In the same statement, Biden reaffirmed the importance of
wearing masks, asserting that wearing masks is a common responsibility for all
American citizens. Continuing his campaign theme of unity, he remarked that wearing
a mask is “not a political statement,” but a matter of saving lives— “not
Democrat or Republican lives, but American lives.”
So far, Biden’s focus on the pandemic, his plans to bring
the pandemic under control, and his appointees to the advisory board have all
been well-received. Business organizations, including the National Association
of Manufacturers, the National Retail Federation, and the US Chamber of Commerce
have applauded Biden’s message of putting lives and science above politics. The situation is a sharp contrast to September, when several leading pharmaceuticals
companies signed a pledge to guarantee the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine,
pushing back against the Trump administration’s rush to have a vaccine ready
before the general election.
However, some have criticized the lack of geographical
diversity among the members of Biden’s advisory board. Peter Hotez, dean of the
National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, pointed out
that all of Biden’s appointees hail from America’s coasts, where the pandemic
is relatively under control. “The coasts are doing okay, but the red states are
being hammered and the deaths are going to be extraordinary.” The absence of
experts from the Midwest and the American South could pose an issue to
mitigating COVID-19’s spread in those areas, especially since people there are
more likely to believe Trump’s rhetoric about the virus.
Overall, the formation of Biden’s coronavirus advisory board
is a major step in the right direction. It signals to the American public and
the world at large that the United States will once again be basing its policymaking
on veritable, scientific fact, a reassuring sentiment for many.
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19 comments:
I find that Biden's efforts to establish an advisory board for COVID-19 is definitely a step in the right direction. It is relieving to see that Biden is taking a more trusting stance than the incumbent president with regard to science. It is clear that Biden has established his platform as being a president for the American people, and his actions reflect trying to protect Americans as a whole rather than focusing on more selfish ideas as Trump has in many cases. While there are concerns about a lack of diversity with respect to his appointees, it makes sense to select people from states that have the virus under better control, for they would be more likely to offer beneficial information on how to handle the virus given the successes they may have contributed to. Having officials from regions that have better control of the virus makes more logical sense as it allows for better advice on how to handle the spread of the virus.
People generally look towards sources of stability in times of uncertainty, and under President Trump's administration, I believe that a majority of Americans were/are not able to find that sense of security—certainly not in regards to public health and Covid-19, especially given the consistent neglect that they have demonstrated, forwarding the narrative that if we ignore the problem, it will go away. As a result of that incompetency, we have had a record number of cases and deaths. It is thus, as both Eric and Ian mention, reassuring to see that those we will be turning to for leadership are taking initiative to address the urgent nature of the pandemic rather than treating it as trivial. I presume that due to the geographic inconsistencies of how the virus has been handled, the board will have to formulate a myriad of approaches in order to accommodate the individual issues that these different areas might be facing. I hope that with the board’s expertise, they will come up with comprehensive plans that will finally give the public a sense of direction going forward.
It appears that members on the COVID-19 advisory board are very experienced and respected in science, which bodes good news on our government’s response to the virus. However, the concern about geographic diversity is a real one because if the board is composed entirely or almost entirely of coastal people, they would likely have a harder time convincing other states to follow their policies. Clearly, the Democratic coastal states will be more likely to support the decisions of a democratic, coastal committee under a democratic presidency, but as President, Biden must, must cooperate with people from different ideological, political, and geographic viewpoints. And, they are less likely to believe the scientific community in general, so it would at least help if some of that scientific community hailed from non-coastal, perhaps non-Democratic areas/viewpoints. The difficulty is getting every state to cooperate, not just Democratic/coastal ones. This reminds me of Trump’s one-sided appointment of members to his many administrative boards during his presidency, who provided a sort of echo chamber to his many beliefs and policies (and when they didn’t, they were fired or pressured to resign). I hope Biden learns to not do the same, though it appears that is what politics has come to these days, and recruits a bipartisan task force that can combat the pandemic from a wide lens that encompasses all states and “American lives.”
I think Biden is taking the right step in order to control the pandemic with in the US. It that is good to know that the Biden administration will work to control the pandemic even on day one. The transition of power will be short and sweet, thus allowing the federal government to have active involvement. It seems the team will contain people from states that have pandemic under control, which help decide direct action. It will allow the for effective policies to be introduce. I can understand the idea of benefit from members of other states, as those people can tell struggles of current hot beds. My overall concern is what Republican state governments will do to challenge Biden's team, if they have biden make a executive order.
I think that this is great news for America's overall health in controlling the virus in the nation. It doesn't surprise me that the coastal areas are more represented than the red states. There's a reason why they voted red in the first place. But I really hope that Biden is able to bring unity into his efforts of stopping the COVID-19 spread in the U.S. It's going to be extremely difficult to get the red states to cooperate with the necessary guidelines that will help us get past this unprecedented season of life quicker, as we see so many people disobeying store rules to wear a mask, people not listening to science, and people being okay with risking their own lives for fun, ignoring the fact that they are actually, therefore, risking the lives of literally everyone they come in contact with. I hope that Biden is able to bring some normalcy to America. People from other countries have been saying they've never seen a nation so divided with something so basic to understand.
