PRESIDENT WANTS A POLITICAL CIRCUS FOR HIS RE-ELECTION CONVENTION

…a true caricature of our President

Trump shows that all he wants is North Carolinians as backdrops for his re-election campaign

Let’s face it, the North Carolina officials were acting responsibly when they refused to give in to President Trump’s latest demand.  Trump’s demand was for an immediate guarantee for a full-capacity Republican National Convention in Charlotte in late August. Trump will do anything that will allow him to have the political circus of a large campaign rally where he can have a crowd of MAGA supporters for him to rile up.

That’s what a Barnum & Bailey carnival barker would want.

With all the uncertainty about Covid-19, and because no one knows what the rate of infections will be in three months, there are clear risks from having large gatherings in enclosed spaces.  That is especially true for  those events that bring together people from all over the country.

Mr. Trump seems to have no concerns for the conventioneers’ health, or the health of Charlotte’s residents. He just wants them as a backdrop to serve his political interests.

In addition to wanting to gather 50,000 people in Charlotte, and over only 4 days, starting Aug. 24, Mr. Trump also remains committed to holding a Fourth of July celebration on the Washington Mall.

As in North Carolina, officials in Washington have expressed similar concerns about whether such an event can be held safely.  Restrictions in place now ban large gatherings. Loosening such restrictions would most likely result in a spike of virus infections.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has behaved extremely responsibly. The state was in the process of consulting with Republican officials when Mr. Trump issued his threat to pick up and move unless the governor immediately authorized a full-scale convention.  The president didn’t even go first to the Republican officials that were dealing with the state’s governor.  A spokeswoman for Mr. Cooper had said the officials would rely on “data and science” in making a decision that protects public health and safety.  But we all know how Trump has no respect for decision that get in his way, because of any, “data and science”.

North Carolina’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Mandy Cohen sent a letter this week to GOP convention officials requesting written plans on how they could safely manage a 50,000-person event.

As the country begins to reopen, risks and benefits have to be weighed thoughtfully. The value of having children attend school is greater than the benefit of collecting 100,000 fans in a football stadium; that should help inform the level of risk we are willing to accept. What exactly is the benefit of having 50,000 people flock to Charlotte to certify the nomination of a candidate that was decided many months ago? No matter how glorious the fireworks, are they worth the risk of re-igniting the spread of the virus?

D.C. officials already decided not to hold their traditional Fourth of July parade, and most jurisdictions in the Washington area have canceled plans for fireworks. Democrats postponed their convention from mid-July to mid-August.  They have also acknowledged that the event may need to be a virtual event or at least broken into small groups.

From the start of the pandemic, Mr. Trump has minimized its dangers. Too many people have already died because Mr. Trump cared about image more than reality.  North Carolina and D.C. officials should continue to make reasonable decisions that rely on science and data to serve the public interest.  But the president will obviously argue that decision.

Our president continues to show that he is not dealing appropriately with a national crisis that has caused the death of too many innocent Americans.  Having more Americans die by allowing the president to have a Make American Great Again rally during his re-election campaign convention would be disgusting, but it would not be surprising for this president.

Copyright G. Ater 2020