No, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman wasn’t intoxicated during her Wednesday interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper. Or, at least we don’t think she was. But it may have seemed like she was at least a little tipsy to those who listened to her call for casinos to reopen while refusing to present a safe plan of action to ensure guests practice social distancing.
Due to COVID-19, Las Vegas is in for some tough times financially. The mayor said in the interview that she worries about local businesses and workers, certainly a reasonable position to take. But she also made some comments that, let’s just say, led to some head-scratching, and probably caused a few viewers to angrily throw their TVs out the window in disgust.
Cooper, a veteran journalist, wasn’t having any of it and called her out for multiple contradictory statements. At one point in the lengthy conversation, she compared bomb testing in Nevada to the coronavirus. Later on, she said she proposed Las Vegas citizens serve as a controlled group in determining the effectiveness of social distancing.
“I know that when you have a disease, you have a placebo that gets the water and the sugar, and then you have those that actually get the shot,” she told the long-time CNN host. “We would love to be that placebo side so you have something to measure against.”
“The group that gets the placebo usually gets the short end of the stick,” Cooper advised the confused Las Vegas mayor.
In between, Mayor Goodman uttered a redundant statement, saying, “I’m not a politician. I am a politician because I’m a mayor.” Well, okay then, Mrs. Politician-But-Not-Really-a-Politician.
Las Vegas Mayor Asks Citizens to Do as She Says, Not as She Does
Cooper challenged the Las Vegas mayor to put her money where her mouth is, but she refused. The CNN host asked Goodman, who has served as mayor since 2011 after replacing her husband Oscar Goodman, “if casinos reopen, are you going to be inside those casinos every single night, putting your own life on the line?”
“I have lived in this town for 56 years,” she evasively responded.
“It’s a question, are you going to go to the casinos every night and put your life on the line like all the workers you say were there holding their hands?” Cooper again asked.
“They don’t need it, we weren’t broken,” she claims before continuing to avoid the initial question. “We have 150 people we’ve tragically lost. It’s tragic. We have 2.3 million people here.”
“I haven’t heard you say yes that you would be sitting on the casino floors every night along with the people that you say you’re holding their hands with,” the CNN reporter again challenged the Las Vegas mayor.”
“What is the purpose of that?” the mayor asked. “First of all, I have a family, and I cook every meal every night.
Cooper attempted once more to get her to “put your money where your mouth is,” but she again declined the offer. She instead claimed she doesn’t gamble anymore. As if gambling is the only activity available in Las Vegas’ multitude of mega-resort casinos.
CNN Host an Alarmist?
As of Wednesday evening, the US had nearly 850,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 48,000 deaths from the coronavirus. But the Las Vegas mayor is apparently convinced Anderson Cooper is being an alarmist when he questions if encouraging hundreds of thousands of people to travel to Sin City right now is a good idea.
Anderson Cooper: You're talking about encouraging hundreds of thousands of people to come to Las Vegas … smoking, drinking, touching slot machines, breathing circulated air, doesn't that sound like a virus petri dish?!
Las Vegas Mayor: It sounds like you're being an alarmist! pic.twitter.com/meAlEMpntl
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) April 22, 2020
Las Vegas casinos have been closed down since March 18 and will remain closed for the foreseeable future. Mayor Goodman has no power in determining when businesses can reopen. She does, however, have a voice. And some aren’t too thrilled to see her on TV. Take, for example, former November Niner Jesse Sylvia.
It's just so impressive to be this dumb AND this smug about it at the same time. https://t.co/3T4xm7hxIt
— Jesse Sylvia (@MrJesseJames4) April 22, 2020
Twice during the interview, Goodman made a comment, and then after Cooper repeated that statement verbatim, she told him not to “put words in my mouth.”
Goodman admitted in the interview that social distancing measures are necessary. But when Cooper asked her what precautionary measures the casinos should take to ensure guests are practicing safe social distancing, she said, “that’s for them to decide,” and declined to offer up any propositions.
On a positive note, depending on how you look at it, she received a great deal of attention on social media. Following the interview, she was among the top trending topics on Twitter.
Unfortunately, for her sake, most of the comments weren’t exactly complimentary. “The Las Vegas mayor is bats**t crazy,” one Twitter user said. Another social media poster referred to her as the “biggest idiot on planet earth.” That might be a bit of hyperbole, but the mayor certainly won’t be joining Mensa any time soon.
