A spectacularly bad analysis by ⁦ @stavernise⁩ ⁦ @FrancesRobles⁩ & ⁦ @thislouis⁩. They bend over backwards and in several other directions to diffuse blame for what is happening now. It’s not just both-sides-ism, it’s freakishly evasive. 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/us/after-asking-americans-to-sacrifice-in-shutdown-leaders-failed-to-control-virus.html?referringSource=articleShare

I mean it’s as if they cannot utter the name of our President, members of his party who have aided and abetted him because oh-my-god-that-would-be-partisan even if it is the truth. 2/

So they’ll mention the missteps of @realDonaldTrump but then say hey but China, Singapore, Germany! Look they’ve had problems too! We’re all in the same boat! We’re the same! 3/

They want to generalize, spread the blame around and well its seems so dishonest and frankly bullshitty. 4/

“Leaders failed to control coronavirus.” No. There has been a concerted effort to do almost everything wrong from the start and ignore what other countries did to get a handle on things even if they are seen resurgences now. 5/

And the blame rests with @realDonaldTrump @senatemajldr @GOPLeader and the most of the @GOP governors. Full fucking stop. Trump’s response was not remotely like #Merkel or #jacindaardern. 6/

As @jasonintrator said to me this morning what @realDonaldTrump has done is like what #Bolsonaro #Modi and other demagogues have done: these leaders have their own reality where they can do no wrong. 7/

And then, the reporters blame some public health experts’ support for the #BlackLivesMattters for bamboozling the American public w/o as much as a little digging to put this hoary trope to some scrutiny. It was initially spread by right wingers looking for elites to trash. 8/

So this is @deanbaquet’s house version of the epidemic so far. It mentions the truth but caveats it heavily, spreading the blame to others, making excuses for those in power. The @nytimes is authoritarian submissive. 9/

Why is this important? Because this is a crisis of one party’s making & we don’t get out of it by saying “but what about them,” finding weaker actors to blame (e.g. public health experts) or “yeah no one got it right” w false-equivalent invocations of Germany, Singapore. 10/

The answer will be we can’t be partisan, our readers can read between the lines. No, the answer is you won’t challenge power too directly because hey we all went to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, our kids go to the same schools. 11/

To admit there is a dangerous rot in the American political class means the party is over. 12/

#COVID19 in the US is first and foremost a political crisis and to admit that means the status quo that got us here is to blame. 13/

All the softpedalling of the idiocies, lies and cruelty of @realDonaldTrump since 2016 brought us to today. It was never “normal” even if @deanbaquet pretended it was. 14/

To start to tell the truth about #COVID19 is to tell the tale of an American political psychosis that allowed a madman to take the reigns of power and a ruling class including journalists who failed to rise the occasion. 15/

And now with people dropping like flies we’re still making excuses for @realDonaldTrump and the @GOP. It’s like a suicide pact. What is so hard about saying what is happening is grotesque, well, yes, frankly, evil? 16/

So you want to throw the blame for #COVID19 on public health workers? You don’t get to do that because you’re too cowardly to challenge people w enormous political power. 17/

You don’t get to do that because people in public health, science & health have been working 24/7 against this bullshit including yours. Some have been hounded & attacked out of their jobs (several state and local people). But while we’re not perfect we aren’t your problem. 18/

By and large we’ve rolled with the punches, dealt w lack of political support, a new epidemic and pathogen we’ve only known for less than 6 months. 19/

And you don’t get to put leaders like those in Germany, Denmark, New Zealand, South Korea in the same club w @realDonaldTrump. His clan is Bolsanaro, Modi, Putin-all leaders who have failed on #COVID19 and who are cut from same cloth. 20/