Thread by @ggreeneva

This might not have been fully foreseeable before the Delta wave it the U.S. — bit in hindsight, the failure by the Biden administrtation to prioritize approval and distribution of rapid tests in its very first days was a mistake. propublica.org/article/heres-…

One effective way to hold viral transmission down & get schools feeling more ‘normal’ would have been ubiquitous testing, in order to allow students and their families to know their standards — and to isolate, if that were necessary, for briefer periods. nytimes.com/2021/11/08/opi…

The monumental effectiveness of the vaccines might have influenced the choice to focus on vaccinating the country back to normal. For a fortnight in early summer, it looked all set to work.

But then, it didn’t. Sigh. nytimes.com/2021/11/05/us/…

The blame for the parlous rapid-test situation, however, appears to rest as much with personnel and governance — specifically the problem of industry capture of the FDA — as with any decisions by the White House. The situation is equal parts incredible and infuriating:

https://twitter.com/sarahmillerdc/status/1456256290909425678

The personnel issue, in turn, arguably results from the Senate’s slothful pace in confirming Biden’s nominees. Dems could raise cain about that — if the party weren’t so busy, that is, seeking ways to show the public that bipartisanship works. washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/…

In any case, @michelleinbklyn is right for now: making school feel more normal is a problem for Dems to figure out. Either the party can govern its way out of the problem — or it may find, next November, that it has governed its way out of power.