Hotter take: actually, it does matter.
I have no doubt that the people at CDC will do their best regardless of the funding cuts they've had over the past few years. And maybe the fact that we can't get working tests out is unrelated to Trump's failure as a manager.
I have no doubt that the people at CDC will do their best regardless of the funding cuts they've had over the past few years. And maybe the fact that we can't get working tests out is unrelated to Trump's failure as a manager.
2/ Maybe the fact that he has no clue what he's doing, and seems to care only insofar as it affects the stock market and his reelection chances, will make no difference. Maybe it doesn't matter that our response so far has been totally uncoordinated.
3/ Maybe it doesn't matter that the people who would have been coordinating our response, making sure that agencies are working together and nothing falls through the cracks, were fired. Maybe we don't actually need someone to coordinate our response.
4/ Maybe the fact that we've cut our public health assistance to other countries -- assistance designed to make them more capable of spotting and containing outbreaks themselves -- won't have any effect if the virus reaches, say, Africa.
5/ Maybe everything will go perfectly in the absence of preparation, funding, and coordinated leadership.
I wouldn't like to bet on it, though.
I wouldn't like to bet on it, though.
