The Bizarre, Partisan Attacks on Dr. Deborah Birx

On Wednesday, they were upset that President Trump called her "Deborah" after calling her male counterpart "Dr. Fauci." By Thursday, they started turning on her because she decided to use some of her screen time at the daily Coronavirus task force briefing -- which, astoundingly, many of them want partially censored -- to caution against hysteria based on worst-case-scenario modeling and projections. In case you missed it, this is what raised hackles and generated misplaced rage:

She's making two big points, which are simultaneously both quite simple and technically complicated. Simple versions: (1) Worst-case scenario models of Coronavirus infections and deaths are not actually being borne out in on-the-ground data (she'd also also previously explained how many of the scariest numbers were based on projections that assumed zero response to the virus, which is obviously not the case). She makes reference to these developments, in which an influential British study drastically scaled back its estimated death toll in recent days, which is explained well here. That encouraging movement was spurred by decisive action and disruptive mitigation steps -- which Birx has of course advocated and endorsed. In any case, the most horrifying potential outcomes are not materializing in real life at this point, and Birx thought it was important to help calm people down by pointing out this fact.

(2) Birx also noted that as of now, ICU bed and ventilator shortages in Greater New York City have not overwhelmed care. This is true "right now," as she says, but that qualifying fragment could very well be temporary. The scenes out of New York are frightening, and the scarcity of both ICU beds and ventilators is becoming a big problem. Some people are knocking her for downplaying an acute issue that could soon be undeniable, but I think what she's getting at is that media 'crisis porn,' if you will, should not irresponsibly cross into fear-mongering. In the clip above, she explicitly warns against misreporting 'do not resuscitate' and triage contingency plans as active realities, thus stoking exaggerated fears. Almost exactly on cue, a former top Obama administration healthcare official tweeted something grossly misleading, suggesting that a major hospital in the Midwest had run out of ventilators and was starting to withhold care from certain patients to help save others. The hospital denied this, explaining that their plan for that terrible possible scenario had leaked and was being shared as if it had been implemented. Nevertheless, the misinformation was amplified my several major media figures, before the original alarmist tweet was deleted. This thread is useful as a quick and maddening summary of what happened, which vindicated Birx's point.

But the knives had already started to get unsheathed, as lefty Twitter decided that because she wasn't engaging in sufficiently alarmist pessimism -- and was politely scolding the media and other doomsayers -- she'd gone in the tank for Trump. This is an extraordinarily ridiculous and insulting accusation, given her profound expertise and long, impressive career spanning administrations of both political parties. Listen to the experts, they scream, unless and until one of those experts says something we don't like. When the prevailing orthodoxy is threatened, the smear machine gets revved up. Here's a CNN commentator and Clinton comms alum misspelling her name while peddling a conspiracy about Birx:

And here's an Obama comms alum, best known for hurling hyper-partisan rhetorical grenades, telling Birx -- the actual expert -- what she should be saying and how she should be doing her job. I do believe this is what his ilk would refer to as textbook 'mansplaining:'

"Listen toots, let me tell you a few things about doctorin'...you need to stop 'lecturing' people and start doing your job the way I want you to. Got it?" I'm flabbergasted:

Let's be clear: This is a massive crisis that will continue to impact the world in awful ways for weeks or months. There are worrisome scenes playing out around the country, with potential new hotspots flaring up. People who are still calling this pandemic overblown, or itching to prematurely pronounce it over, are dangerously wrong. But one can comprehend and even fear the seriousness of this ongoing threat without reflexively and uncritically swallowing every 'parade of horribles' projection out there, especially as some of the scariest models have massively reassessed their assumptions. (I'd add that it's tricky to reconcile all the charts flying around social media, which seem to paint dramatically different pictures of what's really happening, and how relatively good or bad America's position is in all of this).

Here is her bio. I think we know who is the serious professional and who are the lying partisan clowns here.

Ambassador-at-Large, Deborah L. Birx, M.D., is the Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. Ambassador Birx is a world-renowned medical expert and leader in the field of HIV/AIDS. Her three-decade-long career has focused on HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Birx oversees the implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history, as well as all U.S. Government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Serving as the U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, she aligns the U.S. Government’s diplomacy with foreign assistance programs that address global health challenges and accelerate progress toward: achieving an AIDS-free generation; ending preventable child and maternal deaths; and preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats.

In 1985, Ambassador Birx began her career with the Department of Defense (DoD) as a military-trained clinician in immunology, focusing on HIV/AIDS vaccine research. From 1985-1989, she served as an Assistant Chief of the Hospital Immunology Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Through her professionalism and leadership in the field, she progressed to serve as the Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research from 1996-2005. Ambassador Birx helped lead one of the most influential HIV vaccine trials in history (known as RV 144 or the Thai trial), which provided the first supporting evidence of any vaccine’s potential effectiveness in preventing HIV infection. During this time, she also rose to the rank of Colonel, bringing together the Navy, Army, and Air Force in a new model of cooperation – increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. Military’s HIV/AIDS efforts through inter- and intra-agency collaboration. Then known as Colonel Birx, she was awarded two prestigious U.S. Meritorious Service Medals and the Legion of Merit Award for her groundbreaking research, leadership, and management skills during her tenure at DOD.

From 2005-2014, Ambassador Birx served successfully as the Director of CDC’s Division of Global HIV/AIDS (DGHA), which is part of the agency’s Center for Global Health. As DGHA Director, she utilized her leadership ability, superior technical skills, and infectious passion to achieve tremendous public health impact. She successfully led the implementation of CDC’s PEPFAR programs around the world and managed an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion. Ambassador Birx was responsible for all of the agency’s global HIV/AIDS activities, including providing oversight to more than 400 staff at headquarters, over 1,500 staff in the field, and more than 45 country and regional offices in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, and Latin America. Recognized for her distinguished and dedicated commitment to building local capacity and strengthening quality laboratory health services and systems in Africa, in 2011, Ambassador Birx received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. In 2014, CDC honored her leadership in advancing the agency’s HIV/AIDS response with the highly prestigious William C. Watson, Jr. Medal of Excellence.

Ambassador Birx has published over 220 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, authored nearly a dozen chapters in scientific publications, as well as developed and patented vaccines. She received her medical degree from the Hershey School of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, and beginning in 1980 she trained in internal medicine and basic and clinical immunology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. Ambassador Birx is board certified in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and diagnostic and clinical laboratory immunology.

The Lady reminds me of Ms.Thatcher...she is classy.

"Ambassador-at-Large, Deborah L. Birx, M.D., is the Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. Ambassador Birx is a world-renowned medical expert and leader in the field of HIV/AIDS. Her three-decade-long career has focused on HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Birx oversees the implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history, as well as all U.S. Government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Serving as the U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, she aligns the U.S. Government’s diplomacy with foreign assistance programs that address global health challenges and accelerate progress toward: achieving an AIDS-free generation; ending preventable child and maternal deaths; and preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats."

The administration and "We The People" are better off with this distinguished Lady helping V.P.Pence and this POTUS....regardless how the Lincoln Project, the NRDC and other Anti-American deep state supporters continue to tear at this President...We Americans are so strong and they are so sick.

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