Entirely predictable. The virus is setting down roots in Trump country. I guess, among other things, these folks are still going to diners, where, as the New York Times can tell you, all the customers are Trumpers.
While the number of cases and deaths related to coronavirus in Martin County is fairly low (34 cases and 4 deaths), it dwarfs those in the metro counties on a per capita basis. For example, per 100,000 people, Martin County’s numbers represent 170 cases and 20 deaths, compared to 17 cases and 0.7 deaths per 100,000 in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis.
No one knows why this virus has taken hold in Martin County, but that hasn’t stopped speculation. Here is what Tim Langer, public health sanitarian with Martin County Human Services, ventured.
“My personal opinion is there are some folks listening to some media outlets that were not taking this seriously. That can be a factor, too. It’s hard to prove that. I don’t want to get political. But there were outlets saying it’s a hoax, it’s no worse than a cold, and those are things people listen to.”
On the surface, it seems strange that Fox and the Republicans should be propagandizing their voters into killing themselves, but they’re between a rock and a hard place on this issue. They have to cover for their massive incompetence, and one way to do that is to argue that there’s not really any problem that requires competence in the first place. They also have to choose between using the crisis as a chance to grift for themselves and serve their corporate masters, or doing the right thing by the American people, and when have they ever done the latter?
It may make a big difference in the non-Southern states, such as Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where the supply of Trump voters is limited. If it does, then these Trump voters will not have died in vain.
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