Viral chart compares benefits of fast COVID-19 action by KY’s Democratic Gov to TN’s fatally slow GOP Gov

  • 04/10/2020 1:51 pm ET • John See
Hero memes for one governors' coronavirus response, hate for another's 3

Wikimedia

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear acted quickly to combat coronavirus, issuing a state of emergency and, shortly after, a stay-at-home order. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, by contrast, took action only after Nashville and other cities took the lead.

The two states have taken sharply different approaches to the coronavirus outbreak, providing what Buzzfeed labels “a natural experiment.” Results also have differed,  with coronavirus cases and deaths in Tennessee far exceeding those in Kentucky.

Beshear’s decisive actions and insistence on social distancing have saved lives and spawned memes. Products and mash-ups featuring “You can’t be doin’ that,” Beshear’s oft-repeated warning about violating social-distancing guidelines, are on Etsy and Facebook.

The graph that went viral

Hero memes for one governors' coronavirus response, hate for another's 4

Facebook / Stephanie Jolly

Stephanie Jolly, a Kentucky educator who created this graph that went viral, was one of the first people to call attention to the contrast between Tennessee (orange) and Kentucky (blue).

Andy Beshear gets memed

Hero memes for one governors’ coronavirus response, hate for another’s

Screenshot / CNET

Beshear’s daily coronavirus briefings are popular, providing much-needed information, a calming presence, and a reason to dance with your dog.

Other Beshear-inspired tweets and memes involve Superman, SpongeBob, and Beshear busting up flea markets.

“How many Tennesseans have to die?”

10 times Katie Porter has already killed it in 2020 5

Pixabay

While Beshear was praised for his handling of the crisis, Lee was vilified for his inaction.

The Tennessee Medical Association pleaded with Lee to shut down nonessential businesses long before Lee took action, and individual doctors like the one below, who asked Lee, “How many Tennesseans have to die?”

Gov. Lee Ignoring Tennesseans

Hero memes for one governors' coronavirus response, hate for another's 1

Wikimedia

Twitter has not been kind to Bill Lee’s slow response to the coronavirus outbreak. He’s been accused of ignoring Tennesseans and treating them like guinea pigs.

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