Abbott/Dead Armadillos: An Ongoing Series (Part 3 of ?!?)

"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."
Revelation 3:16

PushJunction this morning:

GOVERNOR ABBOTT, continuing on a theme, moved yesterday to limit elective medical procedures in four large counties, and pause reopening at current levels.

Today, the governor is closing bars, rolling back restaurant capacity, and over-regulating public gatherings.

At least one doctor in the DFW area is calling the governor's latest maneuvering a needless reaction and political posturing, and he's not alone "harshing the narrative."

Following dire reporting and handwriting about hospital capacity in Houston, leaders of the sprawling Texas Medical Center said the COVID surge is manageable.

As has been the case for the past week, cases continue to increase, but deaths are not keeping pace. This under-reported good news gets in the way of Abbott's reaction to fear porn habit.

While the governor has encouraged the use of face masks, he's stopped short of mandating use (more on this below). Tarrant County, after promising not to force masks wearing, has forced mask use.

It’s rumored that law enforcement isn’t interested in enforcing the nanny state mandate.

Honestly, it's not even his position on the issue (does he really have one?!?).  It's that he can't stick with one once he takes it.   He's indecisive and weak.

The worst part, unfortunately, is that the uncertainty this sort of political dithering creates is the worst of all possible worlds for a business.  It's challenging enough to navigate the virus.  Adding politicians' mood swings complicates things further.

In the first entry in this series, we wrote:

Abbott's already pissed off the stay-home-forever crowd. Now, he's pissing of a not-insignificant part of his base. He's creating a rather difficult needle to thread for himself.

We could have understood the case for a longer original lockdown.  We could have understood the case for a much more decisive reopening.  Lukewarm piles of suck, however, help nobody.

Then again, what would you expect when you don't understand your own data and put lobbyists in charge?!?

But...but...keep Texas red (and send the GOP money)...otherwise...something, something, Alexandra Occasio-Cortez!!!

Bottom Line: We're not going to insult dumpster fires by comparing them to Greg Abbott, but sheesh....