WED brief 3.25.20

Distancing in TX kills

Mar 25

Welcome to the morning brief. If this email was forwarded to you, be sure to sign up, so you don't miss a beat.

Now, on to today's stories.

TEXAS is killing social distancing, and in turn, it's economy.

A data tracking firm has assigned a grade of A to Texas and many of its most populous counties for social distancing by tracking declines in average distance traveled.

What's most interesting about the data, and we'll have to see if it changes over the next week, is that Collin and Bexar have higher drops in average distance traveled than counties with travel bans.

Moral of the story, Texans have good judgment and don't want or need to be ruled.

JOE BIDEN is broken.

TRUMP winning narratives for 2020 may be expanded by the Wuhan Virus (TBD). Democrats are planning to launch ads this week, staking out ground as "calm voices" amid the crisis. Nope.

A branding and fighting machine, Trump has overcome leftwing media derision since 2016 while defeating the perpetually discombobulated Democrat party.

Now, he's got a new punching bag, which is the same as his old punching bag, China.

Right now, a case can be made that despite the heel-dragging by Democrats during his first term in office, China was on the ropes.

Now it's got more American blood on its hands and a well-established track record of hostility toward the world during the crisis it created. China, empowered by Democrats, is a narrative America will devour.

And remember, contrary to fake news from the New York Times Daily podcast, since the flu freakout began, Trump's polling numbers are stronger.

EPIDEMIOLOGISTS appear to be loving their 15 minutes.

Over the weekend, an analyst and former Mitt Romney staffer took a beating from the internet for, in essence, observing that we should anticipate a virus to behave like a virus.

One of his leading detractors was an epidemiologist. No doubt, these guys are having their day in the sun and don't want to be deprived of the glory, but let's pump the brakes.

When non-expert observations are made, they need to be addressed systematically, not rejected because of the pedigree of the source because experts are often wrong.

Here's a goofy article promoting an epidemiologist who was wrong for nearly 15 years about a pandemic. The report, an attempt to vindicate him, glosses over the fact that he's still not right.

FARE & TOLL suspensions are being rolled out in various parts of the state. Too bad you'll be Hostage at Home.