Cal Thomas - We’re all in this together

MEGAN BASHAM, HOST: Today is Wednesday, March 4th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Megan Basham.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Cal Thomas now with a call for peace.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: There is a disease going around, and I’m not talking only about the coronavirus.

It’s a political disease, and it seems to be spreading among those who are desperate to expel President Trump from office.

Last week on the ABC program The View, co-host Meghan McCain responded to applause from the audience after co-host Sunny Hostin took a political cheap shot. Hostin suggested that President Trump is setting up Vice President Mike Pence to be the “fall guy” should the response to the coronavirus turn out to be inadequate. 

McCain responded—quote—”I don’t know why anyone would clap about that, because if crap goes wrong, it’s going to be bad for all of us. … I do not like the politicizing of this.” End quote. 

Meantime, some of the Democratic presidential candidates are blaming the president for not doing enough to control the virus. What they are really suggesting is that the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the secretary of health and human services are not doing their jobs. But these people and their staffs have the experience to fight it. We should trust them. 

Viruses, like storms, do not discriminate. We’re not talking about an angel of death that “passed over” the homes of the ancient Israelites. Disease can affect everyone. So each of us ought to get behind those in charge of fighting it and take whatever action we can to avoid infection.

We know what those steps are because we have been repeatedly told about them. Since the coronavirus is spread through personal contact, wash your hands frequently. Avoid people who sneeze and cough. Do not travel to places where there’s an outbreak. 

We can pray these precautions will be temporary and that the coronavirus will be a seasonal phenomenon, like the flu. The CDC reports at least 18,000 people have died so far this flu season, but it has not brought panic or political posturing. 

So can we call a political truce? If we can sign a peace deal with the Taliban, can’t we sign a “peace treaty” with each other over this virus?

During World War II, one of the slogans that gained prominence was: “We’re all in this together.” My mother told me stories about neighbors sharing ration stamps and sugar with each other when one or the other ran low. No doubt some had voted for Franklin Roosevelt and others for his Republican opponents, but that didn’t matter when it came to the greater good.

This is the attitude we most need now in order to beat this virus. 

I’m Cal Thomas.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence meet with pharmaceutical executives in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Monday, March 2, 2020, in Washington. 

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