Today’s Edition: Delta Variant Anger Syndrome

August 3, 2021

          An interactive map in the NYTimes shows the current “hotspots” of Delta variant infections across the United States. The infection hotspots—Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri—map onto anti-vaccination hotspots in the United States. Republican leaders in those states—including Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton, and Ron DeSantis—have opposed mask mandates. Their opposition to public health measures achieved the intended effect: their constituents are being infected by the Delta variant at the highest rates in the nation. Of course, the GOP leaders see things differently. They believe they are defending the right of their constituents to infect themselves and others with a potentially disease. The freedom to inflict harm on others is not usually promoted by politicians in the U.S. (except where guns are concerned).  

          There is rising anger among those Americans who have acted responsibly to protect themselves and others—including by wearing masks after they have been vaccinated. Paul Krugman has authored an op-ed in the NYTimes that captures the mixed feelings of anger, annoyance, and resignation that many Americans are feeling as the Delta variant threatens the nascent return to normalcy. See Paul Krugman, “‘Freedom,’ Florida and the Delta Variant Disaster.” Krugman captures the central hypocrisy of the right’s anti-vaccination and anti-mask efforts:

          So let’s talk about what the right means when it talks about “freedom.” Since the pandemic began, many conservatives have insisted that actions to limit the death toll should be matters of personal choice. Does that position make any sense? Well, driving drunk is also a personal choice. But almost everyone understands that it’s a personal choice that endangers others . . . . [W]hy are people on the right so receptive to misinformation on this subject, and so angry about efforts to set the record straight?  My answer is that when people on the right talk about “freedom” what they actually mean is closer to “defense of privilege” — specifically the right of certain people (generally white male Christians) to do whatever they want.

          It is a sad truth that the pandemic is a political threat to both Democrats and Republicans. A reader sent a note saying, “If Democrats can rationally respond to the pandemic’s resurgence, they have a prayer of accomplishing some of their goals.” Given that the Republican Party is morally responsible (in part) for the resurgence of the coronavirus, the pandemic is again a threat to the Republicans—as it was in 2020.

One of the biggest losers may be Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose state is experiencing its highest infection rates of the pandemic. As the Delta variant ravages his state, he is doubling down on anti-mask mandates. He has become an embarrassment to his state. See Vanity Fair, “Report: Florida Doctors Think Ron DeSantis Is a National Embarrassment.” DeSantis governs a state that has a dense population of retirees who are vulnerable to the highly infectious Delta variant. It is a recipe for disaster.

          The seriousness of the threat from the Delta variant is about to become real to Congress. Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Monday he tested positive for the coronavirus even though he is vaccinated. See Politico, “Lindsey Graham tests positive for Covid-19 after being vaccinated.” Graham spent Saturday evening partying on Senator Manchin’s houseboat with at least two other Senators (Jacky Rosen and Mark Kelly). Those four Senators, in turn, spent Sunday with their Senate colleagues working on the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

If the Delta variant gains a foothold in Senate, the political balance of the nation could shift overnight. Lindsey Graham will be unavailable for a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill for the next ten days. (As a sidenote, Senator Sinema will be unavailable as well, but that is because she has announced that she is leaving on vacation regardless of whether Democrats need her to vote on the infrastructure bill, reconciliation bill, or anything else.)

          The Biden administration responded competently in the early days of the pandemic. It must step up its efforts again. In good news, the U.S. reached the 70% vaccination rate goal (for at least one shot) for the adult population one month after Biden’s original deadline of July 4th. We are in a race against time. Every person who chooses to become vaccinated in the next few weeks could help turn back the threat of a major resurgence. Let’s hope that the inexorable spread of the Delta variant focuses the attention of the 30% of adult Americans who are not vaccinated.

Update on the lapse of the eviction moratorium.

          As finger pointing continues, the White House said it was not at fault over the lapse of the eviction moratorium because it lacks the legal authority to extend the ban. See Politico, “White House says states, cities must rescue renters after eviction ban lapse.” A Biden spokesperson said that the administration had “double, triple, and quadruple checked” to determine if the administration has the authority to halt evictions. Biden’s advisors concluded that the CDC does not have the administrative authority to extend the moratorium on evictions.

