Pray for the president but hope for 'a saner approach' in fighting Covid-19

By BERRY CRAIG

AFT Local 1360

Hubris--foolish, arrogant pride that drove mortals to defy the gods--was a big-time sin in ancient Greece.

(The Good Book--Proverbs 16:18--also warns against hubris: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.")

Anyway, the big-league gods sent a minor-league goddess to exact retribution on mortals guilty of hubris. Her name was Nemesis.

After months of defying science and mocking those of us who wear masks and practice social distancing to protect ourselves and others against the coronavirus, the president --and the First Lady -- has tested positive for the disease that has claimed the lives of more than 209,000 Americans. 

Trump's hubris, now followed by Nemesis in the form of Covid-19, was in high gear at Tuesday night's presidential debate where he belittled Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger, scoffing, "I don't wear face masks like him. Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away ... and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen."

Members of the president's family watched maskless, though rules required masks. "A doctor in a white lab coat was reported to have started to approach Trump family guests to ask them to put on masks, also offering them one in case they did not have one," wrote Newsweek's Ana De Liz. 

"As the doctor got closer to them, [NBC News reporter Hallie] Jackson said on the news channel's live blog covering the debate, 'someone shook their head and no one she reminded to put on a mask ended up putting one on.'"

This morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on all Americans to "pray for the president's health."

Appearing on MSNBC's "Live With Stephanie Rule," she added, "This is tragic, it's very sad, but it also is something that, again, going into crowds unmasked and all the rest is sort of a brazen invitation for something like this to happen. It's sad that it did, but nonetheless hopeful that it will be a transition to a saner approach to what this virus is all about."

In a statement this morning, Everett Kelley, American Federation of Government Employees national president, said he and  his union "wish the President and First Lady good health and a speedy recovery from this horrible disease... 

“That the President...has tested positive for COVID-19 nine months into a global pandemic just underlines the continued risks posed by this virus to all Americans as cases continue to rise in 25 states. 

“It also highlights the continued obligation of employers – including the federal government – to safeguard the health and lives of their employees by making reopening decisions based on science and data, not political pressure, and adhering to workplace safety guidelines to protect workers who are not able to work remotely. Each of us also has an individual responsibility to protect one another by wearing a mask while in public, frequently washing our hands, and practicing physical distancing.”

Today on Forward Kentucky, his website, Bruce Maples posted, "I want Donald Trump defeated in November (as well as many others). In fact, I want him beat like a drum, with Biden winning so convincingly that Trump is left with no option but to concede and to face whatever legal and financial issues he has brought on himself.

"BUT – I also wish him the best when it comes to his physical and mental health. And you should too. If we are true progressives, that's what we do."

I'm with Kelley, Pelosi and Maples. I've mailed in my ballot to Dump Trump and Ditch Mitch. But I wish the president a speedy recovery. I also hope his hubris and its tragic result for him, his wife and perhaps others, will indeed lead to "a transition to a saner approach to what this virus is all about."