Well, Of Course They Do

Yes, the Texas GOP still wants to have a "super spreader" event in Houston, the epicenter in Texas of the coronavirus pandemic.

And the vote in favor was 40-20.

Unsurprisingly the Texas Medical Association has decided that's a bad idea:

"With or without masks, an indoor gathering of thousands of people from all around the state in a city with tens of thousands of active COVID-19 cases poses a significant health risk to conventiongoers, convention workers, health care workers, and the residents of Houston," Diana Fite, the group's president, said in a statement. "We are concerned not only for the City of Houston but also for the communities to which the delegates will return, giving the virus easy transportation to parts of Texas that have far fewer cases."

I am concerned for all the people who work in the convention center who will be exposed to the idiots who think the virus is a hoax, or the flu, or they are just invisible and bulletproof against it.  And Gov. Abbott, who is responsible for public health in Texas, or at least acts like he is when it suits him, was once again a tower of Jell-O.

The SREC did not get much guidance from Abbott, at least publicly, ahead of its Thursday evening meeting. In a TV interview less than two hours before the meeting, Abbott declined to take a position on whether an in-person convention should move forward, deferring to the SREC while speaking generally about putting health and safety first.

"One thing that’s so important is we obviously have so many people who would be attending who would be coming from a variety of locations across the state of Texas," Abbott told KRIV in Houston. "These people are very valuable, very important, to the Republican Party. My top concern for them is their health and safety. The last thing that I would want to have happen is for any of them to contract COVID-19 or worse, lose their lives over it." 

Some in the party argued this was not a good look when the City will be closed thanks to the Governor's orders.  Some said they simply won't come, because of the risk. I guess there's a few people under 65 in that picture, but not many.  Then again, considering the majority of cases in Houston now are in people aged 20-40, even the young delegates are at risk.  My favorite group, though, is this one:

Meanwhile, a faction of activists has argued that canceling an event focused on selecting delegates for the national convention and voting on the party’s platform, among other things, would not reflect well on a party that dubs itself the party of personal responsibility. Some have also suggested that a virtual convention could disenfranchise certain delegates.

Apparently taking "personal responsibility" means "Fuck you, buddy!"  It doesn't mean I bear any personal responsibility for public health.  Which is where a decent government would say "Well, we do.  No convention in this city, WE ARE CLOSED!"  I think the Mayor is without authority to do that, though I'd love to see him make the GOP Governor override him.  Ah, well, if wishes were horses....

There is still the possibility that a Sunday vote could scrap all plans for a personal convention, and they go for a "virtual" one instead.  No one is holding their breath on that.