As Daily Kos covered on Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who serves as a top medical adviser for the White House and heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had to defend himself against yet another attack from Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. Paul who, as we know, loves to espouse anti-vaccine, anti-science hysteria and has made himself a nice little grift getting campaign reelection donations by floating the idea of firing Fauci. As Fauci himself pointed out during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing about ongoing COVID-19 response, the outrageous anger against him is not only unwarranted and unfair ethically, but it’s legitimately dangerous: Fauci shared that he and his family have received threats and harassment, and someone was arrested en route to Washington, D.C., last month to allegedly kill Fauci.
If conservatives don’t want to have Fauci’s back, that’s clearly a problem in itself. People who do have his back, however, include a number of legitimate scientists and medical professionals, including the dozens who signed on to a letter defending Fauci after Paul’s latest line of attack, as reported by Politico.
Folks who signed the letter include three Nobel laureates, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (a Republican from Tennessee), as well as former university presidents, physicians, academics, and scientists. The letter stresses that those who signed on “deplore” the “personal attacks” against Fauci, and describe the criticism as “inaccurate, unscientific, ill-founded in the facts” and “motivated by partisan politics.” Attacks against Fauci serve as a “distraction from what should be the national focus — working together to finally overcome a pandemic that is killing about 500,000 people a year."
The letter characterizes Fauci as someone who has given advice regarding the pandemic with “humility” and has been clear about what is actually known for certain, and what isn’t. The group describes Fauci’s advice as “well informed” given ongoing research and “rapidly evolving circumstances.”
The letter highlights that Fauci has served the U.S. well and continues to have “unreserved respect and trust” from the scientific community.
"Scientists can and do express dissenting viewpoints,” the group wrote in part. “But a right to an opinion does not mean the opinion is right. We are grateful that Dr. Fauci has consistently stated the science in a way that represents the facts as they emerge, without unwarranted speculation."
That’s a really polite way of saying what we’re all thinking—Republicans can have their opinions, sure. But “kindling the crazies,” as Fauci himself put it, is legitimately irresponsible, dangerous, and unethical, no matter where you stand politically.
Sign the petition to Joe Biden: Award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dr. Fauci.
If conservatives don’t want to have Fauci’s back, that’s clearly a problem in itself. People who do have his back, however, include a number of legitimate scientists and medical professionals, including the dozens who signed on to a letter defending Fauci after Paul’s latest line of attack, as reported by Politico.
Folks who signed the letter include three Nobel laureates, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (a Republican from Tennessee), as well as former university presidents, physicians, academics, and scientists. The letter stresses that those who signed on “deplore” the “personal attacks” against Fauci, and describe the criticism as “inaccurate, unscientific, ill-founded in the facts” and “motivated by partisan politics.” Attacks against Fauci serve as a “distraction from what should be the national focus — working together to finally overcome a pandemic that is killing about 500,000 people a year."
The letter characterizes Fauci as someone who has given advice regarding the pandemic with “humility” and has been clear about what is actually known for certain, and what isn’t. The group describes Fauci’s advice as “well informed” given ongoing research and “rapidly evolving circumstances.”
The letter highlights that Fauci has served the U.S. well and continues to have “unreserved respect and trust” from the scientific community.
"Scientists can and do express dissenting viewpoints,” the group wrote in part. “But a right to an opinion does not mean the opinion is right. We are grateful that Dr. Fauci has consistently stated the science in a way that represents the facts as they emerge, without unwarranted speculation."
That’s a really polite way of saying what we’re all thinking—Republicans can have their opinions, sure. But “kindling the crazies,” as Fauci himself put it, is legitimately irresponsible, dangerous, and unethical, no matter where you stand politically.
Sign the petition to Joe Biden: Award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dr. Fauci.