HUH? GOP Chair Touts DeSantis Plan to Let People Get COVID as ‘Smart Leadership’

If you’re having trouble figuring out what the Republican agenda for America is, don’t worry. It’s not you. Other than tax cuts for the rich and deregulation, the Republican Party has not had an affirmative agenda for years. Their focus has been devoted almost solely to opposing the progressive policies of the Democratic Party and obstructing the popular initiatives that Democrats have proposed.

Republican Virus

As the “Party of No,” Republicans have proven that they couldn’t care less about what the people want. The latest legislative goals of the Democrats (including the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and $3.5 trillion budget bill) are broadly favored by significant majorities of the American people. But Republicans refuse to serve the interests of their own constituents, preferring to mislead them into believing flagrant falsehoods and crackpot conspiracy theories.

The same perverse political philosophy is being pursued by the GOP with respect to managing the COVID pandemic. They have adopted Donald Trump’s position of declining any constructive action because it might benefit President Biden or upset their cult followers. And to that end, the chairwoman of the Republican Party, Ronna Romney McDaniel, expressed her approval for Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis and his strategy for addressing the pandemic surge that has made Florida the world’s top COVID hot zone. McDaniel tweeted that…

“This is smart leadership. Instead of pushing for mandates, Republican governors are getting people the treatments and resources they need.”

McDaniel’s tweet linked to an article on Fox News that described how DeSantis “mobilized a ‘rapid response unit’ this week to administer monoclonal antibody treatments to state residents infected with COVID-19.” So what McDaniel thinks is “smart leadership” is to make an attempt to provide treatment for people who have contracted the deadly virus, rather than to prevent them from getting sick to begin with. After all, DeSantis has been fiercely fighting any efforts to deal with coronavirus transmission via tried and true methods such as masks and vaccines. Now he, and McDaniel, think it would be better just to treat them after they get sick.

There are numerous problems with that plan. First of all, Those who contract the virus will still be carriers who can infect others and exacerbate the pandemic’s spread. They will also be subject to the possible long-COVID health problems that could produce permanent disabilities.

What’s more, the monoclonal antibody therapy is less effective at mitigating the pandemic than vaccines and masks, and not effective at all after severe symptoms develop. Additionally, it is far more expensive to administer. It costs about $1,500 per dose, compared to $20.00 for the vaccine and $2.00 for a good K95 mask. Plus it requires hospitalization and medical staff to insert and monitor the IV delivery that it requires. All that to avoid getting a ten second poke in the arm.

Last week Florida reported 151,415 coronavirus cases, 15,441 hospitalizations, and 1,070 deaths. If the state were to treat all those infected with monoclonal antibodies, it would cost over $227 million dollars. However, vaccinating them would have cost only about $3 million. Plus, it would have the added benefit of preventing transmission, long-term illnesses, and possible deaths.

Republicans believe that people should have the freedom to decide whether to wear a mask or get vaccinated. Fine. But communities at large should have the freedom to decide whether those ignorant, irresponsible, and selfish louts should be permitted to mix with and endanger them in public places. The vaccine resistors complain that they aren’t comfortable getting a shot when they don’t know what’s in it or the long term effects. But they don’t know any of that about monoclonal antibodies either, yet they’re happy to get sick and shoot that up their veins.

This is what McDaniel regards as “smart leadership”? To the contrary, this is what Republicans regard as exploitable politics. All they care about is stirring up fear and inciting anger with which to attack their political foes. And if thousands more Americans die because of it, that’s just the cost of retaining power for a party that is totally devoid of ideas – or morals.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
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5 thoughts on “HUH? GOP Chair Touts DeSantis Plan to Let People Get COVID as ‘Smart Leadership’

  1. Hoo boy! The “get sick and spend” GOP has no claim to fiscal responsibility. But, during the trump regime, that became very obvious.

  2. You do not have to discuss expensive drugs in order to compare what a free vaccination will cost. Just being admitted to the hospital will more than likely will cost over $12, 000 a day or more without any exotic drugs being used and it will not be pleasant all of the time. Get a vaccination. It’s free to you and the vaccination will only sting for less than a couple of seconds.

  3. I guess it depends on what you might think is smart?

    Helping people? Reducing the strain on hospitals and healthcare?

    Not smart is what this slug of a Governor is doing.

  4. “…But communities at large should have the freedom to decide whether those ignorant, irresponsible, and selfish louts should be permitted to mix with and endanger them in public places.”
    And that…is the bottom line for me!

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