How Liberals and Conservatives Respond Differently to Public Health and Safety
The COVID-19 crisis has upended the lives of so many people here in the United States as well as across the globe and in so many ways and yet the way that those on the political right here in the U.S. respond to it is irresponsible, callous, and ridiculous.
Trump, Republican governors and mayors, and conservative voters in this nation treat this public health crisis like it is no big deal and push a variety of conspiracy theories and false talking points about the virus and the pandemic that simply have no basis in reality.
The way that Democrats in America have responded to this very same global pandemic is very different and this is why we are in the position that we are in with this virus and the associated pandemic that we all are in the middle of is very different than how conservatives have responded to it and how they view this crisis.
Liberals view this as the public health crisis that it truly is, while their far-right Republican counterparts call it things like a “Hoax”, “Fake”, and flat out do not take it seriously and this is why we are in the position that we are in with this pandemic, those with the most power in the United States of America simply do not take it as the threat that it is.
This should be not a surprise though, Republicans always view a crisis like this in these kind of ways and never step up to the plate and take the actions to protect the people of this country, unless it is to further their agenda of racism and division.
There are some key events in our country that we can compare how those on the right and those on the left differently respond to such events, both on the political side as well as with the mentality of voters and those who align their views with these ideologies.
These events are important because public health and safety are what we should focus on when we make our choices in life, both as individuals and as a country and these two sides see these issues very differently when the issues of public safety and public health are not political types of issues, or at least they should not be.
Healthcare For All or Healthcare for None
It was Barack Obama who fought for Americans and their ability to have access to affordable healthcare when you created Obamacare and it is Trump who has fought to gut the program.
Trump and conservatives have always fought to take away health coverage for the citizens of this country and Democrats always push for us all to have free or affordable access to healthcare.
This here shows you that liberals are advocates of public health and Trump and the conservatives do not care about the health and well-being of the people of this country and if you do not believe me, just look at how the two parties view healthcare.
I mean, what kind of people are against people having free or affordable access to being treated for medical and mental conditions?
I will tell you what kind of people, heartless ones.
This issue here shows you who values healthcare and who values the money that these insurance companies make. It also shows you that liberals care about public health and Republicans do not, and I am talking about those conservatives who are politicians as well as the right-wing voters in this country.
Mass Shootings and Gun Violence
This issue of public safety has long been treated like night and day between the two sides when it comes to guns. Liberals are the ones with this issue who value those impacted by these shootings and call for common sense gun laws to keep the public safe, while conservatives defend the guns and do not want any restrictions on firearm ownership.
Every time we have a mass shooting you will hear the debates on the news and all over social media where liberals will call for common sense reforms like background checks, bans on dangerous weapons, and coming together for these sensible laws that keep people safe while on the opposite end of the spectrum, those on the right want no changes and come up with conspiracy theories and lies to defend guns.
Democrats have long fought for changes in our gun laws and Republicans want to just give the victims of these tragic events their thoughts and prayers and go on as business as usual. These opposite ends of the gun debate show just how the two sides view mass shootings and gun violence as a whole in this country — Dems care about preventing it, the GOP does not care what happens.
International Conflicts or War
Again, the two sides view this issue where violence is present very differently and it has a major impact on peace.
Just like with guns, Republicans think that violence keeps people safe and this is why they are pro war and Democrats are against war and will do whatever they have to for us to avoid going into these conflicts that cost so many lives and for nothing.
Democrats will always seek the peaceful solution and those in conservative circles always choose war and violence and this is how it has been from the start of our nation and will continue until the end of time likely with a few rare exceptions.
Liberals are the party of peace, conservatives want blood and vengeance when it comes to these conflicts.
Community Policing and the War on Drugs
Liberals and conservatives view this one different too with liberals wanting to view substance abuse as the public health issue that it is, instead of a criminal issue like conservatives view it as and on the flip side, to have a different type of approach to policing than what we currently have.
The racism against black people by the police and the ensuing deaths of these innocent people are viewed by liberals as criminal and then viewed by those on the right as justice pose a real problem in this country and pose a risk to public health that they are treated this way.
Then we have the drug use just mentioned.
Conservatives view this issue of addiction and substance abuse as a criminal act that should be punished by jail time and liberals view it in the correct way and as a disease that impacts public health and should be treated as such and treatment should be what happens to these addicts and not a term in a state or federal prison.
Even when we are talking about other public health and social issues like homelessness, immigration, and so on, those in conservative groups and parties view them as criminal and have no compassion for these people and liberals want solutions based on compassion and public health and service, and even apply this to punishment.
The supporters of Trump and other conservatives believe in the death penalty and are against abortion and have differing views on these two very politically polarizing topics.
