Remember When Obama Scolded Cuomo Over Ebola?

“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” said Barack Obama during an online commencement address to graduates of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in mid-May.

Obama was referring to the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 business. Obama’s claim then, and has been ever since, that the Trump administration has been encouraging Americans to do “what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy” rather than imposing a draconian nationwide lockdown.

In fall 2014, however, it was Obama who was scolding America’s governors, Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo most notably, for being too restrictive in their handling of the Ebola outbreak. Not surprisingly, the media took Obama’s side. During his famously “scandal-free” eight years, just about every move Obama made was the right one. Democrat or not, if he tangled with Obama, even Cuomo was wrong. pandemic: The Great In... Banks, John M. Buy New $14.45 (as of 02:45 UTC - Details)

As the Atlantic reported at the time, “The White House and senior public health officials made little secret of the fact their displeasure with Christie, a Republican, and with Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, a Democrat, after they hastily announced a new policy on Friday in which returning health workers would face mandatory 21-day quarantines.”

Ebola was inarguably more frightening than COVID. If the death rate for the latter is roughly 1 percent, the death rate from the former, certainly in Africa, hovered in the 50-60 percent range, and unlike COVID-19, it did not spare children.

Obama was unfazed. “America cannot look like it’s shying away, because people are watching what we do,” said Obama. “America, in the end, is not defined by fear. That’s not who we are. We don’t just react based on our fears. We react based on facts, and judgments.”

Master Manipulator: Th... James Ottar Grundvig Best Price: $14.15 Buy New $17.78 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details) In reality, Obama was less interested in the “facts” than that certain “people” were watching, namely those in Africa and elsewhere who looked to Obama as the spiritual leader of the third world. The disease’s African provenance prevented Obama from putting facts first.

At the time, too, no one really knew what the facts were. As the Atlantic reported, “Despite the presidential prodding, the federal government is continuing to send somewhat of a mixed message.” The article linked to “new and detailed guidelines” from the Centers for Disease Control that were as ambiguous as any as they have put out in the last six months.

“As with everything we have done to respond to the threat of Ebola both at home and abroad, we have been guided by the best science available,” claimed the CDC. The problem for governors like Christie and Cuomo is that the science seemed to change daily.

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