Credit where it owes: it Associated Press The story underscores a reality that seriously undermines a story – accepted by many in the media – that imposing more COVID restrictions amounts to greater “safety” and “following science.” A Biden administration health official was recently dropped by MSNBC by California against Florida, and here’s the AP further highlighting the uncomfortable truth:
AP headline: “Virus money is similar despite the contrasting actions of governors.” Where would you rather live? pic.twitter.com/sAJadz8VL5
– Guy Benson (@guypbenson) 13 March 2021
Many different approaches. “Almost identical” COVID outcomes. More details:
California and Florida both have a COVID-19 case of about 8900 per 100,000 inhabitants since the pandemic began, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And both are in the middle of the country for COVID-19 mortality rates – Florida was 27th Friday; California was 28th. Connecticut and South Dakota are another example. Both are among the ten worst states for COVID-19 mortality rates. Yet the Democratic government, Ned Lamont, a Democrat, has imposed numerous nationwide restrictions over the past year on an early increase in deaths, while the South Dakota government, Kristi Noem, a Republican, has not issued any mandates, as virus deaths skyrocketed in the fall.
We already know that New York was a disaster on both COVID and economic. But to examine the comparison between California and Florida a little deeper, more facts emerge. California has a slightly better per capita death and fall rate, although both states are roughly in the middle of the pack on the former benchmark. Florida, of course, has an older population. Before the pandemic, the unemployment rate in Florida was one point better than in California (3.3 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively). By the end of the year, California’s unemployment rate had risen to 9.3 percent, while Florida had risen to just 5.1 percent. By 2020, California lost 1.63 million jobs, compared to about 583,000 in Florida. The media was adamant about the attack on Florida and its Republican governor, but the data tells a story that does not match their preferred story. Even pieces designed to criticize Ron DeSantis end up in frustrating areas for those associated with the ‘DeathSantis’ stuff:
As with so many stories about Florida, it starts with ‘Ron DeSantis, bad’, and then changes it halfway, because the author has to admit that the COVID numbers in Florida are in the middle of the pack, even though they are not locked in, and better than several states. https://t.co/wcKWkVZGrI
– Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) 14 March 2021
Some people, like this infamous hack lefty columnist at the Los Angeles Times can not process empirical truths that conflict with his biased feelings, so they turn to unfounded conspiracy theories:
Here’s a difference you do not mention: Florida fired its data officer for refusing to post false statistics. California did not.
– Michael Hiltzik (@hiltzikm) 14 March 2021
This did not happen, and the insane person he was referring to was exposed as a liar and charged with several crimes. But some people in the media just can’t let her go, because it’s easier to cling to conspiracies than to struggle with the realization that your passionate partisan dogma may be wrong. Since we started this message with a mainstream news organization acknowledging the truths that many in their tribe refuse to acknowledge, what about another? Via ABC News, late last week:
Despite calls for national unity and duality, President Joe Biden and his leading aides have refused to give the Trump administration credit for the country’s COVID-19 vaccination, while relying heavily on a system instituted by their predecessors.… Biden and his top assistants have repeatedly accused the Trump administration of having ‘no plan’. … While Biden purchased additional vaccine supplies, Pfizer and Moderna were always expected to increase their inventory during the year. Also, Biden’s playbook for vaccine distribution has strong support for a system created by the Trump administration, including federal partnerships with government officials and agreements with local pharmacies. In fact, the federal pharmacy program created by Trump assistants is what Biden relied on last week to expand the qualification for teachers. And when Biden asked for ‘100 million shots in 100 days’ – a rate of about 1 million shots a day – former health officials noted that the US has just reached the week of Biden’s inauguration mid-January … With three vaccines now approved by regulators, the tightening of supply is indeed a victory. But it is also one that Biden celebrated as only his administration’s achievement without acknowledging that he was rely on Trump-era contracts to get it done.
One could call this cynical and predictable politics as usual, but Biden explicitly endeavored to unite the country, heal separation, and get over it. That’s not it.