The Atlantic is a left leaning mag. From that perspective, the "how could we let it happen like this" was, I believe, specifically about the culture wars: ie ho

The Atlantic is a left leaning mag. From that perspective, the "how could we let it happen like this" was, I believe, specifically about the culture wars: ie how could so many reds let their neighbors die because they valued mask freedom over lives. As a society we've normalized individual freedom over collective lives as a new value, something which wasn't true in, say, the WW2 era of collective rationing. Half the country was fine letting millions die because they believed some youtuber on masks and vax.