I understand people have nostalgia for “a simpler time” when Americans of all political sides would have come together in a crisis. I would have liked to see that during the pandemic too, to have people across the political spectrum working together to help marginalized communities and ensure the safety of the population. Instead, we have morons armed with assault rifles storming state capitol buildings because they can’t get a haircut. We have a medical community overworked and under-resourced, and now fighting “deep state conspiracies” about whether or not coronavirus data is being overinflated (it is not). The current problem is not that “both sides” need to find a way to come together. The current problem is that one side has the left and middle ground and the other side is full of automatic-weapon-wielding racist moron-thugs who think viruses are some kind of liberal conspiracy. So… Matthew McConaughey made a PSA about how we need to work together.
Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey joined “Special Report with Bret Baier” Tuesday to discuss the politicization of the coronavirus pandemic and deliver a message of unity to Americans.
“I could feel that this united purpose we all have as Americans to beat this enemy and this virus, that purpose got hijacked by partisan politics,” McConaughey said. “The narrative became, if you want to go to work, you’re on the far right. If you don’t go to work, you want to stay home, you’re on the far left. And now even the mask wearing is getting politicized, where if you want to wear a mask, you wear a mask, you’re a liberal. And if you don’t, you’re conservative. And that’s just not true.”
McConaughey said the politicization had divided America into fighting “two wars,” one against each other and the other against the virus. “But if we try to fight the one against the virus, which is the one we should be fighting,” McConaughey said. “We’re gonna beat it.”
The actor’s message of unity is behind a recently released PSA with co-producer Roy Spence, which tells Americans that the coronavirus is not a political issue. “Part of it is saying just that, to remind us that this is not about politics. It’s about us, the USA,” McConaughey said. “We’re gonna take care of each other. Right now we have a collective purpose. Look at who we are in World War II. And we have a crisis that came to us. We were united in that purpose. And all of a sudden the human factor started to get split and two tribes started fighting each other in partisan politics,” McConaughey said. “And that is not what we need. We need a collection right now. This is a tug of war at the virus. We need all hands on the rope.”
McConaughey added that following social distancing guidelines and using masks were short term solutions to help “science catch up…I think they’re Band-Aids to hold off until science catches up, until there’s not two patients for every one bed like there was in New York, until we see that an asymptomatic person doesn’t give it to someone who didn’t have it,” McConaughey said. “So we can protect the elderly, especially and the younger ones. This is unchartered waters. There’s not a playbook.”
We were told to social-distance and go into lockdown and wear masks as a way to buy time for the government and the scientific community to catch up. And in two months of lockdown, all that’s happened is tens of thousands of deaths, armed morons being crazy, and a Republican White House more focused on shifting blame and squandering any and all goodwill. All of the things that should have happened in those two months did NOT happen. And it’s okay to talk about that too. Yeah, it would be great if we could come together as a country to work together and face this all as one. But… it’s not going to happen.
Honestly, I couldn’t even get through this PSA. This is just an ad for the Republican Party.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
I’d like to hear Michael Shannon’s opinion on how the orange one is handling the pandemic. #TimeForTheUrn
Some people were apparently under the impression that staying at home was a way to get rid of the virus, instead of the actual purpose – to avoid overwhelming the health system and give government time to organize a response. And you’re right, the US federal government basically did nothing to organize during that time. They’re out there now implying that the virus wasn’t all that bad because the efforts by public obviously worked, and a million ventilators were ultimately not needed. It’s…maddening. We can’t come together because one side is obviously full of morons.
Yup, Mina. It’s incompetence of at the head of the country. The White House is filled with people who Don’t understand public service and why it’s important to listen to scientists.
I stopped reading after I read Bret Baier. Seriously? He went on Fox News to both sides this thing? F that.
The PSA isn’t both siding. I think he went to on FOX to talk them into wearing masks. That’s what the PSA does. It appeals to the conservatives because of the ‘Merica focus, but ends by showing medical professionals and front line workers wearing masks. Texas T-Rex is trying to speak to them in their language about doing the right thing by reminiscing about the stuff conservatives like. A bunch of them will call him a Hollywood sellout for asking them to cooperate as they shake rifles at him.
