> To learn from the mistakes, and institutionalize better responses would mean to admit there were mistakes. One would think the grand blame-Trump-for-everything narrative would allow us to do that, but the mistakes are deeply embedded in the bureaucracies of the administrative state. Unlike bad admirals in WWII, nobody less than Trump himself has lost their job over incompetent covid response. The institutions have an enormous investment in ratifying that they did the best possible job last time. So, as in so many things (financial bailouts!) we institutionalize last time's mistakes to keep those who made them in power in power -- which means we do not learn from mistakes.
Maybe some learn, but it's impossible to enact the needed changes, due to your excellent insights.
I would add that politics has become a team sport and there are many issues that derive from this. Maybe this perspective is really just based on the biggest fans being the loudest, and many not wanting to say anything for fear of upsetting others and receiving their wrath
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[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 19.4 ms ] thread> To learn from the mistakes, and institutionalize better responses would mean to admit there were mistakes. One would think the grand blame-Trump-for-everything narrative would allow us to do that, but the mistakes are deeply embedded in the bureaucracies of the administrative state. Unlike bad admirals in WWII, nobody less than Trump himself has lost their job over incompetent covid response. The institutions have an enormous investment in ratifying that they did the best possible job last time. So, as in so many things (financial bailouts!) we institutionalize last time's mistakes to keep those who made them in power in power -- which means we do not learn from mistakes.
I would add that politics has become a team sport and there are many issues that derive from this. Maybe this perspective is really just based on the biggest fans being the loudest, and many not wanting to say anything for fear of upsetting others and receiving their wrath