If you’ve ever been a boxing fan you understand the boxer vs brawler dilemma. A brawler is going to come out swinging as hard and as often as he can. He wants to shrink time and space. Using brute strength and ferocity he intends to beat the living bejesus out of his opponent. A boxer tries to slip to the side, moving away, making the brawler waste energy swinging at nothing. His strategy is to move under the wild punches to land as many quick jabs as possible before dancing away again. At least that’s the general idea I was taught during my brief, lackluster boxing career.
This week we saw a classic example of the brawler, boxer dynamic during a senate hearing regarding the coronavirus. Rand Paul tried his best to drag some good news out of Doctor Anthony Fauci.
Admittedly, since infections have grown drastically and Covid19 has now killed more Americans than World War 1 most of the news was pretty bleak, and Dr. Fauci has made it clear he believes the country isn’t taking it seriously. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if the US started recording 100,000 new cases a day.
Senator Paul criticized the doctor for being too negative, pleading for a little good news, and, in an odd twist, the right to play baseball. He came out swinging, as fast and powerfully as he could. He was relentless he just kept moving forward, anger and belligerence his weapons of choice, right, left, each swing wilder than the last. He was going to show that pencil necked little geek doctor the way it was done in the senate.
Dr. Fauci responded with a deft sidestep, a quick short left to the clean-shaven jaw of the Senator from Kentucky. After ducking a wild combination he countered telling the Senator from Kentucky if he had listened to the opening statement and the answers to previous questions he would know he, Doctor Fauci, wants to find a way to get the children back in school. He wants to find the safest way because they don’t know enough about the disease and its effect on children.
Ducking under a wild haymaker, Dr. Fauci explained he would never try to tell people what sport they could play, he thought he was very ill-qualified for that responsibility. He is asked questions about the potential spread of the virus and he evaluates the data available and makes assumptions based on his years of education, and then he reads in the paper what he allegedly said.
Rand was reeling, from the disciplined, determined counter-attack and his corner was forced to throw in the towel. But, he had one last parting shot for Dr. Fauci, “we just need a little optimism.” Is that asking too much?
It wasn’t their first bout. They faced off in May with similar results, when Dr. Fauci told the Senator that he was not qualified to speak on economics, only the possible ramifications of a pandemic. Senator Paul did have a beard in that match, but it availed him naught. By my scorecard Doctor Fauci is up two to zero.
He is facing a wily opponent in his next match, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick who is done listening to Doctor Fauci. He claims the doctor has been wrong on every issue, every time and he has plenty of experts who will tell him what he wants to hear. Them’s fighting words Lieutenant Governor, if that is your real name.
You’ll want to tune in and see The Masked Avenger Anthony Fauci squaring off against Dan the Destroyer Patrick, sacrifice of grandparents, in the match of the century.
This is all ridiculous, I know, I wrote it, but I can’t help wonder why a decent man like Dr. Fauci is willing to endure all of the contempt, all of the childish foot-stomping and finger-pointing. Moreover, I wonder how long he is willing to stand for it. He is trying to save lives he isn’t running for office, he isn’t selling malaria vaccines.
He is a scientist and he deserves our respect and gratitude. We are not handling the disease very well, but it isn’t because the scientists haven’t given us the means. I worry about the day when they decide it just isn’t worth the hideous abuse they have to endure, and leave us to listen to the senators and lieutenant governors of the world.
Today, I ordered a Doctor Fauci Face Palm Face Mask from Amazon, just to show my support. The world needs more Doctor Faucis. For now, though, the world needs to listen to the ones we have.
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The White House / Public domain