What Newt’s Reading
Lockdown Democrat governors are putting politics over science to keep Americans from earning their paychecks. – Newt
The Lockdown Democrats
By Stephen Moore
RealClearPolitics
America is beginning to reopen for business across the country, except for some states that are expected to keep lockdown orders in place for weeks. Nearly all of the states and cities that have “ordered their businesses to remain comatose and their millions of workers to go without paychecks” are blue, with Democratic governors and mayors. “These governors and mayors say they are relying on ‘science’ and the advice by public health officials. But there is no ‘scientific’ consensus on this terrible virus, and what was thought to be ‘scientific’ fact three weeks ago is now in great question.” Politicians hear whatever confirms their preexisting biases, and the bias of Democrats is to put government ahead of business, the nanny state ahead of the rights of workers. Soon, the red states are going to be doing much better economically than the blue states. “Democrats have foolishly defined themselves as the lockdown party” — this is a loser in the long run. Blue states are facing a choice: change or die.
The strategy from Singapore and Hong Kong on virus testing and isolation of older people teaches us how to handle pandemics in the future. – Newt
Coronavirus Doesn’t Have to Be So Deadly. Just Look at Hong Kong and Singapore.
By Newley Purnell and Feliz Solomon
Wall Street Journal
Hong Kong and Singapore reported their first cases of the coronavirus in January. Four months later, the densely populated metropolises have 27 fatalities between them. “Just 0.4% of those with confirmed infections have died in Hong Kong. In Singapore — less than 0.1%.” These are among the lowest fatality rates in the world. The trick was never to let the virus get out of control and run wild. “Both Hong Kong and Singapore acted quickly to keep the outbreak in check … With controllable caseloads, hospitals were able to properly manage workflows, monitor infected individuals, and provide supportive care that kept many cases from becoming critical.” The two cities tested widely, quarantined aggressively, and treated patients early. Neither city has experienced a shortage of critical medical equipment, because so few patients have needed them. “Extensive testing allows authorities to quickly determine who is infected and isolate them” — and keep them away from larger groups and older people. Doctors were able to focus on treatments and used a cocktail of drugs: “interferon beta-1b, which was developed to treat multiple sclerosis; ribavirin, which is used in the treatment of hepatitis C; and lopinavir-ritonavir, also known by its brand name, Kaletra.”
Even David Ignatius, who has been a critic of Secretary Pompeo, tells rabid anti-Trump media to keep “outrage meters” in check over Madison Dinners. – Newt
Pompeo’s ‘Madison Dinners’ Aren’t Scandalous. I Went to One.
By David Ignatius
Washington Post
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife, Susan, host “Madison Dinners,” which have become the latest “scandal.” Critics have accused Pompeo of misusing public funds at the dinners. But “it didn’t feel that way sitting in the room. It seemed like the many other times I’ve been with previous secretaries at events like these.” In fact, “similar events take place nearly every night in some embassy or think tank, when the city isn’t shut down by a pandemic.” The dinners are social events to improve business relationships. “To be clear: Our democracy faces some severe threats under President Trump. But social events at the State Department with the secretary and his wife are not among them.”
An ex-CBS president admits the left-wing media has a bias in favor of a liberal Democrat Party. – Newt
The ‘Liberal Leaning’ Media Has Passed Its Tipping Point
By Van Gordon Sauter
Wall Street Journal
News organizations that claim to be neutral have been shifting leftward for years, and their loathing of President Trump has accelerated the process. “The highly influential daily newspapers in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, and Boston are now decidedly liberal. On the home screen, the three broadcast network divisions still have their liberal tilt. Two of the three leading cable news sources are unrelentingly liberal in their fear and loathing of President Trump.” Many journalists no longer view objectivity, balance, and fairness as mandatory amid bitter partisanship, in a country they consider flawed. “Much of journalism has become the clarion voice of the ‘resistance,’ dedicated to ousting the president.” The problem will only get worse. At this point, “pulling back from anti-Trump activism could prove commercially harmful” to news organizations — the growth of new customers by changing course “would be more than offset by the defection of outraged members of the current audience.” Plus, the media likes and celebrates what it’s doing; indeed, it finds the “deplorables” deplorable. Ironically, “publications open about their bias might feel freer to focus on the specifics: story selection, presentation, facts, fairness, balance. Not devoid of subtlety for sure, but manageable.”
An outstanding article by Lee Smith on how President Obama’s issues with saving his disastrous Iran deal connect to RussiaGate. – Newt
How Russiagate Began With Obama’s Iran Deal Domestic Spying Campaign
By Lee Smith
Tablet
Barack Obama warned President Trump against hiring Michael Flynn. We know now, from recent revelations concerning the FBI that led the Justice Department to withdraw charges against Flynn, that Obama “wasn’t alarmed by Flynn’s nonexistent ties to Russia.” So why was Obama so concerned about Flynn, and why were officials in the Obama administration intercepting Flynn’s phone calls with the Russian ambassador? “The answer is that Obama saw Flynn as a signal threat to his legacy, which was rooted in his July 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).” Flynn, who opposed the deal, was able to help undo it. “To stop Flynn, the outgoing White House ran the same offense it used to sell the Iran deal — they smeared Flynn through the press as an agent of a foreign power, spied on him, and leaked classified intercepts of his conversations to reliable echo chamber allies.”
