Bye Bye Betty

2022!  So here we are, another groundhog year.  COVID continues to flourish and another big election cycle looms.  We continue to learn more details about just how hard the Former Guy and his cronies worked to overturn the 2020 presidential election, from the efforts to declare it tainted even before election day to the staging of a failed coup accompanied by a violent insurrection, to the ongoing efforts to push the “big lie” that Joe Biden isn’t really the president.  To that end, even while we learn more details about the FG’s nefarious efforts to get as many sitting members of Congress, swing state governors and secretaries of state to throw out legitimate election results, that last an effort that he’s working to tee up more for future elections, the FG has announced via another one of his “official” statements from the desk of the 45^th President, that he’ll be celebrating the anniversary of January 6^th at Mar a Lago, with a speech and maybe even an official announcement of some sort. Perhaps he’ll say that he’s running for reelection, or in his parlance for a third term, or perhaps he’ll announce some more endorsements, regardless he’ll be up against President Biden who will also be making a speech, albeit probably one that’s a lot less bombastic, of his own.  As to those FG endorsements, they remain coveted.  Over the end of year holidays when not celebrating at his totally unmasked but very sequined gala in the COVID infested sunshine state, the FG endorsed the reelection of Mike Dunleavy, the Republican Governor of Alaska.  That endorsement came with a catch, Dunleavy had to agree not to endorse Senator Lisa Murkowski who is up for reelection this year.  The FG has already endorsed her opponent, Kelly Tshibaka whose qualifying attribute is that she wouldn’t have voted to see him kicked out of office.  The willingness to support the FG’s candidates is quite a thing this season, despite questioning former football player/Texas resident/accused spouse beater Herschel Walker’s competency, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the rest of Republican leadership has lined up behind him in his effort to unseat newbie Senator Raphael Warnock in Georgia. That’s Walker who doesn’t seem to know that the John Lewis voting bill is named after John Lewis, who he claims to have admired, because of the iconic civil rights activist’s lifelong advocacy of voting rights. The FG still hasn’t said who he’ll endorse in Ohio but frequent candidate Josh Mandel, hillbilly hypocrite JD Vance and former state Republican leader Jane Timken are each trying to out emulate him by tweeting anti-immigrant and anti-vax mandate missives in an effort to win his coveted nod. The same appears to be going on in Pennsylvania where long time New Jersey resident Mehmet Oz who once was pro-choice but is now a right to lifer has jumped on the FG train hoping that his Oprah Winfrey anointed celebrity, which by the way has not and will not earn him her coveted endorsement, will carry him past a crowded Republican field including over hedge fund manager David McCormick, the candidate being encouraged to run by FG supporter/technology venture capitalist Peter Theil who despite his own same sex marriage has no problem funding and supporting a Republican party hostile to his family life. The FG isn’t only weighing in on Senate races, he also went over the heads of Republican party leadership this weekend to endorse Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller, a Freedom Caucus member and good friend of Congresswoman Margie Q, who as a result of Illinois redistricting is running against fellow Republican Congressman Rodney Davis who once led the state party’s effort to get the FG back into office, so much for gratitude. As to Margie Q, her personal Twitter Account was permanently shut down this weekend, not because she called her political opponents vermin but because she violated Twitter policy by spouted one too many lies about the “lethality” of COVID vaccines despite all the warnings she had received about doing so. Alas, Margie isn’t going anywhere, she still has her official Congressional Twitter account.  Also, before I forget, Build Back Better may be back, it is still being negotiated with Joe Manchin whatever that means.  See what I mean, this year feels a lot like last year.  Well one thing is a little different, a few from the right wingnut farm including Alex Jones and Candace Owens are now questioning the FG’s grasp on reality, something to do with his finally saying that vaccines and boosters are good but only if you aren’t forced into getting them.  

Viral Musings:  Omicron is quite the rage, it’s everywhere.  Raise your hand if you don’t know at least five people who had a breakthrough case over the holidays. Fortunately for most vaccinated people, especially those who’ve been boosted it appears no worse than an annoying cold or flu, not that a case of the flu is anything to sneeze at.  At least one Israeli woman managed to get “flurona,” the new name for catching COVID and the flu at the same time, not recommended but she appears to be fine.  The biggest problem with Omicron is the sheer volume of cases.  Even if most people do okay, too many people, a few vaccinated but mostly those unvaccinated including children under five, are ending up in the hospital taxing resources and leaving many who need care squeezed out of the system. Also its hard to run a country when a significant percentage are in quarantine, one of whom as of last night is now mildly symptomatic Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.  If you’re confused about what to do if you get one of those maybe inevitable Omicron cases or at the very least one of those positive test results, don’t be distressed about not knowing what and when you can and cannot do things.  CDC quarantine guidelines have changed.  The current party line is that infected people should isolate for “5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving, follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.”  As to those masks, the official recommendation is to go for the real thing, a KN95, N95 or multi layered surgical mask for the infected everywhere and for the rest of us in indoor or close settings.  At the very least double mask if you are sticking with cloth, this Omicron variant is very sneaky. About all the testing, this weekend virus guru Fauci said that they mostly work especially if repeated.  Count me among the skeptical.  As to  booster boosters as in fourth shots, Israel has started giving them to people who’ve had organ transplants and is now also offering them up to those over 60 who feel especially vulnerable although that may be more than the average 60 plus year old needs right now so it’s probably a good idea to wait for some study results before jumping on line.  One other thing on the booster front, it looks like the FDA will approve them for the 12 to 15 year old set as soon as today.   

RIP to everyone’s Golden Girl, may her memory be a blessing, as her time on earth certainly was.