ABSTRACT
On January 3, 2020, the White House learned of a new virus that was wreaking havoc in China. Within weeks, the coronavirus had spread to South Korea, Italy, and many other countries, including the United States. It became a household word and set off a public health crisis and economic meltdown, dramatically changing the landscape of the election. The conservative philosophy of drowning government in the bathtub carried over directly to Trump’s handling of the virus. Conservative leaders have long viewed government intervention for public needs as damaging. Democratic Congressional leaders should educate the public about the coronavirus as a lesson in the necessity of public goods and the need for government to protect ordinary people and stop corporate theft of the nation’s wealth. They need to attack President Trump on his de-funding of public goods, especially the public health infrastructure, and of government generally, a message which the coronavirus will make seem not Leftist claptrap but common sense.
