I Have No Sympathy for These People at All

I am, of course, to the Washington, DC movers and shakers who attended the  Gridiron Dinner, largely mask-less, and are now ground zero for a Covid outbreak.

If every single one of the attendees were forced from their positions because of medical complications, the world would be a better place:

More than a dozen guests who attended Saturday night’s Gridiron Club dinner — including two Cabinet members, two members of Congress and a top aide to Vice President Harris — have since tested positive for coronavirus, sending ripples of anxiety through a city on the cusp of restarting its traditional social whirl after a two-year pause.

A-list guests were asked to show proof of vaccination but not negative tests, and many mingled freely without masks at the dinner at the downtown Renaissance Washington Hotel.

But by Wednesday, Reps. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo had announced they had tested positive. They were soon followed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who requested a test Wednesday afternoon after learning he may have been exposed — and discovered that he, too, carried the virus. Thus far, none have reported serious illness.

That last bit is a disappointment, particularly for Raimondo, who is a relentlessly corrupt corporate Democrat.

………

How many of the infections began at the dinner and how serious the outbreak will prove to be remains unclear. Many of the guests have jobs that require regular testing that catches some asymptomatic cases. Castro and Raimondo said they are suffering only mild symptoms while Schiff said he is “feeling fine” — and touted the value of vaccinations and boosters.

But the outbreak at the Gridiron — where some of the comic skits featured actors dressed as the coronavirus, like large, green bouncing balls with red frills — highlights the personal risk-benefit balancing act much of the country will be negotiating as the pandemic subsides.

Once again, I will make the following observation, "Wear a f%$#ing mask," particularly at large indoor events.

………

The dinner was supposed to reflect a return to normalcy after being canceled the past two years because of the pandemic. Few guests wore masks or observed social distancing, according to people in attendance. Only the serving staff was consistently masked throughout the evening. While organizers asked attendees to show their vaccination cards at the door, there was no requirement to be tested.

This is what one calls a toxic mix of arrogance and ignorance, and what I am feeling is schadenfreude. 

It appears that we need to add Gridiron Dinner attendees to the set which includes, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen."