Coronavirus continues to cause chaos for conservatives

With much of the country is watching President Trump's bungled, but nevertheless catastrophically destructive, ongoing attempted coup, coronavirus continues to rage across the nation, breaking daily records in multiple states and setting the stage for a winter that will likely rival — and then surpass — anything the U.S. has experienced thus far during the pandemic.

With that in mind, you might think that Republicans — from the president and his enablers to congressional lawmakers — would at least make an attempt to appear competent and moderately in control during this latest phase of our ongoing national health crisis. Sure, you might think that, but then again, you might also have been hit in the head by a large rock sometime in 2016, and are only now waking up to our world, utterly oblivious to the precedent set by the GOP over the past four years.

Because after multiple COVID-19 outbreaks among Republicans both within, and in orbit around, the White House itself, this week brought three new confirmed cases for key GOP personnel: two prominent Republican senators, and one top White House staffer, whose father happens to be the president's personal attorney.

Yes, on Friday morning, Andrew Giuliani — spawn of Rudy — announced he had tested positive for coronavirus and was experiencing "mild symptoms."

Andrew, it so happens, was reportedly in the room with his dear sweet papa on Thursday, while a perversely damp Rudy spewed debunked election conspiracy theories while leaking some sort of black ooze down his head and wiping snot all over his face.

Andrew, it also so happens, is a special assistant to the president who himself tested positive for coronavirus just over a month ago — and who then proceeded to throw an in-person, indoors, non-socially distant election eve party from which multiple White House guests are suspected of catching the virus.

Hoo boy.

And Giuliani isn't the only Republican figure to break the news that, yeah, he's got it. Florida Sen. Rick Scott also announced Friday that he too had tested positive for coronavirus and was quarantining in Florida for the time being.

Despite his recommendations to "be responsible" by wearing masks and socially distancing, Scott had just last week participated in a maskless indoor rally for Georgia Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who are facing runoffs for re-election in January.

Also, it's probably worth noting that Florida currently has no coronavirus restrictions in place, because its Republican governor rescinded them in September. But, sure, now it's time to be responsible, right Rick?

Rounding out this week is Chuck Grassley, the 87-year-old Iowa senator who stands third in line in the presidential order of succession, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence.

With two GOP senators (to date, only Republican members of the senate have actually tested positive for the virus) and a White House adviser out of commission from the virus, you might think the president's various aides would be using their executive influence to, y'know, impart on Trump the continually dire stakes of what's happening. Instead, if we turn to the president's favorite TV show, we get ... this:

When even the other Fox News panelists just awkwardly chuckle at your dear-leader levels of Trump adulation, and then immediately change the subject when you're done talking, perhaps it's time to reflect on your choices.