V26, N14 Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 HPI Analysis: A historic election Gov. Eric Trump lost independents Holcomb just due to pandemic; Holcomb missed the misses landside record; landslide record Spartz won nationalized race with his 24.4% By BRIAN A. HOWEY plurality, INDIANAPOLIS – We’ve just experienced a falling historic election, with 66.4% turnout, the most since short 1900. But with President-elect Joe Biden currently at of Gov. a record 77.55 million votes Evan and President Trump’s 72.34 Bayh’s million votes giving the 25.1% victory in former a 5.2 million lead as 1992. of this morning (and 279 to 217 in the Electoral College), America remains a sharply divided nation. Gov. Eric Holcomb and President Trump won landslide victories in Indiana last week. But Hol- comb appears to have missed Gov. Evan Bayh’s 25.1% plurality record, winning 56.6%-32% over Democrat Woody Myers, with Libertarian Donald Rainwater pick- ing up 11.4%. Holcomb’s 1,702,902, with 99% of the vote report- Continued on page 3 Disjointedly deadly By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – On Sunday, the news we had waited almost 10 months to hear came true: Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech said their coronavirus vac- cine was more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19. “His deep, varied experience and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla hailed the development as a “great day for science and humanity.” capacity to work with people all But after a weekend when the Indiana State Department of across the political spectrum is Health reported almost 10,000 new precisely what I need in a White COVID infections and nearly 100 deaths, Brian Tabor sounded the House chief of staff as we con- alarms, stating the obvious as Hoo- front this moment of crisis.” siers moved from elections to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday - President-elect Joe Biden, in season. naming Indiana native Ron “All Hoosiers should be alarmed at the COVID-19 trends Klain as chief of staff. Page 2 Howey Politics Indiana WWWHowey Media, LLC c/o Business Office COVID but for cancer patients and PO Box 6553 we are seeing across the state,” said Tabor, president of the Indiana Hos- heart patients who need care,” Hol- Kokomo, IN, 46904 pital Association. “In recent weeks, comb said. “Unfortunately, too many www.howeypolitics.com new cases have reached the highest of us have let our guards down. level to date and hospitalizations have Stage 5 has been viewed by some as Brian A. Howey, Publisher increased by 143% since October 1. a reason to return to the days when we had never heard of the pandemic, Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington Many hospitals are reporting staff shortages as the pandemic takes its rather than doing the things that had Mary Lou Howey, Editor toll — Hoosier nurses, doctors, and allowed us to reopen. Rather than Susan E. Joiner, Editor other front-line hospital staff have doing the things that we had been been working non-stop since the early doing that allowed us to open our spring. restaurants and shops and museums Subscriptions “Please give these cou- and attractions to full capacity — HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 rageous health care heroes some while maintaining social distancing HPI Weekly, $350 much-needed relief by wearing a face and wearing mask coverings — too Lisa Hounchell, Account Manager covering, practicing social distanc- many have said ‘We’ll just ride it (765) 452-3936 telephone ing, washing your hands, and staying out, and if I get it so be it.’ And that (765) 452-3973 fax home when you are sick. We need ev- brings us to where we are today.” [email protected] eryone to take these steps to relieve Holcomb said beginning the enormous strain on the system at this weekend, orange counties will Contact HPI this critical time,” Tabor concluded. be limited to social gatherings of 50 [email protected] The Wall Street Journal people or fewer. Red counties will be limited to gatherings of 25 people or Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 reported on Wednesday that the U.S. set another single-day record for fewer. Most of the state’s counties Washington: 202.256.5822 coronavirus cases, as the total num- are designated orange. Nine counties Business Office: 765.452.3936 ber of new infections topped 136,000, are red. Churches are exempt. while hospitalizations due to Covid-19 Indiana Health Commissioner © 2020, Howey Politics were at their highest level since the Kristina Box added, “I understand that this is hard. This entire year has Indiana. All rights reserved. pandemic began. The New York Times reported that while this “winter wave” been hard but it is going to get even Photocopying, Internet forward- had been anticipated for months, the harder if