The inability of many on the right, specifically within the establishment right, to ever learn from their past failures never ceases to amaze. That was on full display when many of them were still supporting Dr. Anthony Fauci as an apolitical, fair arbiter on COVID.

Eventually, Fauci’s partisan displays became so egregious that even the most spineless of Republicans had to admit what the rest of us had been saying since April of 2020. Yet, the desire to have their own “expert” was still palpable.

Enter Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA official who has staked his flag on being the more moderate Fauci, willing to speak common sense every once in a while. The same people who once praised Fauci as infallible quickly moved into Gottleib’s camp.

But as I’ve written before, Gottleib’s grift is just a little slicker than Fauci’s, and his latest comments show that.

“I think we’re going to need to think differently about respiratory pathogens in the winter time and be more vigilant about the spread of diseases like flu and coronavirus,” former FDA commissioner @ScottGottliebMD says. “We were far too complacent about [the flu].” pic.twitter.com/a5sVwvlyaz

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 4, 2021

We were far too complacent in what way? And what exactly does being “more vigilant” mean? We already have flu vaccines. People can choose to get them or not. Is Gottlieb suggesting more mandatory mask-wearing? More lockdowns? It’s hard to say, since he stays purposely vague. Yet, he does mention the airflow in workplaces, which is a favorite talking point of the teachers unions.

Of course, it’s not tough to imagine exactly what Gottlieb means. Those responding to his clip got the message.

The precautions put into place for Covid this past year lowered the rate of cold and flu transmission immeasurably. We should keep those best practices in place this fall and benefit from the results. Masks. Distancing. Washing hands. They work!

— R. Stephen Browning (@BrowningStephen) July 4, 2021

Yeah, that’s gonna be a no from me and every other right-thinking American. We do not live in a sterile bubble. People need interaction and community. They don’t need pieces of cloth on their face at all times, nor do we need to spend billions of dollars we don’t have to meet largely arbitrary standards of what constitutes being vigilant. You cannot eliminate all risks in life.

But, I’m not sure any of this is really about health. Rather, Gottlieb got a taste of the spotlight and does not want to let it go. If people stop freaking out over COVID and now, the flu, then his CNN hits dry up, and the Sunday shows stop calling. This is the same guy who posed as an expert on TV for a year, while also serving on the board of a vaccine company. Does that sound like a slight conflict of interest to anyone else?

Call me cynical, but I think these TV doctor talking heads do not want to return to normal for very obvious reasons. If things return to normal, their gravy train stops. It’s that simple, in my view, and that makes Gottlieb no better than Fauci in that respect. You’d hope Republicans could understand the game at this point, instead of running from one know-nothing bureaucrat to another former know-nothing bureaucrat. But, they don’t call it the stupid party for no reason.