Original title: When the White House Thousand People Party had a picnic, a question was torturing the United States!
U.S. President Biden planned to host a Thousand People Party at the White House on July 4, U.S. Independence Day, and announced that the U.S. “has been out of the new crown pneumonia epidemic.” However, the “New York Times” and other media reminded that this plan has encountered an unpleasant reality: At present, less than half of the people in the United States are fully vaccinated against the new crown, and the highly infectious delta strain is making the epidemic facing The new outbreak is at risk, and public health experts worry that the celebration will send “misinformation.”
Some experts analyzed that this shows that Biden’s handling of the epidemic is still “politicized and partisan.” His first consideration is to win next year’s midterm elections for the Democratic Party. “July 4th is a time to think about what it means to be an American,” CNN said on the 3rd. But Americans are rarely as polarized as they are today, from economics to racial equality, from public security to climate change. , “Our TV screen is full of angry voices from the left and right sides of Congress.”
“Washington Post” stated, “We used to provide the world with a democratic model, but now it is no longer.” According to the newspaper, polls show that currently only 14% of Germans believe that the American democratic system is an ideal model for other countries, while in New Zealand, less than 1 in 10 respondents think so.
President party “delivers on promise”
According to the “Washington Post” report, July 4 is the Independence Day of the United States. One year after the new crown pneumonia pandemic caused almost all parades, concerts and other large-scale events to be cancelled, the capital, Washington, will be held at about 9 p.m. A fireworks display is held in the National Mall. The government reminds visitors who go to the scene to watch the fireworks show to follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and those who have not been fully vaccinated must continue to wear masks indoors and crowded outdoor places.
According to reports, on the 4th, about 1,000 Americans who “hardly wear masks” will also flood the South Lawn of the White House to participate in the Independence Day party. This is the largest gathering ever held since Biden became president. The Associated Press stated on the 4th that the invitees were mainly soldiers, important staff and their families involved in first aid for the new crown epidemic. These 1,000 people will have a picnic and watch fireworks on the South Lawn. According to Reuters, barbecue grills have been set up on the South Lawn of the White House on the 3rd to make ground beef patties for hamburgers for the party the next day.
The report stated that White House officials did not require the guests attending the July 4 party to be vaccinated, but asked the guests to provide a certificate of negative COVID-19 test within the first three days of the event, and “recommended” those who have not been vaccinated to wear masks. The New York Times stated that the purpose of the gathering was to show that the president “has fulfilled his promise” that Americans will resume some ostensibly normal lives from Independence Day.
Is the epidemic over? Is the United States back to normal? The US “Miami Herald” said on the 3rd that Gallup’s latest poll showed that the American people are divided on this issue. 29% of the interviewees said that the epidemic in the United States has ended, but 71% believe that the epidemic is not over, and their lives will never return to the normal state before the epidemic.
(Data map)According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 1 a.m. Eastern Time on the 4th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the United States reached 337,13912 and 605,493 deaths. Since Biden took office, the United States has indeed made significant progress in fighting the epidemic. “New York Times” data shows that the current daily number of new cases has stabilized at about 12,000, the lowest level since extensive testing was carried out, and the number of new cases on the day of Biden’s inauguration on January 20 was as high as 200,000. At present, there are about 224 deaths due to new coronary pneumonia every day in the United States, which is the first time that the number of deaths has been less than 300 since the outbreak in March 2020. Since January, deaths and hospitalizations in the United States have fallen by 90%. However, the control of the epidemic is uneven. In areas with low vaccination rates, such as rural areas in Utah and Arkansas, and Wyoming, cases are still showing an upward trend.
On the other hand, statistics show that the rate of vaccination in the United States has slowed to less than 1 million doses per day, which is much lower than in mid-April. Biden has not completed the goal of achieving at least one dose of vaccine for 70% of adults by July 4. White House officials also expressed concern that some states may have low levels of immunity and there may be new epidemics in the next few months. “However, this anxiety is not always reflected in the government’s public tone.”
The White House is taking “politics and death risk”
Dunn, senior adviser to the U.S. President, told the media: “Americans should be happy for what we have achieved together as a country in the past six months. This is a big step back to normal.” The latest poll conducted by Fox News shows , 64% of respondents support Biden’s handling of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and about 30% of Trump voters also support it. In order to promote that Biden is bringing the United States back to the pre-epidemic order, the Democratic National Committee released an optimistic advertisement entitled “Return of America” last week and sent a mobile bus named “Return of America” across the country. Travel, with Biden’s head on it, and distribute free ice cream. On the 3rd, Biden visited a cherry farm in Traverse City, Michigan, to promote the economic recovery marked by the June employment report as part of the “Return of America” campaign.
