As an ethnic Irish-American (each of 4 grandparents hailed from Counties Clare, Kerry or Cork), I am ashamed of these two bozos with honorable surnames that they continually dishonor.

McConnell was bad enough, but now McCarthy is making McConnell look like an angel. Not a day goes by when he doesn't lie or make up a misleading story. Today he cited India as the source of a study by the CDC supporting the CDC's latest pronouncement on masks and COVID Delta which he disagrees with. No such study exists but that didn't stop the liar from citing it.

Why McCarthy would want to undermine the fight against COVID is a mystery unless you reckon that he sees that as a way to the Speaker position for which he would do anything including putting at risk his fellow citizens.

The world is aware of McCarthy's 180 from blaming Trump for the Jan 6 insurrection to absolving him because he needs Trump to endorse him.

Mark 8:36.

I see him becoming speaker as a sure thing. Madm Mim has completely destroyed the institution .


Where is the data then ? It is not about the science . It is about arbitrary power.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky was asked for the science behind the mandate but has not produced them . So perhaps McCarthy is correct about the source study.
If the CDC relied on the India study about AstraZeneca's vax then they are more. irresponsible than I imagined .How can we possibly know if the science is sound if it isn't even published ?

“They’re making a claim that people with delta who are vaccinated and unvaccinated have similar levels of viral load, but nobody knows what that means,” said Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. “It’s meaningless unless we see the data.”
CDC reversal on indoor masking prompts experts to ask, ‘Where’s the data?’ - The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/breakthrough-infections-cdc-data/2021/07/28/dcaaa6b2-efce-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html)

There are 2 real reason the CDC had a sudden reversal .

1 . The WHO b+tched about the CDC decision. This was at the end of June .

WHO Urges Vaccinated People to Wear Masks; CDC Still Says No Need - Scientific American (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/who-urges-vaccinated-people-to-wear-masks-cdc-still-says-no-need/)

2. The Dems want to retain the power they have amassed in a permanent pandemic crisis state going into this summer .This is critical with companies deciding to open up corporate offices ,and schools making decisions about the upcoming school year . Scare the people .Make them believe we are going to do like the Aussies and have more lock downs . Appropriate more tax dollars to battle the virus and the economic impacts of their policies . As an example they are clamoring to get more money for rent assistance even as the money from the original bill largely has been unspent .

McConnell was bad enough, but now McCarthy is making McConnell look like an angel. Not a day goes by when he doesn't lie or make up a misleading story. Today he cited India as the source of a study by the CDC supporting the CDC's latest pronouncement on masks and COVID Delta which he disagrees with. No such study exists but that didn't stop the liar from citing it.It appears the study does exist, at least according to the CDC, and the same claim was made by a number of congressmen. This is from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky.


“Studies from India with vaccines not authorized for use in the United States have noted relatively high viral loads and larger cluster sizes associated with infections with Delta, regardless of vaccination status,” the guidelines state.

“These early data suggest that breakthrough Delta infections are transmissible. Unpublished data are consistent with this, and additional data collection and studies are underway to understand the level and duration of transmissibility from Delta vaccine breakthrough infections in the United States and other settings,” they add.

The first paragraph links to a footnote that links to a study at Research Square (https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-637724/v1). However, the study appears to be “Under Review,” not rejected:As the article rather sensibly concluded, "As noted by critics, it doesn’t make sense to issue a policy recommendation based on a study that’s still being “revised.”

https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/07/29/heres-the-truth-america-crenshaw-challenges-game-changer-cdc-data-in-big-way-1110261/
https://ionandbob.blogspot.com/2021/07/cdc-mask-study-truth.html
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/republican-leader-slams-cdc-for-new-mask-mandate-says-its-based-on-data-from-india/articleshow/84849323.cms

This, I believe, is the "No such study exists" study in question. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-637724/v1

House speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed the opposition leader and called him a "moron". Hmm. I guess I'll just pass on that opportunity.

Pretty sure it's just a matter of time before WG objects to your cherry-picked use of a proof text.

