Now would be a good time for Bernie to drop out, cancel The remaining races and the convention. Nominate Biden By acclamation and chase Trump out of office.

This is absolutely a solution...the effect would be stunning with regards to party unity...the declaration should be with both on stage... ...immediately following should be the creation of a shadow government with persons with real expertise standing in as cabinet members... ...specific policies could be formulated and communicated to Americans as a very real plan of action when the Democrats take the White House and Senate...

- Via Eschaton Comments

My shadow government idea is catching on.

Joe Biden gave a speech about the coronavirus a short while ago that ought to help people remember what they threw away on Nov. 9, 2016. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMxokey64pU

I had to look this up...

Circuit breakers are designed to give the market time to cool off when price swings get too volatile. They halt trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) when the S&P 500 hits predetermined levels. Here are the levels to watch before trading is halted again or canceled today. Level One (7% drop) – a 15 minute pause. Level Two (13% drop) – a further 15 minute pause. Level Three (20% drop) – Trading is closed for the day. There is one caveat. The circuit breakers only kick in if the S&P 500 hits these levels before 3:25 pm ET. If the plunge accelerates past these marks after that time, there is no safety net until the closing bell.

So if things go to hell after 3:25, all bets are off.

Lessons Taught But Never Learned

 

I don't wish it but if this epidemic expands we are going to learn that we basically have a failed state. Those weird historical blurbs you read in museums about how the leeches didn't work will be funny because, well, that's us. We didn't even have a leech stockpile.

 

A country people have called "Greece" has existed forever. They are used to failed states. They pick up the pieces and keep moving. We don't have that long history of surviving utter failure. Plus we have all the guns and all the weirdos who think guns are the shit.

An oval office address to the nation is supposed to be this big important, well considered statement - but this is Trump...

The White House scrambles to clarify key details from Trump's speech announcing his coronavirus response

To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight.

These restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground. There will be exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval.

Correction 2) An hour after his speech ended, Trump sent out a tweet announcing that "trade will in no way be affected by the 30-day restriction on travel from Europe," Trump: 

Earlier this week I met with the leaders of health insurance industry who have agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments, 

Not much to say about that Trump performance. After weeks of pretending that it was nothing, he blamed Europe (but not Britain) for the coronavirus in a stammering, flat, orange monotone.