And Bret is a lesser evil than some of them, but they all sell their soul to the devil working for Fox.
I’m so sick of the both side-ism. One side listens to the scientists and experts while the other is a neo-fascist hyper-capitalist death cult. Sacrifice people for the economy! Protect our freedoms! What about protecting people?! You can’t have a country without people, nor can you have an economy. You’re not being oppressed or put in camps. You’re being asked to think about OTHER people and not just yourself while staying at home with all of your creature comforts.
I live in Wisconsin where the the state Supreme Court just overruled Gov. Evers’ stay-at-home extension. Thankfully, my county leaders stepped up and kept the extension. Most, if not all, of the big counties did the same (Dane (where Madison is), Rock (Janesville-Beloit, screw you Paul Ryan), Milwaukee, and Green Bay).
Happy to hear some are circumventing the court’s decision.
I appreciate those of you in Wisconsin and Dane County in particular staying the course and staying home. My elderly mother is up there, and she has a ridiculous number of health issues – thank you for caring enough to protect her and others like her, truly.
Green Bay and Appleton and Milwaukee reinstated the restrictions. This was all just a power play by the Wisconsin GOP that as still pissed that that idiot Walker lost re-election and are hell bent in taking away Evers powers. The SC justices that threw out the order were appointed by Walker and one of them just got his ass kicked when he has to go thru an actual election. It is an absolute clusterf*** up here
I’m in Wisconsin too, and live in Dane County. I wasn’t surprised by the Supreme Court’s ruling but was still disappointed. I’m so glad my county still has the order in place. On the news they showed a few bars opened up Wednesday night – some in Milwaukee and one Platteville – and they were PACKED. Not a single mask in sight and all squished up nice and tight mouth breathing on each other.
So you know, our second wave is not far off because heaven forbid you have to drink and home and not drive drunk around here on a weeknight all cause ‘Murica.
They will all regret it in 14 days.
Because one side doesn’t want to fight, they want to pretend nothing is wrong because covid-19 is inconvenient.
The problem is also that facts are no longer a thing of value. And the truth as spoken by scientists and reported on by professional journalists, does not have value anymore. Everyone thinks they are being lied to. It scares me, this development.
That’s what scares me too, Lenn. And the half the country doesn’t believe in What educated people say anymore. They want authoritarianism, and that is terrifying. They talks about exceptionalism, but they don’t understand that it comes with responsibility and knowledge.
“Can’t we all just get along?!” is such privileged bullshit.
One side wants healthcare and food security for everyone, and the other doesn’t care if POC, the poor, and non-Christians die (or are actively causing their deaths). There cannot be unity toward a common goal without the acknowledgement and dismantling of white supremacy.
Let me fix that for him: one side wants to protect the vulnerable and avoid overwhelming the health system, while the other side is thinking only of themselves, is equating inconvenience with oppression, and is openly trying to terrorize the other side (what else are you doing when you’re carrying assault rifles?)
They 👏 are 👏 not 👏 equal. 👏
Very well said.
Exactly. Definitely say it’s not political when a protestor in Illinois is holding up a sign reading Arbeit Macht Frei. Talk to me when “both sides” are storming capitols with automatic weapons, threatening to murder lawmakers, wearing Klan hoods to buy groceries, using nazi propaganda phrases. Stfu mcconnaughey.
Getting along is the last thing anybody should be worried about at this point. What you’re seeing going on in Texas should scare the hell out of everyone. That’s the rumblings of a potential civil war going on, and the very people who would gladly sacrifice other people for their freedom firmly convinced they’re the heroes of the story.
All I heard was Charlie Brown’s teacher. Did he say something?
He’s got a PSA playing on the radio here in Texas….it’s really bad!
