Politics, science and the CDC: No science please, we're Washingtonians!
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“Vote yet? How many times?”
Democrats have apparently started to realize that their strategy of scaring their voters into voting by mail, (whatever motivations you ascribe to the strategy) has been backfiring spectacularly and they are making a desperate push to get more voters to the polls on election day.
The Tar Heel state has received eight times as many postal votes as it had by this point in 2016. Despite fears about first-time absentee voters botching their ballots, the share that are rejected has in fact fallen to 1.3%, from 2.6% in 2016. This is probably due in part to campaigns educating supporters on voting by mail, and also to new efforts by the state to process such ballots.
However, these gains have been concentrated among white and richer voters, causing North Carolina’s already large racial gap in rejection rates to widen. In 2016 black voters sent in 10% of postal ballots, but 18% of discarded ones. This year, those shares are 17% and 42%. That hurts Democrats, who rely on black voters’ support.
https://patriotnewsfeed.com/the-data-coming-in-shows-vote-by-mail-has-backfired-on-democrats/
So yesterday our CDC rode to the rescue:
The day you vote
…
Voters have the right to vote, regardless of whether they are sick or in quarantine.
Voters who are sick or in quarantine should take steps to protect poll workers and other voters. This includes wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer before and after voting. You should also let poll workers know that you are sick or in quarantine when you arrive at the polling location. Check with local authorities for any additional guidance.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/going-out/voting-tips.html
What were these protectors of the nation’s health saying last week, before the low-voter-turnout among blacks became apparent? Now for something completely different:
When You Can be Around Others After You Had or Likely Had COVID-19
Updated Oct. 27, 2020
If you have or think you might have COVID-19, it is important to stay home and away from other people. Staying away from others helps stop the spread of COVID-19. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), get emergency medical care immediately.
I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms
You can be around others after:
10 days since symptoms first appeared and
24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving*
…. Note that these recommendations do not apply to persons with severe COVID-19 or with severely weakened immune systems (immunocompromised). These persons should follow the guidance below for “I was severely ill with COVID-19 or have a severely weakened immune system (immunocompromised) due to a health condition or medication. When can I be around others?”
I tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms
If you continue to have no symptoms, you can be with others after 10 days have passed since you had a positive viral test for COVID-19. Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results.
Hmmm. Well, that all sounds a teensy-bit sketchy, but it certainly doesn’t affect my belief that scientists are screwing around with facts concerning our other crisis, global warming. I mean, manipulating data and inventing scare stories in order to achieve a political goal just isn’t something crypto-socialist scientists would do, ever. Right?