I think that the assignment of the advisory board is a marker for several positive changes we can expect to see soon. Firstly, we will see more scientific reflection within our government policies. For example, during fire season, president Trump remarked that science doesn't know if there is global warming, essentially denouncing the scientific community. He has also been an avid supporter of not wearing masks, making fun of Biden repeatedly for wearing proper PPE. With new leadership, I hope we can expect to see more scientifically approached changes to scientific problems, such as the coronavirus pandemic. This will be especially helpful in reducing cases within states that do not tend to follow the recommended CDC guidelines, hopefully reducing our overall cases. One of the greatest improvements, however, is going to be in international recognition of the United States as a country that acts based on science rather than feeling. The United States can become a country that sets examples on the appropriate and necessary steps needed both in combatting the coronavirus and other serious world issues, such as climate change.
As many of the commenters above have mentioned, the issue of geographical diversity is a bit worrisome. I agree with Danny’s concern regarding the issue of developing effective plans that other states would potentially enthusiastically follow. However, due to the severe effects Covid-19 has had on the lives of so many American people, it is a hope that state leaders would be willing to push forward in efforts to control the spread of the disease with the directions outlined by this team of public health and infectious disease experts, regardless of their political views. Nonetheless, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris’ actions to unify and protect all American people help to set important standards moving forward. Also, hopefully, the Biden administration’s rapid appointments of professionals to this advisory board, and as many other commenters have reiterated, the trust he and Vice President-elect Harris have placed in science, will translate to greater momentum in delivering clear communication to the American people about consistent efforts being made to improve the pandemic, in terms of “testing, contact tracing and resolving shortages in personal protective equipment that hospitals and health-care facilities are experiencing again” (Abutaleb & McGinley).
I think that Biden's effort to put Covid as one of his top priorities is great and extremely reliving to me and many Americans. It shows his true care for his citizens and the fact that he is already planning such committees shows that he is ready to take over and he is ready to lead this country into hopefully a Covid "free" environment. This aligns with what Biden and Harris have been saying all throughout their campaign, that they think more needs to be done with the pandemic and that they have the means and motivation to do so. I think that a lot of states that have more "anti-maskers" might be slightly upset with this change, but at the end of the day its for the good of the country as a whole and I think, truly that that is what President Elect Biden wants for this country.
It's relieving to see that the 46th president is already taking action to the crisis at hand. While a large majority of the United States may not agree with his ideals and beliefs (and will definitely not agree with the responsibility to wear masks), the COVID-19 advisory board will most likely find a way to keep those who wish to follow the rules safe. It would be nice to see more diversity among the board, as well as a range of residents of different states among the 50. But, Biden's dedication to creating this board is good to see, and hopefully they will bring change this coming January!
Even though Biden is the new President Elect, the mess Trump left will not make it easy for Biden. The past four years of refusal to accept scientific authority has not only made things like the forest fires and the pandemic difficult, but it has also put the US under a bad light for the whole world to see. The record number of COVID cases in the US would likely have been mitigated under different leadership, since the President's refusal to wear a mask has a huge influence over his supporters in the red states, who no doubt are suffering more from the virus because of Trump's influence. Maybe after Trump got COVID they all decided to do the same. Either way, Biden is making a good choice in distancing himself from Trump's politics as much as possible, and I think that siding with science will be a positive change for our country, both inside and out.
I completely agree that the coronavirus task force of the Biden administration is a step towards positive change. This morning, news articles about the new task force's plan began to flood in, and specifically, a possible proposal to control the pandemic is beginning to be discussed by the public. Dr. Michael Osterholm, who is an infectious disease specialist part of Biden's coronavirus advisory team, proposed an option of a 4-6 week lockdown of the country when he spoke to Yahoo! on Wednesday. In this plan, the government would cover the the lost funds of wages, unemployment, etc, as he claims that there's money ready to borrow. On the other hand, however, Vivek Murthy, a co-chair of Biden's task force claims to Good Morning America that a lock down is extremely unlikely. He thinks that the team should focus more on tightening or loosening restrictions specifically to each area based on how their cases are progressing. Murthy claims that this lockdown plan proposed by Osterholm has not been discussed and will not be considered by the administration. Personally, I think that this lockdown should've happened months ago, as countries who did this like New Zealand, China, etc saw great results and more control over the numbers. Whatever plan the task force ends up executing, I'm confident that it'll be a positive step forward, as they'll use their experiences & trust in science to make decisions, and Biden has already been setting a much better example than Trump in terms of wearing masks and social distancing.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joe-biden-adviser-covid-lockdown-proposal-michal-osterholm/
https://6abc.com/vivek-murthy-lockdown-coronavirus-shutdown/7921929/
While it’s great to see that Biden’s administration is taking steps in the right direction, it’s important to note that Biden’s progress is being hindered by Trump’s refusal to concede. Because Trump is unwilling to refuse, the General Service Administration, headed by Trump appointee Emily Murphy, isn’t signing off on the election results. This is significant because it stops Biden from getting security briefings and access to information that would help him make much more progress before he is officially sworn into office. It’s unclear how much progress Biden’s task force will actually make if Trump and his cronies continue to act like children.
