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United States News

Fauci To Step Down in December After Decades of Public Service (npr.org) 304

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who played a critical role in steering humanity through the two pandemics of our time, AIDS and COVID-19, announced Monday he is stepping down from his role in the federal government. From a report: As of December, he will leave the position he's held for 38 years as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as well as his job as chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, and his role as Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden. The straight-talking scientist and physician was the government's top infectious disease doctor for decades, and one of the few scientists that many Americans knew by name.

Fauci, 81, served under seven U.S. presidents and helped lead the country through numerous health crises. He was instrumental in combatting the AIDS epidemic, starting as the youthful director of NIAID in the early 1980s. He also took center stage in a politically fraught response to the nation's COVID-19 pandemic, and he was both praised and assailed for his tell-it-like-it-is philosophy. Department of Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra, who took leadership of the agency a year into the COVID pandemic, said he relied on Fauci's counsel and praised him for "his ability to break down complex science in simple terms to the American people to save lives."
In a statement, President Biden lauded and thanked Fauci for his service to the American people and public health. He said: Because of Dr. Fauci's many contributions to public health, lives here in the United States and around the world have been saved. As he leaves his position in the US Government, I know the American people and the entire world will continue to benefit from Dr. Fauci's expertise in whatever he does next. Whether you've met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans' lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.
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Fauci To Step Down in December After Decades of Public Service

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  • by AlanObject ( 3603453 ) on Monday August 22, 2022 @02:27PM (#62811967)

    The extremism of the Trump cult has required that any adherent must consider someone like Fauci the ultimate evil and that any appreciation for what he accomplished is "pathetic propaganda." Facts don't matter and there is no such thing as objectivity. That is the Trump cult way.

    He absolutely cannot be a federal level bureaucrat who has worked diligently in his field for a half century, saving many people and most probably having made some mistakes in all that time. What irks me most is not that the right wing noise machine works to silence any praise or recognition from me or anyone else, but that they basically make any fair-minded critique of Fauci or objections to any decisions he might have made impossible. Anything negative or even non positive will be seized upon, taken out of context if necessary, and trumpeted as proof of the Trump world vision.

    I'm really sick of it. Fauci did a good job overall under conditions less than ideal. He earned his pension many times over.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      Disclaimer: I'm a Bernie Bro and voted for Jill Stein and Howie Hawkins in '16 and '20, so I'm definitely outside your narrative.

      St. Fauci bungled the Covid response repeatedly and eroded public trust in government health efforts in the process. I don't care what else he did, just about anyone else in the same position could have done the same given the same circumstances and funding. He lied to us, and the consequences will be with us for years to come.

      Good riddance!
      • by Ksevio ( 865461 )

        Despite being a "Bernie Bro" I'm guessing you also voted for Trump or at least support him. The CDC can only do so much without the rest of the government administration on board, and when Trump admin started hoarding PPE away from medical professionals and suggesting people inject bleach, there's only so much that can be done.

        The people that whined about being told to not wear masks earlier (what they like) and then told to wear masks later (what they didn't like) would find some other reason to complain

    • by Junta ( 36770 )

      Particularly amazing as the pandemic could have been the world handing Trump a "Rally 'round the flag" boost on a platter, if they had just played it right. The exact same situation could have played out with Trump held blameless if he hadn't been.. well Trump.

      Instead he rubbed so many the wrong way, gave an impression of failing to take it seriously and plan around it, diminishing the influence of anyone with expertise, and as a consequence it soured opinion and the faithful Trump followers needed to blam

    • The Republican Party has been forced to oppose all of science since they threw in their lot with the oil companies against anthropomorphic climate change. Once they did that it was necessary to turn their backs on all science.

      It's similar to how Christian extremists have to treat the story of the great flood in the Bible as literal even though it's a painfully obvious that it's a myth even in the context of the Bible. It's about maintaining authority and control. Once the institution or an organization
      • It is cute that you pretend the Republicans aren't sharing the bed with Democrats when it comes to the Oil Orgies.

  • by muh_freeze_peach ( 9622152 ) on Monday August 22, 2022 @02:31PM (#62811991)
    When confronted with data that contradicts current understanding, throw it out and stay the course!
  • by bwt ( 68845 ) on Monday August 22, 2022 @02:42PM (#62812053)

    Ultimately, Fauci for me represents the face of what I call authoritarian science, which is an oxymoron doomed to failure. Some of what he said was right, some of what he said was wrong. This is inevitable given a rapidly emerging threat like a pandemic and I don't fault him for occasionally being wrong or changing his views. What I fault him for is trying to ignore being wrong sometimes is inevitable and pressing a "I speak for science" authoritarian mandate approach, rather that taking the "this is what I believe, this is what we recommend, and here's why" approach.

    Ultimately, I think people will rebel when they are asked to make sacrifices they don't understand and agree with and this rebellion is worse than giving them the choice and accepting many won't comply right away.

    • I agree with you. The problem is that the world is very complex and, in every field, non-intuitive results exists. People can't be experts on everything. At some point you need authorities to speak with authority. A good plan that everybody follows is better than a perfect plan that nobody follows. I'm not saying that I like Fauci's communication style. However, I'm also sympathetic that nobody can get things done under constant second-guessing.
    • by eepok ( 545733 )

      Minor quibble: No one speaking with the authority of completed research should use the word "believe" in any of their discussion about the research. Belief is the acceptance for truth those things for which you have no evidence and when you equate belief with evidence-based prescription, you bring the value of the completed science down to that of religion, superstition, and conspiracy theory. The same goes for "I feel like..."

      Instead, we should use "I think ..." or "the evidence points toward..." or "All t

      • by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <[ten.frow] [ta] [todhsals]> on Monday August 22, 2022 @04:50PM (#62812549)

        Fauci, for example, is still harangued for joining with others and telling people NOT to wear N95 masks.

        And chances are, he was also trying to mitigate the shortage of N95 masks that happened as well. He wanted those masks to go to medical staff who have to deal with the virus - because you don't want them getting sick and reducing your capacity to treat.

        People complained - those who used N95 masks on the job had trouble getting them as well - and they were being hoarded like people were hoarding toilet paper.

        It's one of those really tough calls to make - you want people to use proper masks, but you also don't want them to snap up all the supply for the essential workers who need it the most.

  • Fauci To Step Down in December After Decades of Corporate Service

  • by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 ) on Monday August 22, 2022 @06:13PM (#62812779)
    "...one of the few scientists that many Americans knew by name." - I bet most people can reel off lists of dozens of celebrities & sports players. What have we become?
  • by sabbede ( 2678435 ) on Tuesday August 23, 2022 @08:15AM (#62813963)
    After 54 years of proving he can play office politics, a bureaucrat who once received medical training leaves his position of back-room influence. Whoop-de-f_k and good riddance.

Somebody ought to cross ball point pens with coat hangers so that the pens will multiply instead of disappear.

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