IS TRUMP ACTUALLY TRYING TO KILL US?
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…
At first, Trump seemed unable to protect first responders. Now he apparently wants Americans to die. He has directed or cheered efforts to undo every public health action taken to fight Covid-19 – deriding masks and social distancing, and promoting quackery and dangerous potions. I ask that the Senator speak out every time Trump endangers the public health response to the pandemic.
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…
At first, Trump seemed unable to protect first responders. Now he apparently wants Americans to die. He has directed or cheered efforts to undo every public health action taken to fight Covid-19 – deriding masks and social distancing, and promoting quackery and dangerous potions. I ask that the Representative speak out every time Trump endangers the public health response to the pandemic.
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 FROM YOUR HOME
Organizing for the 2020 Election is VIRTUAL!
- We’re hosting virtual letter writing events every Saturday and every fourth Tuesday – sign up at https://swingleft.org/group/indivisible-oregon
- Write letters to voters from home, whenever it’s convenient for you. Register with Vote Forward to get started at votefwd.org.
Host your own virtual letter-writing party! Get started here: http://swingleft.org/p/virtual-letter-writing-party
BACKGROUND:
Trump is undermining every aspect of the fight against Covid-19, as if his objective is not protecting lives.
On social distancing: Trump’s “LIBERATE” campaign has encouraged well-armed “protesters” to trample social distancing and bully state officials into “re-opening.”
These re-openings will mingle infected and uninfected people and result in new case spikes and prolong the outbreak.
On masks: Trump doesn’t wear one because “it sends the wrong message.” So, bearing one’s face has become a demonstration of macho “patriotism” and distain for science.
But masks work. In densely populated Hong Kong, nearly everyone has worn a mask since the outbreak’s start. The city has had four Covid-19 deaths. Four.
Pushing quack remedies: After promoting bleach as a cure, compulsive liar Trump said he is taking hydroxychloroquine, a drug with no proven Covid benefit but is a risk to the heart.
Threatening the global response: In his fake spat with China (it’s Trump’s attempt to shift blame), he threatens to pull the US contribution to the WHO.
This will slow the compiling of global data, and with it, insights and discoveries.
All this has alarmed public health experts who know the Covid risk will not end anywhere until it ends everywhere.
SOURCES:
NPR, May 15, 2020: “’Us Vs. Them’ In A Pandemic: Researchers Warn Divisions Could Get Dangerous” https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/15/857165715/us-vs-them-in-a-pandemic-researchers-warn-divisions-could-get-dangerous
MSNBC, May 15, 2020: “Whistleblower: Trump admin still doesn’t ‘have a master plan’
“We don’t have a single point of leadership right now for this response, and we don’t have a master plan for this response,” Dr. Rick Bright explained.” https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/whistleblower-trump-admin-still-doesn-t-have-master-plan-n1207676
Washington Post, May 13, 2020: “Tensions over restrictions spark violence and defiance among protesters as Trump pushes states to reopen” https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/13/protest-violence-coronavirus/
Los Angeles Times, May 16, 2020: “Column: Wondering if L.A.’s new mask rules are overkill? Look at the Hong Kong example” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-16/column-wondering-if-l-a-s-new-mask-rules-are-necessary-look-at-the-hong-kong-example
The Independent, May 16, 2020: “Man who ‘threatened to kill’ Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer faces terrorism charge” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-death-threat-terrorism-detroit-a9518066.html?utm_source=reddit.com
Detroit Free Press, May 17, 2020: “Age of resistance: How a virus riled up Michigan and spawned a rebellion” https://www.freep.com/in-depth/news/local/michigan/2020/05/17/how-coronavirus-riled-up-michigan-and-spawned-resistance-movement/5185632002/
The Atlantic, May 14, 2020: “Trump Brings in the Infantry for His War on Blue America – Even during the pandemic, he is using the tools of national authority to advance Republican priorities while weakening Democrats’ capacity to impede them” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/05/trump-escalating-his-war-blue-america/611653/
The Washington Post, May16, 2020: “Crisis exposes how America has hollowed out its government” https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/government-hollowed-out-weaknesses/?no_nav=true
CNN, May 1, 2020: “Trump tweets support for Michigan protesters, some of whom were armed, as 2020 stress mounts” https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/01/politics/donald-trump-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-protests/index.html
The New York Times, April 20, 2020: “Trump Foments Protests Against Governors; Experts Warn of Testing Shortages” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/us/coronavirus-cases-news-update.html
STAT, May 17, 2020: “A pandemic plan was in place. Trump abandoned it — and science — in the face of Covid-19” https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/17/the-art-of-the-pandemic-how-donald-trump-walked-the-u-s-into-the-covid-19-era/
Newsweek, May 17, 2020: “Bernie Sanders Says U.S. Has No Science-Based Reopening Policy: ’50 States Going it Alone’” https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-says-us-has-no-science-based-reopening-policy-50-states-going-it-alone-1504639
The Hill, May 18, 2020: “Poll: Majority of US voters want country to remain closed for now” https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/498308-poll-majority-of-us-voters-want-country-to-remain-closed-for-now
Washington Post, May 18, 2929: “Coronavirus death toll is possible casualty of growing rift between President Trump and CDC” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2020/05/18/daily-202-coronavirus-death-toll-is-possible-casualty-of-growing-rift-between-president-trump-and-cdc/5ec1918788e0fa17cde01dac/?utm_source=reddit.com
The Lancet, May 16, 2020: “Reviving the US CDC” https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/17/the-art-of-the-pandemic-how-donald-trump-walked-the-u-s-into-the-covid-19-era/ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31140-5/fulltext
The Atlantic, May 14, 2020: “The Most Remarkable Part of Rick Bright’s Testimony – The whistleblower’s claims about the government’s lack of COVID-19 preparedness went largely uncontested, even by the president’s allies” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/05/rick-bright-covid-19-whistleblower-has-warning/611677/
