9 votes

Buttigieg: 'Time for rethinking what campaigning looks like' amid coronavirus

7 comments

  1. [5]
    skybrian
    Link
    From the article:

    From the article:

    Former Vice President Joe Biden told NBC News he was "looking to the CDC for advice" on how his campaign will function in the face of the coronavirus threat, and said that "we're going to follow the recommendations of the experts" as the race continues.

    "If they conclude that there shouldn't be big indoor rallies, then we'll stop big indoor rallies," Biden said in an interview set to air Monday evening. "We're going to do whatever they say."

    Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, in an interview Sunday, indicated that he has no plans to alter his campaign activities ahead of a set of crucial primary contests Tuesday. Sanders will host a roundtable discussion Monday on the coronavirus in Detroit.

    "In the best of all possible worlds, maybe," Sanders would consider changing his campaign schedule, he told CNN. "But right now, we're running as hard as we can."

    President Donald Trump, too, has said that he thinks "it's very safe" to continue to hold campaign rallies during the coronavirus outbreak.

    2 votes
    1. [4]
      skybrian
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Update: Both Sanders and Biden cancelled their rallies Tuesday night.

      This is a test of leadership. They all failed.

      Update: Both Sanders and Biden cancelled their rallies Tuesday night.

      3 votes
      1. [3]
        hamstergeddon
        Link Parent
        I'm far from a fan of Biden's, but following CDC advice doesn't seem like a failure of leadership to me. Being a leader isn't always just doing what you think is best, it's listening to the...

        I'm far from a fan of Biden's, but following CDC advice doesn't seem like a failure of leadership to me. Being a leader isn't always just doing what you think is best, it's listening to the experts when your knowledge is lacking on a subject. None of them are medical professionals, so why wouldn't looking to the CDC be the best option? Certainly a better show of leadership than Trump's fingers-in-his-ears shouting "la la la" approach to the coronavirus so far.

        8 votes
        1. skybrian
          Link Parent
          Normally I'd agree with you, but the CDC's official messaging is limited by what the Trump administration will allow. There are other experts, too. They should be talking to them as well. Even if...

          Normally I'd agree with you, but the CDC's official messaging is limited by what the Trump administration will allow. There are other experts, too. They should be talking to them as well.

          Even if you just look at what governments are doing, San Francisco banned public events on public property for the next two weeks.

          3 votes
        2. Death
          Link Parent
          Given how the CDC has been been making questionable decisions it seems less like referring back to the experts and more like the default option being taken due to lack of actual leadership.

          Given how the CDC has been been making questionable decisions it seems less like referring back to the experts and more like the default option being taken due to lack of actual leadership.

          1 vote
  2. [2]
    Death
    Link
    I don't really follow the logic here, this outbreak is (supposedly) an exceptional case, does that warrant a general change of rules rather than an exceptional solution? Formulated as the latter...

    I don't really follow the logic here, this outbreak is (supposedly) an exceptional case, does that warrant a general change of rules rather than an exceptional solution? Formulated as the latter it seems much more like the Covid-19 outbreak is being used as a rhetorical tool instead of a fact to be confronted.

    2 votes
    1. skybrian
      Link Parent
      I think what Buttigieg is saying is that they should be trying alternatives. Maybe it will just be for now, but sometimes you try something new and it works well, so you keep doing it. For...

      I think what Buttigieg is saying is that they should be trying alternatives. Maybe it will just be for now, but sometimes you try something new and it works well, so you keep doing it.

      For example, on another subject, working remotely is going to get a good trial run, and maybe some companies will decide it is fine and it makes sense to keep doing it after things get back to normal?

      3 votes