Welcome To Our Nightmare

NEW: Texas reports sixth consecutive day of more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases.

As of June 28, there are 148,728 cases in 244 counties with Harris county approaching 30,000 cases. https://t.co/gLw3XMhMSx pic.twitter.com/QDoS4VtEGq

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 28, 2020

‘It is really terrifying here’: CNN goes behind the scenes at Houston hospital flooded with COVID-19 patients https://t.co/CF5OU92Krk

— Raw Story (@RawStory) June 29, 2020

Nearly one-third of intensive care patients are now under 50 https://t.co/0pJrKGYDfJ

— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) June 29, 2020

The current outbreak in the U.S. looks like nothing in any other rich country: https://t.co/R849s69HzX pic.twitter.com/CEy8GTZsAX

— David Leonhardt (@DLeonhardt) June 29, 2020

And as long as we're on the subject:

Dan Crenshaw and Brian Kilmeade blame Texas coronavirus spike on #BlackLivesMatter protesters, not the state reopening businesses pic.twitter.com/nJxwgcKrgH

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 29, 2020

Neither Dallas County nor Harris County saw "tens of thousands of protestors" in their city streets.  All evidence points to no increase in coronavirus cases in New York City or Washington, D.C., despite large protests there.  But cases did start rising after Gov. Abbott opened bars and restaurants in Texas.

Dan Crenshaw is not a serious person pic.twitter.com/6pLwil4R8y

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 29, 2020

No, he really isn't, is he?

.@RossRamsey: “You can get ready when a storm is coming or wait until it blows your roof off. Abbott, who’s been reinstalling some of the regulatory safeguards he dismantled in May, dithered until the wind was blowing.” https://t.co/WUY5MVB0IC

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 29, 2020

The Texas resurgence was predictable. Local officials who wanted stronger rules on masks and crowds and social distancing — in both big and small Texas cities and counties — were right after all. And Abbott, who blocked local governments from acting on their concerns about the coronavirus, waited until case numbers, infection rates and hospitalizations jumped.

You can get ready when a storm is coming or wait until it blows your roof off. Abbott, who’s been reinstalling some of the regulatory safeguards he dismantled in May, dithered until the wind was blowing.

Even as that was happening, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was whistling through the graveyard, saying on talk TV on Thursday that the Texas numbers are rising, but not alarming. “We have seen a spike in cases,” he said on Fox News. “We expected that, because we’re now testing almost 35,000 a day ... so we expected those numbers to go up. Our hospitalizations are up. But here’s the good news. The good news is, we’re not seeing it translate to the ICU units or into fatalities.” 

You know what, Lite Guv?  We are now.  ICU in Houston is maxed out, and signs aren't it won't get better soon.

Peddle stupid somewhere else, Crenshaw; we're all full up here.