Dr. Anthony Fauci is now more popular than ever among media elites. All it took was for him to take an adversarial approach to President Trump over the coronavirus. Who could have guessed?

Recently, Fauci chastised Trump for using his words in a campaign ad, claiming he was taken completely out of context. In reality, the ad was an accurate presentation of his previous praise for the administration’s job battling the pandemic. What’s changed is Fauci himself, nothing else.

As I wrote some days ago, Fauci himself is not stupid — he just thinks you are (see Dr. Fauci Isn’t Stupid, He Just Thinks You Are). That’s why he continues to willfully misrepresent the current situation and make incredibly harmful demands of the public.

Now, he’s got a new one. You need to cancel Thanksgiving, you dangerous peons.

Live updates: Americans may need to "bite the bullet" and cancel Thanksgiving, Fauci warns https://t.co/F86qo4w3ls

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 15, 2020

How about Fauci bite the bullet and go jump in a lake? I don’t mean to be overly hostile, but this has long since passed the point of rationality. Given the epic failure of the past lockdowns to actually reduce the spread – which Fauci still promotes, by the way – there is no logic in continuing to try to enact them on the micro level by forfeiting holidays. You cannot stop the virus, you can only delay it. At the point that hospitals have plenty of capacity, and they do, there is no reason to delay spending time with your family.

Other mitigation measures can be taken. Social distancing, and masks – if you’re into that sort of thing – can still be practiced while you enjoy the most important parts of life. It is not healthy or sustainable to continue to keep families apart for the sake of Fauci’s sensibilities.

Of course, I’ll also note that Fauci refused to comment on protests and other liberal gatherings just a few months ago, claiming it wasn’t his place. But it’s apparently his place to tell you to “bite the bullet” and shun your family. Makes sense, right? This guy should have been booted in April, after it was revealed he lied about masks, because he thought he was smarter than everyone else and needed to protect Americans from their own excesses. His fifteen minutes have long since expired.

In short, no, I’m not biting the bullet and living in abject fear by rejecting my family for the holidays. Fauci can do what he wants, but this virus is here to stay. Learning to live with it is a far more sustainable strategy than pretending we can just hide out forever.

(Please follow me on Twitter! @bonchieredstate)