Opinion: Putin’s effort to undermine trust in science aids Trump and evangelicals’ COVID-19 malfeasance

Combined with Vladimir Putin’s crusade to undermine trust in science among Americans, Trump’s efforts to sow suspicion of Federal health officials’ expertise is exacerbating the spread ofCOVID-19. Subsequently, Americans are dying needlessly which is a value-added treat for Putin in his campaign to aid dirty Don’s reelection.

It is encouraging to see surveys revealing that the majority of Americans trust health experts and medical scientists’ assessments of how best to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, there is an alarming percentage of Americans who place their trust in dumb Don Trump and his acolytes sequestered in “camp runamuck” more than health experts; because Trump’s supporters are as inherently stupid as they are religiously afflicted. Coupled with their willing embrace of all manner of conspiracy theories, it is little wonder America leads the world in coronavirus fatalities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decades-long effort to instill distrust of science in Americans with less intellect than an amoeba is aiding Trump for sure, but like Trump’s religious cult following, a segment of the population typically eschews reality and facts regardless they are personally affected negatively.

Donald Trump did not create the level of stupid infecting America’s population, but like his Republican facilitators in Congress and loyal evangelical clergy, he is taking advantage of the imbecile class embracing idiocy and rejecting science.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

For years political commentators have marveled at the number of Americans who regularly vote against their own best interests on many different issues – many of them life-threatening. Whether it is opposing access to healthcare, denying climate science,  antipathy to nutrition assistance, rejecting sane gun safety measures, or eliminating regulations banning toxic chemicals in the air and water, there is a decidedly Republican sect ready and willing to embrace insane policies.

Donald Trump, like his Republican facilitators, understands the imbecile class of Americans and has parlayed that understanding into ardent electoral support that not only allowed him entrance to a place he should be banned from visiting, it is jeopardizing the lives of tens-of-millions of Americans.

Republicans have used the imbecile class’ suspicion of science, education, and intellect to advance dangerous conservative policies that are detrimental to the rest of the population for decades. It is curious because nearly all Americans are, or were, educated in the same public school system that produces some of the finest minds on the planet. And yet despite spending 12 years learning basic information created to produce an educated populace crucial to a free democratic society, there are far too many Americans anxious to embrace truly insane conspiracy theories and advice from politicians lacking any expertise whatsoever on any issues.

No matter which side of the political isle any American falls, it is fairly certain that most Americans were shocked when dumb Don Trump suggested that ingesting bleach was an “interesting” treatment against COVID-19 that warranted further investigation. Still, despite label warnings in plain English against internal use of bleach or any other disinfectant, there were morons who put their trust in Trump’s non-medical advice and ended up with internal injuries.

Those same idiots still believe that because Trump prescribed an anti-malaria drug as an effective prophylactic against the novel coronavirus, the medical experts were wrong and using the drug hydroxychloroquine is completely safe. A study published on Thursday reported that people embracing Trump’s miracle cure faced a higher death rate than those who trusted science over an idiot in the Oval Office.

It is no different with the alarming number of Americans who refuse to wear masks or practice social distancing – because Trump contradicts his administration’s medical experts, idiots are wantonly spreading the virus simply because they refuse to believe science and why should they? Trump disputes science, including his own medical experts advice, and given the choice; the morons believe a ranking member of their own idiot class despite clear empirical evidence to the contrary.

This opposition to science did not begin with Trump, but he has taken full advantage of it; likely because he witnessed the success Republicans enjoy on a variety of issues. For example, a few years ago while California was suffering an historical drought, a Republican running for Congress claimed the lack of precipitation was the work of President Barack Obama and the EPA; despite the lack of rain was in full stride three years prior to Mr. Obama’s election in 2008.

It is the same with a successful claim by Republicans that Democrats and environmentalists were diverting river water from the mountains to flow into the ocean causing the lack of rainfall. Although every 2nd grade student learns that water naturally flows from the mountains into the ocean, no small number of voters supported each and every GOP candidate who claimed environmental scientists were lying to deny the farmers access to water.

This opposition to, and gross suspicion of, science has probably always existed in a small percentage of the population, but it has increased exponentially over the past decade or two because Russian President Putin has sown distrust to undermine confidence in government. Putin’s success at installing a con man like Trump in a leadership role to sow more distrust of any kind of expertise has aided Trump significantly. If that were not the case, Trump’s supporters would not malign experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci with unfounded conspiracy theories the idiot class believe as if uttered by their biblical god.

It is noteworthy that chief among Trump’s supporters who oppose science are Republican evangelical fanatics who trust Trump, as god’s anointed one, over medical and federal health professionals. As Katherine Stewart recently noted in the New York Times:

Trump’s response to the pandemic has been strongly influenced by a movement that denies science, bashes government and prioritized loyalty over professional expertise. This denial of science and critical thinking among religious ultraconservatives now haunts the American response to the coronavirus crisis.”

There are plenty of reports of evangelical leaders who claim they and their congregants are protected from a virus simply because god, and Trump. Subsequently, that particular embrace of fantasy over empiricism is spreading the coronavirus in communities and killing the faithful as indiscriminately as it does Americans with an ounce of intellect and trust in science.

Trump is well aware that because his campaign and foreign policy advisor Vladimir Putin spent decades laying the foundation for American distrust of science and expertise he can continue repeatedly spreading false and misleading information even as the coronavirus pandemic has escalated. It is unclear how many of Trump’s acolytes have to die before they begin to suspect that medical professionals and health experts are better equipped to advise Americans on how best to survive Trump’s COVID-19 malfeasance, but if the past is any indication, it is likely true that they will perish en masse before putting their trust in medical experts. Tragically, their opposition to science and medical professionals’ expertise will continue killing innocent Americans to the delight of Vladimir Putin, evangelical fanatics, and the chief moron in the Oval Office.


Copyright PoliticusUSA LLC 2008-2023