https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/politics/fact-check-mcconnell-obama-trump-game-plan/index.html
SEN McConnell (R-KY) claims that the previous administration left no “game plan” for a pandemic response. In actuality, there was a 69 page “playbook” that could have been used for a reference to address the government’s response.
“A current NSC official, whom Politico quoted anonymously, described the 2016 document as “quite dated.”” But why ignore it and not use it as a baseline for an updated response? Because it came form the Obama administration?
And then there is this: “In addition to the playbook, outgoing senior Obama officials also led an in-person pandemic response exercise for senior incoming Trump officials in January 2017 — as required by a new law on improving presidential transitions that Obama signed in 2016. Politico reported this March that the meeting, attended by current Trump Cabinet officials including Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, addressed how to deal with a hypothetical flu crisis, among other scenarios.”
Instead of saying President Obama should have “kept his mouth hut”, maybe McConnell should have stopped assisting in trying to erase 8 years of a presidency he disapproved of and recommending using the tools left behind (even a rusty hammer can still pound a nail) and lessons learned from the pandemic response exercise. Mr. Trump has no one to blame but himself for the delayed and anemic response to this pandemic.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
Did the playbook include instructions on how to distribute the non-existent PPE stockpile?
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Probably not. But, if they had checked the stockpile in January 2017, they would have been much better prepared. After all, the previous administration thought it was important to pass on pandemic response info. Enough so that they printed a playbook for it.
One can accomplish a lot in three years.
Just a few words to HHS to make sure we are ready and then onto Mar a Lago without even a slight delay.
After all, if Obama was as bad as the president said, and still says, he was, then it might be a good idea to check out what was passed on.
Were we low on bullets, missiles and tanks?
No matter how you spin it, 3 years into a 4 year term and the president pretty much owns it.
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McConnell said there was nothing. A lie. Flat out. Bald faced. Patently false. Not true. But that’s OK with you because it’s all Obama’s fault, right?
All you do is go back to the deflection point about the SNS being depleted. As Len stated, why not check out what is there and what if any needs replenished. Three years and apparently not even an stock check? Gross mismanagement.
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I also wonder if Mr. McConnell forgot that Mrs. McConnell was at the January 2017 meeting where scenarios were discussed.
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Its becoming increasingly obvious that Senator McConnell is full of crap and a either ignorant or a liar.
Otherwise with all that information passed on from the previous administration, how can McConnell say what he did?
And with that information, there is no longer any excuse for not having checked the SNS 3 years ago.
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Look who’s playing the blame game now? Why was there a need? Just face it, no one was prepared for this and any president worth their salt would have tried to balance a response with the economy on mind.
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Senator McConnell was saying that Obama didn’t have a game plan for a pandemic that could be passed on to the new administration.
The article noted that was patently false. Not only meetings, but a complete playbook with step by step recommendations to beef up the stockpiles, prep for a pandemic, what we had and what we needed.
All of it obviously ignored.
The point was, if you read it, that McConnell was full of crap…again.
Oh, this was 3 years and a few months ago.
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You may be able to argue that “something” was left behind but it’s adequacy, the lack of PPE, and an FDA stranglehold on testing and vaccine development are most important. On top of that, you don’t if this “document” had any plan on shutting down the entire economy and how to manage and balance that. As far as this article, it basically states it was 69 pages of questions. We will have to agree to disagree.
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…”the lack of PPE, and an FDA stranglehold on testing and vaccine development are most important.”
And for three years the administration didn’t even look? Didn’t attempt to undo the alleged stranglehold by the FDA? If an incoming CO of a Navy ship didn’t look into EVERYTHING before taking over, he/she would be fired within 3 months.
As far as the economic side of things, no one is blaming Trump for it. At least I don’t. But to ignore ANY information to prepare for what is happening now is GROSS mismanagement.
And there was a lot more than just questions to ask:
“The playbook — 40 pages plus appendices — contains step-by-step advice on questions to ask, decisions to make, and which federal agencies are responsible for what. It includes sample documents that officials could use for inter-agency meetings. And it explicitly lists novel coronaviruses as one of the kinds of pathogens that could require a major response.
The color-coded, checklist-style document addresses issues like testing, funding, personal protective equipment, emergency declarations, border control measures, diplomacy, the use of the military, public communication, even mortuary services.”
You can disagree, but you would be wrong.
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And you do know that McConnell said yesterday that he was wrong. Now, if he can just get Trump to try a little accountability.
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…”any president worth their salt would have tried to balance a response with the economy on mind.”
Well in many people’s opinion, this President is NOT worth his salt.
The issue is that both Mr. Trump and SEN McConnell are saying that the previous administration left them nothing useful, when in fact they did. The lies are an attempt to cover up the fact that this President, backed by his minions in Congress, were woefully ignorant about what tools were available.
Not even acknowledging that the Obama transition team ran a scenario to assist the Trump team to respond to a potential pandemic is disingenuous and only attempts to deflect from the fact that Trump wanted NOTHING to do with anything Obama left behind, even if it would have been beneficial to his term.
Trump cannot be blamed for the economic fallout, and I don’t. What I do call out is his inability to accept responsibility for what he can control. Dithering for the better part of 2 months was his doing and there is no one to blame but himself.
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Mitch McConnell or “How I learned to stop worrying about Trump and love being Minority Leader”
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For Adam concerning what DoD Trump do for 3 years? Can you say Russiagate, Russiagate, Russiagate and Impeachment, Impeachment, Impeachment? THAT is what Trump has had to do because of your party’s and MSM’s relentless efforts to disrupt a functional government for 4 years. Gee, thanks.
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Grrr, autocorrect. DoD = did.
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THAT is an interesting autocorrect. Makes me wonder what you did type.
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I have a two word answer to your little whine: Bill Clinton.
And if you think Trump could run a functional government, you really haven’t been paying attention.
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