TRUMP’S LIES WILL BE DEADLY NOW
ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR SEN. MERKLEY:
I am grateful for your helpful Coronavirus Resource Page. Thank you. But just developing it shows that the President and his Administration are not trusted sources of life-saving information. I urge you to demand such a spokesperson is named, perhaps NIAID chief Dr. Anthony Fauci. I also ask that you demand a clean funding bill that matches the needs ofthe outbreak, and to get that done before the March recess.
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR SEN. WYDEN:
I want to thank you for pressing HHS on its preparedness for this emergency. I ask that you push for a better understanding as to the sorry state of America’s preparedness, including supplies and training, for outbreaks and epidemics. I also ask that you demand a clean funding bill that matches the needs of the outbreak, and to get that done before the March recess.
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
I am concerned about the government’s ability to mount an effective response to this outbreak. We need hearings to understand why health care personnel were not adequately trained, what caused the shortage of personal protection equipment, and why lab tests were made in a contaminated facility and why are they still in short supply. I also ask that you demand a clean funding bill that matches the needs ofthe outbreak, and to get that done before the March recess.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
ACTION THREE: HELP REGISTER VOTERS
Indivisible Oregon is organizing letter-writing parties using Swing Left tools to contact voters whose voter registration data may need updating. Find a letter writing party near you or organize one yourself: https://swingleft.org/events.
BACKGROUND:
When voting, character is key. Trump’s character has never been hidden. He rejects science. Rejects experts including doctors,generals and judges. Most importantly, he is at war with the truth.
All this is obvious now in the shortcomings of his outbreak response.
Rejecting wisdom, Trump disbanded epidemic groups in the White House and at Homeland Security. He has already cut more than $1 billion from public health budgets. His 2020 budget cuts CDC by $750 million and 53% for WHO.
Critically, he lies repeatedly about the outbreak, starting with his first public comments that the outbreak was “very well under control.”
Truth matters. Especially in outbreaks. That’s because public health emergencies are influenced by human behavior, and changingbehaviors can lower risks (i.e. “safe sex” and “smoking kills”).
After 16,000-plus documented lies, Trump forfeited the role ofultimate trusted source of outbreak information. Worse, he’s lying about this too.
Now that it’s obvious the coronavirus outbreak is not “under control,” Trump moved on to claim the outbreak is a “hoax” designed by the press and Democrats to hurt him politically.
Fox News tells its audience “you can only trust Trump…”
No. At this moment, we need leadership we can trust.
SOURCES:
- Sen. Jeff Merkley’s Coronavirus Resource Page: https://www.merkley.senate.gov/coronavirus
- CDC’s Coronavirus page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
The Atlantic, Jan. 30, 2020: “Coronavirus Is Coming—And Trump Isn’t Ready. In order to combat the disease, the president will have to trust the kind of government experts he has disdained and dismissed.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/now-trump-needs-deep-state-fight-coronavirus/605752/
Politico, Feb. 21, 2020: “White House fears coronavirus could shape Trump’s 2020 fortunes” https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/21/coronavirus-trump-white-house-116650
Washington Post, Feb. 27, 2020: “President Trump made it harder to fight coronavirus by actions he took two years ago” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2020/02/27/the-health-202-president-trump-made-it-harder-to-fight-coronavirus-by-actions-he-took-two-years-ago/5e56cfdf602ff108c8ca3368/
Washington Post, Feb. 28, 2020: “Fact-checking President Trump’s coronavirus news conference” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/28/fact-checking-president-trumps-coronavirus-news-conference/
New York Times, : “White House Asks Congress for Billions to Fight Coronavirus” https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-coronavirus-science-hiv-aids-smoking-evolution-climate-change-1489458
Washington Post, Feb. 27, 2020: “Trump just pushed one of his worst conspiracy theories yet” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/27/trump-just-pushed-one-his-worst-conspiracy-theories-yet/
Politico, Feb. 24, 2020: “Trump backers see a coronavirus conspiracy” https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/26/trump-backers-coronavirus-conspiracy-117781
The Hill, Feb. 25, 2020: “Sen. Kennedy [Republican and Trump defender] slams acting DHS secretary for lack of coronavirus answers” https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/484523-sen-kennedy-slams-acting-dhs-secretary-on-coronavirus
Newsweek, Feb. 27, 2020: “From ‘Smoking Doesn’t Kill’ to Conversion Therapy—Mike Pence’s Most Controversial Science Remarks” https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-coronavirus-science-hiv-aids-smoking-evolution-climate-change-1489458
Vanity Fair, March 2, 2020: “Coronavirus Is Creating a Fake-News Nightmarescape” https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-is-creating-fake-news-nightmarescape-social-media
Washington Post, March 3, 2020: “Trump’s go-to tactics for reassuring his base are wildly insufficient for coronavirus” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/02/trumps-go-to-tactics-reassuring-his-base-are-wildly-insufficient-coronavirus/?utm_source=reddit.com
Politico, March 3, 2020: “‘You don’t want to go to war with a president’ How Dr. Anthony Fauci is navigating the coronavirus outbreak in the Trump era.” https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/03/anthony-fauci-trump-coronavirus-crisis-118961
