x Pandemonium outside the Minnesota GovernorÃ¢ÂÂs Residence.



Horns are blaring. A few hundred people are here. Many chant Ã¢ÂÂOpen Up!Ã¢ÂÂ pic.twitter.com/xMGUtTjYQB Ã¢ÂÂ Theo Keith (@TheoKeith) April 17, 2020

The crowd has grown throughout the afternoon. It’s a death cult.

x The crowd is now several hundred. Impossible to get an accurate count.



The crowd has been mostly civil, though one woman was telling people, Ã¢ÂÂDonÃ¢ÂÂt get near me. IÃ¢ÂÂve got COVID!Ã¢ÂÂ pic.twitter.com/JxE4LmTOrI Ã¢ÂÂ Theo Keith (@TheoKeith) April 17, 2020

I can’t help but notice a lot of these folks fit the criteria for those most at-risk. And look, I get it: This is frustrating for all of us. But until COVID-19 is contained, we simply cannot get back to life-as-usual. The disease will simply spike and spread again and we’ll be right back to exploding death rates. The number of deaths has jumped several hundred just since I shared the number this morning. According to Johns Hopkins, as of 3:47 PM ET on Friday, April 17, 2020, the number is 34,575 American lives lost.

These aren’t just internet cranks turning up for these rallies—some of the folks on hand are elected officials (Republicans, of course). Take Jeremy Munson from the Minnesota House of Representatives. He’s having the time of his life mingling with his MAGA pals during a pandemic.

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And look, these super-duper, grassroots-y, not-at-all-coordinated with right-wing organizations MAGA-types already have t-shirts printed.

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And in case you were wondering, Munson makes it clear he’s following orders.

From taking away health care to slashing food assistance to holding rallies during the most deadly pandemic of modern times, the Republican Party has fully embraced its pro-death platform.

This isn’t just a couple of cranks turning up. This is an effort being driven by the same cast of characters who created the artificial tea party nonsense. Click here to read more about today’s right-wing ecosystem and the eerily similar vibe to the 2009 tea party astroturf protests.