we don’t recommit to those ing, faxing or reproducing in any surging coronavirus was exploiting a very basic mitigation procedures ... form, whole or part, is a violation “federal leadership vacuum.” The Stra- wearing a mask, socially distancing, of federal law without permission tegic National Stockpile, the nation’s staying home if you are sick and get- ting tested and washing your hands.” from the publisher. emergency reserve, has only 115 mil- lion N95 masks, far short of the 300 By Wednesday, 74% of the million the administration had hoped state’s ICU beds were occupied. Jack E. Howey to amass by winter, Rear Adm. John Since the weekend, ISHD editor emeritus Polowczyk said in a recent interview. reported 5,156 cases on Wednesday, 1926-2019 By Wednesday, Gov. Eric Hol- 4,879 on Tuesday and 4,213 on Mon- comb announced a return to restric- day. Included in the positive COVID tions, noting when he put the state on statistics were U.S. Sen. Todd Young, Stage 5, the infection rate was under Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel, 5%, exploding to 11% this week. and Crown Point Mayor David Uran. “We must do all we can to The Associated Press reported that protect our hospital capacity so they new hospitalization numbers marked can protect patients and care for them an 84% jump in Indiana’s COVID-19 – not only for those who have the patients during the past month, the Page 3 data show. With Monday’s 4,213 new cases, Indiana’s tion ranging from Trump supporters to those of Libertarian seven-day rolling average for newly confirmed coronavirus nominee Donald Rainwater, who won a historic high 11% cases was 4,212, more than 214% from a month ago. of the gubernatorial vote last week. Testing that was supposed to be accessible and Holcomb has said since last winter that he would free on the north side of Indianapolis was hard to find, follow the metrics and would act to keep the state medical with Walgreen’s charging $139 per test. systems from being swamped. But according to Tabor and Gov. Holcomb and President Trump had been si- hospital officials in Goshen, Richmond and South Bend, that lent this week by this pandemic onslaught. Trump has still is already happening. not addressed the crisis. Vice President Pence postponed Richmond’s Reid Hospital set a new capacity record a vacation to Sanibel Island to chair the first White House on Monday. Dr. Thomas Huth, Reid’s vice president of medi- Coronavirus Task Force meeting in weeks on Monday. cal affairs, is afraid those records won’t last long, telling Trump hasn’t appeared at a task force meeting in months the Richmond Palladium-Item, “We are asking everyone to (nor has he taken a Presidential Daily Briefing in weeks). please, please not ignore masking, distancing and other “We’re not seeing the appropriate response from safety measures.” our political leadership,” said Dr. Richard Besser of Robert That was echoed by President-elect Joe Biden, Wood Johnson Foundation and a former CDC commission- who said at a Monday press conference, “Please, I implore er. “People are tired of doing the things that really work. you, wear a mask. It is not a political statement. That is Since we’re not seeing our federal leaders standing up, we how we get our nation back up to speed. We see over and need the governors to step up.” over how small acts add up to a great achievement. So let’s Asked during his weekly webinar what medical wear a mask.” experts are advising political leaders, Indiana University With the Pfizer announcement, the speculation is Dr. Aaron Carroll responded, “At an advisory level, we are that state leaders are simply going to try and “manage” pushing as hard as we can. We need to take strong action. the crush of humanity and wait until the vaccine is widely I’m sure our governor is hearing from a different level they available sometime between December and June. The ris- want businesses to remain open.” ing dilemma is with Thanksgiving and Christmas just weeks Carroll added, “If everyone was masking up, away, the medical systems are going to be tested in a way we’d see some very different outcomes in Indiana.” not seen since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and 1919. The problem on that front is that masks became Biden is expected to lobby governors and, if a politcal wedge issue during the presidential campaign, unresponsive, mayors to implore mask usage. But with while Holcomb has left his mask mandate without an President Trump unwilling to concede the election, and if enforcement mechanism. Local health officials have been he voluntarily leaves office, is expected to continue his op- forced to deal with city and county councils, who have position to his successor, America is poised to ride out this been reluctant to act due to real and perceived opposi- historic pandemic in a disjointedly deadly fashion.