CNN dramatically demonstrated their double standard on when social distancing isn't necessary -- left-wing protests are somehow less objectionable or dangerous. On Friday afternoon, anchor Anderson Cooper turned to Dr. Rob Davidson, "an emergency room physician" and "executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare." He did not describe him as a losing Democrat candidate for Congress in 2018.
Cooper gently noted the Sharpton march in Washington was a massive gathering with no social distancing. "Doctor, I'm wondering what you thought of the scene at the White House where there weren't many masks. Let's also point out the protests today. A lot of people wearing masks, not social distancing, though. Obviously not what it should be." The Democrat insisted that "systemic racism" justified the lack of corona-caution:
DR. ROB DAVIDSON: Yes, I was very concerned about the White House event last night. 1500 people packed shoulder to shoulder. The head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in attendance without a mask with his family, his elderly mother without a mask, and it is concerning. We know people weren't tested. Only people in direct contact with President Trump had testing done. So I think we're going to see cases come out of that and it's just modeling bad behavior.
Now when we juxtapose that to what's happening in Washington, D.C. right now, people are mostly wearing masks. Now true there is social distancing issues. However, this is a public health crisis, they are marching against systemic racism, has taken so many lives in this country throughout our history.If you're born black in this country in 2017, you have a 3 1/2 year lower life expectancy than if you were born white. If you're a young black man, you have one in 1,000 chance of being shot by police, three times more than if you're born white. So I just think that when you're marching against a public health emergency, I think you do every risk mitigation or procedure you can but we understand that we have to do the risk-benefit analysis and those folks are there doing something very important today.
On top of this, Davidson suggested pro-Trump news outlets are a public health danger:
COOPER: Do you think the majority of Americans have accepted this idea of -- you know, that we are in the middle of a pandemic and -- or do you think just kind of the numbers have now just washed over people and this has gone on so long, people are so sick of it, that there is this mindset of you know what, let's just go about our business and, you know, see what happens?
DAVIDSON: I mean, it depends on which people you're talking to and where they get their source of news. We saw 21.5 million people watch the president. I think many of those people who already support him probably think this is no big deal, and that, you know, the lives sacrificed are less than the lives that would be sacrificed if we cracked down, and if we made people wear masks because that's what they're hearing from the president and his allies.
Cooper must have liked the swipe at the competition. But this is why CNN is accused of politicizing coronavirus at every turn.
