Tim Alberta Profile picture
staff writer @TheAtlantic | author "American Carnage" | new book December 5th: "The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory" https://t.co/ZfQHKQVqeo

Mar 30, 2020, 7 tweets

💌Letter to Washington💌

I went Sam's Club last week, wanting to know how everyday Americans were reacting to the #COVID19 crisis.

3 hours later, I'd stocked up on a single item: fear.

politico.com/news/magazine/…

I met a Trump voter, Peter Molloy, who's super high-risk (needs oxygen every night before bed), super worried, and went *off* on the president's handling of #COVID19 >>>

politico.com/news/magazine/…

I met a couple, the Clancys. They wore masks & gloves, and had probably $500 of stuff jammed into their cart.

"Two million deaths! Two. Million. Deaths. That’s where we’re headed," Mark said.

Their daughter fled Manhattan for quarantine in New Hampshire.
politico.com/news/magazine/…

There are different strands of fear. I met people afraid of dying, afraid of never seeing loved ones again, afraid of having no idea what the future holds.

I also met people afraid of not living.

Take Matt Cauley, a Trump supporter who rejoiced at the president’s “Easter” idea:

Duane, a middle-aged black man, said he's afraid of "these right-wingers talking about acceptable losses," and how those opinions contribute to a feedback loop w/ POTUS
politico.com/news/magazine/…

Here's one for the #Coronavirustruth crowd:

Fresh off her shift at University of Michigan hospital, Seleta Dantzler struggled to put into words what she's been witnessing day in & day out.

"The more casualties we're seeing, the quieter it's getting."

politico.com/news/magazine/…

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