Former Republican Max Boot’s prose brings the title of this post into vivid clarity:<\/p>\n
\nThe presidency\u2019s idiocy is matched by that of Republican governors in states such as Florida (where coronavirus cases\u00a0increased<\/a>\u00a0by 277 percent in the past two weeks), Texas (+184 percent) and Arizona (+145 percent). They were slow to declare lockdowns and quick to end them. They also refused to impose statewide mask mandates \u2014 and, in the case of\u00a0Texas<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Arizona<\/a>, tried to prevent municipalities from imposing their own rules \u2014 even though studies show that wearing masks can reduce transmission by as much as\u00a085 percent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThis toxic imbecility is getting people killed. But recall the adage that \u201cevery nation gets the government it deserves<\/a>.\u201d Trump and the Trumpy governors did not seize power by force. They were elected by constituents who, in some cases, see masks as the spawn of the devil. [WaPo<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Toxic imbecility<\/em> – oh, I envy that turn of phrase.<\/p>\n
For those who admire and want “strong leaders,” well, Boot’s description is very apt for what you get. The highly hierarchical, You will fall into line!<\/em> toxic atmosphere of the GOP<\/em><\/strong> leads to third-raters such as DeSantis, Kemp, and Pence ending up in positions of responsibility – and screwing it up badly. The aphorism that Republicans fall into line<\/em> is a curse upon America.<\/p>\n
If I had been asleep since 2015 and just woke up, I’d assume I was in hell simply based on the actions of the governors of Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, and so many other states, because they are exhibiting such terrible, terrible judgment – and I wouldn’t understand why.<\/p>\n
I wouldn’t understand why.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Republican Max Boot’s prose brings the title of this post into vivid clarity: The presidency\u2019s idiocy is matched by that of Republican governors in states such as Florida (where coronavirus cases\u00a0increased\u00a0by 277 percent in the past two weeks), Texas (+184 percent) and Arizona (+145 percent). They were slow to \u2026 Continue reading