That Didn't Take Long

Yesterday, I reported on the Texas Medical Association's decision to stand by its sponsorship of the Republican Party of Texas' in-person, indoor convention next month.

Today, @texmed is calling on @texasgop to cancel it:

Read it on @TexasTribune:https://t.co/XDFoZyJFcq

— Meena Venkataramanan (@mvenk82) June 30, 2020

TMA spokesperson Brent Annear said in an email Monday that TMA's agreement to sponsor the Republican Party convention "will not be revisited."

"TMA signed on as a sponsor for this convention months ago, before the pandemic was a major issue here – before we hit any stay-home suggestions or mandates, mask policies or anything like that," he said Monday. "No conditions like that were discussed."

TMA said it made $5,000 contributions to both the Republican Party of Texas and the Texas Democratic Party in exchange for a brief video advertising TMA's mission at each convention.

"Our staff reassured RPT staff that TMA would advertise in a virtual gathering, but asked that if an in-person meeting would occur to please utilize CDC, state and local guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks," Fite wrote Tuesday.

Hmmmm.....

In an open letter to party leadership Tuesday, Dr. Diana Fite, TMA president, cited the growing number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Harris County as a reason for the Texas Republican Party to cancel its Houston convention. The county has the highest number of cases and deaths in the state.

“The daily chart of active cases in Harris County has been nearly a straight line upward for the past two weeks,” Fite wrote. “As an emergency physician in Houston treating patients with COVID-19, I speak from firsthand experience: It would be best for the health of your conventiongoers and the residents of Houston for the RPT not to hold its biennial convention there as planned.”

I'm guessing they didn't notice this until Monday.  Or maybe they were too focused on the video of "their mission."  Which is what, again?