Speaking to right-wing 'mature' crowd, gutless Dunleavy refuses to defend Dr. Zink, Alaska hospital workers

Gov. Mike Dunleavy could have chosen to say a few words in support of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink when four dozen “mature” citizens of Mat-Su cheered the idea of firing her.

And he could have said a supportive word about the thousands of Alaska health care workers who have struggled to save lives under impossible conditions in Alaska hospitals, exacerbated by his lack of leadership.

But speaking last week to a right-wing crowd in Palmer—the Alaska chapter of the Association of Mature American Citizens—Dunleavy couldn’t find a way to commend Zink or Alaska’s hospitals.

After a woman gave a long account about her husband’s extreme health struggle with COVID-19 and claimed that he had gotten lousy care in Mat-Su, Dunleavy said, “We don’t control the hospitals. They have hospital boards.”

Dunleavy didn’t bother to mention that Alaska doctors, nurses and support staff have been doing the best they can during the pandemic. A competent governor would have said that, even at the risk of offending the mature mob of Mat-Su citizens.

His treatment of Zink was even worse.

A governor with a sliver of respect for a dedicated state employee would have said that Zink “has worked tirelessly to help the people of Alaska handle the COVID-19 pandemic.”

But that’s not Dunleavy.

To appease the Mat-Su mob, he claimed he would “make a decision” about Zink, which some of the mature citizens interpreted as a signal that she would be fired.

The entire event featured his patented approach of telling—or not telling—audiences exactly what he thinks they want to hear. Some of the mature citizens complained about health care they’ve received from Alaska doctors and some whined about Zink.

“Those under you are not in alignment with your platform,” said mature citizen Marty Kincaid.

“I like what you say, but those you have under you, I do not like. Zink is now the president of this Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. That’s over 100,000 public health things, it’s all about Planned Parenthood, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports. And she’s running that,” said Kincaid.

“Zink needs to go,” Kincaid said. The mature mob clapped and cheered.

(Zink was named president elect of the health group last March. The group consists of the chief health officials from every state and territory. Its purpose is to track health care policy matters and work to improve the nation’s health.)

Kincaid claimed N95 masks don’t work, which is not what health care experts say.

“We need a clear direction from you as our leader that the virus is here to stay and we need to be offensive on it,” she told Dunleavy.

She also said she had been in the emergency room with her mother and complained that fat people are the ones getting sick and they need to take care of themselves. “Everybody there was either obese or morbidly obese. I can not be in control of somebody else’s actions.”

Dunleavy replied with a nearly three-minute banal harangue about how he does not live his life in fear of the virus, that we have cold viruses that evolve, that he is an historian and a guy who reads history, that some conservative Republicans wear masks, that some people don’t wear masks, that some people have been vaccinated three times, that it’s all about choice and that we will defeat the virus by living our lives and getting on with things, and the real virus we have to get beyond is the one in our minds, blah, blah, blah.

He didn’t mention the work of Dr. Zink.

“What about Zink?” he was asked.

“I’ll make that decision. I’ll make that decision. I’m not gonna have a discussion—I’m being honest with you—I’m not gonna have a discussion here in front of folks. I’ll make a decision not just about one staff member, but a number of staff members,” said Dunleavy.

When I wrote that sentence about how a governor with a sliver of respect for Zink would have had the courage to face the mature mob by saying she “has worked tirelessly to help the people of Alaska handle the COVID-19 pandemic,” I was merely quoting from a letter that Dunleavy signed on Nov. 1 to the American Medical Association.

“In addition to her tremendous leadership during the public health emergency, Dr. Zink continues to actively care for patients as an emergency physician,” Dunleavy wrote in a letter obtained by the Alaska Landmine.

“Her work has saved thousands of Alaskans, kept our society safe, and consistently provided data-driven recommendations to me for consideration. Based on Dr. Zink’s exemplary record, I am honored to support Dr. Anne Zink for the American Medical Association’s Outstanding Government Service award,” Dunleavy wrote.

Faced with mature Mat-Su citizens who consider themselves medical experts, Dunleavy crawled into his hidey-hole and left the impression that Zink will be fired.

It was a shameful and gutless performance by Dunleavy.

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