A Tale of Two Contagions
The sight was shocking, and inside the Capitol (where I was), the sounds were surreal. The mob's howls mixed with shattering glass in the marble halls. The siege left lasting scars.
But a ray of light peeped through the dark days. Kudos to the drug companies for quickly developing a Covid vaccine. Thank you for the amazing public service.
I can't say the same about leadership in crisis. More pointedly, Trump knew -- and told author Bob Woodward he knew -- how catching the coronavirus was. My heart sank when he showed up at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with a MAGA cap.
His contradictory character is such that he refused to give a clear and consistent message to the American people about the public health danger we faced. Masks, distancing and vaccines were the ways to go, proven effective. Isolation was not rocket science.
But Trump by nature cannot do the right thing, even after his near-fatal case of Covid. The United States came in last among developed nations, with the most Covid deaths, but you'd never hear it from him.
Rather, Trump presided over conflict on masks and vaccines, with deadly consequences. He loves festering fury and inciting lawlessness, tweet by tweet. Jan. 6 "will be wild," he promised followers.
From morning till night for years in the White House, Trump engaged in gutter talk, spoken or virtual. He exhausted the press corps but never tired of himself.
I might add, the pandemic did not bring out the best in us. Some started fights with strangers on planes; others threatened scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci. Speeding drivers hit the roads.
Compare that to President Franklin D. Roosevelt leading the nation in World War II. We were all on the same side, rationing at home or serving overseas. The government ramped up penicillin production for wounded soldiers.
True spirit filled the air. The 1945 victory brought shared joy.
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