Credit where it is due: This Associated Press The story highlights a reality that seriously undermines a narrative – adopted by many in the media – that imposing more COVID restrictions is equivalent to greater “security” and “following science”. A health officer from the Biden administration was perplexed by the California x Florida disconnection on MSNBC recently, and here is the AP further highlighting the inconvenient truth:
AP title: “Viruses have similar rates, despite the contrasting actions of the governors.” Where would you rather live? pic.twitter.com/sAJadz8VL5
– Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 13, 2021
Broadly different approaches. COVID results “almost identical”. More details:
California and Florida both have a COVID-19 case rate of around 8,900 per 100,000 residents since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And both are in the middle between states for COVID-19 death rates – Florida was 27th on Friday; California was 28th. Connecticut and South Dakota are another example. Both are among the 10 worst states for COVID-19 death rates. Even so, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, a Democrat, imposed several restrictions across the state last year after an increase in the number of deaths, while South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, did not issue warrants. , as virus deaths skyrocketed in the fall.
We already know that New York has been a disaster for both COVID and economically. But by exploring the comparison between California and Florida with a little more depth, more facts emerge. California has slightly better mortality rates and cases per capita, although both states are practically in the middle of the package nationally in the previous metric. Florida, of course, has an older population. Before the pandemic hit, the unemployment rate in Florida was a complete better point than in California (3.3% and 4.3%, respectively). At the end of the year, California’s unemployment rate rose to 9.3%, while Florida’s only rose to 5.1%. In 2020, California lost 1.63 million jobs, compared with approximately 583,000 in Florida. The media has been obsessed with attacking Florida and its Republican governor, but the data tells a story that does not align with its favorite plot. Even pieces designed to criticize Ron DeSantis end up falling into frustrating territory for those who married the ‘DeathSantis’ stuff
Like so many stories about Florida, it starts with “Ron DeSantis, bad”, then changes direction halfway, as the writer has to admit that Florida’s COVID numbers are in the middle of the pack, even though they aren’t blocked, and better than several states that have. https://t.co/wcKWkVZGrI
– Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) March 14, 2021
Some people, like this infamous leftist columnist from the Los Angeles Times cannot process empirical truths that conflict with your party feelings, so they resort to unfounded conspiracy theories:
Here’s a difference you didn’t mention: Florida officially dismissed its data for refusing to publish false statistics. California does not.
– Michael Hiltzik (@hiltzikm) March 14, 2021
This did not happen, and the lunatic he refers to was exposed as a liar and accused of various crimes. But some media figures simply cannot leave it because it is easier to cling to conspiracies than to deal with the realization that their passionate party dogma may be incorrect. Since we started this post with a major news organization recognizing truths that many within your tribe refuse to acknowledge, how about another? Via ABC News, at the end of last week:
Despite calls for national unity and bipartisanship, President Joe Biden and his top advisers refused to give the Trump administration credit for the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, although they strongly rely on a system established by their predecessors… Biden and his top advisers have repeatedly accused the Trump administration of having “no plans”. … Although Biden purchased an additional supply of vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna were always expected to increase their supply throughout the year. Furthermore, Biden’s manual for vaccine delivery relied heavily on a system created by the Trump administration, including federal partnerships with state officials and agreements with local pharmacies. In fact, the federal pharmacy program created by Trump’s advisers is what Biden entrusted last week to expand eligibility for teachers. And when Biden asked for “100 million injections in 100 days” – a rate of about 1 million injections per day – former health officials noted that the US had already reached that pace in the week of Biden’s inauguration in mid-January … With three vaccines already authorized by regulators, increasing the stock is indeed a victory. But it is also one that Biden has celebrated only as an achievement of his government, without recognizing that he was relying on Trump-era contracts to do that.
This can be called cynical and predictable politics, as usual, but Biden explicitly campaigned to unify the country, heal divisions and reach the other side of the corridor. It’s not that.