Peak Biden, The Real State of the Union & Florida’s Infectious Disease - Top 3 Takeaways – March 8th, 2024
- That was it. What am I referring to? Peak Biden. That was likely the most of President Biden you’ll see this year. Feel free to take a moment to celebrate. Yes, the election is over seven months away. No, he’s not likely to debate. For that matter he’s not likely to really do much on the campaign trail. If I were a betting man, I’m not, but if I were – I'd be willing to bet that Donald Trump, who Democrats are attempting to confine to court rooms instead of the campaign trail this year, will still make more stops than ‘Ole Joe. Anyway, last night’s State of the Union Address was likely the peak public appearance of the election season for the President of the United States. And while he was busy telling us what his version of the state of the union is...the reality on the ground is considerably different. That’s not just my opinion. That’s the opinion of the overwhelming majority of Americans. Here’s the real state of the union according to us via the RealClear Politics average of polls. Do we approve of the economy? Nope. Only 40% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling the economy and 26% more Americans think the economy is bad compared to those who think it’s good. Bidenomics is a bust. How about immigration? Of course not. Only 30% of Americans approve of his handling of immigration policy (which while historically low might be a sign that illegal immigrants are not only voting in certain state elections but also now in polls). Conversely, for the first time ever, most Americans don’t just want to enforce the southern border they want to finish building the border wall. That’s the anthesis of Biden’s policies. How about crime? He doesn’t fare much better there either with only 38% of Americans approving of his crime prevention policies. In fact, 77% of Americans say there’s more crime than a year with over half now saying it’s negatively impacting their community. This stands to reason given that the Biden border crisis has led to record illegal immigrates into communities near you – no matter where you happen to be. Just ask Laken Riley’s family. And because, contrary to previously falsely reported beliefs, the average illegal immigrant, or “non-citizen” as the official categorization happens to be, is greater than 9x times more likely to commit a crime than the average legal US citizen. So, what about foreign policy? How do we view our country’s state of foreign affairs? Not well. The Commander-in-Chief's approval rating on foreign policy stands at 37%. In other words, in the eyes of the average American there’s nothing that Joe does well and our country’s worse off because of it. That’s why, when you put all of the issues together, only 23% of Americans feel the country is heading in the right direction. That’s the real state of the union according to us. So perhaps it’s not a bad thing that we’ve seen about as much of President Biden as we’re likely to see this year. Less Joe is mo’.
- The end of the infectious period. Yes, today is the last day of the state legislative session. No, that’s not what I’m referring to. It’s the end of the original measles “outbreak” infectious period in Florida. As noted by Florida’s Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo in a much-critiqued note to parents of students of Weston’s Manatee Bay Elementary School... In that note sent to parents February 20th, Ladapo said this: Individuals with a history of prior infection or vaccination who have received the full series of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) immunization are 98% protected and are unlikely to contract measles. Up to 90% of individuals without immunity will contract measles if exposed. Because of the high likelihood of infection, it is normally recommended that children stay home until the end of the infectious period, which is currently March 7, 2024. As the epidemiological investigation continues, this date could change. Well, here’s what hasn’t changed since I covered this in last Friday’s Q&A. The number of measles cases in Florida. There were ten known cases last week (9 Broward, 1 in Polk) and there are ten known cases this week. That’s obviously great news in general. Unless of course you’re a sycophant seemingly rooting for more cases so that you can go after Dr. Ladapo’s guidance not to keep kids away from school, and Governor DeSantis for keeping him as Surgeon General. Here are recent examples of related stories... AP: Florida refuses to bar unvaccinated students from school suffering a measles outbreak. Washington Post: Joseph Ladapo’s response to Florida’s measles outbreaks is outrageous. The Guardian: Florida is swamped by disease outbreaks as quackery replaces science. The Palm Beach Post: With Dr. Joseph Ladapo's anti-vaccine stance failing, Florida needs a new surgeon general. Now, aside from it probably being news to you that our state is allegedly “swamped by diseases” - because we’re obviously not...but facts not withstanding what’s happened and is still happening here is instructive. If you thought that perhaps by chance the medical and media establishment learned something by getting COVID wrong –
- Think again. They’ve learned nothing and all they seemingly regret is DeSantis and Ladapo getting it right. Consider this note that I received from a prominent South Florida doctor following last Friday’s Q&A: Your commentary about Measles in Florida is despicable. You completely missed the most important point. The ten cases are not the issue. The issue is how hideously contagious it is. Every infected person will Infect 12 - 18 others. Do that math. There are 10 infected patients in Florida. The vaccination rate is 90%. There are 4.3M children in Florida. That means there are 430,000 vulnerable children in the state. The incubation period is 21 days. The important point is we may be at the start of outbreak that will infect many more children. Measles is deadly. The disease was eradicated from the US in 2000. There should be no Measles in the US at all. This is precisely why we need to mandate vaccination and censor the antivaxx movement. My response: First, what I provided wasn't commentary but rather an analysis. I challenge you to find any factual inaccuracy. Second, the incubation period isn't 21 days. The longest possible incubation period is 21 days. You're exaggerating. Third, while in principle I agree that hesitancy to measles vaccinations is off base, nothing is more despicable than calling for censorship of dissenting perspectives in a country founded on freedom of expression. And there’s much more to this – including an even more alarming response to my response. I’ll bring it to you on Monday...