Covid-19's political storm

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Covid-19's political storm

February 3, 2022

Stephen Collinson and Shelby Rose

'Fauci can pound sand'

In 2008, a Republican president, George W. Bush, awarded Dr. Anthony Fauci America's highest civilian honor for bringing "hope and healing to tens of millions in both developed and developing nations." In 2022, a Republican governor, Ron DeSantis of Florida, who would like to be the next president, is selling flip-flops on his campaign website bearing the slogan "Fauci can pound sand" on their soles.

The shift in Fauci's treatment reflects the extreme politicization of the pandemic and public health guidance. It also charts the radicalization of a Republican Party that now spurns the establishment, expertise and fact. Fauci, 81, has headed the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He was an architect of Bush's HIV/AIDS plan that saved millions of lives in Africa. He has battled Ebola and Zika, TB and malaria and countless allergies and conditions. His work made him one of the world's most respected doctors.

But now Fauci is up against a disease with no cure: the vicious partisanship infecting American public life and a willingness to shred truths and other people's reputations in the pursuit of money and power. Fauci, who worked for Republican and Democratic presidents from Ronald Reagan onwards, has become a lightning rod for conservative media millionaires and political wannabes who accuse him of using the pandemic to impose liberal authoritarianism to crush individual American freedoms. It's no wonder you're more likely to die from Covid-19 in a Republican state than a Democratic one. DeSantis, who is trying to out-Trump ex-President Donald Trump, has denounced "Faucism" and accused his foe of covering up China's role in the origins of the pandemic. His attack underscores the ruthless streak that could take him to the top of American politics.

No one survives at the top of a Washington bureaucracy for nearly 40 years without being a deft politician. Perhaps Fauci has been a little too fond of the camera and, yes, his advice did change as the pandemic wore on. But that's more because of evolving science than partisan ax grinding. The demonization that has forced him to travel with a security detail is poor reward for a lifetime of public service.

When Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal for Freedom, he said Fauci had helped others "live longer and healthier lives" in the developed and developing world. Demagogic hysteria about anti-Covid measures has had the opposite effect.

It's often said that power reveals a person's true character.

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We stopped using 'imminent'

The White House won't say that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is "imminent" any more.

Possibly setting the stage for a long phony war of attrition with President Putin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki explained the change in terminology.

"I used that once," Psaki said, when asked why the administration had stopped warning that the possible invasion was "imminent."

"I think others have used that once and then we stopped using it because I think it sent a message that we weren't' intending to send, which was that we knew that President Putin had made a decision. I would say the vast majority of times I've talked about it we said he could invade at any time. That's true; we still don't know that he's made a decision."

Do as I say, not as I do

Some politicians just can't stop breaking their own Covid-19 rules.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson might be the most visible and unapologetic trampler of pandemic protocol. But as CNN's Devan Cole writes for Meanwhile, he's hardly alone -- or the only repeat offender.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti found themselves in hot water after NBA legend Magic Johnson posted photos of himself with the Democratic officials on Sunday as they all watched a football game from a cushy stadium suite. The issue: the three leaders were maskless, violating an LA County indoor mask mandate that also applies to major sporting events.

Newsom and a spokesman for Garcetti later said they had removed the masks briefly for the photos, but the decision is mind-boggling considering how outspoken they have been on Covid guidelines. Not to mention, the governor survived an embarrassing recall election last year that was partly sparked by his attendance at a maskless dinner party at a ritzy restaurant during some of the darkest days of the pandemic, when Californians were being urged to stay at home.

Breed, meanwhile, lashed out at critics last year after she was seen maskless at a San Francisco club, breaking her own indoor mask mandate. At the time, she shrugged off the "fun police" for calling out the hypocrisy.

While Newsom and Garcetti defend their actions, Johnson was fighting for his political future after a damning official report detailed his flagrant disregard for the rules in a scandal now being dubbed "Partygate." The report revealed that Johnson attended a series of boozy gatherings featuring copious alcohol while his nation was hunkered down under strict lockdowns. The PM apologized for "the things we simply didn't get right" but he's refusing to resign.

All of this poses a question: How can leaders expect others to follow the rules if they won't do so themselves?

There's no escape from the snow and ice. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Wednesday, meaning that if you believe in a groundhog's ability to predict the weather, the US is in for six more weeks of winter. (State of Pennsylvania)

Thanks for reading.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the National Prayer Breakfast. Biden also heads to New York City to discuss measures to combat gun violence with Mayor Eric Adams. A 555.55-carat black diamond, believed to come from outer space, will open for online bidding on Sotheby's Dubai website.