Anchorage Daily News: Alaska congressman downplays coronavirus as 'beer virus,' says pandemic caused by media 'hysteria' (house, activities)

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by jdhpa

Rigggghhhht. That's why he canceled campaign events and had his staff work from home

I'm not sure he had much choice about any campaign events he may have canceled in the early months of the pandemic when public venues weren't hosting large gatherings.

Young resumed in-person campaigning in June of 2020 in advance of all other state politicians and continued his trademark braying.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by JD59

A Republican congressman from Alaska reportedly appeared to downplay the coronavirus pandemic to a group of senior citizens last week, saying it's a problem caused by media "hysteria" and that its deadliness has been "blown out of proportion."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/polit...rus/index.html

Some people on the Left like Joe Rogan, Bill Maher, and Jimmy Dore, would mostly agree with him:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp3gy_CLXho


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWLc8dHW0T4

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I'm not sure he had much choice about any campaign events he may have canceled in the early months of the pandemic when public venues weren't hosting large gatherings.

Young resumed in-person campaigning in June of 2020 in advance of all other state politicians and continued his trademark braying.

You don't have to vote for him. Or say anything good about him. But is it asking too much to just not mischaracterize his comments and criticize him for trying to calm frightened people down?

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by jdhpa

You don't have to vote for him. Or say anything good about him. But is it asking too much to just not mischaracterize his comments and criticize him for trying to calm frightened people down?

I don't think you understand. Nobody "mischaracterized" his comments. I simply pointed out that during the short period of time that he "canceled campaign events," public venues weren't open anyway and that he was the first Alaska politician to resume in-person campaigning. As far as trying to calm frightened people down, I can't say it any better than a previous poster did, so here it is again:

He was urging senior citizens to "go on" with their daily lives before vaccines were available for them.

That wasn't "right", it's wrong in a big way. A lot of unvaccinated old folks have died from the virus, and continue to do so.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by jdhpa

You don't have to vote for him. Or say anything good about him. But is it asking too much to just not mischaracterize his comments and criticize him for trying to calm frightened people down?

How have you concluded he was trying to calm frightened people down?

That was way back in mid March, when very few had died from it in the US. NYC didn't get hit until later that month. Not many people in Alaska were actually frightened at the time. The timing of the pandemic doesn't jibe with your mischaracterization of that event.

Here's the latest email newsletter I've received from Congressman Young, btw:

New COVID-19 Testing Options

Alaskans,



COVID-19 case counts continue to spike nationwide, driven primarily from of the virus's latest variant, Omicron. I have heard from many Alaskans with urgent questions on how to successfully secure a COVID-19 test. Testing kits have been in short supply, but there are two new options to help Alaskans get COVID-19 rapid antigen tests starting this week.



Whether you need to rule out COVID-19 for a school-aged child or simply want to have peace of mind before attending gatherings, keeping rapid tests on hand can help prevent viral transmission and provide clarity for symptomatic individuals considering treatment.



Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to be the most effective way to help protect yourself from severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Getting vaccinated is your choice, and I encourage you to get vaccinated and/or boosted as I have. Click here to find no-cost vaccination sites in Alaska.



Please read about these options below and share them with your family and friends. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me.


Sincerely,

Don Young

Congressman for All Alaska

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Here's the latest email newsletter I've received from Congressman Young, btw:

New COVID-19 Testing Options

Alaskans,



COVID-19 case counts continue to spike nationwide, driven primarily from of the virus's latest variant, Omicron. I have heard from many Alaskans with urgent questions on how to successfully secure a COVID-19 test. Testing kits have been in short supply, but there are two new options to help Alaskans get COVID-19 rapid antigen tests starting this week.



Whether you need to rule out COVID-19 for a school-aged child or simply want to have peace of mind before attending gatherings, keeping rapid tests on hand can help prevent viral transmission and provide clarity for symptomatic individuals considering treatment.



Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to be the most effective way to help protect yourself from severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Getting vaccinated is your choice, and I encourage you to get vaccinated and/or boosted as I have. Click here to find no-cost vaccination sites in Alaska.



Please read about these options below and share them with your family and friends. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me.


Sincerely,

Don Young

Congressman for All Alaska

Nothing like getting severely ill from something to make you stop calling it the "beer virus."

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

How have you concluded he was trying to calm frightened people down?

By what he said and did. The quote from him you just provided is consistent with that, and has been consistent with his actions from the beginning.

Originally Posted by jdhpa

But is it asking too much to just not mischaracterize his comments and criticize him for trying to calm frightened people down?

Apparently, the answer is "Yes, that's asking too much".

Very sad.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by jdhpa

By what he said and did. The quote from him you just provided is consistent with that, and has been consistent with his actions from the beginning..

Unbelievable. He said Covid concerns were "hysteria" back in 2020, now he's sending out newsletters that recognize these concerns as valid and encouraging everyone to get vaxxed and boosted.

Consistent? Not even close.

BTW, what was he "right" about, exactly?

[jdhpa]

Here, let me re-post it.

Originally Posted by jdhpa

'CNN has reached out to Young's congressional office and campaign.

"It was my understanding that the Congressman was trying to urge calm, stressing his confidence that we will weather this storm," Young's campaign manager, Truman Reed, told the Anchorage Daily News.

[...]

Reed confirmed to the newspaper that Young's campaign has canceled and postponed campaign events.

The Alaska congressman has also announced on Facebook Monday that he directed staff in all his offices to telework "out of an abundance of caution."'


That's all there ever was to this story. His actions speak to his beliefs (which seem to be consistent from the beginning), and urging people to not panic is something all elected officials should do.

I understand partisanship, but sometimes it just goes way too far.

Does the bolded sound like someone who believes there's nothing to worry about? There's a difference between "understand and take appropriate action" and "hysteria". In case you haven't noticed, yes, the media and many politicians have been in hysterics since the beginning. That doesn't help. It makes people panic. It makes them think if they get covid there's a 50% chance of being hospitalized (when it's actually about 1%).

What does help is being calm, understanding the situation accurately - not with histrionics - and taking appropriate action. That sounds a whole lot like what he's done from the beginning (as your post of his latest email confirms).

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Unbelievable. He said Covid concerns were "hysteria" back in 2020, now he's sending out newsletters that recognize these concerns as valid and encouraging everyone to get vaxxed and boosted.

Consistent? Not even close.

BTW, what was he "right" about, exactly?

Yes - consistent, if you look at it honestly, rather than as a partisan.

I said nothing about being "right" about anything, another poster did.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Unbelievable. He said Covid concerns were "hysteria" back in 2020, now he's sending out newsletters that recognize these concerns as valid and encouraging everyone to get vaxxed and boosted.

Consistent? Not even close.

BTW, what was he "right" about, exactly?

I just don't understand why you or anybody else should be so concerned about politicians. Sexual identity, religion, politics, and money are some of several "hot" subjects that create extreme discord among people, including family members and friends.