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Republicans have spent decades telling us that the government is the cause of most of our problems here in the United States. Theyve spent billions of dollars crafting this message and electing politicians who will put these words into action. And in a time of crisis, the government becomes crippled because of the kneecapping weve witnessed from the Republican Party. They are responsible for whats happening today, as Ring of Fires Farron Cousins explains.

Transcript:

*This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

You know, its really easy to go ahead and just blame Donald Trump for the, you know, pandemic spreading across the United States right now. The fact that we are now the world leader in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, and to be honest, Donald Trump does deserve most of the credit. He is the president. He has failed to take action. But I think giving him all of the credit for the spread of this disease is misguided because I think the real blame lies with the Republican party itself. For decades upon decades upon decades, if not even longer the Republican party has been telling us the government is the problem. You know, that right wing ideologue Grover Norquist once famously said, lets make government so small, you can drown it in a bathtub.

And Republicans have succeeded in doing that. Just in the last three years that Donald Trump has been in office, what have they done? Theyve cut government agencies, they fired federal workers. Theyve reduced the budgets for the very agencies, including in this years proposed budget, that hasnt been changed by the way that would be responding to this pandemic. They set themselves up for failure because they hate the government so much. The Koch brothers now Koch brother have been railing against the government for decades. Funding candidates who they know are going to go to Washington DC and try to cut the government down to size just like Grover Norquist wants them to do.

And now look whats happened. Were in that worst case scenario of what happens when you have a dysfunctional federal government. This is the Republicans dream. It may not have the outcome that they wanted, but thats because not a single one of them was intelligent enough to understand that we need a strong federal government. And if youre still out there today arguing that, no, we dont, we need states rights. Youre an idiot. This we, the proof, the proof is around you right now. All around you of why we need a strong federal government. Need more proof, why dont you look at my state of Florida here.

We had a governor, he shut down the schools, you know, superintendents shut down schools. Thats good, right? Keep the kids away so they dont get contaminated. Thats great. But what they didnt do is they didnt shut down all the beaches. They let all the spring breakers come down here. And then after about a week or so of spring breakers, not only getting infected and spreading infections according to recent reports, they also took a lot of our supplies. You know, our, our groceries, the things everybodys running out of. The toilet papers, hand sanitizers, yeah, they took that back home with them. So were just kind of screwed down here. Theyve spread the virus, theyve taken our supplies, and then, oops, here we are and thats because the government didnt do anything. They didnt want to lose any money. A strong federal government could have stepped in and shut that down immediately, but they didnt.

The centers for disease control could have done something, health and human services. But oops, we like to cut those. We dont like them working on public health initiatives. Folks, heres the bottom line. This story could be about more than just the pandemic, just how small government has screwed us over in response to the pandemic. Small government has screwed us over in response to climate change. Small government has screwed us over in terms of expanding social security, expanding Medicaid and Medicare. Funding public schools, increasing the budgets for police offices, fire departments. Right? Republicans are to blame for all of that folks. This is them. This is part of their party platform. It is part of their ideology and if you want to see us avoid catastrophes like this in the future or catastrophes like the other ones I just mentioned, then I suggest you stop voting for Republicans because this is what they want to do every single time they get power.

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You Can Thank Government Bashing Republicans For Pandemic - The Ring of Fire Network - The Ring of Fire Network

Todd McMurtry is a seasoned trial attorney who first received national exposure after representing a student filmed in a confrontation with protesters after last years March for Life in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit, filed against media organizations for their coverage of the incident, drew national headlines. But it was President Donald Trumps tweets on Friday against libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) that put the spotlight on McMurtry, who is challenging the four-term incumbent for his seat in Congress.

Details: McMurtry, who launched his campaign in January, is challenging Massie in the June 23 Republican primary for Kentuckys 4th congressional district. In 2018, Massie won re-election with 62% of the vote.

Background: McMurtry, 57, grew up in Covington, Kentucky. After graduating from Covington Latin School and Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, he studied law at Salmon P. Chase College of Law, affiliated with Northern Kentucky University. He now works as an attorney focusing on mediating commercial disputes. In 2019, after 28 years of practicing law, McMurtry was selected among the top 50 Kentucky super lawyers. He also spent several years in Washington D.C. as a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee.

Stepping up: In a phone interview with Jewish Insider on Sunday, McMurtry said he was in Dallas, Texas, last fall visiting his daughter and grandchildren when the entire family caught a cold. So I spent too much time on social media and I saw things that Thomas Massie had posted that were, I thought, pretty upsetting, he recounted. I followed him for a long time and saw his questionable votes. And I said weve really had enough of this guy and his crazy votes we have to do something about it. I posted something on Facebook and people started to contact me to run for office. So I did some inquiries and polling and all that stuff and decided that we had a shot and I was going to try it.

