Dan Patrick is the Republican Lt. Gov. of Texas, and he thinks elderly Americans should risk possibly dying from COVID-19 in order to allow for social distancing to end so that the U.S. economy can get back on track.
Patrick was a guest on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show Monday evening, and he said he fully supports President Donald Trump’s plan to end the national shutdown which has caused widespread losses in the stock market and led to a dramatic rise in the national unemployment rate:
“My message is that let’s get back to work, let’s get back to living, let’s be smart about it, and those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country.”
Tx Lt Gov Dan Patrick says grandparents would be willing to die to save the economy for their grandchildren pic.twitter.com/wC3Ngvtsbj
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) March 24, 2020
Those remarks didn’t sit well with most people, many of whom were horrified by such an idea and responded to Lt. Gov. Patrick on Twitter:
This kind of numbnuttery will kill people in Texas. Young as well as old. We need a state-wide shelter in place order to stop the spread of coronavirus and save hundreds of thousands of lives. https://t.co/C8r9Q7t2vs
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 24, 2020
I love my grandparents very dearly and would not like to see them as human sacrifices at the altar of the stock market and did not realize this desire had to be actively defended! https://t.co/nRvtZ8ywnA
— Emma Baccellieri (@emmabaccellieri) March 24, 2020
Telling y’all, if Dan Patrick wants to sacrifice *himself,* that’s fine. When he begins volunteering *other people* to sacrifice themselves on behalf of the state, then that’s genocide. https://t.co/HOMy5L3Csp
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) March 24, 2020
I have to say, while the GOP’s dark, Shirley Jackson-esque plot twist isn’t entirely unexpected, that the primary victims would be a significant part of Trump’s base is certainly a surprise. https://t.co/B5ZwOx62TN
— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) March 24, 2020
2010: Conservatives freak out over “death panels.”
2020: Conservatives endorse reality version of “Logan’s Run.” pic.twitter.com/7SiDNL7VrM
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) March 24, 2020
2016: “Let’s make America great again!”
2020: “If hundreds of thousands of you have to die for us to have a lot of brands of cereal, I guess that’s just the way it is” https://t.co/hGKaqpvDwK
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) March 24, 2020
Here’s an idea: Maybe Lt. Gov. Patrick needs to go first and show us all how it’s done. We’re waiting for you to make the first move, Dan.
Featured Image Via Fox News
