Proof of the piling on of Pres Obama

[cilla4progress]

So I turn on PBS Newshour for a bit last night, and on come Shields and Brooks, one Dem-leaning, one Repub-leaning, both centrist.

They proceed to make the point of how AWFULLY the administration has handled the faux Ebola crisis in the U.S. (my adjective, not theirs).

Really. REALLY? ONE person has died, who contracted it before coming here. Yes, the for-profit hospital in Dallas turned him away, which, well, what the hell, they're in it for the money anyway, so go after THEM. Not Pres. Obama's fault.

Shields and frigging Brooks. Up there on my teevee sounding all intellectual and reasonable, and such.

This is exactly why I am tuning in less often to the news. That, and Sirius pissed me off by ripping me off so I cancelled it.

But seriously folks. What's a President to do. I was never one to "blame the media." First amendment and all that. But I am starting to see the truth now. Whatever their motivation is, all they want to do is bloviate and snark. "Oh that black President. He thinks he's SO smart. Well, we'll SEE about that."

I'm so sick of human beings. Most of them, anyway.

[Fred Sanders]

1. Scientifically the administration has handled it fine, it is the public perception they whine about.

And though the media created that perception, anyone think they would point the finger at themselves?

[Blue_Tires]

21. +1

[cilla4progress]

2. Thank you, Fred Sanders.

Just read some really poignant posts over on my FB - some from Africa, itself, about the self-centeredness and xenophobia on display with the typical reaction here in the US (thank you cable news) to the cases here.

By the way, by "cable news," who do we mean? I think Rachel has been doing very responsible reporting on this, if overly focused on it. Of course, she is in NYC, I believe.

[customerserviceguy]

3. What's a President to do?

Here are a few things:

1) When most Americans tuned into Ebola was when Dr. Brantly and Nurse Writebol came back to the US for treatment in early August. At that time, the President could have called on other world leaders to establish a quarantine area for other returning medical workers, realizing that some might well carry the virus on a trip home. Perhaps there is some small island between Africa and Europe or North America with a failed resort on it that could have been outfitted by our military to provide three weeks of R & R for health workers who probably desperately need a good rest, and a chance to write about their experiences in treating this disease.

2) These writings of the medical workers would provide news on the crisis, and would be more useful than the Dr. Nancy Snydermans of the world jetting off to Liberia just to be able to stand on a street with Monrovian buildings in the backdrop, further endangering not only their entourages, but everybody that Dr. Nancy exposed while on her soup run. No, the President couldn't have restricted their travel, but he could have used the bully pulpit to discourage it, and then require them to spend their three weeks in the quarantine area, with the costs being billed to their news organizations.

3) Travel bans should have been examined, with the idea that vacationers from West Africa were not as important as keeping the virus out of the United States. Plans could have been made to get necessary equipment and personnel in to the afflicted area, while minimizing the chances for the virus to take free rides out of the three nations in West Africa.

Had the President done those things, Ebola fever would not be poisoning our election in ten days from now. Being as Dr. Spencer's face (that black and white picture looks like a selfie that makes him appear to be a new balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) will be plastered all over the news for the time it takes to treat him, we're guaranteed to have nonstop Ebola coverage from now until November 4th.

One of the criticisms of the President is that sometimes he looks like a college professor lecturing us, someone on his staff should have told him not to do that this time around. It's way too easy for the Repukes to paint him as someone who cares more about Africa than he does the US.

[PADemD]

10. +1

[customerserviceguy]

19. Thanks, I seem to be in a minority around here

The logic that folks here apply to gun restrictions doesn't seem to be used when considering travel restrictions.

[pablo_marmol]

24. Like this point......

One of the criticisms of the President is that sometimes he looks like a college professor lecturing us, someone on his staff should have told him not to do that this time around. It's way too easy for the Repukes to paint him as someone who cares more about Africa than he does the US.

[customerserviceguy]

25. Again, thanks

One of the problems of the deep thinkers is that they simply are unable to move away from that persona, and at least act like they are a normal person who gets one thought at a time, then discusses that thought with another person before moving on to the next deep thought.

[Darb]

28. Wow, how many people have been infected?

You are hyperventilating over some imaginary result. If if if if. Shoulda shoulda shoulda.

Bottom line. This President doesn't hyperventilate. Those of us who are not afraid, we get it. Those who have bad dreams at night about zombie hoards of ebola mutants, well, they have apparently won the day. So it goes.

But that doesn't make it right and that doesn't make it real.

[customerserviceguy]

29. Luckily, very few

But as we pour more resources into defeating this disease over there, and as the number of cases multiply at a high rate, we're not going to be too lucky eventually.

You see the mass panic that the few infections so far have caused, why not take steps to limit further panic, even if it does seem irrational?

[Darb]

30. And we will need all the volunteers we can get

to go there and lend a hand. It is a hard sell from the get go, but Christy and LePage are making it even tougher.

If we want to stop this outbreak, then we need to come up with a plan to encourage people to volunteer, not discourage them.

It will take all hands on deck.

Seems to me, Christy and LePage want the virus to kill more people in Africa, with a wink and a nod.

[customerserviceguy]

33. I think it will take a vaccine

I'll admit that my view is deeply pessimistic, but even before the panic and its consequences of the last month, it was a tough sell to get Western healthcare workers to go to the hot zone and risk contracting this disease. I really can't see the situation turning the corner until there is an effective vaccine that will immunize those who go there from this awful scourge.