In the meantime, there is a story about a guy who really did, shall we say, "embellish the truth"? Biden's story about having been a truck driver is just beyond crazy. You have to wonder why he would have said such a thing. Surely he would know that he would be fact-checked.

Pretty sure it's just a matter of time before WG objects to your cherry-picked use of a proof text.
Yum, I LOVE freshly picked cherries! As a teen making money for college, I picked them in the orchards of western New York.

It is not about the science . It is about arbitrary power.


Speaking of arbitrary power, now we have DeSantis in Florida, currently the worst hit COVID state in the union, preaching the gospel of no masks no bans. This is because DeSantis is running for president, a novel approach that relies on injuring or killing your fellow citizens to win. Such is the legacy of the madman Trump.

Strange. No comment on your fake news about McCarthy??

Well it seems clear now that the charge that McCarthy was a "liar" was, to put it charitably, mistaken. The study he referred to does exist, and it does support his statement. Hmmm. I wonder if a retraction will be forthcoming.

so you are a reactionary now, who knew?

DDS DeSantis Derangement Syndrome.

Let's see now . Florida has 2 million more people than NY but to date NY has had 15,000 + more covid deaths. NY had the lock downs and mandates up the kazoo that Florida never had . So which Governor has done a better job ....DeSantis or il duce Cuomo ?
Yeah I get it . DeSantis has national ambitions ;much like il duce Cuomo who wrote a book about what a great job he did in the covid crisis. Of course DeSantis does not have all those sexual assault allegations hanging over him .

The American Postal Workers Union is opposing the Biden administration’s new order which requires federal employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or be subject to regular testing and other restrictions.While the union said it encourages postal workers to get the shot, the APWU made it clear that the government should not be forcing vaccination, either.
APWU Statement on Mandatory Vaccination for Federal Employees | American Postal Workers Union (https://www.apwu.org/news/apwu-statement-mandatory-vaccination-federal-employees)

If we want to talk about people lying, Biden should be at the top of the list. There was, for instance, the whopper about Biden going to S. Africa to meet with Mandela and being arrested while there. This wild tale was repeated 3 times, but turns out to be untrue. No such thing happened. And there was also the wild tale about driving an 18 wheeler. Never did, and has never had the necessary license to do so. Maybe he learned how to tell these stories from Hillary after seeing her tell the fake story about landing under fire in Kosovo.

At least the famous porn author turned senator, Stacey Abrams, who WG might suggest is really fat, is not presently telling any whoppers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/25/bidens-ridiculous-claim-he-was-arrested-trying-see-mandela/

Democrats 'do as I say ;not as I do " latest example . The emperor expects to have 700 people attend his 60th birthday party at Cape Cod where all those vaxed people got the Delta variant . .

DDS DeSantis Derangement Syndrome.

It didn't work with Trump. What makes you think it will work with this bozo.

McCarthy is at it again. He makes a speech threatening Pelosi with hitting her in the head with the gavel. He says it was a "joke". Nobody's laughing - not after the insurrectionists tried to assassinate Pelosi and Mike Pence on Jan 6 during the attempted overthrow of the government.

DeSantis continues to lead the COVID-19 disaster that is Florida. He's following the Trump playbook of ignoring the problem until an estimated 400,000 so far died because of Trump's failure to act.

DeSantis assumes that's part of the path to the presidency - kill and injure as many of the voters as possible.

Republicans all over the country are following suit with only a few exceptions. They hide it under the false guise of "preserving liberty". The world sees right through that nonsense.

The Trump/Republican cult is oblivious to the realities.

Good grief. It was even reported as being a joke.
"McCarthy went on to say that, should the GOP manage to flip the House in 2022 and if he were to become the speaker, he would find it difficult to resist hitting Pelosi with the speaker's gavel, The Washington Post's Michael Scherer said on Twitter. (https://twitter.com/michaelscherer/status/1421628453032505344?s=20)"It will be hard not to hit her with it but I will bang it down," McCarthy joked, according to Scherer.


