Trust, But Corroborate

Via Chris Cillizza (LOL), Washington Post, May 2014. I don't really believe in the significance of this but it's hypnotic.

Really irritated yesterday morning by a radio appearance from Andy Slavitt, a valued voice on medical care and coverage today, falling rhetorically into a pit of Brooksian cold oatmeal.

GREENE: But our next guest says the fundamental issue is not testing. It is not face masks or lockdowns or back-to-school guidelines. It is, fundamentally, trust. Andy Slavitt is a former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and he joins me this morning. Thanks for being here.

ANDY SLAVITT: Morning, David.

GREENE: So why do you see this all about trust?

SLAVITT: Well, if we're wondering why, in the U.S., we're not doing as well as other nations are - and to be clear, other nations have really crushed this virus; whether you're talking about Europe or Asia, they really flattened that curve down to almost nothing. And we ask ourselves kind of why is it that we haven't done as well? Those other countries, what are they doing? Mostly, they're using gifts that they were born with - the ability not to spread the virus by not breathing on people, either using a mask or staying home. And the answer is that, in those countries, they are more unified and trusting in what they're saying. And I'll give you a couple of examples of...