Republicans: continued

[Seabass]

All the best lefties like to cite National Review articles. You know, that magazine started by John Bircher segregationists...

[L'Emmerdeur]

There is some measure of amusement to that, though. The article is in the National Review, but its focus is on a Washington Post reporter's speculation and inference. The Washington Post, which right wingers insist is a completely worthless and untrustworthy source. Apparently it's all good if it looks like something that will be useful for shit-throwing.

The reporter thinks it seems likely that Fauci was able to restart the research without getting knowing approval from the Trump White House, even though the decision was definitely in the hands of the White House and not Fauci. The allegation is that since Fauci knows his way around the bureaucracy he somehow finessed White House approval, taking advantage of the monumental incompetence of the Trump administration.

Note that this wasn't done in secret. The Trump administration itself announced the change in policy.

The thing is, even if this is true (and the reporter is careful to point out that he doesn't have solid evidence that it is true) it has no relevance to the right wing obsession with research in Wuhan. The allegation here is that Fauci was able to diddle the Trump White House into approving gain of function research in the US -- it's not about Wuhan at all. It's a skin tag on the pig of virus conspiracy noise.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Not forgetting that this little detour was meant to draw attention away from the idiocy of Greene (who says the US should stop vaccinating its citizens against COVID) and the lies of Rand Paul. It's horrible the way they get bullied, don't you know. It's a real boon that there are dedicated leftists who step up to defend them from the bullies.

'Dr. Fauci Dismisses Question About Gain-Of-Function Research From Sen. Rand Paul: "Completely Incorrect"'

"We don't know whether the pandemic started in a lab in Wuhan or evolved naturally, but we should want to know," Paul said. "To arrive at the truth, the U.S. government should admit that the Wuhan Virology Institute was experimenting to enhance the coronavirus's ability to infect humans... This gain-of-function research has been funded by the NIH. The collaboration between the U.S. and the Wuhan Virology Institute continues."

"Senator Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect," Fauci said. "The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain of function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology... We do not send money now to the Wuhan Virology Institute."

"We did," Paul replied, "Under your tutelage, we were sending it through EcoHealth – it was a subagency and a sub-grant. Do you support that the money from NIH that was going to the Wuhan Institute?"

"Let me explain to you why that was done," Fauci eventually said.

"The SARS-CoV-1 originated in bats in China," Fauci continued. "It would have been irresponsible of us if we did not investigate the bat viruses and the serology to see who might have been infected."

"Or perhaps it would be responsible to send it to the Chinese government – who we may not be able to trust – with this knowledge and with these incredible dangerous viruses," Paul said. "Government scientists like you who favor gain-of-function research–"

"I don’t favor gain-of-function research in China, you are saying things that are not correct!" Fauci stated.

[Cunt]

Yes, infallible Fauci, a highly paid, unelected beaurocrat.

Just the leadership the Democrat party needs.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Yes, infallible Fauci, a highly paid, unelected beaurocrat.

Just the leadership the Democrat party needs.

Yeah, he's a relentless bully--it's a good thing that you focus on his misdeeds. Look what he did to poor, helpless Rand Paul.

[Joe]

"poor, helpless Rand Paul"

[Sean Hayden]

Who's behind the batty hatred of this guy, and what do they want?

[Joe]

I don't know. It seems petty and pointless.

[Seabass]

Who's behind the batty hatred of this guy, and what do they want?

The Republican ideology is anti-science. Fauci is a scientist. I'm afraid it's as simple as that.

[Brian Peacock]

Some pitiful sheeple are listening to what Dr Anthony Fauci has to say about the pandemic in the US. Don't they know he's the rotten, evil, no-good villain who used taxpayer dollars to develop the virus in the first place? Jeez

We must pass my bill,
The Fire Fauci Act.

No one elected Dr Fauci. He is the highest paid federal employee.

At his direction, shutdowns & masks are ruining our country, for what appears to be a man made virus that Fauci paid for with our money.

'Tucker Carlson: Anthony Fauci let the coronavirus pandemic happen, why isn't there a criminal investigation?'

- Marjorie Taylor Greene · May 11, 2021

She's taking professional dipshit Rand Paul's promotion of the 'gain of function research' hypothesis and running with it.

Sounds like she needs professional help.

[Brian Peacock]

Who's behind the batty hatred of this guy, and what do they want?

It's probably self-sustaining nonsense - doesn't need anyone specifically to be behind it. Science, even Medical Science, is all evily Democrat now. Just start with that and run with it.

[Seabass]

Liz friggin' Cheney is not right-wing authoritarian enough for the modern Republican party. Just think about that.

This woman is no moderate. She is extremely conservative on both economic and social matters, but she's being purged for committing the cardinal sin of refusing to go along with the FASCIST lie that Trump won. She refuses to get on board with the rest of Republicans in declaring that Democrats have no right to participate in democracy, and for that, the dominant wing (the fascist one) of the party is stripping her of her leadership roles.

The obliteration of truth is necessary feature of authoritarianism. I'm talking about real, genuine authoritarianism, not "Biden might tax Jeff Bezos" "authoritarianism", I mean Stalin disappearing people from photographs levels of authoritarianism. When a party is too right-wing and too authoritarian for friggin' Liz Cheney, then it is no longer conservative; it is something that is to the right of conservatism.

[Hermit]

Yes, infallible Fauci, a highly paid, unelected beaurocrat.

Right on, brother. Bureaucrats should not rise to the top of an organisation tasked with improving national health on the grounds that they are qualified and skilled. They should get there on grounds of popularity. I guess someone like Lauren Boebert would be among the front runners for the position if the Republican voters had their way.



She'd get the economy going straight away. Branches of it anyhow. Coffin production would be booming.

[JimC]

...qualified and skilled...

And we all know that that simply means that they are evil cultural Marxists!

[Hermit]

...qualified and skilled...

And we all know that that simply means that they are evil cultural Marxists!

...in the pay of Bezos and other members of The Elite. It's what Cultural Marxists were made for.