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| Anthony Fauci |
America owes a debt of gratitude to Doctor Anthony Fauci for his strong and reassuring PR leadership during the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis.
He was an oasis of leadership amid the incompetence and chaos of the Trump White House.
Fauci’s resignation as Joe Biden’s chief medical officer paves a road for the president to follow.
The 81-year-old Fauci is stepping down from his leadership post at the National Institutes of Health in December after a 38-year run.
He plans to “pursue the next chapter” of his career, which includes encouraging young people to enter government service.
That’s exactly what 79-year-old Biden should do, after the midterm elections.
He should pursue his own next chapter, which is clearing the way for younger Democrats to compete for the presidential nomination.
Fauci is calling it quits at the NIH at the age of 81. Biden would be 81 on Election Day in 2024 and 82 on Inauguration Day in 2025.
C’mon Joe. It’s time to step to the sidelines and coach the kids.
You already have achieved more (e.g., biggest global warming legislation, lowering cost of prescription drugs for Medicare, infrastructure law, COVID-19-fighting American Rescue Plan, rallying allies in support of Ukraine) than what any American could ask for in a president.
A second term would only jeopardize your legacy.
Crikey! Thin-skinned Lachlan Murdoch is suing a tiny Australian website called Crikey, its editor and a journalist for defamation over an article that alleged his family played a role in the Capitol Hill riots.
The article ran June 29 and was taken down following the first legal threat from Team Murdoch.
The 50-year old mass media heir filed his lawsuit against Crikey on August 22, after it taunted him to do so. Crikey is now championing itself as a fighter for press freedom.
The influential Financial Times agrees, calling Murdoch’s filing a test case for freedom of the press Down Under.
Crikey, for its part, is mining PR gold from Lachlan’s snit.
It ran an Aug. 22 opinion piece, noting the “offending” June 29 article was a commentary about the Washington insurrection that barely referred to Fox News and never mentioned Lachlan by name.
Crikey then positioned itself as a worthy heir to Lachlan’s feisty dad, Rupert, who relished a good media squabble.
The website noted that during the 1950s when Rupert was a fledgling owner of The News in Adelaide, he went toe-to-toe with a larger competitor.
The Advertiser had threatened to drive The News out of business unless Rupert sold out to it.
Rupert didn’t run to seek legal protection. Instead, he published the threatening letter on the front page of The News.
Lachlan should drop the lawsuit. He’s wasting his time and damaging his image by pursuing a tiny media operation.
He has bigger legal issues to worry about, such as the $1.6B lawsuit lodged by Dominion Voting Systems that allege Fox Corp. and the Murdochs allowed Fox News to run false claims that the voting machine company rigged the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden.
What would 91-year-old Rupert do? He would probably applaud the feisty Crikey. Or perhaps offer to buy it.
Big Oil’s marketing subsidies go under attack. California Congresswoman Katie Porter’s heart is in the right place. She has introduced the “The End Subsidies for Fossil Fuel Advertising Act” that would end taxpayer subsidies for energy industry ads that encourage the continued use of oil and gas.
“Big Oil has been lying to the American people for decades about the damage they’re causing to our environment," said the Democrat, who chairs the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. “It’s bad enough these corporations poison the planet; they shouldn’t get taxpayer dollars to cover it up.”
Porter is also upset that energy companies run ads denying climate science, deflecting blame for global warming to other players or touting oil and gas derivatives like methane as “clean” solutions.
Her bill would prohibit Big Oil from deducting from their taxes the cost of ads that support the extraction, distribution and consumption of oil and gas and their derivatives.
The problem with Porter’s bill: How can you strip the deduction of advertising expenses from a single industry?
What’s next: “End the Subsidies for Big Pharma, Big Tech or Big Food Act?”
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Does Donald Trump really think Taylor Swift is going to pay a price for her endorsement of Kamala Harris for president? Dream on, Donald... Grifter Melania Trump emerges from the shadows to spread conspiracy theory about assassination attempt on hubby, and to plug her memoirs... Before launching acquisition spree, Lachlan Murdoch needs to settle squabble with brother, sisters about future of Fox Corp.
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Are American Airlines, Delta and United boycotting Israel? Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres thinks so... Fossil fuels face a bright future in the world's 2050 energy mix as long as Big Oil continues its drill, baby, drill strategy... Klarna, a buy now, pay later company, expects its widespread use of AI will allow it to cut staff in half. AI also will wreak havoc among the ranks of PR people.
Omnicom sets up umbrella organization to house creative heavyweights BBDO, DDB and TBWA, setting them up for cost-cutting... Business Roundtable claims success as its landmark Purpose statement celebrates its fifth anniversary... Lowe's home improvement chain is the latest company to ditch DEI guidelines.
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Aug. 29, 2022, by Joe Honick
Regarding the impending retirement of Dr Fauci, recognized throughout the world for his outstanding work EXCEPT AMONG THE FARTHEST RIGHT WING OF HIS OWN COUNTRY...we read only of some insipid Kentucky Senator and a former wrestling coach from Ohio named Jordan eager to wreak havoc on the man.
Neither Senator Rand Paul nor Representative Jim Jordan have a record of positive thinking and proposals, only a sense they are pure and cannot wait to use their safe spots behind wooden long desks to fire questions and accusations. That they have created dangerous security situations for Dr Fauci AND his family for which the scientist must pay, is of not the slightest concern in any of their comments.
Elsewhere in these pages, a writer has made the case for the importance of PR now and in most situations. I agree. I agree so much I cannot understand why those PR firms being paid to represent the far right seem unwilling to openly indicate who their clients are as so many do here.