Operation warped

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, December 20th, 2020 - 30 comments
Categories: covid-19, Donald Trump, Russia, us politics - Tags:

As the reign of Potus 45 draws to a close the people of America, or at least that part of the population with a nodding acquaintance with reality, must be wishing that he would play more golf.  Because some of the decisions that he is making are jaw dropping.  It is difficult to imagine more malevolent yet incompetent decisions being made.

But if anyone is capable of such evil incompetence it is Donald J Trump.

For instance he is botching the roll out of the Covid vaccine.

From Mark Sumner at Daily Kos:

Despite months of listening to Donald Trump brag about the incredible military operation he had put together to distribute a vaccine that did not then exist, states are suddenly discovering that the shipments they were expecting have been drastically reduced without explanation. Meanwhile Pfizer seems just as confused—it says there are millions of doses sitting in its warehouse ready to go, but Trump’s team is allowing them to gather dust.

As Bloomberg reports, some states were informed on Wednesday that their supply of Pfizer’s vaccine would be cut drastically. For Oregon, that means a 40% drop in the 74,000 doses they had been expecting. Gov. Kate Brown tweeted that this was a federal decision made through “Operation Warp Speed.” Oregon is not alone. As The Washington Post reports, officials in multiple states were alerted that their shipments of the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech would be “drastically cut” for next week.

Notices that they would not be getting what they were earlier told was on the way went out to at least six states. That list includes Illinois, Washington, and Maine, in addition to Oregon. Meanwhile, Florida officials seem to have lost their shipments of vaccine altogether, saying they disappeared from the online shipping system.

You would think that Operation Warp Speed would be like, lets do this at warp speed.  But no.

A statement for Operation Warp Speed blamed states for “requesting an expedited timeline.” But on Thursday Pfizer put out a statement making it clear: “We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses.”

The sudden change in availability would be less suspicious had Trump not spent so much time touting the supposed military efficiency of his distribution system. And a lot less suspicious had Trump not spent the spring threatening governors over the availability of personal protective equipment and respirators.

“I want them to be appreciative,” said Trump. He also stated that he had told Mike Pence not to call the governors of Washington or Michigan because they were not supportive enough of Trump. “If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call,” said Trump.

But wait it gets worse.  Josh Kovensky at Talkingpointsmemo points out that the problem is bigger than initially estimated:

More than a dozen states are now reporting that the feds slashed their COVID-19 vaccine allocation, leading to questions over the Trump administration’s planning for the distribution effort.

Experts in vaccination and medical supply chains whom TPM contacted expressed dismay and confusion at the situation.

States from California to Maine have said that their vaccine allocations have been cut while Pfizer, the manufacturer, has said that it has “millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses.”

To Bruce Y. Lee, a professor of health policy at CUNY who helped model the rollout of the H1N1 vaccine, it suggests a logistical issue.

“When vaccines get produced and they remain in the warehouse, that means something went wrong with the supply chain,” Lee said. “That it was not coordinated.”

He added that the cut in vaccine shipments, in some cases by 30 percent and some cases by far more, comes amid concerns about “what is the plan with the supply chain and delivery system, and that hasn’t been vey clear.”

Operation Warp Speed and CDC officials informed states of the reduction in vaccine shipments on a call on Wednesday, blaming the issue on manufacturing issues at Pfizer. HHS Secretary Alex Azar did the same in an interview Thursday morning.

Pfizer has denied that, saying that it has yet to receive orders on where to send the doses that it has.

This brings into bright relief the earlier story about how Trump, supposed king of the deal makers, did not secure a further 100 million vaccine doses when it was offered to him.  From the New York Times:

Before Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine was proved highly successful in clinical trials last month, the company offered the Trump administration the chance to lock in supplies beyond the 100 million doses the pharmaceutical maker agreed to sell the government as part of a $1.95 billion deal over the summer.

But the administration, according to people familiar with the talks, never made the deal, a choice that now raises questions about whether the United States allowed other countries to take its place in line.

This makes a mockery of Trump’s deal making prowess.

This is not the only act of malevolence by the outgoing Trump administration.

The news broke recently that Biden wanted to save $2.6 billion by cancelling the Trump wall.

From the Washington Post:

The U.S. government would save about $2.6 billion if President-elect Joe Biden halts construction on the border wall project on his first day in office, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates reviewed by The Washington Post.

Biden told reporters this summer he would not build “another foot” of the border barriers that became a symbol of the Trump presidency and one of the most expensive federal infrastructure projects in U.S. history. But the financial implications of a decision to stop work — including the costs to the government it will potentially incur — have not been publicly disclosed.

So what does a narcissist despot do?  From Lara Seligman at Politico:

The tension between the Trump administration and President-elect Joe Biden’s team spilled out into the open on Friday, as officials traded accusations over the status of a series of Defense Department transition meetings that a Biden spokesperson called “invaluable” for national security.