Republican (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/republican) House of Representatives Leader Kevin McCarthy (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/kevin-mccarthy) joked about hitting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/nancy-pelosi) with a gavel at a recent event in Tennessee, prompting condemnation from Democrats and calls for him to resign.

https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-mccarthy-joked-hitting-nancy-pelosi-gavel-reports-2021-8

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kevin-mccarthy-nancy-pelosi-gavel-b1894822.html



Nobody's laughingActually, everyone but the humor impaired among us laughed. It was plainly a joke.

As to DeSantis, Florida is experiencing a spike in infections but, at least so far, very few deaths which is really remarkable.


He's following the Trump playbook of ignoring the problem until an estimated 400,000 so far died because of Trump's failure to act.Fake news.

You still need to correct the post you started this thread with where you claimed, incorrectly, that McCarthy lied about a study. The study clearly does exist, so he did not lie.

Evidently there is now a "McCarthy Derangement Syndrome" for which treatment needs to be developed.

Now if you're looking for something genuine to be shocked at, check out this tweet from a democrat.


Kate Coyne-McCoy, the chief strategist of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, faced swift criticism late Monday over a tweet about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s COVID-19 diagnosis. (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sen-lindsey-graham-tests-positive-covid-despite-vaccinated)
The Republican from South Carolina—who had been fully vaccinated—announced earlier in the day that he came down with flu-like symptoms on Sunday. He said he was diagnosed with the virus on Monday by the House physician. His symptoms are mild and he said he will be quarantining for 10 days.
Coyne-McCoy took to Twitter and posted, "It’s wrong to hope he dies from Covid right? Asking for a friend. #COVIDISNOTOVER #LINDSEYGRAHAM," she posted.


https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-strategists-tweet-about-lindsey-grahams-covid-diagnosis-panned

Imagine if someone tweeted something similar about the Texas Legislature Dems who got infected after being vaxed .

It would be fake news, just like so much the media spews out

How would it be fake news?

Obama expects to have 700 people attend his 60th birthday party at Cape Cod where all those vaxed people got the Delta variant . .

All appropriate safeguards will be employed.

All appropriate safeguards will be employed.That is said because Obama is the topic. If it was Trump, there would be outrage.

He cancelled the super spreader event . Only family and close friends will now attend . #s unknown . Guess he'll have to figure out another way to fundraise .

Pressure from negative public opinion got to him, I guess.

negative public opinion of bumma, wash your mouth out and hush

It is hard to imagine I guess.

Not something I contemplate

update Climate czar JFKerry aka Lurch aka the Old Man of the Mountain

is taking heat today for flying a private jet to the emperor's birthday super spreader bash . Rules for thee but not for me. Some pigs are more equal than others .

Kerry's words of wisdom ...... "If you offset your carbon, it's the only choice for somebody like me, who is traveling the world to win this battle."

"If you offset your carbon, it's the only choice for somebody like me, who is traveling the world to win this battle."How noble of him, making the supreme sacrifice of flying on a private jet like that. No sacrifice is too great. "I might be flying on a private jet, but not to fear. I'll be using taxpayer money to offset the carbon dioxide pollution."

You know no sacrifice is too great to lower carbon emissions and a few less people on the planet achieves that objective. These sacrifices are not made with politicians lives but with the lives of the plebs. What taxpayer money would you use? The money that can be squeezed out of the lower echelons who you maintain don't pay enough tax. Perhaps you are in favour of a CO2 levy on the rich, a 20% tax should do it, this money can then be spent on more wind farms, More solar farms, while ignoring the polluting industries that provide the raw material for these technologies. Some times you just talk crap for the sake of it

Some times you just talk crap for the sake of it

If you're referring to Tomder's echo, I couldn't agree more.

Some times you just talk crap for the sake of itSometimes you're too slow to recognize satire when you see it. My post was in response to Tom's story about Kerry and was not intended to be taken literally. Wake up and smell the coffee!

No I saw the sarcasm but couldn't resist

photos of the emperor's birthday bash show it was a maskless event .They did not social distance and they had a blast ! Bravo !!

