politics

Why is Trump suddenly a public advocate of vaccines and booster shots? Somebody did the math for him, according to Donald G. McNeil Jr.:

As of this week, about 1,800 Americans a day are dying of Covid; the C.D.C. expects that number to rise above 2,600.

Virtually all are adults. If 95 percent were unvaccinated and we assume that 75 percent of those were Trump supporters, that’s 1,300 to 1,900 of his voters being subtracted from the rolls every single day.

Donald Trump lost Arizona by a mere 10,000 votes. He lost Georgia by 12,000, He lost Wisconsin by 21,000. He lost Nevada by 33,000.

Right now, about 60 Arizonans, 36 Georgians, 34 Wisconsinites and 14 Nevadans are dying of Covid each day. Seventy five percent of 95 percent of that would be minus 103 Trump voters per day — just in those four swing states. Week after week. That adds up.

The conclusion from Garbage Day:

We have an entire class of wealth holders now who have assets that are not connected to any particular country. And the biggest diehards among them are dreaming of a world where their assets are never converted back into a fiat currency. Whether it’s private islands or Martian colonies, these people will continue bucking against traditional ideas about citizenship and sovereignty. And a lot of it will be, at best, wildly embarrassing, and, at worst, Fyre Fest combined with a humanitarian disaster.

…But definitely read the whole thing for context.

Meanwhile, this anti-crypto thread vs. this one nitpicking some details.

In a polarized climate, opponents would jeer even eloquence from an unwelcome source; partisans would chant lovingly for public incontinence if delivered on behalf of the home team.

From Politico editor-in-chief John F. Harris, talking about Trump, but the point seems to apply far more broadly.

Karl Bode in The Verge:

In policy conversations, ISP lobbyists lean heavily on the FCC’s flawed data to falsely suggest that American broadband is dirt cheap and ultra competitive, despite real-world evidence to the contrary. ISPs also use this false reality to imply meaningful consumer protections aren’t necessary because the market is healthy (as we saw during the fight over net neutrality).