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Dr. Rachel Levine, Failing Up
One of my favorite phrases is “failing up.” That’s when someone who is perceived to be unsuccessful, even a failure, is promoted. People who’ve worked in the federal government know what I’m talking about.
Recently Dr. Anthony Fauci, the 80-year-old, 30+ year head of the National Institute for Infectious Diseases and Allergies – allegedly our nation’s top epidemiologist – has been used, perhaps unfairly, as an example of failing up.
But today, we have a new candidate. Dr. Rachel Levine, President-elect Joe Biden’s announced nominee for Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. It is perhaps the number three position at HHS, responsible for several hugely important agencies, from the Food and Drug Administration to the Public Health Service. It is arguably one of the top scientific positions in all government and the nation’s top health official (although Dr. Fauci was asked to be President Biden’s “chief medical advisor“).
Of course, we know why Dr. Levine was chosen: She is transgender. It has everything to do with politics, and nothing to do with science, and certainly not with competence or integrity. Having lived through Pennsylvania’s horrific mismanagement of the COVID crisis, there is overwhelming evidence that Dr. Levine is grossly unqualified to serve in any position of public trust.
Yet, the minute Dr. Levine is criticized by any public person, they will instantly be accused of bigotry. One dare not mention that Dr. Levine’s gender dysphoria in the context of criticizing the health secretary’s scientific and policy judgments. If you do, the thought police emerge instantly and make Dr. Levin into a victim. I’ve seen it. Just don’t go there.
Every Senate Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which will hold a hearing on Dr. Levine’s nomination, will highlight her transgenderism, followed by every single Senate Democratic floor speech once it reaches the full chamber (and it will). That aside, there’s ample ammunition in Dr. Levine’s awful record to torpedo the nomination.
Unfortunately, in a nominally Democrat-controlled Senate, symbolism and politics will trump science and competence. It will be interesting to see which Republicans will go along with Dr. Levine’s confirmation. I’m betting most of them, including Pennsylvania GOP Senator Pat Toomey, but I hope that I am wrong. Watch what happens to Senators who are critical of Dr. Levine.
What follows is but a small sample of Dr. Levine’s failures as noted by Pennsylvania’s leading media. With a record like this, given the responsibilities for vaccine distribution and administration and health policy in general, our nation’s health leadership and infrastructure – and those who depend on it – are in for a very challenging time.
Documents from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania – one of the state’s most populous county in the Philadelphia suburbs, reveal the fear county officials had about Dr. Levine’s and the state’s mismanagement, especially with regard to nursing homes.
Pennsylvania has consistently lagged behind other states in COVID testing.
More than two-thirds of COVID deaths in Pennsylvania occur among aged Americans in long-term care facilities, among the highest in the country. Early in the crisis, Pennsylvania had a plan to deal with that. They not only failed to use it, Dr. Levine and Governor Tom Wolf (D) forced unprepared nursing homes, against their protests, to accept COVID-positive patients.
Perhaps even worse, Dr. Levine and her team quietly changed the death counts as the crisis worsened.
But here’s the coup de grace. As the Pennsylvania COVID nursing home crisis worsened, as Dr. Levine was forcing nursing homes to accept COVID positive patients, she moved her mother out of her nursing home into a luxury hotel. Too bad other Pennsylvania families could not have been afforded the same opportunity.
Pennsylvania’s vaccination rate, despite having one of the highest per capita populations of 65+ Americans, trails many states, including Florida.
There is nothing inspiring about a record or a person like this. It should frighten and alarm you. Dr. Levine should never have been nominated and should have been fired as Pennsylvania’s health secretary months ago.
Now it is time for Americans and the media to hold Senators accountable for the confirmation process and to watch their votes carefully.
Published in General
There are countries where party politics is the primary qualification (eg, China, Russia) and it doesn’t work well.
Yeah, but how many of them actively seek out the most diseased and unfit person they can possibly shoehorn in an open position? Maybe that’s the key, and they can get socialism to work this time.
