[burger]

I'm not sure a Dem (or alternate GOP) president would have reacted much faster. - Magnus

Maybe, but this particular President has a history of doubting scientists and not trusting subject matter experts.  I'd like to think 42, 43, or 44 had less of this type of hubris, would have been more heedful of the many warnings, and quicker to trust the science once the risk was known.  I could be wrong here.

This article lays out that the Obama administration's response to H1N1 flu in 2009 was quick and effective: https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/trumps...emic-spin/

If you compare the timelines of response from the first US H1N1 infection vs the first US coronavirus infection, the Obama administration was weeks or even >1 month quicker to declare an emergency, ask for funding, etc.  So, no comparison here.

In hindsight,  sole blame can't be laid on the administration.  It's the system we have in place now.  I'm not sure a Dem (or alternate GOP) president would have reacted much faster. Unless the horror hit our doorstep...or at least our closest allies' doorstep,  it's hard to motivate.  Especially when,  as Genuine said,  US doctors weren't taking this seriously.  I asked 2 ID docs before my trip what to do and they both said I should go.  Not to mention the WHO's reaction.

This is highly specious reasoning.  Frankly, some doctors are idiots.  Just because you can get a medical degree does not mean you are immune to political persuasion, etc.  The fact that doctors were dismissing the virus simply means that the federal government did not do its job properly in warning people about the dangers of the virus.  Remember, idiot Trump spent a month telling people that it was a hoax, was nothing, etc.  Lots of people listen to Trump, even though he has a long record of lying.  In an ideal world where a president was on top of the coronavirus response from day one, no doctor would have been able to ignore it.

[burger]

I'm not sure a Dem (or alternate GOP) president would have reacted much faster. - Magnus

Maybe, but this particular President has a history of doubting scientists and not trusting subject matter experts.  I'd like to think 42, 43, or 44 had less of this type of hubris, would have been more heedful of the many warnings, and quicker to trust the science once the risk was known.  I could be wrong here.

This article lays out that the Obama administration's response to H1N1 flu in 2009 was quick and effective: https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/trumps...emic-spin/

If you compare the timelines of response from the first US H1N1 infection vs the first US coronavirus infection, the Obama administration was weeks or even >1 month quicker to declare an emergency, ask for funding, etc.  So, no comparison here.

In hindsight,  sole blame can't be laid on the administration.  It's the system we have in place now.  I'm not sure a Dem (or alternate GOP) president would have reacted much faster. Unless the horror hit our doorstep...or at least our closest allies' doorstep,  it's hard to motivate.  Especially when,  as Genuine said,  US doctors weren't taking this seriously.  I asked 2 ID docs before my trip what to do and they both said I should go.  Not to mention the WHO's reaction.

This is highly specious reasoning.  Frankly, some doctors are idiots.  Just because you can get a medical degree does not mean you are immune to political persuasion, etc.  The fact that doctors were dismissing the virus simply means that the federal government did not do its job properly in warning people about the dangers of the virus.  Remember, idiot Trump spent a month telling people that it was a hoax, was nothing, etc.  Lots of people listen to Trump, even though he has a long record of lying.  In an ideal world where a president was on top of the coronavirus response from day one, no doctor would have been able to ignore it.