Commentary: How about we stop beating a dead horse with election suits and help limit the dead New Mexicans? The Presidential Election’s over. The pandemic ain’t.
COVID-19 cases surged this fall. Here and elsewhere. Many nations responded, reimposing restrictions. The U.S. didn’t. Worldwide, the number of new cases has fallen of late. Several countries, including France, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, have seen drops of more than 50%; and other major countries have seen declines of 30-50%, including India and Norway.
Compare the U.S. with Doña Ana County. The nation’s seven-day moving average of new cases jumped from 50,000+ cases per day October 20 to more than thrice that by November 27. In that same period, the County’s moving average rose from 100 cases per day to 320. (Similar rise, more than trebling in five weeks.) Our Governor responded with stronger restrictions. By December 15th, cases nationally were up to more than 4x the October 20h figure. Meanwhile, the County’s moving average dropped back down to 100 within three weeks. Maybe restrictions work.By contrast, in the U.S. the number of new cases has risen 51%.
We have a lame-duck president who could have saved lives. His administration should have developed a coherent testing policy. He could have used his bully pulpit to urge people to wear masks and observe other precautions. Instead, he mocked masks, and now tweets lame fraud allegations and insults Republican officials. Embarrassment over his electoral loss has taken precedence over citizens’ lives.
Yo, Steve Pearce! You’re a big-shot pal of Trump’s here in New Mexico. You’re supposed to be a smart guy. YOU could be urging people to wear masks and avoid crowds and indoor gatherings. Instead, we saw you in September proudly unmasked with the “Women for Trump” buses, on which everyone crowded together, mostly maskless.
Instead, you make public statements that face-covering rules “have been meeting a lot of resistance” elsewhere in the country, and “That is just a foreshadowing of what you’re going to find in the state of New Mexico.” You also spoke of “mixed messages” about mask-wearing. There were, at the start; but that’s a long, long time ago. I hope you’ve learned since then. Or are these “mixed messages” like the “mixed messages” you choose to see from scientists about global warming?
Instead you sue the Governor over health restrictions. I agree small businesses got a bum break. Some that I love may die. I shop local. But the true fix for small businesses would have been to get serious about limiting the spread sooner and more sharply. Didn’t hear you pushing your followers to do that. (Because you care about Steve Pearce, not “the little guy” you hold up as a straw man?)
Instead you waste resources helping with a frivolous election lawsuit. Trump lost New Mexico by 11 points. If you think he got defrauded, maybe you’ve forgotten that Lujan Grisham whipped some Republican by FOURTEEN points.
I get it that you see possible political capital in carping at the Governor. But, c’mon, help everyone by combining that with clear and heartfelt warnings that people should mask up. The virus is the enemy.
Urging people to act in a way that helps them and their fellow citizens, even if they resent restrictions, would resemble leadership. Urging those who listen to you to help save lives would also be a rather Christian thing to do. Particularly at Christmas.