Massies move: It was Massies push last Thursday for a recorded vote a move that forced a number of lawmakers to return to Washington amid the coronavirus crisis that upended the course of McMurtrys campaign. [Massie] seems to be generally an attention seeker on libertarian issues, and so we werent surprised to learn that he planned another stunt, McMurtry noted. But to be honest, the way he self-destructed was surprising I think to everyone. It doesnt seem to have any logic or reason other than just a pure adherence to libertarian principles, which are not the principles of the 4h district in Kentucky.

Trump factor: McMurtry told JI that Massies recent actions will push away the presidents supporters, estimating that Republicans in the district are over 90% pro-President Trump. They dont like to see what [Massie] did. And I think he shot himself in the foot. As for Trump, of course, we would welcome his endorsement, McMurtry said. In an attempt to get the presidents ear when he visited his Mar-a-Lago resort last month, Massie ran a TV ad airing on Fox News in South Florida branding McMurtry a Trump hater.

RJC boost: The Republican Jewish Coalition announced on Friday that it is backing McMurtry and will actively fundraise for his campaign, describing Massie as the only anti-Israel member of the House GOP caucus. This marks the first time the RJC is supporting a primary challenger to an incumbent. In January, the groups executive director, Matt Brooks, told Jewish Insider that the RJC will not support Massie along with three other Republican House members after they voted against the bipartisan Never Again Education Act, legislation to authorize new funding to help schools teach students about the Holocaust and antisemitism. McMurtry told JI he was thrilled and feels very honored to get the RJC endorsement, and we intend to make that endorsement pay off for the RJC by winning this race.

Massie stands alone on Israel: Massie was the only Republican to vote no on a House resolution (H.R. 246) last year condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. In 2014, he was the only member of Congress from either party to oppose the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act. Later that year, Massie voted against sending emergency aid to Israel to boost the Iron Dome program during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. In 2016, Massie was again the only House member to oppose extending sanctions against Iran and was the only lawmaker to vote present on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

McMurtrys case: The Republican candidate stressed that support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship actually plays very well here in Kentucky and is of primary importance for voters. I know that the people here want their elected representatives to be strong supporters of Israel, McMurtry said. I share that support both personally and politically. McMurtry called Massies vote against the anti-BDS resolution pretty crazy and odd. He said he would have voted in favor of a resolution opposing and condemning the BDS movement, as well as in favor of a House resolution reaffirming U.S. support for the two-state solution.

Working across the aisle: I think what would be great if I got elected, especially for Israel, is that Ive negotiated so many deals among conflicted parties, McMurtry said, pointing to his mediation experience. I have handled cases as an attorney where Ive been an advocate and then a negotiator. So I do believe that I will be a very effective voice for Israel because of those skill sets. And that would include working with the Democrats to find compromise and mutuality on important issues.

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Aiming for KO in KY The only Republican primary challenger with the backing of the RJC - Jewish Insider

The Senate passed the bill last night, but at least Lindsey Graham, Rick Scott, Tom Scott and Ben Sasse had a chance to make-believe they are dutiful limited-government conservatives forced into compromising their principles by circumstance beyond their control. Never mind that they voted yes. Never mind that they could have voted no without jeopardizing the bills passage. Never mind, because the plays the thing.

Still, if we understand their complaint as one of incentives, its worth dwelling on. Incentives are central to the economic ideology that has animated the Republicans since forever. That ideology holds that markets are efficient and know better than government how to allocate labor and resources for the benefit of the greater good. Government interference, even in its blandest form, is akin to Communism or sacrilege, depending on how much Heavenly import you imbues markets with.

Its always been debatable whether the Republicans really believe what they say they really believe about the markets. (Leftists call it neoliberalism and blame both parties equally for its global economic dominance.) Whats not debatable is that the Republicans find ways around their principles when a Republican sits in the White House while rediscovering the zeal of the freshly converted when its a Democrat.

Deficits were no big deal during Reagans time. Deficits were the end of the world during Bill Clintons time. Deficits were nothing to worry about when George W. Bush was president. Deficits were so dangerous the Republicans could not in good conscience help Barack Obama lead the country out of the Great Recession. Now, deficits are trivial again. Theyll be apocalyptic with the next Democratic president.

Whether in good faith or bad, however, markets were still more credible than an activist government. Most people most of the time still thought equal opportunity for businesses was the same as equal opportunity for their fellow Americans. Belief in market ideology was so strong it shaped how people engaged the debate over welfare.