Biden spokesperson Yohannes Abraham directly contradicted acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller’s claims that the two teams “mutually agreed” to pause the interviews until after the holiday, after Axios reported that Miller had abruptly ordered a department-wide halt to cooperation with the transition team.

“Let me be clear, there was no mutually agreed upon holiday break,” Abraham said, adding that the team hopes the Pentagon will resume meetings and answering requests for information “immediately.” “That our agency review teams will be able to have access to the sort of information that is invaluable for keeping the homeland safe.”

Chris Miller was a Trump appointee who took his role over on November 1.

But wait there is more.  Trump has attempted to shift the blame to China following allegations that Russian entities have been engaged in a concerted hacking campaign on American institutions and corporations.  And claimed that it was evidence of a hack that did not occur, that of voting machines.  From NBC News:

President Donald Trump commented for the first time on Saturday on the hacking campaign that has torn through U.S. government and businesses that many experts believe is the work of Russian intelligence and downplayed the security breach as well as attempted to deflect blame away from Russia.

Trump’s comments contradict what members of his own government have said about the hack and it is the latest example of his unwillingness to criticize Russia, which U.S. intelligence agencies have said interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump.

“The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of… discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!),” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump also baselessly claimed on Twitter that the attack could have impacted voting machines, continuing his campaign to discredit the election results. Twitter immediately flagged the president’s tweet, directing users to other sources of information on the election results.

It is almost as if the election did not happen.

30 comments on “Operation warped ”

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  1. roblogic 1
    20 December 2020 at 9:32 am

    "What you see with Trump is not just one bad President. This is the culmination of years of America hollowing out its state and hollowing out even the idea of having a state. I think Americans are so scared of socialism they've neglected to have a society. And this is the work of generations."

    — Indi Samarajiva on Renegade Inc

    https://twitter.com/Renegade_Inc/status/1333682247669411840?s=20

    • Anne 1.1
      20 December 2020 at 10:03 am

      In short, the American people have been fed copious lies for so many decades that the current generations have little or no comprehension of reality. Their education systems are so insular they have no knowledge of the rest of the world. This ensures they remain ignorant, gullible and devoid of any ability to think in a rational way.

      In shorter, they're gob-smackingly dumb bunnies who have progressed no further than their forefathers from the Middle Ages.

      • Phillip ure 1.1.1
        20 December 2020 at 11:25 am

        yeah…tho' I have also.had conversations with local trumpsters…

        and they are as 'gobsmackingly dumb' as their american fellow-travellers..

        (and if you believe trump).. under half of the voters voted against him..

        ..and that is still a hell of a lot of smart(er) americans…

        I think it is a mindset that you speak of more that a national trait..as such..

        and I have been living/travelling in the waikato…

        ..and.more ignorant white racists here than you can poke a stick at..

        ..in any new conversation I steel myself for the moment..

        ..the moment the racist assumption is dropped..

        ..it usually doesn't take very long..

        ..is it so prevalent here because the land thieving was so (relatively) recent..?

        ..or is it just a case of 'uneasy are those who sit on stolen land..'..?

        ..what to explain such widespread ignorance..?

        • Anne 1.1.1.1
          20 December 2020 at 12:48 pm

          Yes, I appreciate there are plenty of intelligent Americans but the level of dumb bunnies is well above the average in the US.

          Yes, we have our dumb bunnies too but they are not so widespread,

          Racism on the other hand is a different topic. There used to be a well used term a few decades ago – White Trash. They tend to come from the lower socio economic group (but not always) and I think it is to do with the need to find a scapegoat they can deride as representing a supposedly lower level of humanity than themselves. Perhaps it gives them a boost in self esteem they would not otherwise possess.

          • Phillip ure 1.1.1.1.1
            20 December 2020 at 1:01 pm

            the only problem with yr white trash reply..

            is that those I speak of in the waikato are not defined by their economic status..

            ..I am talking all levels..

      • Siobhan 1.1.2
        20 December 2020 at 1:20 pm

        Bernie Sanders, self described and never shy to claim being a Independent Democratic Socialist, was massively popular, and had voters listening to him on both sides of the divide….so, despite what we are told, it would seem that the people were not so much scared of the word 'socialism' as the Liberal Democratic Party.

        • gsays 1.1.2.1
          20 December 2020 at 5:21 pm

          I have a mate who was born in the States 60ish years ago. Been out her 25 years or so.

          When I asked him about the US attitude to socialism he gives a bewildered shrug of the shoulders and says, without conviction, "Better dead than Red."

          McCarthyism, cold war…?

