There are now good reasons to believe that the coronavirus will hit America especially hard, even though it originated in China. Why? Because it plays into multiple pre-existing weaknesses 1/
First, we have a man-child as president: not only does he judge everything solely in terms of whether it makes him look good, he has a very short-term focus. Downplay the threat to win today's news cycle, never mind what might happen down the road 2/
He also can't admit mistakes. Every past decision was perfect. So no capacity to adjust. 3/
He demands obsequious displays of personal loyalty from all around him — which means that everyone with principles, and almost everyone with expertise, has been driven out. We're led by the team that couldn't think straight 4/
But this goes beyond Trump's personal failings. The modern Republican Party hates investing in public goods of any kind except the military, in part because it doesn't want to admit that government can ever do good things 5/
Remember, the Bush administration crippled FEMA before Katrina; the degrading of epidemic response under Trump is the same kind of thing 6/
Also, the GOP has been at war with science for a long time. A party that denies climate science and evolution isn't going to be hospitable to good epidemiology 7/
Finally, a lot of what you need to contain a pandemic is social rather than strictly medical. You need to get people tested, and have them stay home if the test is positive. But we have a society in which cost deters people from getting tested 8/
And the absence of paid leave makes it hard, perhaps impossible, for many to take time off. 9/
I have American friends currently in Europe considering whether to extend their stay in the belief that universal health care and leave policies will make them safer. They may well be right 10/
