Op-ed:

The Political Weaponization of COVID-19

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on RSP Radio

“The first order of business will be to get the spread of the virus under control and then resume economic activity,”

Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell

We all know that the liberal agenda of never letting a good crisis go to waste is now kicking into high gear what with the latest coronavirus numbers saying that more than 1.4 million people worldwide have been confirmed as being infected by the COVID-19 virus with 83,000 deaths.* And with the latest numbers here in the U.S., as I write this, showing 400.549 folks being confirmed infected with 12,857 deaths...never mind that the current 2019-2020 flu season (which is now being downplayed by the CDC and the media) has sickened almost 39 million Americans killing upwards of 24 thousand** of them...the Democrats still choose to ignore the flu numbers while they relish in misplaced glory that COVID-19 is all President Trump's fault.

Never mind that this crisis too shall pass...as all crisis' due so in time...never mind that to date upward of more than 1.6 billion people worldwide have contracted this year's flu. Never mind any of that as the Democrats keep pushing a doom and gloom COVID-19 scenario as a means by which to try and implement their hoped for progressive “new norm” instead of the temporary, albeit serious, oddity that the virus is while ignoring the fact that COVID-19's spread could have been prevented had China been more forthcoming. Instead Democrats have chosen to maliciously weaponize what should have been a medical issue alone into the third installment of their “we must impeach Trump” attempted political coup.

And as panic continues to grip our country, with the severity of said panic depending on where in the country you live, coupled with the fact that toilet paper is still this years must have hot ticket item, we can clearly see that April is shaping up to be a much different animal than February or even March was. And why...because first, while our country is not under a national "stay-at-home" order...which President Trump knows would have some screaming that he's taking away states' rights and abusing his power...we still have in place highly recommended “suggestions” to "stay at home" issued by the federal and many state and local governments. And second, the panic...which the media reports on 24/7...is now being fueled on by the dismal March jobs numbers showing that both the American worker and our country in general is hurting. And it's this hurt that the Democrats are playing upon as a means by which to not only slam our president, but to make light of the American worker's plight and hence the entirety of “We the People” as well for why else would the stimulus bill be so “pork” fattened.

Now as for those jobs numbers. In February we were basking in the fact that America saw a 3.5% unemployment rate and that our economy seemed unstoppable...which at the time it was. And then...boom...a nasty little virus that originated in China's abomination known as “Wet Markets” turns both Trump's and America's economic wins into what are now being perceived and peddled by Democrats as economic loses, something not of Trump's nor America's doing.

And while these latest jobs numbers currently show our country at a 4.4% unemployment rate...a rate that will be adjusted upward when over the next few months the as expected revisions truly start reflecting the still now being registered and processed March unemployment claims... remember that the jobs report is actually made up of two parts whose numbers are combined. Part one shows households and part two shows business establishments with part one becoming the unemployment rate and part two showing just how many jobs were created or lost in a given month. And not to be forgotten is that the March jobs numbers will most likely also be reflected in April's jobs report because America's economy has basically, except for essential services, been shut down as reflected as per the current percentage drop in economic output. And it's this which directly leads to job losses, which then leads to income losses, which in turn leads to reduced spending and even more job losses...a vicious economic cycle indeed.

And while said jobs report coupled with truly ridiculous panic buying is temporarily causing nationwide supermarket shortages of certain items, the Democrats continue screaming that Trump is leading us into not just a recession but into a depression...a depression not unlike that of the Great Depression of the 1930's. However, nothing could be further from the truth because as with most crisis scenarios there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And in the case of COVID-19 that light will come with the approaching summer months...viruses do tend to temper down with summer's heat...and once that happens and as the stay-in-place directives are lifted our economy will come roaring back as people return to work, new jobs and businesses are created, and life gets back to normal...not the Democrats so wanted progressive“new normal” but the normal that existed before COVID-19.

And why will this happen...simply because of numbers... tangible indisputable numbers...and numbers themselves don't lie. Take for example, the Great Depression when almost a third...as in 33%...of all U.S. economic output disappeared as well as seeing a full 20% of the working population losing their jobs, with both economic and jobs recovery taking years. And while today's key economists believe that the U.S. annualized rate output (as in the calculating of a short-term calculation or rate into an annual one) in the months April to June may actually fall by 14% or more, few if any of these same economists believe that such a decline will continue over a long period of time instead saying that jobs will sooner rather than later become more readily available. And again why...because even though unemployment claims will increase for awhile so too will government spending, which will come in the guise of the amount of money our government transfers to not only “We the People” people but to both large and small business as well. And this in turn aids in acting as a “hedge” of sorts which will help to prevent a downturn into a depression.