MM is kind of a bubba & a good ole boy and he is for sure privileged, but he seems to have his heart in the right place most of the time. I am in no way a fan of this horrible PSA but I do appreciate how he and his wife went around giving masks to first responders in Austin. Also, his PSA about wearing a mask is cute and fun.
I think he means well, and if he can get some COVIDIOTs on board with wearing a mask or even just thinking critically about this, then he’s done a good job, I think. He deserves a little credit for that.
And still…the whole idea that we need to get along? Yeah, I don’t think so. It’s not up to us to make peace with the machine gun toting crazies. Naw, dog. Ain’t gonna happen. And I could not care less if I sat down and tried about MAGATs and what they think. That dog don’t hunt, as it were.
As a fellow Texan, I deeply sympathize with what he’s trying to do. Our state has just hit 1000 deaths but since we’re so huge, no community has been hit in an overwhelming way. Because of that, loads and loads of people here feel like it’s done or it’s no big deal. Add to that the number of MAGA hat wearers who also believe that this is a Fauci-Chinese-Deep State- Fake News hoax… well, it’s troubling, to say the least. I’ve been using a lot of his same rhetoric on my social media, trying to talk sense into family and neighbors, because my household is only as safe as the red-hatted idiots are.
Yes. I’m in Texas too and polarizing talk will just solidify everyone’s position. Just as you say, I too sympathize with what he’s trying to do.
He resonates with a wide swath of Texans and I think we’re lucky to have him just as he is. Can you imagine if he were an out-and-out MAGAT? He’s charismatic and people like him here. If anyone can charm the crazies into listening, even just a little bit, I think it’s MM.
That doesn’t mean I love this latest PSA or I agree with the notion that we all need to get along, as I indicated in my comment just above yours. But Texas is Texas and he does know how to read a room.
If what Matt does actually convinces someone put on a mask and socially distance, then I think I’m okay with it. If changes behavior, then sure, why not?
Urgh this guy. He’s been cancelled for me for a long time. Another one with “Native friends” who say it’s fine to for that Washington team to keep their name and how much it would hurt his wittle feeling to have it change. Oh and his Native friends are scared to say their real feelings about it, except to him. This both sides crap is cheap and on brand for him.
Because both sides are showing up armed at state capitols, throwing hissy fits ’cause they’re roots are growing out, and their lawns ‘aint manicured.
Heaven to betsy, this both sides crap is tiring. When I start hearing about crazy democrats blocking hospitals over their takeout options, I will climb aboard the both sides bus. Until then, they can stuff it.
Last time I checked, our policy was to NOT negotiate with terrorists.
No one ever accused him of being very bright.
“The current problem is that one side has the left and middle ground and the other side is full of automatic-weapon-wielding racist moron-thugs who think viruses are some kind of liberal conspiracy.”
That says it all, Kaiser. Thank you.
The blinds said that Matt and whole family got tests without having the symptoms that warrant the tests simply because Matt pulled a OH NO, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM” at the local hospital or health facility when they explained that the tests were not for those without symptoms. Everybody needs to get along, as long as you and yours get taken care of first? Go sell some more Lincoln Continentals and have a seat.
Like all of you, I can NOT with the false equivalency and feckless leadership from the federal and state governments.
“The narrative became, if you want to go to work, you’re on the far right. If you don’t go to work, you want to stay home, you’re on the far left. And now even the mask wearing is getting politicized, where if you want to wear a mask, you wear a mask, you’re a liberal. And if you don’t, you’re conservative. And that’s just not true.”
What propaganda nonsense is this?? Wearing a mask is a necessity in a viral pandemic. In only the eyes of radical racists that mask wearing has become something debatable.
People who had so little before this pandemic have sacrificed everything for nothing. The virus still rages, there is no plan to protect workers, no guidelines for businesses on how to protect workers, no laws to make sure they are enforced. Nothing, nothing has been done. The only thing we can do is share what we have, wear masks, and was our hands frequently.
F@#k Matthew McCaunawhatever.
You know why.