How did the littlest state in the union score the biggest victory in the fight against COVID-19?
According to Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo, by taking a page from the Bill Belichick playbook.
In an interview with Politico about Rhode Island's robust response to the pandemic, which has seen the state drop below 50 new cases a day despite owning the second-highest population density in America, Raimondo criticized the absence of a federal plan by invoking the coach of the six-time Super Bowl champions.
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From her interview with Glenn Grunwald:
"We're doing about as well as any state. I put together a plan, set up 10 work teams with a work flow that report to me on a daily basis, stood up a military-style operation with urgency and innovation in March. But if the feds had done something like that in February, we wouldn't have all these deaths. We wouldn't have double-digit unemployment. It's very frustrating, because it didn't have to be that way. The fact is, we have a showboat in the White House. The president spends a lot of time showboating.
We need leaders to do your job, like Bill Belichick says. That's what governors have been doing. Do the damn job. Take it seriously. People's lives are at stake. Don't worry about your politics.
New England Patriots
Do Your Job is a mantra that has helped the Patriots reach nine Super Bowls since 2001. And in Rhode Island, it's saving lives.
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