I ran for Governor of Massachusetts in 2018. If I had won, it would have been my responsibility to provide effective leadership during the Covid 19 outbreak. Following is the approach I would be taking. Some of this is obviously with benefit of hindsight, but most is just how my constitutionalist presuppositions and knowledge of geo-politics and the culture war would naturally play out.
First, because I assumed from the start that this crisis was being orchestrated to take down the Trump economy, I would have assembled a diverse brain-trust to “war-game” the likely scenarios regarding leftist strategies and tactics – and effective counter-measures – during the coming battle in my own state, and opened a dialogue with like-minded governors.
High on the priority list would be a) neutralizing the all-too predictable media fear-mongering and weaponization of the crisis for political gain through public-shaming on social media and in live demonstrations at media outlets, and b) bracing for economic shock waves which would be inevitable if this truly were the next campaign following the Russian Collusion Hoax and Impeachment Scam. These adversaries and powerful and they always punch hard: even though they can always eventually be beaten, they always do major damage first.
Second, I would NOT perpetuate the false notion that “it’s the government’s job to solve the problem” but would actively enlist the people in the battle from the start — in a sense deputizing whatever part of the population that would be willing to volunteer to fight the outbreak and giving them practical tasks to perform like sanitizing public spaces, monitoring elderly neighbors, and carrying a ready supply of face masks and fact sheets to give out to people with seasonal cold and flu symptoms. What we want are communities of self-reliant familes, not a population of serfs ruled by elite puppet-masters.
This is the opposite of the unconstitutional “lock down” strategy backed by police state surveillance and punishments.
This also means I would NOT look to the federal government as the all-powerful Nanny, but use the crisis to showcase my state-self-sufficiency model of government (that I campaigned on).
Third, I would closely monitor the data out of China and the earliest secondary infection sites regarding the nature of the disease and the most effective response mechanisms. Thus, I would have followed the highly successful South Korea and Taiwan models: targeting resources toward most-at-risk groups and most-likely-to-spread-disease activities (e.g., I would NEVER have approved Mardi Gras in New Orleans).
Early on we knew that the elderly were most severely impacted, so one of my first acts would be hardening nursing homes and retirement communities and ramping up preventative care measures. The next step would be travel restrictions and sheltering policies for the very elderly and those with serious health challenges.
Fourth, I would have hardened the entry points to my state and deny entry or quarantine anyone from known epicenters.
Fifth, knowing from the 2017/2018 flu season that hospital capacity and equipment was going to be a big issue, I would have given special focus on preparing additional beds and necessary resources in advance.
Sixth, as soon as the miracle drug hydroxychloroquine emerged, I would have quickly acquired and deployed it, not letting existing drug approval laws get in the way of treating the most severe cases with it. Frankly, if Democrat governors can suspend virtually the entire constitution to serve their fascist response model, I could suspend obstructionist drug policies, and would do without hesitancy for those likely to die under existing legal treatment options.
Seventh, and most importantly, I would have begun this campaign with a call for prayer and repentance, and urged the public to actively seek God’s intervention.
I would NOT ban church gatherings, but would recommend a quick shift to the Biblically superior small-group home-church model and convert the large church buildings and complexes into sanitary refuge centers for infected but asymptomatic persons.
