In medicine, we create vaccines by introducing some aspect of a pathogen to
create immunity — before someone is sick. In politics, it’s much easier for
us all to agree on general rules and principles before we know which team will be
impacted by that consensus. Inoculation means reinforcing concepts that we tend to
agree on — before they are the partisan fight of the moment.
From Chapter 5 of Cognitive Politics:
THEORY | HISTORICAL FAILURES: AUTHORITARIANISM