Quote from: Gyfts on June 23, 2022, 08:12:03 PM

Was Trump (or any other country for that matter) incorrect in their pro-lockdown presumption? Maybe not. But after a year, that presumption no longer exists. We knew a lot more.

I'd argue (and did at the time) that most countries were too late in locking down. Earlier, stricter lockdowns would likely have been shorter in duration, and cost fewer lives. But this pattern is reflected around the world, and says nothing particular about Trump. Politicians tend to be reactive rather than proactive with these things - if a precautionary action is going to cause economic damage, they won't act until it's absolutely necessary (and therefore too late).

Quote from: Gyfts on June 23, 2022, 08:12:03 PM

The 2 weeks to stop the spread turned into 30 days which morphed into over a year of restrictions. The difference being, Trump actively attempting to undo the damage that he had mostly caused while the pro-lockdown groups in liberal states did everything they could to continue lockdowns.

Politicians have had to make a trade-off between economic damage and saving lives. Shorter lockdowns would have caused less economic damage, but cost more lives. I don't think we can separate the two and view the economic situation in isolation... lockdowns happened in order to save lives, and not for an economic reason.

Quote from: Gyfts on June 23, 2022, 08:12:03 PM

Trump will run again and he will win because he is a narcissistic man child. [...] Imaging Trump vs. Biden would be quite entertaining though. Two geriatrics going for round 2, incredible!

Yeah, I think Trump would win again. He certainly has his faults, but he's a fabulously skilled demagogue/agitator. Given recent events and particularly the Jan 6th stuff, he would find it extremely easy to position himself as the valiant outsider railing against the corrupt state. And yes, both Trump and Biden are really too old to be running the US from 2024, the idea of either of them being in charge up to the end of 2028 seems a bit ridiculous.

Quote from: OgNasty on June 23, 2022, 10:40:08 PM

Trump's administration was politically forced into taking action while Biden embraced the FUD of the pandemic

I don't trust most politicians. I think there's a considerable gap between what a politician says they think, and what they really think. If any POTUS faced with an unpalatable choice says "I don't want to do this, but I'm being forced into it" then I'd be sceptical.

Quote from: Dripstoil on Today at 06:01:04 AM

You sound more like a 10 year old

Hey, thanks, I'm actually 9yo so I'm glad I'm coming across as more sensible and mature.