Now as for a recession, sadly, certain parts of our country are already seeing that happen and it's not all because of COVID-19 as the Democrats want you to believe. Remember, as the stock market readjusts itself...as it must do from time to time...it's primarily doing so because we’ve been in the middle of the longest boom this economy has ever seen. And that's according to Andrea Eisfeldt, an economics professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management who also stated that, “Whenever we’re in a boom, there’s an impending recession because we know that we experience business cycles in the U.S. economy.” And what has COVID-19 done but lead in part to a downturn in business because of the what she said is the “health shock that we’re experiencing.”

And it's that very shock and its corresponding fear that the Democrats are zeroing in on as no one was prepared for a virus out of China to wreck such havoc on the world so speak. And that havoc comes in the guise of both the total number of much needed factories closing down en-mass, and with “social distancing” being all of our temporary, albeit annoying, new disruption as well as distraction. And besides, President Trump believes that if a true countrywide recession were to occur that it would be what's know as a V-shaped recession...a recession where once the economy hits bottom and turns up, it will soar, as in 1946 when pent-up demand from World War II was unleashed and America began to churn out cars and consumer goods as rapidly as it had weapons of war.

And what are we being distracted from...how about the fact that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is yet again trying to discredit and possibly impeach President Trump, this time over what she considers both his reaction and what she deems inaction to the COVID-19 so-called pandemic. Knowing that neither Joe Biden nor Bernie Sanders can beat Trump come November, last Thursday Pelosi hoped to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat by announcing the creation of a new House Select Committee on Coronavirus...a committee which she says will oversee exactly how the Trump administration manages the recently passed $2 trillion stimulus package...a package that was designed to help both restart the economy and help the American people, especially those now out of work...a package both she and her “it's all about garnering votes” miscreant Democrat cohorts held up until most of all the “pork” they wanted was buried deep within it.

But did she stop there...of course not for Nancy Pelosi also said that this committee will oversee the Trump administration’s actual response to the pandemic, and “press to ensure that the federal response is based on the best possible science and guided by the nation's best health experts, and it will be to ensure that the taxpayers' dollars are spent wisely and efficiently,” And what is this but Nancy Pelosi talking out of both sides of her mouth for the woman who is vehemently against closing our borders and who continues to support late term abortion as well as the funding of the abortion mill known as Planned Parenthood, thinks she and the Democrats can better handle the stated $2 trillion stimulus package than either Trump or the Republicans can.

And then there's Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who also last week started acting up again by sending a letter to President Trump demanding...yes demanding...that he appoint a military official as a czar to manage production and distribution of medical equipment and other needed medical supplies while he's invoking the Defense Production Act during this ongoing COVID-19 crisis. This act, comprised of three major sections, gives Trump in section one the authority to require businesses to accept and prioritize contracts for materials deemed necessary for national defense no matter any loss said business might incur, as well as allowing him to designate any given material as being prohibited from hoarding and/or price gouging. Section two gives Trump the authority to establish a system by which to allocate materials, services and facilities to promote national defense; while section three affords the president control over the civilian economy so that much needed and sometimes scarce materials necessary to national defense are readily available for national defense.

Translation: President Trump has the legal authority to do whatever needs to be done and the last thing this country needs, most especially in a time of crisis, is yet another Obama-style czar overseeing and overstepping what are Trump's legally allowed for duties, especially when and in no need of a title, “A ‘senior military officer’ is in charge of purchasing, distributing, etc. His name is Rear Admiral John Polowczyk...If you remember, my team gave you this information, but for public relations purposes, you choose to ignore it,” was our president's response to Schumer's uncalled for political pot-stirring letter. And besides, many private companies have already been voluntarily doing what Trump could order them to do without even being asked...even GM is now complying after a public call to task.

And this rightful “we're all in it together” attitude is a perfect example of true American exceptionalism...something the Democrats know little to nothing about. And besides if Trump did issue such orders the Democrats would scream that he's invoking martial law... the man simply can't win if he does and he surely can't win if he doesn't...a catch 22 situation bar none.

So as our COVID-19 numbers continue to go up with experts now saying we should see a peak in both cases and deaths in about two weeks and then start to see a flattening out of the infamous curve, all I can say to my readers is stay safe above all else and maybe say a prayer for our president who is trying his best to get us through a situation out of all our control. And when this situation has passed, which it assuredly will, out relationship with China must be reevaluated, but that's for a future article soon to come. 

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*  https://google.com/covid19-map/?hl=en

** https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

Copyright @ 2020 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All Rights Reserved.   

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, This Easter Choose Wisely. 

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