This week, worldwide cases of COVID19 soared past the 50 million mark to now be at about 54 million worldwide, and 60,582 deaths reported, again more deaths just this week than all of the US military killed in 10 years of war in Viet Nam.

And here in the US, we continue to lead in failed responses to this public health emergency, with only Brazil and India, both also run by autocratic governments very much like our own, closely following our cruel and inhuman example.

Total US COVID19 deaths are now at about one quarter million and daily deaths are well over 1,000 per day – actually it was 1,400 this last Friday, with increased burdens now nationwide on overall hospital capacity of beds, ICU beds, and especially on personnel to staff those beds, that are clearly still not being addressed with any meaningful overall public response.

And yet according to Political Wire this morning,

“A new Ohio State University poll finds nearly 40% of U.S. residents plan to participate in gatherings of 10 or more people this holiday season despite concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

In addition, one-third of respondents said they wouldn’t ask attendees at holiday parties with family or friends to wear masks, and just over 25% indicated that they wouldn’t practice social distancing.”

A profound propensity for denial, thanks to a profound lack of leadership.

In fact, if you were to ask yourself who is or are the leaders of this country, showing the moral and political courage to direct us to do the right thing, to prevent the pain, suffering, and loss of life that has clearly gotten us to where we are, you might rightly conclude that it is most certainly not the Trumpublicans.  That it might be Biden/Harris, but we’re still waiting on that one to see what comes out of the emergency convening of their new COVID19 Expert Task Force.  Which really only leaves us with Dr. Anthony Fauci, currently holding down the fort, or at least doing what one person can to hold back the flood waters by advising everyone to wear their masks and to not travel.

Which brings us back to the question of where do we go from here?  What can the Biden/Harris COVID19 team actually do to move us toward mitigation of this crisis and prepare us for the next, and as we have pointed out at almost every occasion in these meetings, climate scientists warn us that with rising global temperatures there most surely will be more novel pathogens creating more pandemics in years soon to come?

Well, we at Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) know those things that need to be done are at the very least #MedicareForAll and the #GreenNewDeal.  But of course, our champion on both of those did not get elected, Biden/Harris did.  So, what can we expect from them, now that they have been handed the reins of government, and a political environment that might be so polarized and so toxic as to at least seem to be on its face completely unworkable?  

Notwithstanding the fact that not one cosponsor of the National Medicare for All Bill HR1384 who ran for re-election, lost their seat, and the fact that a now well publicized recent Fox News Exit poll showed a staggering 72% of the general public favoring a “government-run” healthcare system to deal with all of these critical problems, what can we expect and when can we expect it, and more importantly I think, what do we need to do now to bring about the important changes that need to take place to stop the suffering, stop the carnage, and stop the madness?

Watch the PDA Healthcare Emergency Town Hall, November 15, 2020

RSVP HERE for the next PDA Healthcare Emergency Town Hall, on Sunday, November 22, 4pm ET.