On one hand they want to put people to death and take a life and then on the other hand they want to prevent abortion and save a life (although not really) and do not see a problem with the hypocrisy of their stance on these two very important issues and how they claim to be pro-life, yet their actions on capital punishment tell another story.
The Pandemic and the War Over Public Health
This brings us to the topic of the time and the one that ties this all together when you are talking about how these two sides view issues of public health and public safety and that is the COVID-19 pandemic going on right now in the United States and around the world.
This topic shows us clearly that conservatives (politicians and voters) do not give a rat’s ass about public health.
Let us break it down into three categories when we are talking about the medicine for slowing this thing down.
Masks and Social Distancing
Republicans and Democrats view these things extremely differently and this difference in opinion is a matter of life and death when all is said and done with their actions.
Staunch conservatives and especially the supporters of Trump do not take the need to social distance and wear a mask seriously and this is a dangerous thing and one that can lead and does lead to infections and even some deaths through this.
Masks and social distancing are our way to slow the spread of the virus and for some reason, those with conservative views have made it into a political issue and refuse to wear one and refuse to keep their distance, while those with liberal values trust the scientists and the experts at the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization who say that these actions are our best chance to survive.
Liberals and conservatives are very far apart on the use of masks and social distancing.
Trump would not mandate these activities at his rallies and his refusal to wear a mask for so long sent the message that it was not needed, as does the message sent by Republican governors who still will not mandate them for their citizens, when they are proven to work.
Large Gatherings vs Staying at Home
Another one that those on the right just do not get.
Whether it is about schools being reopened, political rallies for Trump, or even things like concerts, those who are right wingers have the view that it is no big deal to gather together and that is why in red states you have seen so many flocking to beaches, Trump rallies, and malls and even filling bars and restaurants and liberals are staying home for the most part.
I know, Trump supporters claim that people protested at liberal events in large groups, but they mostly kept their distance and wore masks and that was a much different situation, racial injustice was important and is a vital issue that must be addressed.
For the most part, liberals follow the rules and do not gather in groups and even Joe Biden has gone virtual for his political events and rallies while it is Trump who has been holding gatherings with thousands of people and who even encouraged these type of events for others.
You see all of those profile photo frames on Facebook where people say, “Stay Home, Save Lives”?
Those are liberals saying that. Republicans do not take this virus seriously and many think it is fake, so they do not advocate that we stay on lockdowns and stay at home. They are in fact the ones pushing to reopen things just like it was Trump and other Republican politicians who push to end the lockdowns even as the virus rages.
Republicans do not value public health and do not see this virus as the serious matter that it is and that is why they want to reopen things and liberals want to stay safe and keep things closed or have these large groups limited until we can get the virus under control.
Testing and Contact Tracing
Yet another issue when it comes to this pandemic that the two sides differ on and this is one is one that I do not understand.
Republicans seem to be against more testing and have this belief that more testing means more cases, this is what Trump recently said when asked about the issue of testing.
Uh, duh. Of course more testing means more cases.
That does not mean we should test less, it means that we must test more so that we can know who has the virus and trace where they have been so that we can treat those who are sick and contain the virus so that others within our society do not get sick as well.
Democrats want more testing and better testing. They also want to trace the contacts of those who have tested positive and more than that, Democrats trust the experts who tell us that the way to fix things is to test, test, and then test more.
Testing is not something that Trump and company want because it shows just how he and the GOP governors have failed with this crisis and the more cases of the virus, the more failure on the part of conservatives in our various forms of government and those on the right do not like when the truth about their negligence is shown for all to see.
Dems value public health, right wingers do not and that is why they oppose more testing and liberals push for it.
Public Health is a Liberal Platform
The bottom line is this, public health is a platform that liberals value and are all about and on the other hand, Republicans could care less about and their actions show this, or shall I say, their inaction shows this.
Whether we are talking about handling the pandemic in a responsible way that puts public health first or pushing for common sense gun reform or the other ways that Democrats approach public health, the point is that those who are liberal have a scientific and sensible approach to keeping people safe and healthy.
According to those on the far right, these issues of mass shootings, the pandemic, police brutality, drug abuse, homelessness and the many other issues of public health and safety are either not a big deal or are “fake news” and when you ask Democrats about these same issues, they take them as the serious threats that they are.
The pandemic has revealed this more than anything ever has, it truly has brought it out into the open.
Whether it is about masks, social distancing, lockdown orders or listening to the experts when we are talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump and his fellow conservatives treat this public health crisis like no big deal and go on and dismiss it while Democrats want to do whatever they can to protect people.
The bottom line is this, Democrats value public health and public safety and conservatives do not!
