Step Down, Ducey!

As noted previously on this blog, Arizona stands of the precipice of a humanitarian crisis. Arguably, a historical tragedy is already baked in, and it’s only a matter of time before it unfolds like a cinematic nightmare in hospitals around our state. Ducey’s idea of leadership in the midst of what is now the worst outbreak of COVID-19 in the world is to beg his MAGA-chanting base to please wear a mask, or he’ll… ask again.

That is not leadership. That is utter, world-class, failure. Failure that has cost many Arizonan’s lives and devastated our economy. Failure with no end in sight.

Ducey failed to use the months that Arizona’s citizens’ sacrifices bought him to marshall the resources of our State’s government to address this unprecedented crisis.

He failed to sufficiently expand our medical treatment facilities and personnel to keep us out of crisis standards of care.

He failed to sufficiently increase our testing capacity to meet the anticipated demand.

He failed to create isolation facilities and support networks.

He failed to expand our contact tracing capacity.

He has had months to plan, resource, and implement real governmental action to contain the epidemic, preserve our economy, and protect the lives of our citizens. Instead of acting with urgency and effect, he has made empty or half-hearted gestures toward improving public health services, while kowtowing to the virus denialist in the White House.

I, for one, have had enough of his failure. Enough isolation. Enough death. Enough suffering. Enough hunger. Enough double-talk. Enough stupid slogans. More than enough of it all. I think that most Arizonans, like me, are exhausted, frustrated, scared, and pissed off by Ducey’s utter failure.

Now is the time for leadership that will enforce wearing masks in public, and enforce a shutdown of activities that we know carry the most risk of rapid transmission of the virus.

Now is the time for leadership that will protect our most vulnerable populations who cannot protect themselves (like those in retirement facilities, prisoners, immigrant detainees, and front line workers) with a rational program of pre-emptive testing and effective contact tracing.

Now is the time for Ducey to admit he has failed to marshal the executive leadership Arizona needs to halt this crisis. People are dying, our hospitals are overwhelmed, and our Arizona government stands shamed before the entire world for his folly and inaction.

Now is the time for Ducey to resign.

He must step down so that someone ready to lead can stand up for Arizona.

Someone who will stand up to scofflaws who won’t take reasonable measures to check the growth of this disease.

Someone who will stand up to impose new Executive Orders requiring and enforcing masking and suspending activities that most promotes the spread of the virus, statewide.

Someone who will stand up an all-of-government effort to immediately expand our testing capacity, to swiftly supplement our medical facilities and our medical staffs, to promptly provide resources and facilities for isolation for the infected to recover without infecting more family and friends, and to rapidly recruit the veritable army of contact tracing personnel we will need to keep this disease suppressed.

Someone who will stand up to narrow business interests who are too short-sighted to see that the economy cannot, and will never, recover until this public health emergency is brought fully under control.

Someone who will stand up to a state legislature infected with denialists who want to curtail the power of our Governorship to manage a health crisis effectively.

Someone who will stand up for unbiased scientific and medical advice to actually put this epidemic down and kill this virus so that we can safely go back to work, and school, and the rest of our lives.

There is only one person positioned to take that job and stand up for Arizona now: Katie Hobbs, our Secretary of State and the constitutional successor to the Governorship of Arizona.

Ducey needs to stop pretending to lead Arizona and let Governor Hobbs actually do so.

Resign, Ducey. Arizona needs a real leader.

There is already a petition at Change.org calling for Ducey’s resignation. I urge you to sign it, as I have.

I call on Arizona’s public officials, community leaders, and every member of the public to join me in demanding the immediate resignation of Governor Ducey. We must end this nightmare, and Ducey has proven he can’t and won’t do what’s needed. If leaders across Arizona, at every level of government and society speak with one voice that Ducey needs to resign, we CAN wake Arizona from this nightmare.