I Admit I Did Not See It Coming

The Omnivore is in contact, online (Twitter) with people of several different dispositions. One is a Trumper (Trumpaloo) who is well over 50 and is a fervent champion of the president. She also is under treatment for cancer and thus somewhat immunocompromised.

The Omnivore touched bases with her to lob some snark back and forth (she wanted Sanders so the 2020 election could be a referendum on socialism vs. capitalism (perhaps the president choosing winners and losers from the White House and spending billions to bail out farmers is her idea of socialism? Unknown.)--so The Omnivore told her that with Biden looking ascendent she could get smart vs. corrupt and stupid.

And she asked if The Omnivore was panicking about corona-virus. The Omnivore isn't--although he may . . . want . . . to cancel that summer Alaskan cruise he's signed up for (no lie)--but he works from home anyway.

The Omnivore suggested that she shelter in place (unless otherwise required to go for treatments) and she said she is "not changing her routine because of a virus." She went out ot a restaurant yesterday.

Now, she says she is otherwise taking the CDC's advice (wash hands? social distancing? The Omnivore isn't sure what she thinks she is doing)--but here's what The Omnivore didn't have on his bingo card: Trump's ideology actually gets Trump-supporters killed.

The danger to her is very real: this thing is highly contagious and quite risky to people in her condition. She is literally rolling the dice every time she goes out.

Now, it might not be Trump-per-se that is leading to this risky behavior--we cannot say for certain--but The Omnivore  . . . is pretty sure that it is. Every time the stock market goes down, Trumpers suffer an emotional wound: they base their measure of their guy by the stock market (as Trump has told them to) and when it is up, they get a good hit of serotonin because they are winning.

When the stock market plummets? Well, right. That's losing. When the economy tanks?  That's losing. You don't want to lose--Trump is supposed to make you a winner. So you go about your business . . . you patronize other businesses (to keep the economy moving--remember "go shopping" after 9/11?). You maybe even go to a MAGA rally.

Until you don't.