Being Smart About Things

Last Thursday I mused about the prospects for the Tulsa Trump rally.  In particular, would the devoted disciples bring-along their elderly mother-in-law, grandpa or a family member with diabetes, heart disease or obesity for the sprawling, coronavirus petri dish festival.          

In the run-up the Trump reelection campaign had raised expectations for yesterday’s rally with the announcement that more than 1 million people had registered to attend.  One Trump official announced that they expected 100,000 to show up at the arena.  Alas, those numbers didn’t materialize.   

The Tulsa Fire Department who monitored the crowd at the Bank of Oklahoma Center - a venue that can hold more than 19,000 - announced today that fewer than 6,200 people attended.  In the final analysis it would appear that people were smart about things and they stayed away.  I have genuine admiration for wise decision-making.   

Or maybe a requirement that attendees waive any and all legal recourse as a consequence of illness or death from exposure to COVID-19 suppressed attendance?  We’ll never know.  

What we will know is if the largely mask-less festivities contributed to an uptick in the spread of infection.  Public health officials and the press will be vigilant about this over the next couple of weeks.   

Stay tuned…..