If I needed proof that the 5-10% of voters in the middle of the road will play a critical role in the coming election, I got it in the last few days. Last week I got a postcard in the mail which I almost threw away without looking at it thinking it was junk mail. Then I saw the bold capital letters on one side - PRESIDENT TRUMP'S CORONAVIRUS GUIDELINES FOR AMERICA = with the White House and CDC logos in the right lower corner. On the other side was a list of measures starting with "Listen and follow the directions of your State and local authorities" and ending with "Always practice good hygiene" followed by instructions on hand-washing, not touching one's face and covering one's coughs and sneezes. There were CDC guidelines regarding self-isolation, avoiding discretionary travel and visiting retirement homes. This was followed in the weekend by the President announcing pushing back the date for return to "normalcy" to the end of the April. We should not be naïve enough to think these are signs of a newfound respect for the opinions of scientists and doctors since he continues to denigrate Democratic governors from Washington to New York who complain about his handling of the situation, no doubt to keep his base fired up, while avoiding mention of the Republican governor of Ohio who is doing what is necessary even when it contradicts the President's positions. This morning I heard the Republican governor of Maryland say he had ordered a lock-down in the state after coming to the realization that 26 executive orders in the last 25 days were piecemeal measures which had not had the desired effect. I would conclude that the President is trying to influence middle of the roaders by appearing to suddenly be reasonable. Let me remind you that this administration defunded NSC and CDC programs for dealing with just such a situation and fired the staff manning those programs. The President tried to get away with bombast until it became clear it was no match for the pandemic. That's when the daily press conferences where he appears to defer to Drs. Fauci and Birx began. It's a nice tactic and has resulted in a bump in his ratings. The $2 trillion+ rescue package hasn't hurt either. What the President is doing is trying to eat his cake and have it too. He would like to edge into the middle of the road while holding on to his anti-science positions. I would urge you to not allow all this to bamboozle you when you vote in November.
- drrama7