> First, there's no "no pandemic" case. Not anymore.
I am not saying that the analysis is correct, but information that is disclosed now has no bearing on an explanation of the actions of actors in the past.
> Last but not least, the whole framing is extremely simplistic and follows the "politicians are evil" reddit-like logic.
Politicians are people who happen to really care about being reelected. If you have any contact with them, you will realize that this is the ulterior motive of all of their actions. In a sense, as it should be. Being our democratic-elected representatives, it seems reasonable to me that they behave as slaves to the preferences of those who elected them. Like everything else, this creates a bunch of perverse incentives. You would have to be very naive to overlook these things, and imagine that powerful politicians will no put reelection above all things. The ones that didn't did not get reelected, and are not powerful politicians.
I am not saying that the analysis is correct, but information that is disclosed now has no bearing on an explanation of the actions of actors in the past.
> Last but not least, the whole framing is extremely simplistic and follows the "politicians are evil" reddit-like logic.
Politicians are people who happen to really care about being reelected. If you have any contact with them, you will realize that this is the ulterior motive of all of their actions. In a sense, as it should be. Being our democratic-elected representatives, it seems reasonable to me that they behave as slaves to the preferences of those who elected them. Like everything else, this creates a bunch of perverse incentives. You would have to be very naive to overlook these things, and imagine that powerful politicians will no put reelection above all things. The ones that didn't did not get reelected, and are not powerful politicians.