Killing off the base

The indefatigable Charles Gaba is at it again, presenting visually the statistical evidence that Republicans have chosen to kill off their own supporters rather than to try to preserve their tribe's health.

The Former Guy didn't want there to be a deadly pandemic. Mass illness and deaths would upset the stock market and derail his glide toward re-election. Besides, most of the early 2020 deaths from COVID in the United States were on the blue Democratic coasts, no concern of his. He made the choice to throw the job of fighting the novel virus to state governors -- then failed to provide resources and back up from the federal government. He poo-pooed public health precautions. He egged on anti-mask protesters.

Even when scientists invented a vaccine (during his term of office!,) he encouraged resistance to the life-preserving injections.

And the inevitable consequences followed: coronavirus cases in areas that listened to Democrats and, eventually to President Biden, saw lower cumulative death rates. Red areas that voted for GOPers overtook and then surpassed the pandemic death rates in Blue counties and states.

Click to enlarge.

"The cumulative death rate in the reddest tenth is now over 48% higher than the bluest tenth."

Killing off your own base seems an unsustainable strategy for a political party, but traumatized people may yet give it a further run ...

Gaba has created an animation from these figures which is worth clicking through to absorb.