November 6, 2020 at 9:26 p.m.
We can all do more to slow spread
Take it to the Bank
It’s no secret that coronavirus cases in Indiana skyrocketed after Gov. Eric Holcomb relaxed restrictions.
However, as much as Holcomb deserves blame for not staying true to his progressive executive orders, the state electorate must do some reflection on how it contributed to the virus’ continued spread, both in its actions and its ultra-conservative coronavirus beliefs that ultimately swayed the governor.
In the weeks and months leading up to the election, Holcomb at first slowly began easing coronavirus measures but then accelerated the reopening process despite new COVID-19 cases staying steady or accelerating in some areas.
Once autumn came, new coronavirus cases and deaths spiked across the state. Yet little-to-no action was taken by the governor, save a temporary extension of a statewide mask mandate that, to date, hasn’t really been enforced.
Capacity limits were eliminated for all gatherings outside of special events. Though we all know the limits weren’t really enforced in the first place, I’m sure Holcomb agrees those limits saved lives and probably would have saved more had they stayed in place.
All statewide coronavirus restrictions, including the mask mandate, are set to expire next week, though I expect Holcomb to extend the mandate and possibly revert Indiana to a previous stage prior to the expiration date. Of course, now that the election is over, Holcomb no longer has to worry about appeasing his non-compliant, anti-coronavirus restrictions base.
Some of that base deviated from Holcomb and the Republican Party in support of Libertarian Donald Rainwater, who polled in the double-digits among likely voters in multiple pre-election polls. Rainwater ran on an anti-Holcomb platform that criticized the statewide mask mandate.
There was no conceivable avenue for Rainwater to actually win the gubernatorial race but a big performance by him could have shrunk the gap between Holcomb and Democrat Woody Myers.
Perhaps if the Democratic Party put more support behind Myers and he was able to fundraise as well as Holcomb, Indiana could have had its first Democrat governor since Gov. Joe Kernan in 2005. But that means nothing now as Holcomb won the election and will serve his second and final term as governor until 2025.
Holcomb’s time as governor will be defined by the coronavirus pandemic. Though he has constantly been more progressive than state Republicans, a blemish on his record will be that he did not do enough to enact life-saving measures leading up to the election, which may prove to be a catalyst for the most deadly month for Indiana in the entire pandemic.
But that’s to be expected of Holcomb. He is a politician — a pretty good one at that —and politicians will do whatever it takes while staying relatively close to their moral compass to win an election. Once he saw there was even a minute chance he could lose the election, he put politics above the state he swore to protect.
Despite him ignoring his duties, Holcomb is not solely responsible for the more than 4,000 Hoosier deaths. In fact, his preventative measures and leadership saved an incalculable number of lives.
There is blame to be had on state, local and federal governments, sure, but we all deserve some blame for the high death count.
We all saw what the virus was capable of when it first reached our small part of the world in the spring. We knew how many it killed overseas and quickly saw our country’s death toll take the top spot internationally.
Yet out of selfishness, ignorance or just because we couldn’t help ourselves, many of us continued to live our lives ignoring the virus that has killed so many and supported candidates that denied the magnitude of the situation in spite of the blood in the water. Unlike in times of crises past, this country and its political leaders have failed to rise to the occasion.
Hopefully, now that the election is, mostly, behind us, our elected leaders can guide us out of this pandemic. Because we are in need of some leaders right now who will help stop this virus from killing so many of us and destroying our economy.
Holcomb and the soon-to-be reconvening Indiana General Assembly should consider the following preventative measures to save Hoosier lives and local businesses until the pandemic is over:
•Reenact previous measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as capacity limits, expansion of unemployment benefits and a pause on utility shut-offs through the fall and winter.
•Direct state and local police departments to enforce capacity limits and mask mandates in high traffic areas. (In Portland, think of Walmart and the compliance with masks there.)
•Appropriate any available dollars to subsidize industries in need of immediate capital that have been hurt hardest by the pandemic, such as restaurants and bars.
