressers should be cut back to once a week...maybe two if there is something new to report.

Make these no more than 45 mns...ideally 30mns.

4 posted on 04/26/2020 6:28:41 AM PDT by ealgeone
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

This has always been political and never about medical issues. We found who were the true conservatives and who could easily be bought with bread and circuses.


5 posted on 04/26/2020 6:31:13 AM PDT by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: Kaslin
Due to the fact that so many people do not read/study the Bible and have little or no interest, the following fact which is taking place right before our eyes, escapes them:

Luke 11:17 But He knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls."

Mark 3:25 "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."

6 posted on 04/26/2020 7:00:55 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: Kaslin
Our Founders were well aware of the dangers:

‘What prudent merchant will hazard his fortunes in any new branch of commerce when he knows not that his plans may be rendered unlawful before they can be executed?" -- James Madison

State executives are doing just this - declaring businesses “non-essential” and ordering them to shut down without compensation. Who will dare to start a new business as long as governments now feel free to arrogate this power to themselves? Any recovery is going to take a very long time, now that these Democrats have smashed this particular social compact for their own short-term political gain.

Perhaps states should be forced to buy out at market rates any small business owner they order to close?

7 posted on 04/26/2020 9:58:56 AM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: Kaslin

When we go to vote later this fall, we need to remember where most of the bad advice has really come from. Our president has to represent the whole country & he has many advisors in order to do this. That doesn’t mean that all of them have offered good advice. It has taken time for him to sort the goats from the sheep & the last president had left behind many, many goats. When you go to vote, just take a good look & be reminded of the alternative to our current leader & the hopelessness they (Democrats) really offer. As others have mentioned, mistakes have & are being made in dealing with this pandemic, but remember where most of this is coming from & vote accordingly.


8 posted on 04/26/2020 11:17:41 AM PDT by oldtech
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