[Farm93]

Ask and you shall receive.  The Obama Playbook is the 69 page document at the top of this politico article.



https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25...cil-149285

Thank you very much for the rersponse. As it happens, I had already seen this document. I just wanted to ensure there wasn't another one out there somewhere. I am going to ask everybody here, first, did you actually read this document in detail? It is titled a "playbook", but as far as I can see, it lists a lot of interesting questions that could be asked and then in the appendix lists some (but certainly not all) of the powers that the Executive branch can use to respond. What it does not do is attempt to tie the answer to any given question to what actions should be performed or why this question matters. If also clearly says nothing about what to do if the answer to any given question is "We don't know". It is true that many of the questions are clearly relevant, and having them listed in one place could be useful. As far as recommending any course of action in response to any given answer, this document does not.

I would liken this document to a book about football that lists all the possible interesting questions one could ask about football. Then, a short listing of some (but certainly not all) of the plays that somebody (not exactly clear who) could call, without any discussion of advantages, disadvantages, or likely outcomes, or really how the plays relate to the questions. No discussion of necessary personnel or their requite skills or even where such players can be found. If  a coach picks up this playbook and expects to play somebody next week using it, GFL. In short, I find this "playbook" interesting but of little utility in actually DOING anything. I fully realize that writing "Epidemics for Dummies" isn't real easy, but this document certainly doesn't do so. It literally raises many more questions than it answers. That may be fine, in that it is a complex topic. However, I see no way this "playbook" is of any use except as possibly a guide to further study. "Following" or "executing" this document is IMHO a meaningless concept. Others comments welcome!

I suspect you realize the playbook is literally just the starting document.   In all administrations there are transition teams that review the greatest current threats and share the current organizational knowledge about those threats.   Global pandemics were high on the list for POTUS43 to POTUS44 and for POTUS44 to POTUS45.  Those conversations, I believe, are generally confidential.     Sadly, most of those in the POTUS45 team have left government, and it is not very clear what type of transition or succession planning took place as they left.    

The real goal with this type of document is to get the next administration to understand the types of questions they should consider.   Over time any step by step type sports playbook would not be applicable.   A bit like running the 1985 Chicago Bears Playbook in 2019.   An organization needs to understand the fundamental questions and challenges and then formulate their own plans.  However, winning the game does remain the goal.   So the questions are more timeless than literal step by step instructions.

However it has been clear from those in POTUS43 and POTUS43 that everyone understood for pandemics the key to everything is clearly to test and trace as much as possible while asking questions rather than assuming the oceans and physical distance will be sufficient.

POTUS43 and POTUS44 both ran simulations with their pandemic response teams so that the government had some level of organizational awareness about what to do generally as every virus will present a little differently.

POTUS45 had those simulations at least at the start of the administration.  For whatever reason POTUS45 and his core team did not allocate a lot of time or resources to that team and threat area.  

It is all tragic and ironic because the international hotel and leisure industries are getting crushed, so until it started I would have thought preventing a global pandemic with the potential to destroy the tourism industries might have been of some interest to the Trump family.

[Farm93]

Ask and you shall receive.  The Obama Playbook is the 69 page document at the top of this politico article.



https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25...cil-149285

Thank you very much for the rersponse. As it happens, I had already seen this document. I just wanted to ensure there wasn't another one out there somewhere. I am going to ask everybody here, first, did you actually read this document in detail? It is titled a "playbook", but as far as I can see, it lists a lot of interesting questions that could be asked and then in the appendix lists some (but certainly not all) of the powers that the Executive branch can use to respond. What it does not do is attempt to tie the answer to any given question to what actions should be performed or why this question matters. If also clearly says nothing about what to do if the answer to any given question is "We don't know". It is true that many of the questions are clearly relevant, and having them listed in one place could be useful. As far as recommending any course of action in response to any given answer, this document does not.

I would liken this document to a book about football that lists all the possible interesting questions one could ask about football. Then, a short listing of some (but certainly not all) of the plays that somebody (not exactly clear who) could call, without any discussion of advantages, disadvantages, or likely outcomes, or really how the plays relate to the questions. No discussion of necessary personnel or their requite skills or even where such players can be found. If  a coach picks up this playbook and expects to play somebody next week using it, GFL. In short, I find this "playbook" interesting but of little utility in actually DOING anything. I fully realize that writing "Epidemics for Dummies" isn't real easy, but this document certainly doesn't do so. It literally raises many more questions than it answers. That may be fine, in that it is a complex topic. However, I see no way this "playbook" is of any use except as possibly a guide to further study. "Following" or "executing" this document is IMHO a meaningless concept. Others comments welcome!

I suspect you realize the playbook is literally just the starting document.   In all administrations there are transition teams that review the greatest current threats and share the current organizational knowledge about those threats.   Global pandemics were high on the list for POTUS43 to POTUS44 and for POTUS44 to POTUS45.  Those conversations, I believe, are generally confidential.     Sadly, most of those in the POTUS45 team have left government, and it is not very clear what type of transition or succession planning took place as they left.    

The real goal with this type of document is to get the next administration to understand the types of questions they should consider.   Over time any step by step type sports playbook would not be applicable.   A bit like running the 1985 Chicago Bears Playbook in 2019.   An organization needs to understand the fundamental questions and challenges and then formulate their own plans.  However, winning the game does remain the goal.   So the questions are more timeless than literal step by step instructions.

However it has been clear from those in POTUS43 and POTUS43 that everyone understood for pandemics the key to everything is clearly to test and trace as much as possible while asking questions rather than assuming the oceans and physical distance will be sufficient.

POTUS43 and POTUS44 both ran simulations with their pandemic response teams so that the government had some level of organizational awareness about what to do generally as every virus will present a little differently.

POTUS45 had those simulations at least at the start of the administration.  For whatever reason POTUS45 and his core team did not allocate a lot of time or resources to that team and threat area.  

It is all tragic and ironic because the international hotel and leisure industries are getting crushed, so until it started I would have thought preventing a global pandemic with the potential to destroy the tourism industries might have been of some interest to the Trump family.