Sometimes our dear leaders confess their lies just to prove to everybody how smart they are as grand strategists.
“Look at us! We out-manipulated, outfoxed everybody with our gloriously sophisticated strategy. Yes, we lied and provided political cover in order destroy the ability of so many people to walk around and make a living. This was the plan from the start. But we couldn’t
In her memoir Silent Invasion, Deborah Birx, former CDC official and former Coronavirus Response Coordinator, clearly explains her give-us-an-inch/we’ll-take-a-mile method. “No sooner had we convinced the Trump Administration to implement our version of a two-week shutdown than I was trying to figure out how to extend it. Fifteen Days to Slow the Spread was a start, but I knew it would be just that.”
And: “The White House would ‘encourage,’ but the states could ‘recommend’ or, if needed, ‘mandate.’… The fact that the guidelines would be coming from a Republican White House gave political cover to any Republican governors skeptical of federal overreach.”
And: “Getting buy-in on the simple mitigation measures every American could take was just the first step leading to longer and more aggressive interventions. We had to [avoid the] appearance of a full Italian lockdown. [But we had to match] as closely as possible what Italy had done — a tall order.”
Etc.
I disagree with those who say that Brix et al. should be tarred and feathered. But let’s not put them in charge of any future pandemics.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Illustration created with Midjourney and DALL-E2
—
See all recent commentary
(simplified and organized)