re: #104 Quoth the raven, Covfefe.

At this point, I don’t think he’s an idiot. I think he is willfully destroying his state, doing exactly what we claimed in sarcasm (and perhaps in fear) - sacrificing his people on the altar of The Economy. He wants his state to lead the economic figures, and he Just. Plain. Doesn’t. Care. about the death toll it takes to get there.

He’s playing the part of Mayor Vaughn from Jaws, shouting “THOSE BEACHES STAY OPEN!” even as people watch swimmers getting munched on the hour. It’s all about “summer dollars,” all about getting the tourists in now so that he doesn’t have to stand before the voters in a couple months to explain why he’s butchering the state budget due to funding shortfalls. The fact that an economic “recovery” plays to his biggest political sponsor (Donny) also doesn’t hurt things in his eyes.

I stand by what I said weeks ago, these fuckers all told themselves back in April that if they could “reopen” in May and keep things open all the way til August without major flare-ups, then the outbreak would be deemed “over” and they’d get all sorts of accolades for standing fast in the face of criticism. They bet the farm on that scenario and so are committed to it, come hell or high water.