[RussBLib]

31. you are being too reasonable

Do you doubt that the media and Republicans would slam Obama any way they can, no matter what he does? If he had handled things perfectly (a rather subjective assessment), they still would have found something to pile on about.

[customerserviceguy]

32. Maybe

But maybe not. The President has handled this whole Ebola thing with his usual professorial manner, and the public is having a hard time with that right now. Rationally or irrationally, they've been whipped up into a panic that only three 24/7 'news' channels and the Internet (none of which existed thirty years ago during HIV/AIDS hysteria) could do.

Other voices arise that are clearly overreactions, but on the polar opposite is the President, speaking like this is not really that big of a deal, and he's losing the argument. It's not usually that bad when he does that, but in the weeks before a big midterm election, it's disastrous.

[Control-Z]

4. Every time I hear another politician,

reporter, Internet troll, blame the president I think about what would be happening right now if Bush were in charge, or McCain, or Mittens. Each would handle it differently, of course, but the outcome would be disastrous in all cases. Bush would be hiding in a bunker somewhere pretending nothing was going on. McCain would be bombing the entire African continent, and Mittens would be profiting from it somehow. Public health and safety would be their last concern.

Other than Texas with their no regulation - everything private and for-profit, turning away the first black uninsured patient, and causing his ultimate death, imo, the US has handled the few Ebola cases we've had outstandingly well. Far better than I could have ever expected. These patients, whether brought here for treatment from West Africa, becoming symptomatic here, or contracting it here, are being treated and walking away virus free! I call that brilliantly successful. Things will change. They could get worse. But I, for one, couldn't have more confidence in the Obama administration and I feel very safe.

[cilla4progress]

5. Thank you, to the ends of the earth

For your post, Control-Z.

[Control-Z]

8. You are very welcome, cilla4progress!

[cilla4progress]

5. Thank you, to the ends of the earth

For your post, Control-Z.

[Mister Nightowl]

12. Or think of Palin in charge!

[Control-Z]

14. What a gawd awful thought.

[pablo_marmol]

22. That was the first Dem campaign I donated cash to.

The legal max.......and I'm not rich.

Scared me so bad I couldn't not donate. Would have donated effort, but there was no time at the time.

[Faux pas]

7. I hate everyone...

except for the ones I like. I decided that about 25 years ago.

[pansypoo53219]

9. the CRAPITALIST MEME must be adhered to by teevee gnewz. obama polls BAD. compared to congress?

georgee? can you say subliminal bullshit? the 2% who pay decreed this

[Enthusiast]

11. It wouldn't matter what he did the orders came down from on high, "Trash the President about Ebola."

[heckles65]

13. Anybody listen to these media cretins and others talk about Ebola;

and remember the beginning of one of the most beloved poems in the English language?


"If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,..."

[Control-Z]

15. Nice.

Welcome to DU, heckles65!

[heckles65]

16. Thank you.

I don't have time to post often, but I do enjoy much of what others post.

[blkmusclmachine]

17. It's just the "lib'rul media" doing what they always do--rip DEMS, and laud Republicans, 24/7.

[JoePhilly]

18. Its how the media handles every aspect of the Obama Presidency.

A right wing pundit says "Obama sucks", and then a left wing pundit says "Obama sucks" ... their rationale's are usually total opposites ... like "he's a socialist" or "he's a corporatist".

The media does not care which "Obama bad" meme you internalize, just so you internalize one of them.

[karynnj]

20. Not to mention Obama is engaged with the world to help Africa

Think back to another high fatality disease and a Republican President. Reagan did nothing in the US or Africa for years as AIDS killed thousands. Obama and his administration have invoked AIDS when speaking of the importance in trying to contain and then eliminate ebola in Africa - noting if we didn't many will die and we will be dealing with this for a decade or more.

[pablo_marmol]

23. I had a moment EXACTLY like this today, C4P!

Listening to KNX this afternoon, and they were touting a special lecture they were hosting featuring a physician specialist on African disease. They provided a sound-bite wherein he stated something along the lines of "nothing to worry about, much less panic about".

This segued immediately into a reminder of 'continuing EBOLA coverage' --- stay tuned HERE to KNX.

Good gawd. One moment it's "Nothing to see here folks.....move along", and the next "BE AFRAID! BE VERY AFRAID!"

I actually felt nauseous w/regard to the level to which we have descended.

[darkangel218]

26. Why are you turning what some democrats find as incompetence into racism??

Oh that black President. He thinks he's SO smart. Well, we'll SEE about that."

Who said that? PBS?

[cilla4progress]

27. Because I do believe it underlies a fair piece of it.

I've seen it personally, where people will pile on in order to give themselves a sense of superiority. The very underpinning of discrimination.
It's tribal.

[progree]

34. No worse than what I see at DU all the time in the weeks and days leading up to the election

In the 10 posts in Greatest Threads and Latest Threads, combined, there are just about always one or two where Obama is either torturing or spying on us or his economy sucks or he's going after whistleblowers or on and on and on -- and then we act astonished that more people don't turn out and vote Democratic. And they are all "Rec", "K&R", "Rec", "K&R". This in the days leading up to the election.