We Moved Heaven and Earth After 3000 Were Killed on 9/11

Three thousand people died on September 11, 2001.  It was a tragic and horrifying event.  The nation rallied and mobilized to respond to this event.  Nothing could stand in the way of the most powerful nation on earth.

In 2020, a pandemic threatened our land with clear malice and deadly potential.  We saw the chaos and death that followed in its wake in China, Italy and Spain.  We had the resources, the economic resiliency, the healthcare capabilities, and the technology to combat this enemy.  But somehow, we failed miserably, and we have lost 150,000 lives, with perhaps an additional hundred thousand or more likely to be lost before it is all over.

What we lacked was the presidential will and leadership.

Other nations' leaders with fewer resources and more complex obstacles rose to this challenge.  They spoke earnestly and deliberately to their people, basing their policies and mandates on trusted scientists and physicians.  They shut down their economies and kept them shut down until the virus counts were low enough that the experts predicted they could be managed through extensive testing, tracing, tracking and quarantine.  They mobilized massive national resources for testing, tracking, PPE and other needs.

Donald Trump did not rise to the challenge.  On the contrary, he mocked and stood in the way of those who made efforts to warn the public and chart a sensible course.  Instead of using the vast presidential powers that he has to mobilize FEMA, the National Guard, the military and industry in a united effort to contain the virus, he dithered and complained bitterly about the contagion’s impact on ‘his’ stock market and economy.  

He rejected any responsibility for leading the efforts to combat the virus and chose a role of criticizing various governors, who do not possess anywhere near the access to resources that he has.  He even encouraged protestors to fight against the efforts of individual states to maintain shutdowns until the virus counts were low. The only time he seemed eager to use his presidential powers was to orchestrate disproportional federal force against BLM and social justice protesters

The USA should have been an example to the world about how to fight COVID-19.  Instead, it is yet another cautionary tale about how hubris, ignorance and other character flaws in a single leader can cause a massive loss of life and plunge a country into deep despair and misery.  There is simply no excuse for this failure and we must take a cold, hard look at our country and ourselves to understand how we have come to this point.