Because of the GOP’s fringe ideology, Governor Holcomb produced a tepid response to COVID-19
CBS News: “…In private, Birx encouraged governors to disregard Mr. Trump’s dismissiveness of mask-wearing and his pressure to reopen the economy faster than federal health guidelines would permit.”
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today expressed deep disappointment in Governor Eric Holcomb and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic after Indiana reached the grim milestone of more than 10,000 Hoosiers having lost their lives due to the virus. Had the Governor simply listened to the “facts on the ground” and used some common sense last summer and before this winter’s horrific wave of infections, lives could’ve been saved. It’s as simple as that.
Instead, Governor Holcomb failed to implement a legitimate mask mandate that would hold Hoosiers accountable, and he chose to ignore private warnings from Trump White House officials when he forced the state to lift COVID-19 protections prematurely. What’s worse, Gov. Holcomb refused to hold leaders within the Indiana Republican Party accountable for spewing misinformation about COVID-19, a practice that still continues today.
WHY IT MATTERS: Gov. Holcomb’s weekly press conferences have largely been performative, because it failed to address voters’ concerns about the virus. This rhetorical maneuver was largely meant to appease an unruly INGOP base and the Trump-Pence Administration, and in turn, Holcomb destroyed the credibility and leadership that’s been needed to lead Indiana out of this darkness.
Hoosiers shouldn’t expect Gov. Holcomb to be reflective about his poor response, because not only does he refrain from “personalizing” the pandemic, Holcomb has said he doesn’t want to “look backward” to learn from the mistake he made at the start of COVID-19.
Here are just some of the consequences that came with Governor Holcomb’s tepid response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
Associated Press: Indiana tops 10,000 coronavirus deaths during pandemic
WISH TV: Indiana outpacing US death toll from COVID-19
CBS Chicago: Indiana COVID-19 Outbreak Now Among Worst In The United States
WANE: Holcomb: ‘The State of Indiana is on fire’ as COVID-19 spread continues
WPTA: Indiana now included on Ohio travel advisory
Louisville Courier-Journal: Indiana is on Kentucky’s COVID-19 travel advisory list. What does that mean?
Chicago Sun Times: Indiana added to Chicago travel advisory list
ABC 57: Indiana in third place for worst hospitalization rate in U.S
Fox59: Indiana ranked 4th riskiest travel state over Christmas
Fox59: Indiana had highest COVID-19 infection rate in US after Thanksgiving
###