Trump’s COVID-19 Hazard Indicator: Special Congress Edition (March 22, 2020)

As of 6 PM today Sunday March 22, there are three members of Congress who are known to be infected with COVID-19 and in quarantine. The latest is Rand Paul (R Senate KY), who joins Mario Diaz-Balart (R House FL) and Ben McAdams (D House UT) who were diagnosed on March 19, only 3 days ago.

What does the COVID-19 Personal Risk Indicator look like this evening for the 535 elected members of Congress?

Trumps COVID-19 Personal Hazard Indicator Special Congress Edition 032220

In less than a week, the entire US Congress, both Houses, has managed to dwarf the COVID-19 risks faced by ordinary Americans as they go about their business and personal lives. The definite observed lower bound of risk for the actual members of Congress is now 0.56 cases per 100 Members. Sad to say (rounded to the nearest power-of-10 risk level) this personal individual risk is already 100 times higher than that for either the US in general or Louisiana in particular. Flashing Red Lights.

What we have here is a potential catastrophe in governance. Neither the House nor the Senate has adopted formal rules for conducting their business in remote session, including the mission critical ability to cast binding votes on bills and perform other official government business. Shameful, Dangerous, Unacceptable, and an Acute Threat to National Security.

Why in the World are they worried about an Economic Bailout with Christmas Tree Ornaments for business, when their complete legislative operations may grind to an essential halt in a few days with multiplied member quarantines? The Senate has already seen its rigid McConnell Grip diluted in the middle of this bailout negotiation mess.

Wake Up There, Folks. Emergency Measures Now Before the Lights Go Out. First Things First. For God’s Sake.

Do you really want Trump’s bumptious Gang Who Can’t Shoot Straight taking over yet more critical government functions, after their screwed-up track record so far with COVID-19?

Partisan Structure of US Congress March 2020

It may be one of Nature’s nasty little jokes, but right now the Republicans are doing less well in their prayerful COVID-19 Pass Me By Entreaties, compared to the Democrats. While the entire Congress has an average risk of 0.56 cases per 100, there is a partisan gap. The Republican only elected risk is 0.37 per 100 members, while the equivalent Democratic burden is just 0.19 cases per 100 members. This imposes essentially twice the risk if there is an R after you name. Not what Trump.45 wants, for sure.

Of course, these partisan numbers are way too small to take seriously for projection purposes. The point is whether for Public Health reasons, or for National Security and governance purposes, or for purely partisan motives, somebody in the Halls of Congress better wake up yesterday.

Leaders may claim they are working at warp speed, but the result is the same lackadaisical and foolish delay that has characterized Trump.45’s entire response to date and threatens to derail our system of self-government.

Time for Real Leaders to Step Up and Deliver for America. And I don’t mean An Executive Branch Power Grab. Them Boys are Shooting Blanks.

Meantime the Virus laughs and spreads its toxins. It doesn’t negotiate, it doesn’t want a check, and it won’t answer the phone. Presidential Love Letters don’t stir its feelings.

So much for the insouciant arrogance of the core of our topmost federal elected officials who simply can’t talk their way out of this mess. The Golden Gift of Gab is not a Disinfectant.

Virus Don’t care. Virus Don’t Scare. Virus Lurking in the Halls Undetected.

Let’s stop comparing this situation stupidly to Ebola, H1N1, SARS, or the seasonal flu. Fundamentally, we have an immediate acute national public health crisis, bleeding into a pending legislative operations crisis, topped off by a serious rising economic crisis.

Too many people are looking in the wrong end of the telescope.