          Putting aside the finger pointing over why the Biden administration informed Congress at the last minute that it would not extend the moratorium, Biden is on firm ground in concluding that the CDC cannot act unilaterally to extend the moratorium. In fact, the Supreme Court told the administration that the CDC lacked such authority in late June. See Slate, “Democrats won't blame the Supreme Court for the eviction cliff.” As explained in Slate, the Supreme Court declined to review an appeal involving the eviction moratorium. In declining review, five Justices indicated that they believed the CDC had exceeded its authority in imposing the eviction ban. They also signaled that Congress could extend the ban—and left the moratorium in place until July 31st so that Congress could act. In the ensuing seven weeks, Congress did nothing. To be fair to Congress, the Biden administration did nothing either, but it had just been told by the Supreme Court that the executive branch could not act unilaterally to extend the eviction ban.

          This sorry state of affairs should be ameliorated by the fact that there is nearly $45 billion in rent relief available for distribution by states, counties, and cities to landlords and tenants. See WaPo, “There’s plenty of money to avoid evictions. States just have to spend it.” It takes a peculiar level of dysfunction for state and local governments to avoid applying for $45 billion in relief for their citizens. The Biden administration needs to coordinate efforts with local governments to distribute those funds to renters and landlords—before it is too late.

Quick Notes.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman has written an essay in The Atlantic explaining how his actions in reporting Trump’s attempt to bribe Ukraine ended his military career. See The Atlantic, “Alexander Vindman: Trump's Phone Call Changed My Life.” Vindman is an American hero and patriot. His essay makes clear that Trump’s attempt to bribe Ukraine was intended to derail Joe Biden’s presidential aspirations. Read the essay, renew your outrage, and wonder why the DOJ is not prosecuting Trump for bribery.

Dozens of readers sent me a link to a detailed and damning article in The New Yorker about the handful of billionaires and establishment lawyers who are running the effort to delegitimize elections in America. See The New Yorker, “The Big Money Behind the Big Lie.” It is a lengthy article that I cannot fairly describe in the newsletter, but it is well worth your attention. The article recounts a breathtaking admission by a lawyer who formerly represented the GOP in election lawsuits. The lawyer said of the GOP,

          [A] party that’s increasingly old and white whose base is a diminishing share of the population is conjuring up charges of fraud to erect barriers to voting for people it fears won’t support its candidates

After my rant on Sunday that the media is ignoring Trump’s attempted coup, I could find only one reference to the incident on Monday. See Jennifer Rubin, “Opinion | The most damning evidence against Trump.” Rubin quoted impeachment attorney Dan Goldman as saying,

          By asking DOJ to lie so he and the Republican congressmen can use the lie to reverse the outcome of the election, Trump plainly intended to corruptly overturn the election. Any state or federal prosecutor can use these statements against him.

          My point exactly.

Trump will challenge in court the decision by the DOJ to allow the IRS to turn over Trump’s tax returns to a House committee. See Talking Point Memo, “WSJ: Trump To Contest Tax Return Disclosure To Congress.”

Concluding Thoughts.

          Many readers sent notes saying they agreed with my concern in yesterday’s newsletter that Trump’s attempted coup is receiving little attention in the press. A handful of readers commented only on my typo in referring to the “Democrat Party.” I don’t mean to be defensive, but if what you took away from yesterday’s newsletter was concern about the above typo, you missed my point. Trump attempted a coup. He will do so again unless we start treating him like the criminal conspirator he is.

Please do not confuse my alarm with defeatism or despair. I believe we can and will prevail in 2022 and 2024, but only if we shake our leaders from their complacency and indifference about the threat Trump poses to the rule of law. One reader asked me what she could do to help achieve that result. Here is my answer: In every interaction you have with a candidate or their surrogate, ask what the candidate (or incumbent) is doing or will do to ensure that Trump is held accountable for his crimes. If enough people do that, candidates and incumbents will get the message and act on it. We have the power; let’s use it.

          Talk to you tomorrow!