XBradTC

I’mma borrow a bit from our old friend John’s post on Facebook:

Usetabe – we really did know how to do it. And practiced it. And had the balls to not be so sensitive to the politics of it – because it was just that damn important to be ahead of it – which, oddly enough, is how you can get *less* hung up in the politics of it.

Actual public health issues aside, the CDC and Obama administration response to the Ebola outbreak shows the political problem of putting politics first when addressing an issue.

The CDC and White House have tried to carefully craft the response to minimize the political fallout. No drastic measure like limiting air travelers from Ebola stricken countries, or using public health quarantine powers to restrict the movement of possibly exposed persons here in the US. Instead, the goal was to display a calm demeanor and forestall any appearance of a crisis. No Drama Obama!

But reality has a way of intruding into the narrative. The common flu will kill tens of thousands this year. And the Enterovirus D-68 already has a higher body count that Ebola here in the US. But Ebola is such a nightmare scenario that it justifiably has the attention of the population.

Had the CDC and White House acted aggressively, perhaps even drastically, to prevent the introduction of Ebola into the US, they wouldn’t be receiving the pummeling in the press and public opinion that they are today. Any political costs from an immediate and powerful response would have been far smaller than those they face today.