Birx's answer today on Georgia is a perfect encapsulation of this dynamic. She talks over and over about the importance of data, while flat-out ignoring that GA's data don't meet the thresholds laid out in the President's plan.
Again she has a choice between giving a public health answer(GA doesn't meet the criteria yet) or a political answer (spin-spin-spin-it's up to the Governor) and chooses the latter.
Over and over and over.
Over and over and over.
Dr. Birx is a public health professional of long standing and credibility. You can tell, as she answers the question, that she knows the right answer but is not allowing herself to give it.
I imagine she has a way of rationalizing this to herself.
I imagine she has a way of rationalizing this to herself.
Perhaps she believe that these public lies are the price of retaining positive influence behind that scenes. If so, she is wrong.
Whatever good she may think she is doing behind the scenes (it is not evident externally, it must be said), statements like this do damage.
Whatever good she may think she is doing behind the scenes (it is not evident externally, it must be said), statements like this do damage.
When she uses her professional credibility to bless harmful public health decisions - from the White House podium - she is doing harm to the country. Period. That is not worth the imagined cost of retaining her private influence.
