January 20, 2021. 8:00 PM EST.
The screen fades from black. The president stares intently at the camera. He takes a deep breath and lets it out with an audible sigh.
My fellow Americans, the time for games is over. It’s time to stop pointing fingers—at politicians, at medical institutions, at other countries. We can’t change the past, we need to focus on changing the future. We must do better.
We face a disease like none we’ve ever encountered before. For most of us, Covid-19 is a relatively minor illness—the first time around. However subsequent infections are shown to build on damage from prior infections, increasing the disability and fatality rate in any individual each time they are infected. It is now proven that the antibodies developed from previous infections and the various vaccines soon coming to market fade rapidly over a period of three to five months, leaving the immune again susceptible.
We now have two clear variations of Covid-19 circling the globe. Variant A appears to be more contagious but less damaging to internal organs. Variant B, with a seventeen percent hospitalization rate, is straining our medical system beyond its ability to cope.
We don’t yet know how to cure this disease, but we know how to slow transmission. Data from Europe and Asia show conclusively that wearing a mask and social distancing dramatically reduces or even stops the rate of transmission. While our numbers have continued to climb, twenty-three countries are now virus-free since November.
The requirement to wear a mask is not an infringement on your personal liberties. Closure of indoor entertainment venues is not governmental overreach. These are the minimum steps necessary to slow the spread of Covid-19 and stop the needless death-toll we’ve resigned ourselves to accept.
America is at a crossroads. We can acknowledge the 623,000 deaths since last March with a vow to turn the pandemic around now, or we can stay the course and slowly die out.
Americans must now, finally, show the maturity to endure some personal discomfort, not to help themselves, but to help the nation as a whole. We can no longer operate as individual people, or individual states, or political parties. We must be one nation, under God.
Effective immediately, we will all wear masks in public. Effective immediately, indoor spaces including restaurant dining rooms, bars, theaters and shopping malls will be shutdown. And effective immediately, I’m suspending all international travel leaving the United States. Our friends and allies have spoken clearly; we’re not wanted anywhere in the world.
When I was a teen, my mother told me to take my medicine without complaint. It’s what adults do when they want to heal. If we take seriously the task of ending the chain of transmission, like many of our neighbors, we can eradicate Covid 19 in the United States by June.
It’s up to all citizens to participate in this effort. Without total cooperation, we will fail. This nonsense will continue until we’re ready to grow up.
God bless America. We need it.
The screen fades to black.
The Other Stuff 
Who will give that speech? Biden? Not the Orange Idjit, that’s for sure.
I believe Obama would have. Even “W” might have.
If only the stoopid people weren’t such a risk to the rest of us and to our workers, I’d say let them do their thing… fewer stoopid people has to be good. But unfortunately it doesnt work that way.
I still see masks everywhere here. The stores wont let people in without masks. Maybe there’s *some* sanity left…
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I hope Biden would. It will be interesting to see how our national dialogue changes once Trump is gone. Will it reset to the Obama era or has trump let the genie out of the bottle. While I was writing about a dystopian future, I’m worried that I’m not too far off base.
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I dont think you’re off base at all. Maybe it wont be C19, but newer and deadlier viruses are infecting people more and more often
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Jeff for President! That was perfect!!
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Ha, thanks Laura. I think I move too slowly to be a president. Now a speechwriter might be interesting…
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I had a screenplay idea about a speechwriter but I can’t really remember the premise now (I obviously didn’t write it). It’s back when I thought I was going to be a screenwriter because writing books scared me! If Biden wins (fingers crossed it’s someone other than Trump) you should sell this to his campaign!!
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Powerful and pathetic. Yes, this is likely what it has come to.
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Mark, you even alliterate in your comments.
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Haha … I suppose I do! Take care, my friend!
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Well said, Mr. President. It’s a very clear message that some people are too stupid to say and some people are too stubborn to hear. But still very true.
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Things will need to change. I hope we don’t wait until January to change them.
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This makes too much sense.
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You mean too much sense for American human nature? I agree. Often the simplest solution is the best. For my life, I can’t understand why we don’t just buck up and do what’s best for us. It’s so east.
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I was hoping this was real, that it was something you were transcribing.
Jeff for Speechwriter! Such power you would wield!
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I actually dated a Clinton (Bill) speechwriter. She was pretty junior, she didn’t wield much power. Maybe I’m divining it from the future. That would be good and bad. Bad in that things have really fallen apart (more) over the next 6 months.
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May you be a terrible fortune teller..
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They just made masks mandatory in public places in North Carolina. I am so relieved.
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Based on the growth-curve, they should do that everywhere. I just read that the EU may in fact ban US travelers. We have sunk so low.
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From your keypad to Biden’s ear!
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Wow, Jeff. This literally took my breath away. Beautiful piece of work.
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Wow. Awesome comment. I live for those. Thank you. Is your son doing OK. He’s on my mind from time to time.
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Hi Jeff. I call em like I see em! And thank you for asking about my son. There are ups and downs. And he is hanging in there. Best, Angie
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And then you woke up?
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Ha. I was trying to envision when Biden took the reins.
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