But there are also many people who are unhappy with such optimistic information. Several family members of patients with new coronary pneumonia said in an interview that while they are still immersed in grief, it is difficult to understand Biden’s statement that the country is “returning to normal.” According to a New York Times report on the 3rd, Emanuel, professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, believes that the Thousand People Party of the White House was held “prematurely.” More things we have to do are also very important.” Vanderbilt University infectious disease expert Schaffner said: “We are still in the middle of this anti-epidemic marathon.” Compared with the White House’s optimism, many local officials have adopted a cautious attitude, and some cities have reduced or cancelled Independence Day. Large-scale celebration parade and firework festival.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States show that more than a quarter of the current infections in the United States are caused by the more contagious Delta strain, which mainly attacks people who have not yet been fully vaccinated. The Washington Post warned that as the celebration plan expands and the new crown virus is also evolving, the Biden administration “may face tension in the next few months” and “may bring potential death and political risks”. Some of Biden’s allies also warned that the United States must be careful not to declare victory too early.
(Data map)According to the New York Times, Biden is eager to announce that the United States is “out of the epidemic”, perhaps seeking a delicate balance between caution and a full restart of the economy and bringing national morale back to the right track. Although the US employment report released on the 2nd is optimistic, the economic recovery is far from complete. The US Political News Network said on the 3rd that the United States still has about 7 million jobs less than it did in February 2020. There are signs that the recovery in the United States is still slow and uneven. Employment opportunities in leisure and hospitality, education, commerce, and retail have increased substantially, but industries including construction and healthcare have hardly improved. A Bloomberg article pointed out that the rapidly spreading delta strain may cast a shadow over the US economic recovery this summer.
Reflections on American Independence Day
According to a New York Times report on the 4th, a year ago, Americans mainly stayed at home to celebrate Independence Day. This year, Americans eagerly want to return to the ceremony of Independence Day. It is estimated that between July 1 and 5, approximately 48 million Americans will travel, an increase of 40% over last year. United Airlines said that more than 2 million flights were booked between July 1 and 6, which is five times the number of flights in the same period last year. This will constitute the most severe test of the country’s travel infrastructure since the outbreak.
On this Independence Day, Americans seem to think more about “what it means to be an American” than ever before. Marcos, an American working in Hong Kong, posted an article on CNN on the 4th, describing his experience of Americans’ status in the world while living abroad. She said that in Hong Kong, she could feel that other immigrants in this city, “their privileges are obviously not as good as mine.” She declared that as an American, it is easy to “be at the center of the universe.” But Marcos admitted that she also felt a lot of shame as an American: “Watching the U.S. military flatten other countries, and the problem of racial violence in my own country has not been resolved, all this from a distance does not allow me to accept it calmly. And every time the United States defends its claims with money, resources, and power, I myself roll my eyes, just like when some stars say that she is discriminated against because of her beauty.”
CNN said on the 3rd that there is a lofty vision shining in the “American Dream”, which can be traced back to the “Declaration of Independence”, and equality is regarded as “self-evident.” So, where is this equality after the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic? The epidemic has brought devastating deaths and diseases, and caused economic and social chaos. Where is freedom on the issue of “the black man’s fate is also fate”? Who can believe that American democracy itself is not threatened? And partisan divisions are also intensifying at an unprecedented rate. Is this country hopelessly divided?
The New York Times stated on the 3rd that on Independence Day, the American flag, which symbolizes unity, may become a symbol of division. Now in a small town on Long Island, New York, local farmer Treble said that he was surprised that a customer thought he was “conservative” because the flag was painted on his potato truck.
“Washington Post” stated that the whole world is surprised by the disorder in American democracy. The United States is no longer a “city on the hill.” Pew’s data shows that the chaos, dysfunction, and insanity of the past few years have caused predictable losses. The survey figures are depressing. At present, only 14% of Germans believe that the American democratic system is a model of ideals. Public opinion in France, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Australia is similarly depressed.
Australia’s “Sydney Morning Herald” stated on the 3rd that the U.S. regime is increasingly vacillating between the Democratic and Republican parties, turning the United States into an increasingly unpredictable and “fragmented country”; and China’s leadership in the Communist Party of China Next, give full play to the advantages of policy coherence and plan for the future through initiatives such as the “Belt and Road” without worrying that the future government will tear it up. According to the report, the United States is not gaining the upper hand in all fields. It is no longer the “world police”, and even no longer possesses the economic and cultural power that undoubtedly dominated the world in the Nixon era.
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