Lindsey Graham will vote for him/her. He has done it before and he just got reelected. Elections have consequences, dontchaknow.
You preempted me. I had the same idea, but not all your facts.
Why do you use feminine terms when referring to Dr. Levine? You use things like “she” and “her.” He is not a woman.
I understand, but it is simply counterproductive to go there.
That alone should be disqualifying.
And, I know we are all just supposed to play along, but a health secretary should probably have a basic understanding of biology.
I like the picture where he is wearing his pearls better.
Another act in the left’s war on reality.
You cannot have someone who believes that gender is a concept, or not related to biological sex, or whatever the hell they believe this week, in a position where they are in charge of public health policy. It’s insane. China figured out this “two gender” thing five thousand years ago. They think this is hilarious.
For all of you anti-bigotry types who think this isn’t a big deal, just wait until they’re taking your children away because you object to putting them through hormone replacement therapy.
Was just checking GOP members of house and senate that will be confirming HHS nominations (they don’t appear to be current as they show Pat Roberts still from Kansas and Kelly Loeffler from GA on committee.
There are plenty of squishes in both house and senate committees. These nominations of this particular inept, corrupt and mentally I’ll person will be a facinating test of GOP resistance. Mitt Romney, Susan Collibs and Murkowski are shown on there.
Also looking to see/hear Jim Jordan and some of the other Freedom Caucus members ask this freak questions.
These confirmation votes will be clarifying to say the least.
I presume confirmation will be by acclamation.
Cousin It = Dr. Death. No one will dare question the Good Doctor, lest they be outed as a bigot And of course a science denier. Ohhh the lunacy. Animal house meets 1984.
But . . . it’s historic!
The article makes no mention of Levine’s mother being spared the good doctor’s edict. It does however say:
So I think we know how they are going to play this.
For this, there should be prosecution for corruption, not elevation to a senior administration role. It is akin to insider trading, But Dr Levine checks off too many boxes on the diversity spreadsheet so corruption won’t matter. Welcome to the new America.
This is so consistent with the support Gov. Cuomo has given to and gotten from the Democratic Party. Same story, exactly.
I wonder if this is some strategy like “the best defense is a good offense.” Or something.
It doesn’t make sense except that these two governors have in common an obviously tight relationship with the Democratic Party leadership.
Of course there is long-standing known fact about socialists, that they and their system rewards incompetence. Which is why socialist countries end up completely dysfunctional after a while.
I agree pretty much, but when the question is competence, or lack thereof, it raises the question of “why then?” “Democrat” isn’t the whole answer.
Does anyone know what this Gerard Depardu stunt double is a “Dr.” of?
Unless we “go there” and go there often, we will lose.
We must not back down. Richard Levine is a very confused man. Mentally ill. Reponsible for the deaths of thousands. Has no business holding any government position.
It’s not. Do not allow them to colonize your mind by getting you to call Richard Levine by a female pronoun. Reject fantasy and delusion.
Speaking of failing up and confirmation; the title of an “opinion” piece in today’s local paper was , “Biden’s ‘team of retreads’ just what battered government needs”. Of course, the cabinet is filled with Obama failures; the same people who did so much to grease the skids on this nation’s plunge into third world status.
Yet, they are just what the government needs. Of course, the same opinion piece managed to get in their usual insults to Ben Carson and Betsy DeVos; two of the best secretaries their respective departments ever had.
A nation turned upside down…
Well, obviously you haven’t seen his Sports Illustrated layout…
Levine is awful, the vaccine distribution in PA is poorly managed, at the start of the outbreak, followed Cuomo’s dumb nursing home policies and was another bureaucrat that created one rule for the masses and another for for them
The good news is if Dr. Levine is writing policy then we can expect federal funding for free pap smears for all the fellas.
Acclimation.
If you see something, say something.
I believe a pediatrician
When the party succeeds in getting you to regurgitate nonsense, they know they’ve got you. That’s why they do it.
Have you ever read 1984?
Well, it’d certainly be counterreproductive.
Gotta admit, he makes for a good Halloween costume.