ANALYSIS/OPINION:

In this time of lockdown and social distancing, it is surprising to find that there are some beneficial revelations reminding us about the real nature of the world, and the impact of people around us.

While we are not going to parties or gathering with large groups, we are getting to know who our neighbors are, and those, by the painful sight of their businesses being temporarily closed, who make our neighborhoods bustling places of business and socializing.

And as we hunker in front of the computers or our smartphones, we’re meeting other people who are having a tremendous impact on our lives now; people whom we never would have really known in any other circumstance.

Dr. Deborah Birx, a key member of President Trump’s coronavirus task force, is one of those people. She has become a person who people look forward to hearing from every day during the briefings on our continuing fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

And yet she has been a hero prior to this. Her extraordinary resume tells us of her commitment to the country but also to saving lives. The 63-year-old mother of two is a board-certified physician specializing in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and diagnostic and clinical laboratory immunology, according to her biography at the State Department.

She served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, is an ambassador at-large, coordinator of the United States government activities to combat HIV/AIDS and the U.S. special representative for global health diplomacy. Her bona fides are clear, as is her standing as an example of a woman who is her own person.

Not surprisingly, despite the fact that she has devoted her adult life to saving lives, primarily anonymously versus so many who pursue a public-facing career, the legacy media and the left in general have decided that Dr. Birx is no longer in favor and must be mocked and marginalized. Why is this? Because she gets along with Mr. Trump, and has dared to occasionally praise him and his work.

Dr. Birx is the latest example of someone who has committed the crime of working well with the president and contributing to the success of his work, which is a vision focused on getting this nation back on its feet. That work is now greatly focused on stopping this virus and making sure the fewest number of people are affected by the scourge.

Despite this being a time of crisis for the nation, The New York Times is reliably trying to set the usual divisive and caustic tone so preferred by the left. In a recent article, it offers up a melange of gossip, sniping and whining implying that Dr. Birx has succumbed to some sort of mind-control unleashed by Bad Orange Man, rendering her weak and untrustworthy.

The tweets of Maggie Haberman, one of the two reporters on the article, makes clear the bias and intention of the piece. Promoting it she wrote: “An astute Trump advisor once described the president as ‘turning’ people so they start to adopt his views, in a binary Trump sees as him vs media. Some fear Dr. Deborah Birx is the latest example. …”

We’ve been told for years Mr. Trump is an idiotic, incapable, dumb puppet of Russia, a traitor to the country and so mentally unstable that we should remove him by invoking the 25th Amendment. Yet somehow the woman doctor is so shallow and malleable that this incompetent Bad Orange Man is able to control her mind.

As opinion writer Stephen L. Miller noted on Twitter about The Times’ smear of Dr. Birx: “The NY Times is actually running a piece that a woman with an MD, BS, rose to the rank of Colonel in the US Army, was Barack Obama’s World AIDS Coordinator, was awarded the meritorious service medal and legion of merit — has been brainwashed and hypnotized by Donald Trump.”

There have been attempts to pit Dr. Anthony Fauci, also a lead on the coronavirus team, against the president. What you don’t see or hear are suggestions that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, or is not in control of the choices he makes. No, that denigration is reserved by liberals for the woman on the team who is enjoying the respect of Americans and the president.

The good news is Dr. Birx, and other Americans who have committed themselves to the health and well-being of this nation, remains steadfast and focused on her work. Getting to know her and all the heroes who continue to work securing our future has been inspiring. While the small-minded and cynical choose to attack those who are helping because it might make Mr. Trump look good, Americans across the board recognize what really matters in this time of pandemic, and it’s about coming together and lifting everyone up.

• Tammy Bruce, president of Independent Women’s Voice, author and Fox News contributor, is a radio talk-show host.

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