Yertle is a RINO .

I think we have discovered that the whole world is populated by stupid, soon to be dead, people

63 people have tested positive in Martha's Vineyard since the emperor's mask less super spreader birthday party. Start the contact tracing and see where it leads.

Chicago’s top health official announced Thursday that roughly 200 Lollapalooza attendees have tested positive for COVID-19 so far in the aftermath of the four-day music festival, but she said there’s no indication the controversial event was a “superspreader.”

So far, there have been no coronavirus deaths or hospitalizations linked to Lollapalooza, which drew a crowd of about 385,000 to Grant Park, she said.

The outbreak of 203 cases included 127 attendees who had been vaccinated and 76 attendees who had not been immunized; 58 of the positive cases were Chicago residents, 138 lived elsewhere in Illinois and seven had traveled from out of state, Dr. Arwady said.

From:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lollapalooza-covid-19-outbreak-200-cases-linked-to-event-so-far-but-chicago-e2-80-99s-top-doctor-says-no-signs-it-was-a-e2-80-98superspreader-e2-80-99/ar-AANfDXP?ocid=uxbndlbing

but she said there’s no indication the controversial event was a “superspreader.”You mean other than 200 people testing positive???

200 out of 385,000 isn't at superspreader level.

You have a definition of superspreader?

You have a definition of superspreader?
I'm sure you do.

according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC ) One person infected with covid will usually infect around three other people . A super-spreader is someone who infects more than this number of people.

I'm sure you do.You said, "200 out of 385,000 isn't at superspreader level," so I asked what a "superspreader level" is. It was an honest question. I have no idea what a "superspreader level" is. I certainly don't trust a politician telling us it is or isn't this or that. If you don't know, then fine. I don't either, but I don't know how you could make the statement above if you can't answer that question. Tom's definition is no doubt accurate for one person, but how do you judge an event as being "superspreader level"?

Super-spreading events "occur when a single person infects a large number of other people — sometimes 10, 20, sometimes even more in one setting," said Dr. Justin Lessler, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-spreader-coronavirus/

So 200 wouldn't qualify?

How many attendees were positive for covid? 200 infected was not a "large number".

385,000 - 200 = ?

But that’s not your definition. Your definition was one person infecting a large number of others. Did that happen? You said a large number was ten or twenty, but now you say two hundred is not a large number?

How many of the 385,000 attendees were positive for covid? One? Ten? Fifty? We don't know. Two hundred-plus was the infected number after the event.

So there is a lot not known. I would think that would make it difficult to arrive at a conclusion. Also don't know how many asymptomatic cases there were, or how many are yet to be diagnosed.

give me hospitalization and death rates . Rates of infection are irrelevant at this point. Most people in this country have had either /or the vax or the virus .

Good point. In many states, infections are up substantially, but deaths have remained steady. Now it's all too easy to talk about deaths like it's a baseball score, but it is still significant. South Dakota, for instance, has not had a Covid death since early May.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=covid+statistics&form=CHRDEF&sp=-1&pq=covid+statistics&sc=8-16&qs=n&sk=&cvid=8346D978F8D842CBB353586125F4E93D

give me hospitalization and death rates . Rates of infection are irrelevant at this point. Most people in this country have had either /or the vax or the virus .

That is not true. About half have been fully vaccinated, leaving the other half endangering both unvaccinated children and unvaccinated adults. The number infected is an estimate, but if vaccinated, they rarely end up in the hospital and die. The infected are now 99% unvaccinated who are hospitalized and/or die.

Most of the reasons for not being vaccinated are beyond bizarre. They have a right to endanger themselves but not others.

If you look at those 12 and above, considering that the Trump vaccine has not been cleared yet for children, then it is far more than 50%. If you look at the most vulnerable, that being those 50 and above, then more than 80% have been vaxed. So Tom is exactly correct, and certainly if you throw in, as he said, those who have already had the virus. Most of the country has been vaxed or had the virus.

https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/