To address Lucy’s point about Osterholm's total shutdown vs Murthy’s specific region
restrictions: Biden and his team are trying to appeal to everybody, not just liberals that believe in science. I agree that a shutdown would be beneficial, but the majority of Americans won’t agree with that, as they either have work for their families or just don’t believe in science. Murthy is trying to convey Biden’s theme of being a president for everybody by pushing forward the idea of specific restrictions.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/13/politics/transition-agencies-wait-biden/index.html
I agree with Danny that the lack of geographic diversity could be a large problem, that the Trump supporters there might not want to listen to Biden and his group of experts from the coastal regions (whom I assume are democrats). However, it's largely understandable that Biden's group would be how it is--for example, if the situation were reversed, how likely would a liberal expert from California want to be a part of Trump's group compared to a, say, conservative expert from Alabama? Additionally, if the red states are struggling with high COVID counts, one might be tempted to question the competency of their medical experts there. At any rate, good job to Biden, and hopefully he and this team will get the country under control soon.
Biden's campaign was built upon his promising changes and approach in mitigating the worsening COIVD-19 pandemic. It is optimistic that Biden is allowing scientists and research to speak on behalf of his administration's policy on the virus, such a change that will hopefully encourage more Americans to trust science over media or misinformation. However, with many of the red states in the middle of the country continuing to spike with COVID-19 cases, it seems that having more geographical representation on the board is crucial in the fight to end the pandemic by spreading unity. With many red states ignoring the severity of the virus, perhaps having advocates and leaders from their states promoting the usage of masks and social distancing measures will prove impactful in slowing the spread.
Biden's quick move to appoint people to the Coronavirus task force is a clear element as to why many Americans had decided to vote for him in the first place. There are a lot of continued criticisms by the left regarding their belief that Trump's reaction and work against Covid-19 was inadequate. Following Biden's announcement, I saw a lot of praise and happiness regarding the medically qualified members of the task force. Many people are growing increasingly worried about Covid-19 especially this week with the daily Covid cases hitting new highs. Many are already speculating the potentially critical situation that Biden will face when he takes office. His task force could be a source for hope for the impact of Covid within the US. I definitely agree with Rosella on the potential benefits of having leaders from red states advocating for safety measures that people must take.
As other commenters have noted, Biden's candidacy revolved around the pandemic, and is likely a major reason why he won the election. The current pandemic defined Biden's campaign, and appears to be defining his administration as well. Focusing on the public health crisis immediately is a wise move for a president elect of a divided nation, as the Biden administration can more easily present themselves as a unifying, stabilizing force while sidelining more controversial issues like the Supreme Court. Although a lack of 'red-state' perspectives on this announced task force is troubling, I believe the current devastation currently being witnessed in the South and Midwest may be enough to encourage states to comply with stronger restrictions. The current pandemic has always offered a political advantage to Biden, and he is utilizing it very effectively.
I think that the lack of diversity in Biden's task force is concerning however all the officials on the task force are respected professionals so it should not impact the task force that much. I think Biden also needs an economic task force to deal with the economic problems resulting from the coronavirus. Right now we are close to approaching the limit that people can survive without being able to go to work. After President Trump's mishandling of the coronavirus, we may need to restart the shutdown so getting together an economic task force is essential.
I don't think the lack of diversity is concerning at all. It doesn't take a genius or an expert to conclude that those "red" states have a higher rate of infection because many of them equate masks to oppression. If the fact that people are dying and becoming sick as a result of their carelessness doesn't move them to wear a simple mask, no Biden appointed leader will change their minds. We need a national mask mandate to circumvent the spread of the virus. On the main two major issues that voters cared about this election, Biden was leading in coronavirus handling and Trump was leading on the Economy. This is Biden's time to prove that he's a competent leader unlike the leader of our last regime. Appointing highly qualified people to the COVID-19 task force is a great step in doing so.
Biden's addressing of the COVID crisis still impacting our country right out the gate with an expert advisory board is definitely comforting coming out of the past few months dealing with a Coronavirus task force led by a non-medical-expert. It's reassuring to know we'll soon have a president that makes an effort to listen to medical professionals and those who are knowledgeable on economic crises instead of one that makes an effort to ignore them.
However, in response to Anoush's comment here, I think a lot of the occupants of more liberal coastal areas are discounting the struggles of mainland red states a bit too much, considering they are being hit hard regardless of the actions of a vocal minority of people. It's inappropriate and unnecessary to label their struggle as the result of "carelessness" (implying the crisis was their own fault) in the midst of a deadly pandemic, and far less appropriate to suggest that those red states shouldn't be concerned about not getting represented in a committee that seeks to solve a problem hitting those states the hardest. It's reasonable for there to be some backlash about those states not receiving direct representation in the issue.
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