LETTER: Red states aren’t the winners in coronavirus pandemic

In his Sept. 27 column, Victor Joecks tried to defend President Donald Trump’s asinine remark that our nation’s world-leading COVID-19 death tally is the fault of Democratic governors of “blue states.” Mr. Joecks wrote that “of the 11 states with the highest death rates, Democrats run eight of them.”

Yes, but the top six, except for Louisiana, are among the seven most densely populated states, all in the Northeast. They all were blind-sided by the March/April onslaught of coronavirus into our unprepared nation from Europe. At the time, we knew little about controlling or treating the virus and deaths skyrocketed. Some governors made mistakes. But would Republican governors have done better under the circumstances? No. It was about geography and timing, not politics.

Look at three Republican-run states in the top 11. None was in the Northeast, and all had three months to prepare because their cases didn’t peak until July. Yet all three still made the top 11 death rates. That’s worse, not better.

Because Mr. Joecks has chosen to focus on “red” vs. “blue,” let’s look at the top 11 states in the number of COVID-19 cases per capita. Every one has a Republican governor except for Louisiana. Every one has benefited, unlike the “blue” Northeastern states, from at least a three-month warning, without which they surely would have topped the death rate list. Three of them did anyway.

Again Republicans look like losers. But only a fool would pit “red” vs. “blue” in a matter of life or death.