Today is the 19th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack carried out on American soil. It’s a day for solemn remembrance of innocent lives lost. A day to recognize America’s triumph in recovering from an unspeakable evil.
So, naturally, there’s no shortage of media firefighters and darlings using the occasion to score the cheapest of political points against Donald Trump.
Like ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers, citing Politico:
From @politico Playbook:
CONSIDER THIS: The United States has lost 64 times more people to Covid-19 so far this year than we did in the 9/11 attacks. How will Americans mourn those losses, and how will it change our politics?
64 times more people…
— Karen Travers (@karentravers) September 11, 2020
Imagine thinking this is profound. https://t.co/q9P3ittY1q
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) September 11, 2020
stooooooooop https://t.co/Zb1mCEC3nM
— kaitlin (@thefactualprep) September 11, 2020
A thousand times more people die of the flu each year than are unjustly killed by police officers, but we’re all smart enough to consider the context of those deaths.
Being murdered is not comparable to dying of a disease. https://t.co/MpCF7qBU3x
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) September 11, 2020
Stop comparing a deliberate terrorist attack to a highly contagious respiratory illness to score political points on a day like today, how about that? https://t.co/hZaXvfe0uw
— Alicia Smith (@Alicia_Smith19) September 11, 2020
Ah, but where’s the fun in that?
Progressive columnist and SiriusXM radio host Dean Obeidallah isn’t about to pass up an opportunity like this:
Al Qaeda Death toll on 9/11: 2,977 fatalities.
Trump Virus Death toll: 192,000 fatalities.#NeverForget
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) September 11, 2020
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CNN White House correspondent John Harwood:
the pandemic is now EVERY WEEK taking twice as many American lives as were lost on 9/11
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) September 11, 2020
And what 9/11 commemoration would be complete without Paul Krugman?
So it's 9/11. Hard to remember now how large the terrorist attack loomed in our national psyche; after all, in death toll Covid-19 is already the equivalent of 60 9/11s. But a few thoughts and recollections 1/
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) September 11, 2020
Feel free to skip to the end:
Almost two decades on, it's now clear that the real threat to America comes not from foreign terrorists but from home-grown white supremacists. But you know what? That was true even in 2001. 6/
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) September 11, 2020
Downplaying 9/11 to own Drumpf. https://t.co/78RvHWeYm8
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) September 11, 2020
A reminder that three days after 9/11, @paulkrugman recapitulated the broken-windows theory of economic stimulus, saying the attacks could "even do some economic good" and they opened "the door to some sensible recession-fighting measures."https://t.co/JdWLAHMMom https://t.co/zQmQmddYNZ
— Nick Gillespie (@nickgillespie) September 11, 2020
WTF is wrong with you? https://t.co/Xli72X7QIr
— David Edward™ (@_David_Edward) September 11, 2020
If Paul Krugman ever stops being a blinkered partisan hack, the terrorists will have won. https://t.co/fErlj0lXWo https://t.co/p234CtDJME
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) September 11, 2020
And let’s hear it for the Bulwark’s Charlie Sykes:
We vowed Never To Forget after 2,977 Americans were killed that day. But we lost more Americans just last week. And we've already forgotten.https://t.co/VL7YmodSgr
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) September 11, 2020
You’re a ghoul
— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) September 11, 2020
George Conway, of course:
On this 9/11, the greatest threat to the safety and security of Americans is the President of the United States.
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) September 11, 2020
On @realDonaldTrump's watch, 196,345 Americans have died from #COVID19 (21.5% of all deaths worldwide). That’s almost 66 times the number of innocent dead from the September 11 attack, which killed 2,977 people in 2001. https://t.co/oW8f7lbMtt
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) September 11, 2020
Downplaying 9/11 to own Drumpf. https://t.co/yOVNRR3jBe
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) September 11, 2020
Disgusting. https://t.co/9JrR4Rrw6h
— Brad Polumbo ??⚽️ ?️? (@brad_polumbo) September 11, 2020
Disgusting … and yet totally predictable.
I can't decide if I should mock the absurdity of this comparison or mock the coordinated, JournoList approach to this particularly nasty talking point. https://t.co/v0cWd2Zxbd
— Dan Isett (@DanIsett) September 11, 2020
Clearly the memo has gone out, and the media are only too eager to run with it.
stop comparing things that aren’t 9/11 to 9/11. pic.twitter.com/3NEr9SAW5J
— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) September 11, 2020
Look for a lot of this today.
The media are completely and utterly irredeemable. https://t.co/kIcqjtJ3ek
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) September 11, 2020
The politicization of 9/11 today is just ugly.
And amazingly, so far…its not coming from Trump.
Stop it, people. The damage you do to your souls is not worth it.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) September 11, 2020
Don't ever forget what these people say. Ever. Trump derangement has them spitting on 9/11 victims to score political points against their political opponent. https://t.co/CJRirtjjP9
— David Edward™ (@_David_Edward) September 11, 2020
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