Some said the rich were greedy and held workaday Americans in contempt. Thats why they hated social insurance programs like food stamps, Medicaid and jobless benefits. That couldnt be right, said the market faithful, who have made up a majority of Americans for half a century. The welfare debate wasnt about the bigotry of the aristocracy against the plebes. It was about efficiency. It was about incentives. To think otherwise was to think the unthinkable: class war in a classless society.

Like I said, Graham and his cohort were plainly incoherent last night. I still dont know what they were talking about. But there is one interpretation that makes sense to me as Americans enter into a period of mass death and astronomic unemployment. (Below is todays jobless claims report in graph form courtesy ofBloomberg News.)

That interpretation is this: The rich can be trusted with public money, but not so everyone else. Its OK to give Boeing tens of billions of dollars in relief aid. Its OK to give corporations access to unlimited and cheap money from the Federal Reserve. But its not OK to give normal people an extra $600 a week, people who are at the same time being coaxed by billionaires into going back to work even at the risk of death.

When most people most of the time had ample faith in markets, and when the ideology of markets was credible, it was difficult to see the rank bigotry the very rich often express toward the not very rich. (Not being very rich means you obviously dont deserving being very rich, which means you are richly deserving of your suffering.)

But I think that faith is waning. Unemployment rose to more than 3.3 millionin a week. Deaths from the coronavirus pandemic hit 1,000today. Markets are not going to save us. Indeed, the billionaires who control markets could make things so much worse. (They could literally kill people.) In a way, its fitting that Graham and others were incoherent. Their incoherence reflects a once-powerful ideology in deep decay.

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Republicans cant suppress their contempt for working Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic - AlterNet

But the numbers look very different when isolating Republican respondents. The poll shows that 90% of Republicans trust Trump compared to 84% who trust the CDC. Just 13% of Republicans said they trust the national medias information about the coronavirus.

Among Democrats, 14% said they trust Trump while 72% said they trust the national media. More than 90% of Democrats said they trust the CDC and medical professionals.

This trend is significant, because Trumps claims about the pandemic have often been at odds with medical professionals. An earlier NBC News/Wall Street Journal pollfound that Republicans were largely not worried about the virus and did not plan to change their lifestyle to protect themselves.

Trump repeatedly spread misinformation as he sought to downplay the virus for weeks while it spread around the globe.

We have it very well under control, Trump saidon Jan. 30 as the virus took hold in the U.S. We have very little problem in this country at this moment.

In February, the presidentclaimedthat it looks like by April the virus will be gone.

In theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away, he argued.

Later that month, Trump assured the public that the numbers are going to get progressively better as we go along.

By late February, he turned his attention to accusing Democrats of pushing a hoaxby hyping the threat posed by the virus and falsely blamedformer President Barack Obama for his own administrations delays in testing.

Even as the country struggled to ramp up testing, Trump falsely insistedthat the number of cases was going very substantially downnot up. He also insisted that a vaccine would be available very quickly,even though experts said one would come in12 to 18 months.

As the number of confirmed casesbegan to heavily trend upward in March, Trump insistedthat the virus was no worse than the flu, even though it is much deadlier and more contagious. Heclaimedthat he was not concerned at all only two weeks ago.

Over that stretch, Trump repeatedly liedabout the availability of tests, botched his announcement of a European travel banand falsely claimed that his handling of the crisis had an approval rating close to 80%.

Trump finally changed his tune and acknowledgedthat the situation was bad in mid-March, but in recent days the president beganto argue that restrictions imposed to try to contain the spread of the virus were worse than the death toll from the disease itself.

During a news briefing on Tuesday, Trump set an Easter deadline to ease restrictions intended to contain the spread but got pushback from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Thats really very flexible, Fauci told reporters. You need to evaluate the feasibility of what youre trying to do.

Trump insisted at an earlier news conference that Fauci doesnt not agree with his plan to lift restrictions in an effort to boost the economy, but The Washington Postreported that Fauci had stressed to officials that restrictions should be more severe not less.

It would be a major mistake to suggest any change of course when it comes to containment, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told The Post. I just spoke with Dr. Fauci. He believes that, if anything, we should be more aggressive and do more ... You cant have a functioning economy if you have hospitals overflowing. People arent going to go to work like that.

Journalists worried that Republican subservience to Trump during a deadly pandemic could lead to dangerous consequences.

They trust Trump more than the CDC or their own governors, MSNBC host Joy Reidtweeted. Theyre taking their cues on how to protect their health and that of their families from him, not from experts or even their own governors. This cult of personality is literally endangering people.

