Thread by @AndrewDessler

This is very interesting article: "How Trump could make public health a partisan issue"

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…

It should be noted that this is how climate science became politicized. When politicians started saying dumb things about climate science ("global warming stopped!"), it left scientists with a choice:

1) say nothing
2) publicly correct the misrepresentation of the science by politicians

Many in the scientific community chose #2, which I think was the morally responsible choice. But once you do this you've implicitly taken sides in the political debate.

Unfortunately, this is happening with COVID. As scientists communicate results that contradict the statements of politicians, these scientists will increasingly be viewed as enemies.

The important point is that science is politicized BY POLITICIANS when they contradict well-established science — not by scientists.

I saw really good talk by someone (@ClimateOfGavin?) who made this point. It's stuck with me.

Climate is a slow-moving disaster, while COVID is a very fast moving one.

So get ready to see how well not listening to experts works! I for one am not looking forward to it.