It’s time to put politics behind us. Lives depend on it.
However, as much as Holcomb deserves blame for not staying true to his progressive executive orders, the state electorate must do some reflection on how it contributed to the virus’ continued spread, both in its actions and its ultra-conservative coronavirus beliefs that ultimately swayed the governor.
In the weeks and months leading up to the election, Holcomb at first slowly began easing coronavirus measures but then accelerated the reopening process despite new COVID-19 cases staying steady or accelerating in some areas.
Once autumn came, new coronavirus cases and deaths spiked across the state. Yet little-to-no action was taken by the governor, save a temporary extension of a statewide mask mandate that, to date, hasn’t really been enforced.
Capacity limits were eliminated for all gatherings outside of special events. Though we all know the limits weren’t really enforced in the first place, I’m sure Holcomb agrees those limits saved lives and probably would have saved more had they stayed in place.
All statewide coronavirus restrictions, including the mask mandate, are set to expire next week, though I expect Holcomb to extend the mandate and possibly revert Indiana to a previous stage prior to the expiration date. Of course, now that the election is over, Holcomb no longer has to worry about appeasing his non-compliant, anti-coronavirus restrictions base.
Some of that base deviated from Holcomb and the Republican Party in support of Libertarian Donald Rainwater, who polled in the double-digits among likely voters in multiple pre-election polls. Rainwater ran on an anti-Holcomb platform that criticized the statewide mask mandate.
There was no conceivable avenue for Rainwater to actually win the gubernatorial race but a big performance by him could have shrunk the gap between Holcomb and Democrat Woody Myers.
Perhaps if the Democratic Party put more support behind Myers and he was able to fundraise as well as Holcomb, Indiana could have had its first Democrat governor since Gov. Joe Kernan in 2005. But that means nothing now as Holcomb won the election and will serve his second and final term as governor until 2025.
Holcomb’s time as governor will be defined by the coronavirus pandemic. Though he has constantly been more progressive than state Republicans, a blemish on his record will be that he did not do enough to enact life-saving measures leading up to the election, which may prove to be a catalyst for the most deadly month for Indiana in the entire pandemic.
But that’s to be expected of Holcomb. He is a politician — a pretty good one at that —and politicians will do whatever it takes while staying relatively close to their moral compass to win an election. Once he saw there was even a minute chance he could lose the election, he put politics above the state he swore to protect.
Despite him ignoring his duties, Holcomb is not solely responsible for the more than 4,000 Hoosier deaths. In fact, his preventative measures and leadership saved an incalculable number of lives.
There is blame to be had on state, local and federal governments, sure, but we all deserve some blame for the high death count.
We all saw what the virus was capable of when it first reached our small part of the world in the spring. We knew how many it killed overseas and quickly saw our country’s death toll take the top spot internationally.
Yet out of selfishness, ignorance or just because we couldn’t help ourselves, many of us continued to live our lives ignoring the virus that has killed so many and supported candidates that denied the magnitude of the situation in spite of the blood in the water. Unlike in times of crises past, this country and its political leaders have failed to rise to the occasion.
Hopefully, now that the election is, mostly, behind us, our elected leaders can guide us out of this pandemic. Because we are in need of some leaders right now who will help stop this virus from killing so many of us and destroying our economy.
Holcomb and the soon-to-be reconvening Indiana General Assembly should consider the following preventative measures to save Hoosier lives and local businesses until the pandemic is over:
•Reenact previous measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as capacity limits, expansion of unemployment benefits and a pause on utility shut-offs through the fall and winter.
•Direct state and local police departments to enforce capacity limits and mask mandates in high traffic areas. (In Portland, think of Walmart and the compliance with masks there.)
•Appropriate any available dollars to subsidize industries in need of immediate capital that have been hurt hardest by the pandemic, such as restaurants and bars.
It’s time to put politics behind us. Lives depend on it.
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