The Republican Party has become a Trump cult, New York Times columnist Wajahat Aliadded. People will be harmed by his incompetence and recklessness. Conservatives who know better speak up. Save lives.

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Republicans trust Trump for accurate information on COVID-19 over the CDC despite his false claims - Raw Story

"This is not like the financial meltdown, where you had banks that made bad decisions and asked the government to bail them out," said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). "We are basically telling people not to go out, not to spend money at these stores, and in some jurisdictions, not go to work. ... It's an unprecedented challenge."

Republicans are eager to make that argument as they embark on a wide-ranging rescue mission and fend off charges that theyre ditching their free-market principles. Senior administration officials have been careful not to refer to President Donald Trumps plan as a bailout a tacit acknowledgement that the proposal could spark a revolt while being politically toxic for the GOP down the road. Some outside conservative groups are already urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to reject direct aid for industries.

But at least for now, Republicans are mostly brushing aside long-held cost concerns in order to salvage the economy and perhaps Trumps reelection, as well as their own.

Rep. Andy Biggs. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

The term bailout does give everyone pause, and justifiably so, said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

But even Biggs, who voted against the Houses $100 billion coronavirus bill last week, didnt entirely shut the door on supporting the next round of stimulus. We do want this country to be strong, he said. You have to consider future generations.

Particularly in the face of an extraordinary public health crisis which Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) compared to World War II lawmakers are calculating that there is a far greater risk if they dont take aggressive steps to protect the economy.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday pitched Senate Republicans on whats likely to be a $1 trillion package, with around $500 billion in direct cash payments for individuals as well as money for emergency loans for small businesses hit by the economic slowdown and assistance for the airline industry.

GOP Rep. Peter King of New York, who backed the 2008 financial industry rescue, said he is inclined to support whatever Trump and GOP leadership come up with, even if its not ideal.

In ordinary times, some would have those concerns, about the cost and the deficit, King said. But, he added, in times of crisis, you cant let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Trumps strong support for a stimulus package could also provide Republicans with some much-needed political cover especially if it means resuscitating the economy, which was supposed to be the GOPs crown jewel in the 2020 elections.

Last Friday, the Capitol was at a standstill waiting for Trump to tweet his support for the Houses coronavirus relief bill, which expands access to free testing, provides $1 billion in food aid and extends sick leave benefits to vulnerable Americans. When Trump finally did, all but 40 Republicans ended up voting for the legislation.

But some GOP lawmakers were frustrated that they voted in the early hours of Saturday morning on a bill they didnt have time to fully read. And the legislation was so hastily written that the chamber had to pass 90 pages of technical corrections on Monday.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Mnuchin sought to alleviate some concerns during a conference call with ranking members and GOP caucus leaders on Tuesday during which they walked lawmakers through the changes and vowed to be more inclusive in the next phase of their economic response. But Republicans also recognize the sense of urgency and the need to act fast.

Rep. Tom Cole. | Matt Rourke/AP Photo

Would you like to slow it down? Yeah, were talking about a lot of money here. But were also talking about an unprecedented challenge to the economy, said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the House Rules Committee, who was on the call. The sheer speed with how this virus spreads requires a speedy response.

Having lived through [Troubled Asset Relief Program] calls and TARP meetings, Cole added, theres just not been the level of acrimony.

The GOPs early embrace of a pricey stimulus package caps a transformation of the party that has been three years in the making. Trump has kept a firm grip on the GOP, overseeing a massive tax cut and putting the deficit on track to surpass $1 trillion.

There are still a number of fiscal hawks and conservative hard-liners who have pushed back against deficit-busting bills and they are certain to raise concerns during the coming debate.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is vowing to offer an amendment to cut spending from other programs for every dollar added in stimulus spending, while the Club for Growth and other conservative groups backed by megadonor Charles Koch are urging lawmakers to reject any tax-payer funded bailouts that provide direct relief to industries hit by the coronavirus.

Rep. Louie Gohmert. | Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) even threatened to hold up quick passage of the Houses revised coronavirus bill, though he eventually backed off. Still, his antics sparked some concern among Republicans that the partys right flank will get in Trumps ear and sour him on the idea of a massive economic relief plan.

What we do have to worry about is Louie Gohmert, a few others, getting to Fox News, said one GOP lawmaker. If momentum [against it] builds up on its own, the president may turn on it.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is undeterred, vowing to press ahead with the stimulus package at warp speed.

These are not ordinary times. This is not an ordinary situation, the Kentucky Republican told reporters. So it requires extraordinary measures.

John Bresnahan contributed to this report.

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Republicans suddenly find a bailout they can back - POLITICO