Since 9-11, first responders have been rightly lionized as akin to the military, indeed playing the role of our domestic military, people whom we all respect and admire. Part of the respect is also wrapped in self-interest, with the knowledge that on any given day one of us will need the services of one of these first responders.

It is also just “reality” that many in these fields, cops, firefighters, paramedics, also happen to be conservative, and primarily male. In the same way that college professors encompass a natural Democratic base, first responders are a no-brainer Trump base.

Speaking of no brains, Trump spent weeks talking about the coronavirus as a “hoax” – as you well know. What you likely didn’t know is that many of these first responders, people who are trained to know better, believed Trump, even when they are the people who are supposed to be the ones most knowledgeable about what an epidemic can do, and how to best combat one.

Pro Publica published a story recently on a 27,000 member Facebook group of first responders, that highlighted how many of them believed the entire matter Coronavirus issue was a hoax:

Posts in the group, which is called IAFF Union Firefighters for Trump and has been endorsed by Trump, scoffed at the seriousness of the virus, echoing false assertions by Trump and his allies comparing it to the seasonal flu. “Every election year has a disease,” read one meme, purporting to be written on a doctor’s office whiteboard. “This is a viral-pneumonia being hyped as The Black Plague before an election.”

I have heard the exact same thing said just yesterday visiting the local “Dollar General” (the only stores around in the South), that this was nothing but the flu, and that they’re trying to take down Donald Trump. I just “agreed” (it was a long line and a big cop).

Democrats planted the virus, according to one firefighter, with whom many agreed:

“Democrats have wanted to slow down and even kill the economy. It’s the only hope they have of beating Trump. Sad and disgusting the depths of shit the Democrats will descend to in order to gain power.”

And it gets worse:

Posts containing factual information or firsthand experiences with the virus were met with more accusations of plots to harm Trump’s reelection. When a Florida firefighter said action was required now to prevent a crisis like is currently underway in Italy, where 27,980 have been infected and 2,158 have died, because the virus spreads at an exponential rate, the first reply was poop emojis and “Trump2020.”

Great response, shit on facts, and cheer on the dream man.

It wouldn’t be a Trump-supporting group without baseless conspiracy theories, right? Some believe that the virus is a biological weapon developed by the Chinese in collaboration with Democrats.

When a significant fraction of a political party believes that the other side will kill to get power back, what is the only natural proactive measure to take?

We do need this virus to wipe out Trump, because only with Trump out of the picture can we get to work healing some of the damaged psyches out in the countryside.

****

Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom