More than 130,000 COVID deaths could have been avoided if the Trump administration hadn’t been “distracted” by the presidential campaign last year, the former White House “Coronavirus Coordinator” told a House select committee on the pandemic earlier this month. Deborah Birx, famous – or infamous – for her costume of expensive shoulder scarves she wore during White House coronavirus “briefings” last year, told investigators for the committee “I believe if we had fully implemented the mask mandates, the reduction in indoor dining, the getting friends and family to understand the risk of gathering in private homes, and we had increased testing, that we probably could have decreased fatalities into the 30-percent-less to 40-percent-less range.”
She should have resigned LONG before she did, and joined forces with Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Instead, she and t-Rump remind me a bit of two figures from ancient Roman history: the philosopher Seneca and the emperor Nero. Seneca hung on, as the power-drunk emperor became crazier and crueler with each passing day, hoping his wisdom might have the positive effect of softening the emperor's behavior, which of course it didn't. At least t-Rump didn't have Birk put to death, or drive her to suicide, as happened to Seneca. I read James Romm's book, "Dying Every Day. Seneca at the Court of Nero," during the t-Tump administration, and kept thinking of how much t-Rump reminded me of Nero. And poor Dr. Birk up there with him, dying a little every day....
How could Dr Birx j(not Birk) "join forces with Fauci" when he chose to stand next to T---- and pull faces at press conferences, instead of resigning? Fauci is a doubtful hero, in any event. He lied about masks, saying they didn't work, so the public wouldn't buy them all, leaving none for healthcare workers--a lie he had no right to promulgate. An investigative journalism report in The New Yorker, as well as some documentaries, show that the CDC and NIH reacted incompetently when COVID appeared and later allowed themselves to be politicized by the administration. If Birx died "a little every day" the remedy was to resign.
When people are thrust into positions of presumed power (and let's get real, Washington is where they all are) their ethics, morals and scruples fall by the wayside. As the old saying goes: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely". Birx thought she would have some power to affect a positive outcome, but she got seduced (or allowed herself to be) by the radiance of power floating in the WH, not knowing it was never going to be hers.
Women were not regarded as being intelligent enough to hold any position, thus she was shoved aside as window dressing when she tried to do anything useful.
This was the reason so many people died. Competence was not a requirement, but obedience to Trump was, no matter how serious the matter.
There are a lot of targets who could and should be blamed for their actions, and Birx doesn't escape, but she's not the only one. Start with Trump and his darling son-in-law, who happened to be appointed to oversee a lot of the Covid response and failed miserably.
A whole lot of tragedy here, and a lot of heads should have rolled. But they won't because Biden doesn't want to be known as the revenge President. I just wish he would for once.
Genocide is not an acceptable way to run a country.
The quote “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely” dates from an 1887 letter written by Lord Acton, a British parliamentarian. As for Brix, a plague on her house, to misquote William Shakespeare. She stood by, acquiescent, which is the equivalent of being complicit in Trump’s lies. She’s a day late and a dollar short (1939).
I'm quite aware of where the quotation came from. I should have given the reference, but I don't think most readers need to be told of it, because they've seen it many times in print.
Birx does deserve nothing but contempt for her non-actions, but I was trying to explain why it happened the way it did: corruption, misogyny, incompetence, and ignorance coupled with power to meet a disaster nobody had been prepared for.
Sure she should have resigned like so many others who didn’t. But that would have been the easy way out. Marching out of the White House and coming clean in front of the press would have done more good than making the mistake of thinking she could make a difference by continuing to plug along but remaining stoic amidst the madness. The lure of the limelight was too much for Dr. Birx.
Will we ever know the full behind-the-scenes nightmare? I am growing more doubtful by the day. And remember that brief and passing story about Jared's so-called roll out effort? As I recall, it was designed by a bunch of incompetent buddies, to prevent "blue" states from receiving the vaccine. It failed, as did every other endeavor. That's what happens when a bunch of idiots puts a bloviated fool in our WH and then allows him to run roughshod over our country. We're still paying for it. I'm just sorry he didn't topple off that balcony when he pulled his mask off in grand machismo, "look at me" style.
Did they ever get a regimen for the UV light and the Lysol? Insert light while inhaling lysol mist? Or? Even Brazil knows that what their bozo did, and didn't do was a crime against humanity. We presume the mighty DC Dems will at least send a few strongly worded letters?
Charge him for malicious negligence and call her as a witness. I am scheduled for my Moderna booster on Sunday. I suspect next year I’ll have another. For that I am grateful.
The Repugs who choose to support, enable and follow corrupt Trumpanzees cannot be “reached.” I started quarantining and masking the early spring BEFORE it became a crisis the following fall. All anyone had to do is use their head. People refusing to heed public health warnings died unnecessarily—many have themselves to blame. Did you know that nursing care facilities banned their staff from masking and did not provide PRI’s ? That doctors were threatened by administrators for masking? Do we really wonder why there is a nursing shortage??? Do we believe people like Gov Ricketts who refused nurses their workmen’s comp if they quit working at such places out of fear for their lives?
You know what? The only good Trumpanzee is a dead Trumpanzee.
The moment of truth for me came not when Trump prattled about an internal bleach "cleansing" to fight the virus, as if in a science fiction movie, but when Birx excused it by saying that Trump just got so excited about a new idea. Well, yeah? She spoke in maternal tones as if describing her son who gave a wrong answer during a science pop quiz... or interrupted the teacher to talk about his new chemistry set. Couldn't she have kept quiet instead of offering lame, indulgent and suck up excuses? Yes, she had to work with him at the White House. She could have resigned '"to spend more time with the family." Or for "health matters." We would have deciphered those codes. Lives were at stake, lady. And NOW you talk about them, too little, too late.
I don't understand why you appear to be supportive or at least sympathetic to birx. She was shamefully unprofessional. She sat there like a deer in the headlights as trump looked to her for support in touting bleach and UV body insertions. Not a peep. And in one time talking to the press outside the Whitehouse she was praising trump's supposed acumen in handling the virus information. She had her chance to give an honest and clear professional statement or to simply walk away.
Lastly, I always view with suspicion any professional who must preen before a camera.
oh, and just a kindly hint with due respect, Ms. Corea: ending almost every sentence with an exclamation point doesn't necessarily get your point across any better. Your ideas and views are able to stand literally by themselves.
I'm wondering how many commenters have ever been trapped in a lose-lose situation where you really don't *know* what the best choice is. It feels like the political equivalent of Monday morning quarterbacking -- and I hope they're all out doing political work and taking risks in their own communities.
Dr Birx was not supposed to be doing "political work." It's not lose-lose when one way is the truth and the other isn't. See Ln Em's comment below about her praising the president.
There is no valid comparison between Mary Trump's statements about her uncle, on TV and in her book, and what would have happened had Birx quietly resigned. Or even not-quietly. I don't think she "came clean;" there must be more she knows, that the public should. But it probably would make no difference, she's almost old news already, the media has the memory of a gold fish (apparently, it's actually been studied. Goldfish, not Birx.)
Birx? A sell out. She had a choice. She could have resigned and told the truth to the American people, but she didn't. Case closed.
She should have resigned LONG before she did, and joined forces with Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Instead, she and t-Rump remind me a bit of two figures from ancient Roman history: the philosopher Seneca and the emperor Nero. Seneca hung on, as the power-drunk emperor became crazier and crueler with each passing day, hoping his wisdom might have the positive effect of softening the emperor's behavior, which of course it didn't. At least t-Rump didn't have Birk put to death, or drive her to suicide, as happened to Seneca. I read James Romm's book, "Dying Every Day. Seneca at the Court of Nero," during the t-Tump administration, and kept thinking of how much t-Rump reminded me of Nero. And poor Dr. Birk up there with him, dying a little every day....
How could Dr Birx j(not Birk) "join forces with Fauci" when he chose to stand next to T---- and pull faces at press conferences, instead of resigning? Fauci is a doubtful hero, in any event. He lied about masks, saying they didn't work, so the public wouldn't buy them all, leaving none for healthcare workers--a lie he had no right to promulgate. An investigative journalism report in The New Yorker, as well as some documentaries, show that the CDC and NIH reacted incompetently when COVID appeared and later allowed themselves to be politicized by the administration. If Birx died "a little every day" the remedy was to resign.
When people are thrust into positions of presumed power (and let's get real, Washington is where they all are) their ethics, morals and scruples fall by the wayside. As the old saying goes: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely". Birx thought she would have some power to affect a positive outcome, but she got seduced (or allowed herself to be) by the radiance of power floating in the WH, not knowing it was never going to be hers.
Women were not regarded as being intelligent enough to hold any position, thus she was shoved aside as window dressing when she tried to do anything useful.
This was the reason so many people died. Competence was not a requirement, but obedience to Trump was, no matter how serious the matter.
There are a lot of targets who could and should be blamed for their actions, and Birx doesn't escape, but she's not the only one. Start with Trump and his darling son-in-law, who happened to be appointed to oversee a lot of the Covid response and failed miserably.
A whole lot of tragedy here, and a lot of heads should have rolled. But they won't because Biden doesn't want to be known as the revenge President. I just wish he would for once.
Genocide is not an acceptable way to run a country.
The quote “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely” dates from an 1887 letter written by Lord Acton, a British parliamentarian. As for Brix, a plague on her house, to misquote William Shakespeare. She stood by, acquiescent, which is the equivalent of being complicit in Trump’s lies. She’s a day late and a dollar short (1939).
I'm quite aware of where the quotation came from. I should have given the reference, but I don't think most readers need to be told of it, because they've seen it many times in print.
Birx does deserve nothing but contempt for her non-actions, but I was trying to explain why it happened the way it did: corruption, misogyny, incompetence, and ignorance coupled with power to meet a disaster nobody had been prepared for.
The truth must be made public! Thanks for shining a light on this information
Sure she should have resigned like so many others who didn’t. But that would have been the easy way out. Marching out of the White House and coming clean in front of the press would have done more good than making the mistake of thinking she could make a difference by continuing to plug along but remaining stoic amidst the madness. The lure of the limelight was too much for Dr. Birx.
Will we ever know the full behind-the-scenes nightmare? I am growing more doubtful by the day. And remember that brief and passing story about Jared's so-called roll out effort? As I recall, it was designed by a bunch of incompetent buddies, to prevent "blue" states from receiving the vaccine. It failed, as did every other endeavor. That's what happens when a bunch of idiots puts a bloviated fool in our WH and then allows him to run roughshod over our country. We're still paying for it. I'm just sorry he didn't topple off that balcony when he pulled his mask off in grand machismo, "look at me" style.
Did they ever get a regimen for the UV light and the Lysol? Insert light while inhaling lysol mist? Or? Even Brazil knows that what their bozo did, and didn't do was a crime against humanity. We presume the mighty DC Dems will at least send a few strongly worded letters?
Charge him for malicious negligence and call her as a witness. I am scheduled for my Moderna booster on Sunday. I suspect next year I’ll have another. For that I am grateful.
First, do no harm.
She's a doctor. Her behavior was reprehensible and violated her oath.
Yes! “First, do no harm.” She violated that opening part of her medical oath the moment she stood there silently while tRump lied about COVID.
She certainly ain’t no C. Everett Koop, now, is she?
The Repugs who choose to support, enable and follow corrupt Trumpanzees cannot be “reached.” I started quarantining and masking the early spring BEFORE it became a crisis the following fall. All anyone had to do is use their head. People refusing to heed public health warnings died unnecessarily—many have themselves to blame. Did you know that nursing care facilities banned their staff from masking and did not provide PRI’s ? That doctors were threatened by administrators for masking? Do we really wonder why there is a nursing shortage??? Do we believe people like Gov Ricketts who refused nurses their workmen’s comp if they quit working at such places out of fear for their lives?
You know what? The only good Trumpanzee is a dead Trumpanzee.
AMEN to that final sentence. Agree 109%
The moment of truth for me came not when Trump prattled about an internal bleach "cleansing" to fight the virus, as if in a science fiction movie, but when Birx excused it by saying that Trump just got so excited about a new idea. Well, yeah? She spoke in maternal tones as if describing her son who gave a wrong answer during a science pop quiz... or interrupted the teacher to talk about his new chemistry set. Couldn't she have kept quiet instead of offering lame, indulgent and suck up excuses? Yes, she had to work with him at the White House. She could have resigned '"to spend more time with the family." Or for "health matters." We would have deciphered those codes. Lives were at stake, lady. And NOW you talk about them, too little, too late.
I don't understand why you appear to be supportive or at least sympathetic to birx. She was shamefully unprofessional. She sat there like a deer in the headlights as trump looked to her for support in touting bleach and UV body insertions. Not a peep. And in one time talking to the press outside the Whitehouse she was praising trump's supposed acumen in handling the virus information. She had her chance to give an honest and clear professional statement or to simply walk away.
Lastly, I always view with suspicion any professional who must preen before a camera.
oh, and just a kindly hint with due respect, Ms. Corea: ending almost every sentence with an exclamation point doesn't necessarily get your point across any better. Your ideas and views are able to stand literally by themselves.
They can?
Can we have that in writing?
I'm wondering how many commenters have ever been trapped in a lose-lose situation where you really don't *know* what the best choice is. It feels like the political equivalent of Monday morning quarterbacking -- and I hope they're all out doing political work and taking risks in their own communities.
Dr Birx was not supposed to be doing "political work." It's not lose-lose when one way is the truth and the other isn't. See Ln Em's comment below about her praising the president.
But if she was really so frightened, that's another reason she should have resigned.
There is no valid comparison between Mary Trump's statements about her uncle, on TV and in her book, and what would have happened had Birx quietly resigned. Or even not-quietly. I don't think she "came clean;" there must be more she knows, that the public should. But it probably would make no difference, she's almost old news already, the media has the memory of a gold fish (apparently, it's actually been studied. Goldfish, not Birx.)