So now "leadership" comes from the bottom up? In what universe? This is a national crisis dude. Things that happen on a national level require a federal response. Generally, in a leadership hierarchy the lower levels take their cues from the top. From day one of this crisis there has been little to no coherent guidance or any semblance of coordinated, definitive action from the top. Pretending the "Chinese Virus" is nothing to worry about and hoping it just goes away when it gets warmer out is the exact opposite of what an appropriate response would have been.

Please explain who you refer to that is crying for help that didn't want to be dictated to? In fact, the exact opposite scenario is true. No national stay-at-home-order, well I'm not going to lock down my state! Think about the last stay-at-home holdouts, they were all waiting like puppies to be told to shut things down and some still have not. Maybe they get lucky and are spared from becoming overwhelmed but that does not seem likely given how this virus has spread to everywhere so quickly. Those states that acted in their own self interest decided they better do something since no one form the top was telling them what to do.

How do you feel about the decision made two years ago to dismantle our national pandemic response office? Think that was a good idea? Seems like that could have been a useful thing to have right now.