          • Wensleydale 1.1.2.1.1
            21 December 2020 at 12:39 am

            They've probably been spoonfed for so long they're utterly incapable of critical thought. How many Trumpists railing against the bogeyman of socialism could actually define socialism? Judging by some of the videos on YouTube… not many. "Socialism will ruin America! It's bad! Real bad!" "How is it bad?" "Look, it's just bad, all right?!"

            A lot of them seem incredibly angry and ready to kick off at a moment’s notice, which is fairly disconcerting.

            • vto 1.1.2.1.1.1
              21 December 2020 at 11:21 am

              people who rail against "socialism" are brainless.

              Everything is socialist. Society doesn't exist without it. Humans are nothing but social – we are the most social creatures there are. We do everything together. We come together to achieve a goal – this is what socialism is – the grouping together of people to achieve an end…

              … think a limited liabilty company. There is nothing more socialist than a company, where shareholders come together to make a profit. That is socialist activity personified….

              … in NZ our two biggest enterprises, Fonterra and Foodstuffs, are cooperatives ffs. Socialist organisations in the extreme. Yet so many of Fonterra's and Foodstuff's shareholders rail against the very idea of people coming together to achieve an end?? WTF???? Do these idiots not even think about what they are doing?

              Every single government is a socialist organisation by definition, whereby the inhabitants of a country come together to organise their needs. That also is socialist activity. And the US government is the biggest government on the planet – i.e. the US government is the biggest socialist organisation on the planet ha ha ha ha frikkin' idiots who rail against socialism.

              Capitalism itself (which is not a system, just a bunch of extractive tools which limpit themselves onto the great mass of humanity), doesn't even work without socialist activity.

              I just shake my head at people who claim socialism is bad. Socialism is humanity. There is nothing more human than socialist activity. Nothing advances without it – nothing.

              ok rant over

              • roblogic …
                21 December 2020 at 1:12 pm

                The USA has taken individualism to the extreme, so that billionaires and movie stars are no longer recognised as the predatory narcissists they are. When a political philosophy fails & no longer accords with reality, the laws of nature take over. Darwinian selection will wipe out MAGA shit.

  2. Siobhan 2
    20 December 2020 at 9:42 am

    Meantime the DNC along with AOC are making darned sure that Medicare for all never happens…in the middle of a Pandemic ffs….

    while our dear friend Boris in the UK is doing such a sterling job of dealing with things that UNICEF is stepping in to feed the children of the poor over the school holidays….

    if I were a centrist I'd have a tight little knot building in my tummy worrying about the day Trump disappears , Russia fails to invade…and we get to go back to having a balanced and critical view of the world (not going to happen I know..but one day..)…

    https://www.businessinsider.com.au/aoc-rejects-left-wing-calls-to-force-pelosi-to-hold-medicare-for-all-vote-2020-12?r=US&IR=T

  3. WeTheBleeple 3
    20 December 2020 at 9:49 am

    Hmm, looks like a money play. What else motivates team Trump? I'd hazard a guess they're invested in Moderna so want to sell that product and not Pfizer's.

  4. roblogic 4
    20 December 2020 at 9:58 am

    Not content with 300,000 dead and attempting to steal the election, Trump is threatening to veto the US response to the SolarWinds hack..

  5. Foreign waka 5
    20 December 2020 at 12:43 pm

    The US is a lost cause really. This has to go its course and lets hope they don't take everybody with them. Trump is just a stand in for the the wider psyche of a country, or shall we say psychosis. The way Trump behaves and with him so many and the other side is just silent says it all. Lets hope desperation does not make anybody hit that red button. Psychopaths are known for irrational decisions.

    • roblogic 5.1
      20 December 2020 at 10:34 pm

      Sometimes progress can only be made with generational change. But the damage is so pervasive it will probably take several lifetimes to change the toxic politics of the US. Some kind of revolution seems more likely than US elites doing anything socially responsible

  6. Macro 6
    20 December 2020 at 1:35 pm

    Perhaps the most despicable end play by this amoral imbecile is his fascination with executions.

    As President Donald Trump's days in the White House wane, his administration is racing through a string of federal executions.

    Five executions are scheduled before President-elect Joe Biden's 20 January inauguration – breaking with an 130-year-old precedent of pausing executions amid a presidential transition.

    And if all five take place, Mr Trump will be the country's most prolific execution president in more than a century, overseeing the executions of 13 death row inmates since July of this year.

    The five executions began this week, starting with convicted killer 40-year-old Brandon Bernard who was put to death at a penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. The execution of 56-year-old Alfred Bourgeois will take place on the evening of 11 December.

    Attorney General William Barr has said his justice department is simply upholding existing law. But critics have said the move is concerning, coming just weeks before Mr Biden – who has said he will seek to end the death penalty – takes office.

    my bold

    Already this year Trumps administration has executed more people than all the 50 states put together – including the top execution State of Texas.

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